A video posted on social networks confirms that a second Russian MiG-31 Foxbat suffered a serious mid-air fire. Last April, another Foxbat was filmed in similar conditions. While the videos confirm the primary cause of the loss of these two aircraft, it remains to be seen whether the Russian MiG-31s suffer from poor maintenance or serious technical problems.
Ejection!
Since June 3, a video showing the crash of a Russian MiG-31 has been circulating on social networks. The whole scene was filmed by another Russian aircraft, more than likely a second MiG-31, the wingman of the aircraft in question.
The video (tweet below) begins on the MiG-31 with serious engine damage, causing an equally serious fire. Note that the aircraft's landing gear is down, but the aircraft is not at very low altitude. This could be a Foxbat that has just taken off. After 38 seconds of video, the crew of the aircraft in distress decided to abandon their jet. The video then provides a close-up view of an in-flight ejection procedure for a two-seater: the RIO canopy (in charge of the aircraft's weapon systems) is ejected, followed quickly by the RIO seat, followed immediately afterwards by the pilot canopy and finally the pilot seat. The video ends with the plane beginning to plummet and crash into the mountains. We also see the ejected crew's parachutes descending.
One more crash?
Note that last April, a MiG-31 was spotted with a large flame escaping from its engines before crashing (article on the subject). However, these two crashes are totally different because the MiG-31 that crashed in April "ended its flight" in Lake Imandra (tweet below). However, the video posted above clearly shows a crash in the mountains. Since April 8, 4 Russian MiG-31s have been lost in flight, so this could be a fifth crash, or it could be the crash of December 2, 2022, but images of the latter are still, to this day, rare and prevent any definitive open-source confirmation (OSINT).
On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether the Russian MiG-31s might have a problem concerning the leakage of flammable liquid (oil, kerosene,.However, it remains to be seen whether Russian MiG-31s might have a problem with leaking flammable liquids (oil, kerosene, etc.) from their engines, since, along with the April crash, this is the second Foxbat to be lost in flight as a result of a fire in the rear of the aircraft.
As a reminder, the MiG-31 is a Russian fighter specializing in interception missions.
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