Starfighter: Russia has announced ambitious plans to develop the MiG-41, a sixth-generation “starfighter” capable of extreme speed, EMP attacks, and laser weaponry.

-Intended to replace the MiG-31 Foxhound, the MiG-41 is designed to reach near-space altitudes and exceed Mach 4. However, while impressive on paper, these aspirations are widely seen as unrealistic given Russia’s current military priorities in Ukraine and technological limitations, particularly in directed-energy weapons.

-Some argue Russia should focus its resources on achievable projects like the Tupolev PAK DA stealth bomber, rather than the speculative MiG-41.

Russia's MiG-41: The Unrealistic Vision of a Sixth-Gen Starfighter

Russia wants the world to know that it is unaffected by the Western proxy war being waged between itself and the NATO alliance over control of Ukraine. Recently, Moscow let the world know that it was moving ahead with the construction of its long-range strategic stealth bomber, the Tupolev PAK DA. Russian forces already possess the world’s most advanced, working hypersonic weapons arsenals.

Now, Moscow has announced that it intends to move forward with the Mikoyan Design Bureau’s radical new sixth-generation warplane, the MiG-41.

MiG-41: Russia’s Last Starfighter

But the descriptions of the MiG-41 do not sound like a new, more advanced warplane for the Russian arsenal. They look and read like a starfighter right out of Star Wars. 

Russia wants these planes to shoot down enemy missiles with lasers. 

Never mind that Russia does not have working directed-energy weapons. It’s what Moscow wants. What’s more, Russia wants the plane to deploy electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons against its enemies. 

Oh, and the bird will travel at speeds exceeding Mach four. 

The MiG-41 is meant to be a replacement for Russia’s MiG-31 “Foxhound.” Russian media sources reporting on the development of this theoretically extraordinary bird indicate that the plane will fly at altitudes that exceed anything that any other warplane can fly at. In other words, the Russians are sending this thing to the edges of space—hence, why I like to describe it as a “starfighter.” 

Russian tactical thinking has moved beyond simply building more kinetic warplanes. The theorized sixth-generation warplane, which is pure fantasy at this point, is meant to outfly its rivals. The weapons that are being developed for this experimental plane are non-kinetic. They’re meant to attack the sophisticated electronic operating systems of enemy warplanes. 

EMP weapons, lasers, and skimming low-Earth orbit are all the big dreams of the Mikoyan designers. It’s interesting. 

These schemes are also totally impractical. 

Russia Should Not Engage in Flights of Fancy

The Russians are in what Vladimir Putin has repeatedly described as an “existential” war with Ukraine. He’s likely right. That’s why all national resources have been directed into winning the war. 

And the Russians are winning, but the Russians are also still limited by the reality of their national position. 

In other words, the Russians need to focus on the practical and leave building the wünderwaffe to the Americans, who are proving with each decade since the end of the Cold War that such fantastical systems are rarely worth the money and time it took to build them. 

Where Russia is right to spend its limited resources is in developing the aforementioned Tupolev PAK DA long-range strategic stealth bomber. That system will prove decisive over time for Russia, especially if the Ukraine War continues unabated for the next several years. But the MiG-41 is as ridiculous as it sounds.

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock. All photos are of various submarine styles. 

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