MiG-31I Strike Fighters Refuel in the Air to Launch Ballistic Missiles Against Ukraine From Deeper Bases

Russian Aerospace Forces MiG-31I strike fighters have for the first time been confirmed to have launched strikes on Ukrainain targets from bases deep in the Russian interior, operating alongside Il-78 tankers to cover longer distances and loiter for longer periods before firing their missiles. The MiG-31I carries an air launched variant of the 9K720 ballistic missile from the Iskander-M ground-based system, and has entered service in growing numbers through a program that refurbishes MiG-31s from Russia’s large reserves. Launches from the air not only allow the missiles to be brought to forward firing positions within minutes, providing far less warning to enemy surveillance, but they also provide missiles with significantly more energy than ground launches allowing them to reach targets considerably further away. The MiG-31 is considered an optimal launch platform due to its high missile carrying capacity, speed, and operational altitude.

Russian investments in aerial refuelling capabilities have remained limited since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, with the positioning of the bulk of the Soviet Air Force’s Il-78 tanker fleet in Ukraine leaving the Russian fleet with a significant shortage. The tankers have been prioritised to support strategic aviation assets including Tu-22M3, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers, with the MiG-31I’s service under the Strategic Aviation Command alongside these aircraft potentially also granting it priority access to tanker support. The Russian Aerospace Forces are able to operate tactical aviation assets with less tanker support due to a combination of a distribution of airbases across the country, and to the significantly longer ranges which its fighters have than their Western counterparts, with fighters such as the Su-34, Su-35 and Su-57 far outranging any tactical combat jets seen in the Western world.

The MiG-31I first entered service in 2022 as an enhanced variant of the MiG-31K, and is capable of launching anti-satellite missiles alongside its role as a ballistic missile carrier. The fighter was credited with the first ever kill against a Patriot air defence system in May 2023, and saw a new inflight retargeting capability added in 2023. Ukrainian and Western officials cited by the Financial Times in early October noted that missile strikes launched by the fighters had become far more challenging to intercept, with U.S.-supplied MIM-104 Patriot missile systems in Ukrainain service able to achieve interception rates of only around six percent against strikes by MiG-31Is and by Iskander-M systems. It remains uncertain how large the MiG-31I fleet will grow to reach, with numbers having already been increasing fast before the outbreak of full scale hostilities with Ukraine and escalation of tensions with NATO in 2022, raising the possibility that they could be commissioned into service at an accelerated rate mirroring the rapid expansion of production of multiple fighter types in the country.