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Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Russia’s MiG-41 6th Generation Fighter Looks Like a Pipe Dream

MiG-41
MiG-41. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Key Points and Summary: Russia’s MiG-41, or PAK DP, is billed as a next-generation stealth fighter capable of competing with NATO’s F-35 and emerging 6th-gen platforms.

-However, its future is clouded by financial and technological hurdles.

-Renderings suggest a hybrid design resembling the Su-57, blending 5th- and 6th-gen elements, but production delays and economic constraints have hampered Russia’s ability to field such aircraft at scale.

-Similar challenges plague the Su-57 program, with only a few operational units.

-Additionally, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has depleted military resources, raising questions about its capacity to develop advanced weapons systems, including the MiG-41.

Will Russia’s MiG-41 Ever Leave the Drawing Board?

Russia’s ambitious and highly-touted “vision” for a 5th-gen “plus” or 6th-gen stealth fighter may or may not emerge from its current liminal status, as the future of the jet hangs in an unclear haze of uncertainty related to technological maturity and budget challenges. 

Renderings have appeared in a few places in recent years. However, very little is known about the MiG-41 apart from Russian press reports, which say the configuration of the jet may resemble Russia’s existing Su-57. Called the Prospective Aviation Complex of Long-Range Interception (PAK DP), the MiG-corporation jet is slated to emerge by the end of the current decade. 

Available renderings and images of the aircraft reveal an F-35-like single-engine fighter with a blended wing-body, smooth rounded exterior, and stealthy-looking fuselage.

MiG-41

MiG-41. Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot.

The front half of the aircraft looks almost like US defense industry 6th-generation renderings, as it is smoothly shaped in a blended, rounded, stealthy way. The back end of the MiG-41 seems quite similar to an F-35 with tails and a single engine.

This might suggest that the plane is almost a 5th-to-6th-generation hybrid capable of increased stealth and simultaneous ability to maneuver and vector as a multi-role fighter such as the F-35. 

MiG-41 Fighter: US vs. Russian 6th-Gen?

While US 6th-generation aircraft have taken to the sky, there has been no public image of what it might look like.

However, it is possible Russia is not as far along in the realm of 6th-generation engineering because US 6th-gen industry renderings show a tailless fighter jet, signaling that perhaps technology has evolved, enabling a tailless and fin-less, fully horizontal fuselage to maneuver like a fighter jet.

Should this be the case, it would introduce the prospect of breakthrough vectoring technology. The Russian MiG may indicate 6th-generation ambitions on the part of Russia, yet it may not be clear that it will fly with truly 6th-gen technology. 

There is still a problem with Russia’s MiG-41 in terms of budget. There may not be the available funding and industrial capacity to manufacture these aircraft in an impactful or valuable way.

MiG-41

MiG-41 Fighter Artist Concept. Image: Creative Commons.

There has been a similar problem for many years with Russia’s Su-57 5th-gen stealth jet, as few have been able to be produced, given budget and manufacturing complications.

This creates a very substantial “mass” problem for Russia because however advanced or capable its Su-57 may be, there are not enough of them to present any impactful challenge against the West and NATO. Europe, NATO, and the US are rapidly acquiring hundreds of F-35s and would, therefore, clearly be in a position to overmatch any 5th-gen Russian fighter force. 

Russian “Mass” Problem

Russia may have this problem with other weapons systems, particularly given that the war in Ukraine has massively depleted its weapons systems, supplies, and available rockets and artillery.

The Russians may also suffer from a “numbers” problem related to its other exquisite breakthrough technologies, such as its new Oreshnik missile or hypersonic weapons such as the Zircon, Avangard, and Kh-47M2 Kinzahl. 

Russia has fired some of these weapons in Ukraine. Yet, there is little indication that there is a supply of enough of these weapons to generate a serious impact in a major-power war.  

MiG-41

Image: Russian Media/Screenshot. MiG-41.

This scenario may be similar to its emerging MiG-41 aircraft, as the stealth fighter has yet to exist.

Russia’s production capacity is likely occupied or simply overwhelmed, so it cannot sufficiently produce new weapons systems

About the Author: Kris Osborn 

Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Written By

Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19 FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven - Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

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