May 19, 2006 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
Russia and Kazakhstan are considering the development of a joint air-launched space vehicle, according to Yuri Solomonov, director and designer general of the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering. At present, Orbital Sciences Corporation in the U.S. operates the world’s only aerospace system consisting of the L-1011 aircraft and the light-weight Pegasus-XL launch vehicle. However, Solomonov today stated that the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering, along with Russia’s Aircraft Corporation MiG, could begin work on the Ishim air-launched space system by July 1, 2007.
As envisioned, the Ishim complex would include two MiG-31I aircraft, a three-stage launch vehicle, as well as an Ilyushin Il-76MD Midas surveillance plane. The MiG-31I would climb to an altitude of 15 to 18 km, fly 600 km toward a predetermined point, engage the launch vehicle, and attain a speed of 2,120-2,230 km/hour. The Ishim system would be able to place 160 kg payloads into 300 km circular orbits, and 60 kg payloads into 120 km orbits. Both MiG-31Is are currently deployed in Kazakhstan, which is financing the project.
The Ishim project is based on research and development conducted by the Soviet Union during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of its “anti-SDI” program. Similar to the U.S. anti-satellite (ASAT) system for destroying enemy satellites, which used a number of air-launched missiles, the Soviet Mikoyan Design Bureau in 1987 converted two MiG-31 fighters into improvised missile carriers and designated them as MiG-31Ds. The second prototype MiG-31D was tested outside Moscow for several years, although the “anti-SDI” missile never progressed past the experimental stage. (Article)
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