The Mikoyan MiG-41 project, with billions of dollars invested in its research, now faces redundancy even before it could be officially unveiled and launched in the market.
Authorities officially commenced a probe after arresting Russian scientist Viktor Kudryavtsev, who is associated with Moscow's Central Research Institute of Machine-Building (TsNIIMash) and could be charged with high treason.
Kudryavtsev has been accused of sharing sensitive and confidential information pertaining to the Mikoyan MiG-41 project with an ally nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to Russian news agency TASS, the arrest of Kudryavtsev, who faces charges of high treason, was upheld by the Moscow City Court on Thursday. While he remains in custody, his lawyer, Evgeny Smirnov, said the scientist has had no access to any type of secret documents for over the past 20 years.
"Kudryavtsev is not giving testimony as he neither knows nor understands the accusations against him," Smirnov explained.
While Russian media claims it was not aware of which NATO member state was the recipient of the said information, Kudryavtsev has shared it with the US.
As per report, the information the accused Russian scientist has leaked to the US is about the Mikoyan MiG-41 project, the fighter jet that, according to its inventors' claims, can fly at hypersonic speed — five times that of sound.
Further, exclusively notes that the Mikoyan MiG-41 jet, aimed to become a replacement for the MiG-31, would be made available for use to the Russian army by 2020.
The MiG-31 would consequently be out of use by 2028.
Boasting the ability to carry both nuclear and conventional weapons, the Mikoyan MiG-41 is not an updated version of its predecessor, the MiG-31, but a completely new, state-of-the-art sixth generation machine that has been claimed to easily shoot down the F-22 and F-35 jets developed by the US.
As Vasily Kashin, a Russian defence analyst, puts it, "the MiG-41 is a kind of a futuristic project which is […] something like a 5++ or 6th Gen project”.
Said to travel at speeds over 4,800 kilometres per hour, the Mikoyan MiG-41 does not only have the ability to carry and install hypersonic missiles but can be used as a drone as well. The stealth aircraft — which means that it manages to successfully stay off any radar — is also known as the outer-space jet.
General John E. Hyten, the commander of the US Strategic Command, had earlier warned the American government to take defensive measures against Moscow with regard to the Mikoyan MiG-41 — which the Russian President Vladimir Putin has likened to a shooting star — before it was too late since the US is, at present, helpless against this technology.
With not much to do in the face of the Mikoyan MiG-41, the US managed to get a taste of the new technology by taking an alternative route — obtaining information regarding the new underdevelopment project.
This could be a lesson for Russia to continue its hard work and spending billions of dollars on research and development but be wary of traitors at the same time.
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