Flying the MiG-31

[sublimeswell]

Hi All,

New player here, learning to fly the MiG-31 interceptor. So, I had a question about tactics: at what range can I reasonably fire the R-33 missile? And the R-40? 

 

Also, does the R-33 begin tracking after a certain amount of time, or do I need to maintain radar lock throughout the missile's flight? Same question for the R-40.

 

The MiG-31 seems to be a poor dogfighter. Should I just charge in at max speed, fire off missiles, and continue flying in a straight line? Or do I fire and try to maintain distance by maybe turning around 360?

 

Your advice appreciated. Thanks!  

[Zukov]

Hi, you probably flying a mod (there's several), based on the Mig 29 or Su-27. The behaviour of the R-33 or R-40 works fine for IA but for a mod played by a human is not accurate.

[Xeno426]

Realistically, the R-33 and R-40R are both SARH, so you have to keep STT lock for the entire flight. The R-40T is an IR guided missile, so like the R-27T it's fire and forget.

One thing to keep in mind is that IRL the MiG-31's radar is PESA, so it's able to maintain multiple STT locks and thus launch R-33 missiles at multiple targets simultaneously. No MiG-31 mod to my knowledge properly models the Zaslon radar, and thus many of the unique and powerful features of the MiG-31 are not available.

Imagine flying the F-14, but with F-15 avionics and displays. That's how limited you are in the MiG-31 mods.

[sublimeswell]

Right. So, I know the mod has its limitations in terms of realism and fidelity to the real plane (i.e. - Zaslon and other features), but I wanted to know: what should my strategy be with this thing? Should I go in super fast in a straight line, fire as many missiles as possible, and keep flying in a straight line? I noticed that it does not turn well, so it's limited to shallow banks and turns. You really can't pull much off in terms of turning.

 

Wanted to get more experienced players' advice on this. I'd like to keep flying it, but it certainly is a difficult aircraft to master given its turning limitations.