Mikoyan-Gurevich MiM-31 (A,B) "Karyovin"

(Version 1.01 - Last updated: 06/21/03)

Background and RPG stats by Kenneth Olson

Based off a design shown in Robotech Episode 33 "Rainy Night"

Artwork from Wildstorm Source Book #1

BACKGROUND

The Mikoyan Gurevich MiM-31 was designed in the early 1990's to replace both the Mig-29 air superiority fighter and the SU-39 ground attack bomber.  The resultant fighter incorporated a new delta wing design with wing tipped veritech stabilizers and forward canard wings to provide agility at all altitudes and produce a fighter which was capable of flying head to head against any of the contemporary Western Alliance fighters, such as the F-16, F/A-18, and the F-15.  The initial flight of the MiM-31 occurred on November 15 1991 and proved so successful that the Soviet Air Force ordered the MiM-31 into full production the following month.

The aircraft was designed around the massive 35mm GSH-35 gatling gun mounted underneath the main fuselage.  This weapon is capable of punching through the armor of most tanks and provided the MiM-31 with fearsome air-to-ground capabilities.  In addition to the GSH-35 cannon, the fighter is capable of mounting up to 8,400 kg of external ordinance, including precision laser or TV guided weaponry.  The fighters air-to-air capability was provided by six wing hard points capable of mounting up to twelve short range AA-11 "Archer" or six long range AA-12 "Adder" missiles. 

With the opening shots of the Global Civil War in January of 1992, the design team at Mikoyan Gurevich was pressured to bring the production lines of the MiM-31 up to wartime capacity.  The first combat squadrons were formed in the summer of 1992 and immediately placed into combat.  The MiM-31 showed that it had no equal in its ground attack role, capable of destroying entire units and possessing the speed to escape from any pursuit.  For the first couple of months of the global conflict the Karyovin, proved to itself equal to all Western air superiority fighters; although, this parity was short lived as the MiM-31 was outclassed with the introduction of the  F-203 Dragon II.  Nevertheless, the design was sufficiently successful that the MiM-31 was produced in vast quantities, with almost 7,500 units produced in the Soviet Union and Allied Eastern Co-Prosperity States during the Global Civil War.

After the crash of the SDF-1 and subsequent end of the Global Civil War, the newly formed Eastern Block Soviet Independent States (EBSIS) were able to acquire key technologies from the crash site.  This allowed EBSIS engineers provide the aircraft with advanced titanium alloys which provided greater protection from enemy weaponry and also resulted in new advanced turbojet designs with vastly improved fuel economy and thrust to weight ratios over the older models.  The newly designed MiM-31B entered into production in 2010 and along with the S-37 "Berkut" was to be the EBSIS's primary frontline fighter for the next two decades.

For much of the First Robotech War, the MiM-31 saw little combat action, as the EBSIS tried to stay out of the battle; however, the bombardment of the Earth by Zentraedi forces in 2011 destroyed nearly 80% of the entire EBSIS Air Force.  Although EBSIS industry was shattered by the bombardment, new models of the MiM-31 were rolling off the production lines outside the Ural Mountains six months later.  In the interim years between the end of the First and beginning of the Second Robotech Wars, EBSIS provided equipment to almost every unaligned state outside the United Earth Government in addition to some malcontent Zentraedi groups.  Although no MiM-31 are known to have been used directly by the Zentraedi, several mercenary groups based in the Merchant Republic of South America which fly MiM-31 are known to have been hired by renegade Zentreaedi.  These missions on several occasions pitted the MiM-31 against VF-1 veritech fighters flown by the Robotech Defense Force (RDF), an encounter which the MiM-31 rarely won unless the odds were greater than 4 to 1 against the VF-1.

By the beginning of the Second Robotech War, the EBSIS airforce had 2,100 MiM-31 of all models.  As during the First Robotech War, during the conflict with the Robotech Masters EBSIS forces tried to stay on the sidelines to save themselves for the battle with the Armies of the Southern Cross (ASC) that they were sure to come at the war's conclusion.  At the war's conclusion in August of 2030, the ASC were in such a depleted state that EBSIS had became the dominate power on the planet without a shot fired.   On 1-March 2033 EBSIS forces crossed into Germany thus beginning the Second Global Civil War.  MiM-31's were among the first combat aircraft into United Earth Government airspace.  EBSIS forces quickly established air-superiority and looked to lake over all of Europe;  however their plans soon came undone, when the Invid attacked on 15-March 2033 routing most of the EBSIS forces and completely destroying all of their conventional aircraft.

RPG STATS

Vehicle Type: MiM-31 "Karyovin"

Class: Air superiority and strike aircraft

Manufacturer: Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB
Crew: One Pilot

Service History:

MiM-31A: Single seat air superiority aircraft, served with the USSR from 1992-2010, Eastern Co-Prosperity Sphere from 1992-2007, and later with the Eastern Block Independent States from 2010-2031

MiM-31B:  Single seat air superiority aircraft, served with Eastern Block Independent States from 2010-2031

 

MDC BY LOCATION:

NOTES:

1. Destroying the MDC of the main body or the Pilots Compartment will destroy the mecha
2. Destruction of either of the wings or tails will send the Berkut into and uncontrollable spin

SPEEDS:

MAXIMUM SPEED:

MiM-21 (A):  1100 kph  (Mach 0.9) at sea level and 1900 kph (Mach  1.8) at 30 kft

MiM-21 (B):  1300 kph (Mach 1.05) at sea level and 2200 kph (Mach 2.1) at 30 kft

CRUISE SPEED (max performance without afterburner):

MiM-21 (A):  1000 kph  (Mach 0.94) at 30 kft

MiM-21 (B):  1300 kph (Mach 1.22) at at 30 kft

STALL SPEED:

MiM-21 (A):  150 kph

MiM-21 (B):  140 kph

CLIMB RATE:

MiM-21 (A):  19,000 meters per minute

MiM-21 (B):  21,000 meters per minute

CEILING:

MiM-21 (A):  18,000 meters (60 kft)

MiM-21 (B):  20,000 meters (65 kft)

MIN TAKE-OFF DISTANCE:

MiM-21 (A):  800 meters

MiM-21 (B):  650 meters

MIN LANDING DISTANCE:

MiM-21 (A):  600 meters with drag chute

MiM-21 (B):  550 meters with drag chute

DESIGNED G LIMITS:

+10.0 to -5.5 g

RANGE:

• Nominal:  MiM-21 (A) - 3,500 km, MiM (B) - 3,750 km
• Maximum:  MiM-21 (A) - 4,150 km, MiM (B) - 4,500 km
• Ferry:  MiM-21 (A) - 6,500 km, MiM (B) - 7,100 km
• Low Altitude:  MiM-21 (A) - 1,050 km, MiM (B) - 1,250 km

STATISTICAL DATA:

LENGTH:

16.5 m

WINGSPAN:

10.2 m

HEIGHT:

6.6 m

WEIGHT (DRY):

• Dry:  MiM-31(A) - 17,000 kg, MiM-31(B) - 18,250 kg
• Max Take-Off:  MiM-31(A) - 27,000 kg, MiM-31(B) - 32,750 kg

 ENGINE THRUST

MiM-31 (A):  2 x Sarkisov RD-37 turbofan with thrust vectoring nozzles, 69 kN static thrust with 125 kN of afterburner

MiM-31 (B):  2 x Sarkisov RD-39 turbofan with thrust vectoring nozzles, 90 kN static thrust with 157 kN of afterburner

FUEL CAPACITY:

MiM-31 (A):  1,250 US gal (4,732 liters) 

MiM-31 (B):  1,400 US gal (5,300 liters)

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1. (All) 1 x 35MM GSH-35-1 FOUR-BARRELED GATLING GUN:  A single 35 mm cannon is mounted on the ventral side of the MiM-31.  The cannon is capable of firing up to 6,500 rounds per minute with a muzzle velocity in excess of 1250 meters per second.  The cannon is fed from an internal 800 round storage drum.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-aircraft
   • SECONDARY PURPOSE: Ground support
   • RANGE: Accurate out to1500 m against moving targets
   • DAMAGE: Armor Piercing (AP):  4D4 MDC short burst or 6D4 MDC medium burst.   High Explosive Incendiary Tracer (HEI-T):  3D4 MDC short burst or 5D4 MDC medium burst
   • RATE OF FIRE: Single shots or bursts equal to the combined attacks of the pilot.
   • PAYLOAD: 800 rounds or 40 short bursts (20 rounds) or 20 medium (40 rounds)
   • NOTES:  HEI-T add +2 to strike, critical strikes on conventional aircraft on 17-20
   
   
2. (All) 6 x BODY/WING HARD POINTS:   Up to  lb (8,340 kg) of external stores can be mounted on three hard points on either wing.  Each hard point can mount up to two short range missiles (such as the AA-8 or AA-11), a single medium range or long range missile (such as the AA-10 or AA-12), or up to 1,200 kg of fuel, equipment or ordinance
   
   • AA-10 ALAMO (R-27):  The AA-10 "Alamo" was a contemporary of the American Sparrow AIM-7M missile.  The missile is equipped with a semi-active radar homing head; although, several variants using passive IR and active RF are known to exist.  The AA-10 was used extensively by Russian and Eastern Co-prosperity forces during the Global Civil War; however, the missile was gradually phased out by the AA-12 in the early 21st century.   
     • PRIMARY PURPOSE:  Anti-aircraft
     • MISSILE SPEED:  3,000 kph
     • RANGE:  80 km
     • GUIDANCE:  Semi-active radar
     • DAMAGE: 2D6*10
     • BLAST RADIUS: 40 feet
     • RATE OF FIRE:  One Missile
     • STRIKE BONUS:  +2 to strike
     
     
   • AA-11 ARCHER (R-73):   The premier short range all-aspect IR missile of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Co-Prosperity Sphere Forces and EBSIS.  The missile is directly connected to the pilot's helmet which allows engagements lateral to the aircraft. 
     • PRIMARY PURPOSE:  Anti-aircraft
     • MISSILE SPEED:  2,000 kph
     • RANGE:  40 km
     • GUIDANCE:  All aspect infrared
     • DAMAGE: 1D6*10
     • BLAST RADIUS: 30 feet
     • RATE OF FIRE:  One missile
     • STRIKE BONUS:  +3 to strike
     
     
   • AA-12 ADDER (R-77):   A Russian missile similar to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.  The AA-12 is inertially guided to the target from launch through mid-course and terminally guided by its own onboard active RF seeker.  The AA-12 missile was introduced during the global civil war of the mid 1990's and became the premier medium range missile for the Eastern-Co-Prosperity Sphere Forces.
     • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-aircraft
     • MISSILE SPEED:  3,000 kph
     • RANGE:  100 km
     • GUIDANCE:  Inertial with terminal active radar
     • DAMAGE: 2D4*10
     • BLAST RADIUS: 35 feet
     • RATE OF FIRE:  One missile or in volleys of two
     • NOTES:  +4 to strike
     
     
3. 2 x CHAFF/FLARE DECOY DISPENSERS: Two chaff flare decoy dispensers are located in the rear of the aircraft.  Each dispenser can hold up to 30 decoys apiece with the standard load out consisting of  50% chaff bundles and 50% flares.  The type and number of each decoy is triggered manually by the pilot.
   • PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-missile
   • RANGE:  100 m
   • RATE OF FIRE:  Up to 10 decoys per attack
   • PAYLOAD:  30 decoys per dispenser
   • NOTES:    In game play only chaff bundles will affect RF missiles and flares affect IR missiles.  The player must declare after the missile strike, without knowledge of the natural strike roll of the missile attack,  which type of decoy he is deploying.  For each effective decoy deployed subtract -3 from the natural die roll for dumb missiles (those with strike rolls +2 or less), -2 from the natural die from for standard missiles (+3 to strike), -1 from the natural die roll from intelligent missiles (+4 or greater to strike).  If the natural die roll, with out any strike bonuses added falls below +5 then the decoys are effective and the missile(s) will miss their intended target.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR THE KARYOVIN:

• ACTIVE SENSOR JAMMER SORBTSYS-S (L-006):  Internal ECM providing broadband protection.  Estimated system effective radiative power 30 dBW.
• AUTO-PILOT: The Karyovin is equipped with a computerized auto-pilot, allowing the pilot to relax or even sleep during long voyages. The auto- pilot can be programmed with a single destination or a complex flight plan involving multiple speeds, directions, and destinations. The onboard computer will alert the pilot when the fighter is near its destination, and can also be set to automatically signal when sensors detect objects near the fighter.
• CHAFF AND FLARE DISPENSERS APP-55: 30 chaff and 30 flares in two dispensers located in the rear of the aircraft, see entry above for further details.
• COMBAT COMPUTER WITH HUD DISPLAYS: The combat computer tracks and identifies specific enemy targets and displays them on a heads up display.  The radar and combat computer can identify and track up to 50 targets simultaneously and engage with up to four semi-active missiles.
• INFRA-RED WARNING RECEIVER MIKOYAN IR-8 (IRWR):    Providing rear aspect protection from IR guided missiles
• LASER TARGETING SYSTEM:  System has a range of 50 km and is used to increase the accuracy of onboard weapons. 
• RADAR ZHUK-29 X-BAND PULSE DOPPLER:  Detection radar against 0 dBsm target 80 km.  The radar has limited multi-targeting capability being able to track up to 50 targets but can engage only 4 at any given time. 
• RADIO/VIDEO COMMUNICATION: Long range, directional communications system with satellite relay capabilities. Range: 300 miles (960 km) or can be boosted indefinitely via satellite relay.
• RADAR-ABSORBING SKIN COVER: The Karyovin is covered with RF absorbing material which reduces the aircrafts passive radar cross section. 
• RADAR WARNING MIKOYAN YR-7 (RWR):  Providing all aspect broadband protection from RF guided missiles. 
• STANDARD SURVIVAL KIT: All EBSIS fighters come equipped with a portable survival kit. Inside the small reinforced box is a medium-sized flashlight, two hand flares, one rocket flare, a compass, infrared distancing binoculars, a small mirror, a pocket knife, dehydrated and concentrated food (can be stretched into a five day supply for one person) and basic first aid items (aspirin, bandages, disinfectants, etc.)
• TACTICAL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: The Karyovin's cockpit is pressurized, and also provides additional air feeds to the pilot's flight suit that provides him with pressurized breathing. The EBSIS flight suit also contains an upper and lower g-suit that promotes blood circulation even during high-g turns, thus decreasing the possibility of pilot's blacking out in combat.
  

COMBAT BONUSES FOR MiM-31 TRAINING:

• 2 actions per melee (plus those of the pilot)
• Add one additional action at levels six and eleven.
• +1 to strike with 20mm Cannons
• +5 to dodge
• +15% on all piloting skill checks.

Random Hit Locations

When there is an equal chance of hitting both sides from 1D6

• 1-3 hits the right side
• 4-6 hits the left

When there is a preferred side, roll 1D10

• 1-8 hits the preferred side
• 9-10 hits the opposite side

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN

• Periscope:  Mig-29 entry
• Macross: Perfect Memory:  MiM-31 "Karyovin" entry
• Robotech Technical Files: Mig-31 "Karyobin" / A-16 "Executioner" entry

Back to Mecha Home