Comments by "Geoffrey Lyons" (@granatmof) on "The plane that frightened F-15 pilots - MiG-31 Foxhound" video.

So more like the F14 which was a carrier based intercepter with longer rang missiles and high speed. Though the F14 wasnt as fast because fuel limits.
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And in any case, the US didn't match it because they realized the future was missiles, and the ROI of matching the capabilities really wasn't there. If you can build a faster jet, you can build a faster missile. I mean they could have finalized the a12 (aka the attack sr72. The judged the F15 was capable of standing off against the m31 and have been largely been proven correct since no F15 has been lost in combat. Ultimately a lot of the information about Soviet capabilites I think are really Propoganda. Specs on sheet doesn't reflect performance in real life without extensive training and logistics, and the Soviets just didn't have those resources by the 70s. See in the west military planners and vendors actually like the Soviet capacity since it meant new research and development funds to "beat" them. The 2000s is what happens when r+d loss their adversary: programs like the F22 the ninja sniper of the sky were cut well before their final complement was ordered. Today the Propoganda of Chinese development is pushing newer budgets, new doctrines and new strategies, which in turn mean even more tools and training and spending. The only thing more expensive than the best military is the second best military. Also the idea that spy planes are not useful in a world of spy satellites is categorically incorrect. Any nation with a astronomy department can track every satellite in the skies above. Once a satellite you suspect is a spy satellite crosses overhead, you know it's on its way and can hide your resources. A spy plane you can try to shoot down, but interception usually work by getting in front of the target. It's why defending a location is easier no matter how fast the missile is. It's why the Soviets had to build the M31 to try to keep up with the sr72. The importance of soy planes is exactly why drones are so useful: you get live Intelligience from the sky below the clouds when the enemy cannot prepare. Personally drones just grant that ability to the infantry squad instead of just central command.
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