BALASHIKHA( Moscow region), August 11. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Air Force has been planning to use Mig-31 jets to intercept targets over the North Pole during the forthcoming exercises, Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev told ITAR-TASS on Monday.

"We have once again confirmed colossal possibilities of Mig-31 aircraft, which flew to the latitude of the 82nd degree with two refueling takes only, which was not the best of its capacity. It has enough flight safety resource, but we decided to take no risks. During the next exercise, we hope that the Mig-31 jets will, for the first time in their history, fly over the North Pole," the Air Force commander said.

The exercises with the use of the Air Force and air defense forces were held on the Ashuluk test-site in the Astrakhan region in the south of Russia.