Russian supersonic jet shows Earth’s curvature during military exercise
A Russian MiG-31BM jet has shown breathtaking glimpses of the Earth’s curvature at an altitude of more than 20 kilometers during a military drill, while intercepting an intruding aircraft.
The MiG-31BM was flying at the speed 2,500 kilometers per hour through the lower stratosphere, the second major layer of the Earth's atmosphere, over Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, TASS news agency, citing the Pacific Fleet’s press office, reported on Monday.
The report said that the all-weather long-range supersonic interceptor jet detected another MiG-31BM, which was playing the role of an intruding aircraft at the same altitude, adding that the jet successfully intercepted the intruder without involving ground-based air defense systems.
A cockpit video, while recording the interception moment, showed a spectacular view of the Earth’s curvature.
“For the first time ever, new upgraded MiG-31BM high-altitude interceptor-fighters took part in a dogfight at their service ceiling,” the press office said in a statement.
The upgraded MiG-31BM has the distinction of being one of the fastest combat warplanes in the world and it has been designed to intercept and destroy air targets at extremely low, medium, and high altitudes.
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