The work on the supersonic PAK DP MiG-41 interceptor is making use of the MiG-701, Mikoyan MiG-301 and Mikoyan MiG-321 projects begun in the 1990s. As of July 2016, not much information was available apart from the statement that such aircraft is planned for development, no official data was available concerning its capabilities. It was speculated that it could enter service by the mid-2020s or 2030s. As an interceptor, its primary mission was rumored to offset future reconnaissance aircraft currently being developed by the United States of America and China. To achieve the high speeds rumoured for the aircraft, the aircraft would need to be equipped with ramjet or turboramjet engines. The design of the MiG-41 was finalized by the end of 2019, at the same time the research work was completed. In 2020, within that research framework, the Russian Ministry of Defense selected the most promising project. Work in this area now continues in R&D. Ilya Tarasenko, the general director of the MiG corporation, as well as the head of the Sukhoi company, said in an interview in July 2020 that the PAK DP will be created on the basis of the MiG-31's design According to Izvestia, the MiG-41 is envisioned to become an interceptor of hypersonic missiles by carrying a multifunctional long-range interceptor missile system that will dispense several sub-missiles in order to increase the chance of intercepting hypersonic weapons. The PAK DP is also intended to carry anti-satellite missiles.
Design
In an interview for Russia Today, the Director General of RSK MiG, Ilya Tarasenko, said that it would be a new construction capable of Mach number 4–4.3, equipped with an anti-missile laser, and said would be able to operate at very high altitudes and even in near space. He also stated that it could be transformed into an unmanned version later. If purchased by the Russian Air Force, he said that the first production MiG-41 would be completed in 2025. The aircraft will likely cruise at speeds of at least and fly at high altitudes to cover the most amount of Russia's very large territory in the shortest period of time. It could use the Izdeliye 30 engines currently under development for the Su-57. The MiG-41 will use stealth technology. According to Avia Pro, the MiG-41 will be built on the basis of the Su-57 fighter, with a different configuration and a modified airframe in order to be able to reach a maximum speed of more than 6100 km/h, and a cruising speed of 2500-3000 km/h. Experts do not exclude that the design of the MiG-41 will be similar at the same time to the appearance of the Su-57 and of the MiG-31. An unmanned version is also under consideration.
