Russian Air Force MiG-31 Crash

A Mikoyan MiG-31 of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed in Lipetsk Oblast. Both pilots ejected safely. Lipetsk hosts a major Russian combat training centre. The MiG-31 remains a strategically important type, both as a long-range interceptor firing the R-37M missile and as the launch platform for the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile used against Ukraine. Production ceased in 1994, so every loss permanently reduces a fleet Russia cannot replace.