Russia expects first maiden flight of its new MiG-41 PAK DP long-range bomber aircraft by 2023.

According to information published by the Russian press agency Sputnik on January 3, 2021, Russia could conduct the first flight test with the MiG-41 long-range bomber aircraft also called PAK DP by 2023 and the inaugural flight in 2025.

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The MiG-41 or PAK DP, the future generation of Russian-made long-range fighter/bomber aircraft. (Picture source RT News video footage)

The MiG-41 or PAK DP is a stealth interceptor long-range fighter/bomber aircraft under development by the Russian company Mikoyan. It could replace the aging MiG-31 long-range supersonic interceptor aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force.

The Mikoyan bureau has been working on the design of a new long-range interceptor, based on their MiG-31, since 2013 as part of a plan to replace the aging fleet of MiG-31 fighter jets whose active service life expires in 2028.

According to Mikoyan bureau, the MiG-41 will be able to reach a fly speed of Mach 4-5 and a maximum speed of Mach 6 equipped with an anti-missile laser, and said would be able to operate at very high altitudes and even in near space. The Mig-31 has a cruising speed of 2,500 km/h (Mach 2.5) and a maximum speed of 3,000 km/h (Mach 3).

Russian media reports that the MiG-41 fighter could be developed into an unmanned combat aircraft in the future.

At Army 2017, a defense exhibition that was held near Moscow, engineers of Mikoyan bureau described the MiG-41 has a completely new aircraft using new technologies offering the ability to flight in the Arctic sphere. The fighter will be equipped with newer stealth technologies and will have the ability to carry a large number of weapons. It also have the ability to operate at a very large intercept range.

There is no official information about the armament available on the MiG-41, but it will probably inherit weapon systems mounted on the MiG-31BM and the capability to carry hypersonic missile. Citing Russian military sources, the MiG-41 will be able to carry the Vympel R-37M, a Russian-made hypersonic long-range air-to-air missile designed to shoot down enemy aircraft while keeping the launch platform out of range of any fighters that might be protecting the target. According to Izvestia, the sixth-generation fighter will carry "a long-range multifunctional interceptor missile system capable of hitting hypersonic missiles."