The MiG 1.44 was a supersonic prototype aircraft designed by the State-run firm Mikoyan-Gurevich in 1991. The purpose of this military plane project was to develop a very fast jet interceptor and fighter to replace the MiG-31. The experimental aircraft performed its first flight on December 15, 1994. It was flown by Roman Taskaev, then chief test pilot.
Although the Mikoyan Project 1.44 performed almost perfectly, with great maneuverability, it would be cancelled due to lack of financial support. The Cold War had ended and Russia was in the doldrums of economic inactivity as the new private companies in the former Soviet Union were just beginning to emerge.
Technical Characteristics
The MiG 1.44 was a large single-seater, which was designed to fly faster than any aircraft it might encounter. During the test flights, it reached the maximum speed of Mach 2.40 (2,825 km/h) Cold War. It was fitted with cropped delta wing, with a thickness chord ration of about 3.5%, while its leading-edge angle was set at 48 degrees.
On the trailing edge, it had large inboard and outboard flaperons, which were driven by powerful units in underwings fairings. The aircraft was also fitted with large dog-toothed canards driven over a large angular range. The power plant consisted of two Lyulka AL-41F afterburning tubofan engines. The air intake was on the belly of fuselage.
Below, blue-print drawing of the MiG-1.44 aircraft
