US analyst calls Russia’s MiG-41 fighter “figment of imagination”

The Russian sixth-generation fighter jet MiG-41, long touted by Moscow as a breakthrough in aerospace technology, has been dismissed by American analyst Brent Eastwood as little more than a fantasy concept.

Writing for the National Security Journal (NSJ), Eastwood argued that Russia’s defence-industrial complex lacks the technological and industrial capacity to produce such an advanced aircraft. He compared the MiG-41 unfavourably with the United States’ upcoming sixth-generation fighters, the F-47 and F/A-XX, which he described as likely to become a “nightmare” for Russia’s MiG-41.

Eastwood criticised Russia’s promises to create a next-generation interceptor, claiming they “outrun physics, materials science, and its sanction-strangled industry.” He stressed that Moscow simply does not have the resources to develop engines capable of pushing an aircraft to speeds above Mach 4.

“Is it possible that the MiG-41 only exists on paper? That may be the case. MACH 4.3 sounds like a fantasy, and Russia’s experience with the Su-57 and Su-75 shows that this speed is unattainable,” Eastwood wrote.

He went on to describe the MiG-41 as a “figment of imagination,” suggesting that the project reflects Russia’s ongoing struggle to keep pace with American and Chinese military aviation advances.

Despite scepticism from Western experts, Russian officials continue to claim progress. The Federation Council of Russia recently stated that work on developing the MiG-41—presented as a sixth-generation interceptor capable of extreme speeds and space operation—remains underway.

By Vugar Khalilov