They are getting a small but better BVR capability ...

That 's about it .

 

Cheers .

If true the Syrian purchase ($1 billion) would have zero effect on the air power balance because it is so tiny.  Five MiG-31s means one or two might be available at any one time.  I would expect this small of a purchase to be made by China - which would reverse engineer and produce copy-cat jets.  Syria does not have that capability nor does Iran.

 

Of course, DID reported the sale was a sure thing... on June 22, 2007:

 

"Russian newspapers are claiming that Russia has begun delivering 5 MiG-31E Foxhound aircraft to Syria under a deal that was reportedly negotiated in autumn 2006. The Russian newspaper Kommersant adds that:

"...a lot of MiG-29M/M2 jets was sold to Syria as well. They are being sold abroad for the first time and are similar in their technical specifications to the MiG-35 model Russia is now offering India. The total value of the contract for the MiG-31 and MiG-29M/M2 aircraft is estimated at $1 billion."

Russia doesn't want to make too big a ruckus in the Middle East, while still getting the message across.  So, instead of taking Iran's money to equip the Syrian dictatorship with the long-range SAMs Syria needs to protect its genocidal WMD investment, they have elicited to provide them with a quickly-relocatable equivalent to these S-300PMU-whatever, the MiG-31.

Syria was previously equipped with MiG-25's, which no IDF/AF airplane could do much anything against. Did these MiG's make any difference in 1982? Nope. No Israeli fighter today can touch a MiG-31, unless its pilot blunders so much as to try and merge with F-16/15's. So I guess these 5 MiG's mean 30 long-range BVR missiles in the air at any one time, and up to as many dead IDF fighters, or decoys.

After that, the MiGs will have to land somewhere, at about the same time the Izzie cruise missiles do...

 

The message that viscerally antisemitic, fascist Russia wants to convey is: hey Jews, we're still wielding that axe, and we still want you dead. Hopefully this time, the notoriously clueless Israeli public opinion will get it, or at least, start to. Without being retardedly optimistic, Netanyahu is less stupid than he looks, and the GSS is not asleep at the wheel, so proper retaliation could start with the rolling back of the FSB/GRU networks in Israel, along with some popular action at the site of the Russian embassy in Tel-Aviv, which failed to materialize during the Georgia episode but which can count on me and myself this time!

I also look forward to the arrest of Putin's chief agent in Israel, for High Treason, before he is allowed to really damage us in his quality of FM.

While I agree with all of you that 5 jets isn't much of a change in terms of taking out the IDF/AF. Wouldn't the MIG-31 lookdown capabilities somewhat complicate some of the low altitude ingress/egress options into Syrian airspace?

-DA 

DA, what did I miss?  Why did you happen to bring this up?  Isn't this relatively old newsthat still hasn't happened?

 

 

 

I really don't see why a Foxhound would do much for Syria.  The MiG-31 is designed as a long-range interceptor, to guard Russia's very long borders against an American bomber stream or cruise missile attack.  Israel and Syria are so close together that by the time the Foxhounds get in the air, they may find themselves under Tomahawk attack or launching into a skyful of F-15s.  While the MiG-31 is a superb interceptor, possibly even the best in the world right now, it's no dogfighter.  A F-15 will eat it up.  The mini-AWACS thing I can buy, but why not just buy some A-50s from Russia?  And this is assuming the Russians haven't sold a downgraded MiG-31 to the Syrians--because you never know when some disgruntled Syrian pilot might decide to defect.

 

IMHO, this means one of two things:

 

1) The report is bullshit. 

2) The Syrians bought them because they look kewl, not because they'll be any more effective against the Israelis (given the generally low quality of Syrian pilots), and Bashir Assad is also trying to overcompensate.  He's got to have something he can use as prestige.  The latest Russian hardware is a good place to start, and the Russians have no problem proving to the Syrians PT Barnum's old adage about fools and their money.

 

There's a third possibility. A reason for purchasing such a limited number of high-altitude interceptors might be for ASAT work with a yet-undisclosed Russian weapon. The MiG-31 would be the best and most efficient ASAT "first stage" out there, and I think the Syrians are pretty convinced by now that they can't hide anything from Israeli space assets, and that they'd better do something about it if they want to go forward with their evil plans.

I am more inclined to agree with Sentinal28a - the report is a rehash of what was published in June 2007 - a result of the DIA Director making the suggestion during recent hearings.  MiG would love the sale - to boost its image and to provide badly needed cash before they go under - but I kinda doubt the Iranians would foot the bill with the present price of oil and their own economic distress.

 

As for ASAT - I suspect the Chinese DF-21 ASAT mod would be far better suited for a sale than the unproven MiG-31 ASAT which never went beyond the suggestion stage.  The PRC would not mind selling Syria the system and would - no doubt - give them a good price.

As I said before, it's not going to give Syria any advantage in terms of ability to win the war. It will dramatically change the planning for air operations in the area. Remember, this aircraft has a very powerful sensor suite and can dash at supersonic speed farther than most small planes can fly on Mil Power in cruise setting. Pretty much the Capital cities of all Syria's neighbors are in range of this jet.

-DA 

There's a third possibility. A reason for purchasing such a limited number of high-altitude interceptors might be for ASAT work with a yet-undisclosed Russian weapon. The MiG-31 would be the best and most efficient ASAT "first stage" out there, and I think the Syrians are pretty convinced by now that they can't hide anything from Israeli space assets, and that they'd better do something about it if they want to go forward with their evil plans.

 Any sale of ASAT weaponry would be a major international incident, second only to the sale of a nuclear warhead.  It is unlikely that either Russia or China would risk it.

There's a third possibility. A reason for purchasing such a limited number of high-altitude interceptors might be for ASAT work with a yet-undisclosed Russian weapon. The MiG-31 would be the best and most efficient ASAT "first stage" out there, and I think the Syrians are pretty convinced by now that they can't hide anything from Israeli space assets, and that they'd better do something about it if they want to go forward with their evil plans.

An ASAT shot is not that simple! Even the F-15 with an Orbital Science Happy Birthday present would find it tough to hit a mid range orbit bird.

 

Herald

Glad to see ya Back!

This is why I suspect the PLA would market its DF-21 ASAT variant before the Russians could field a MiG-31 armed with an ASAT.  A flight borne shootdown is a bit tougher than a ground based launch.

 

In addition, we have never seen the MiG-31 or any Russian aircraft armed with an ASAT while the PLA demonstrated its ASAT for all the world to see.