MIG Prototype Fighters

[Mustang1957]

hi. late in WW2 the russians and mig bureau were devoloping the I-220,222,224 and I-225.does anyone know if drawings of these exsits? thanks

 

[hesham]

Yes it is,

but this section is for post WWII aircraft and Projects.

 

[Mustang1957]

thanks.I thought I posted in correct section as two of them were from 1946. at any rate,I know better now.

 

[airman]

All Mig - I-220-222 and 224 was experimental fighters devoloped from Mig 3 for High altitude https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mikoyan_and_MiG_aircraft

 

[redstar72]

All Mig - I-220-222 and 224 was experimental fighters devoloped from Mig 3 for High altitude

You are not quite right - the I-220 (Aircraft "A") was a new design, with very little features inherited from the MiG-3.

 

[BarnOwlLover2]

Basically the ultimate Mikoyan/Gruevich (MiG) piston engine fighters. The I-225 for a time was the fastest Soviet piston engine fighter (though beaten by the Yak-3 M-108). The I-220 series are all very similar overall, though the I-220 though I-224 were primarily high altitude pursuit type interceptors. The I-225 was a more general purpose type, sort of along the lines of almost a hybrid of the Merlin-powered P-51 Mustangs and later Spitfires. All variants were powered by some variant of the Mikulin AM-42 V12 engine, better known for its use in the Ilyushin Il-10 ground attack aircraft, and was the ultimate versions of the Mikulin V12, which can trace the heritage of it's block and heads to the BMW VI of the 1920s. For use in the I-220 family, it was fitted with a turbocharger in addition to it's normal single stage supercharger (which was similar to what was used on the Allison V-1710).

All members of the I-220 family were armed with 4x20mm cannons and, especially the I-225, were high performance aircraft capable of performing well at all altitudes. The I-220 though I-224 were pressurized, while the I-225 wasn't. That is, when the turbo worked right.

Which is part of why I decided to put this here in the "what if" area. Mostly because it shows what the Soviets were ultimately capable of in terms of fighter design (the I-220s featured all metal monocoque construction and were fairly aerodynamically advanced), but also showed that the Soviets were behind in terms of engine and fuel tech (most Soviet fighters didn't use 100 octane fuel or effective two stage supercharging, hence had to rely on either lightweight aircraft, or big engines--the AM-42 was almost 47 liters in capacity and comprised nearly a 1/4 of the I-225's take off weight).

So let's discuss what impact the I-220s could've had, and maybe even how to improve them.

Mikoyan/Gurevich I-225 - fighter

Mikoyan/Gurevich I-224 - fighter

MiG Fighter Aircraft Development WWII

I-211 After operational tests of the MiG-3 powered by the M-82, produced in a small batch of five aircraft designated MiG-9 M-82, one ...

soviethammer.blogspot.com

I-225, '5A', Mikoyan-Gurevich

 

[Justo Miranda]

During the last months of 1940, the Luftwaffe’s special long-range reconnaissance unit Aufklärungsgruppe Ob.d.L. was operating a mixture of Dornier Do 215 B-4, Dornier Do 217 A-0, Junkers Ju 86 P-2 and Junkers Ju 86 R-1 spy planes.

The Gruppe began its operational life performing clandestine reconnaissance sorties in civil disguise, deep into the Soviet airspace, in preparation for Operation Barbarossa.

They took photographs of the Soviet defenses which were to play an important role when the Germans invaded Russia, in June 1941.

The Do 215 B-4 could fly at 29,520 ft. (9,000 m) altitude and 292 mph (470 km/h) top speed, the Do 217 A-0 at 24,928 ft. (7,600 m) and 298 mph (480 km/h), the Ju 86 P-2 at 41,000 ft. (12,500 m) and 224 mph (360 km/h), and the Ju 86 R-1 at 47,232 ft. (14,400 m) and 261 mph (420 km/h).

By mid-1941 some Henschel Hs 130 A-0 preproduction airplanes started its operational evaluation with the Aufklärungsgruppe Ob.d.L. reaching 43,300 ft. (13,200 m) absolute ceiling and 292 mph (470 km/h) top speed, but the OKL dismissed its serial production because of the weak opposition made by Soviet fighters.

The I-200 high-altitude Soviet interceptor was designed in 1939 by the Polikarpov Design Bureau, inheriting all the deficiencies of its lineage and thus proving the correctness of the Latin sentence Errare humanum est, sed perseverare, diabolicum. (To err is human, but to persist is diabolical).

The extremely short fuselage had originally been designed for the I-185 fighter (powered by one radial engine) and was totally inadequate to compensate for the long and heavy AM-35A V-12 engine, with 1,350 hp.

During the flight tests performed on August 29, 1940, the prototype showed longitudinal instability, heavy control, and a dangerous tendency to flat spin.

It was difficult to fly and deadly in combat for an inexperienced pilot. Its instability at high speeds could make aerial gunnery difficult and requiring constant pilot intervention to remain on target.

A feature common to all Polikarpov fighters was the ‘snaking effect’ that affected weapon accuracy during combat maneuvers.

The triangular wing planform, with leading and trailing edge sweep and larger roots that tapered to the tips, were the cheapest compromise between performance, strength and drag. It was strong at the root, light at the tips and easy to build, and could be lethal, because the strongly tapered wings had a dangerous tendency to low-speed stall.

In combat, the I-200 was prone to spinning out of a steep banking turn. Despite the seriousness of the shortcomings displayed by the prototype, it was ordered into immediate mass production, as OKO MiG-1, in September 1940.

Some aircraft from GAZ-1 were delivered to the VVS-RKKA (Soviet Air Force) and PVO (Soviet Air Defense Force) in April 1941, but little is known of their performance in combat because more than half of all Soviet fighters were destroyed on the ground or in the air within 48 hours of the Luftwaffe assault.

OKO MiG-1 technical data

Wingspan: 33.5 ft. (10.20 m), length: 26.8 ft. (8.16 m), height: 10.8 ft. (3.30 m), wing surface: 193 sq. ft. (17.44 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,841 lb. (3,099 Kg), maximum speed: 390 mph (628 km/h), design ceiling: 39,360 ft. (12,000 m, armament: two nose mounted ShKAS and one USB heavy machine gun of 12.7 mm.

Meanwhile the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (OKO-Kiev) worked feverishly to correct the MiG-1 deficiencies.

The MiG-3 was ordered into production in December 1940, but the improvements added nearly 500 lb. to the take-off weight and exacerbated its instability at high speeds. Its poor climb performance was caused by the excessive weight (1,830 lb.) of the AM-35A engine (Soviet version of Fiat A.20 V.12 with single-stage gear-driven supercharger) and the steel wing spar.

The aircraft was originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor with 37,700 ft. (11,500 m) service ceiling, but in practice few MiG-3 managed to reach that altitude due to the poor design of the fuel and oil pumps and the M-100's supercharger malfunction, as the impeller alloy AK-1 was prone to material fatigue.

In real combat conditions some planes entered irrecoverable spins flying at 30,000 ft. (9,150 m).

The MiG-3 had a take-off weight of 7,395 lb. (3,350 kg) at a time when the Yak-1 weighed 6,309 lb. (2,858 kg) and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-1 4,943 lb. (2,239 kg).

Designers were forced to reduce the armament to just three machine guns so as not to further degrade its climb performance.

On the Eastern Front most air-to-air combats were at altitudes below 16,400 ft. (5,000 m). The Yak-1 and LaGG-3 fighters powered by M-105 P (Hispano-Suiza 12 Y) engines attacked the German Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance planes and the Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers as they tried to escape the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F fighters.

Attempts to use the MiG-3 as ground attack airplane and frontal low altitude fighter were a bloody failure.

The aircrafts used by the PVO in Moscow's defense failed to reach the high-flying Ju 86 P-2s during the day and, at night, their inaccurate PAK-1 gunsights, the low optical quality of the Plexiglas windscreen and the poor firepower, proved inadequate to destroy the Heinkel He-111 H bombers fitted with 270 kg armor.

Production of the MiG-3 was stopped in December 1941 and six fighter regiments in charge of the defense of Moscow were equipped with Lend-Lease Hawker Hurricanes Mk.II A and Mk.IIB.

MiG-3 technical data

Wingspan: 33.5 ft. (10.20 m), length: 27 ft. (8.25 m), height: 10.8 ft. (3.30 m), wing surface: 193 sq. ft. (17.44 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,395 lb. (3,350 Kg).

In the summer of 1942, the Sukhoi Su-3 (I-360) was flown, reaching 39,000 ft. (11,900 m) absolute ceiling powered by one turbocharged Klimov M-105 P (Hispano-Suiza 12 Y). But the two TsIAM TK-2 turbochargers suffered from endless difficulties and failures and most flights terminated abruptly because of engine overheating as they didn't use the American gas cooling system.

Sukhoi Su-3 (I-360) technical data
Wingspan: 32 ft. (9.81 m), length: 27.6 ft. (8.42 m), height: 9 ft. (2.71 m), wing surface: 189 sq. ft. (17 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,605 lb. (2,992 Kg).

In September 1942 one Yak-7PD powered by M-105 PD engine with two-stage gear driven E-100 supercharger was flight tested at 37,000 ft. (11,300 m) altitude.

Yak-7 PD technical data
Wingspan: 32.8 ft. (10 m), length: 27.9 ft. (8.5 m), height: 9 ft. (2.75 m), wing surface: 190.5 sq. ft. (17.15 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,410 lb. (2,904 Kg).

In the autumn of 1942, four Spitfires PR Mk. IV of the Nº1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, E flight, were detached to Vaenga in Northern Russia to fly reconnaissance missions, at 20,000 ft. over Trondheim-Norway. Two surviving airplanes were handed over the Soviets allowing them access to Merlin 45 engine technology for the first time.

Actually, the VVS could only fight the Luftwaffe on equal terms after receiving 143 Lend-Lease Spitfires Mk. Vb and LF Mk.Vb through Iran in February 1943.

Unfortunately for the Soviets these were aircraft powered by Merlin 45 and 50 engines with single-speed, single-stage gear driven superchargers, designed to fly at medium and low altitudes, a technology they had already acquired in 1936 with the Hispano-Suiza Ydrs and in 1938 with the Seversky 2PA.

On June 2, 1943, one Yak-9PD powered by M-105 PD engine with two-stage gear driven E-100 supercharger failed to intercept a Ju 86 R-1 over Moscow due to the malfunction of the fuel pump flying at 39,690 ft. (12,100 m).

Yak-9 PD technical data
Wingspan: 35.2 ft. (10.74 m), length: 28 ft. (8.6 m), height: 9.8 ft. (3 m), wing surface: 190.5 sq. ft. (17.15 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,280 lb. (2,845 Kg).

The MiG I-220 (MiG-11), powered by one AM-38F engine with single-speed GCS gear driven supercharger, was flight tested in July 1943. The prototype reached a ceiling of 31,160 ft. (9,500 m) only.

MiG-11 (I-220) technical data
Wingspan: 36 ft. (11 m), length: 31.5 ft. (9.60 m), height: 10.3 ft. (3.16 m), wing surface: 226 sq. ft. (20.38 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,050 lb. (3,647 Kg).

In September 1943, Polikarpov design bureau proposed the construction of a high-altitude interceptor with pressurized cockpit, AM-39B engine, 45,920 ft. (14,000 m) ceiling and 423 mph (680 km/h) top speed. The project, called VP (K), was cancelled in July 1944.

In December the MiG I-221 high-altitude prototype was flight tested at 42,640 ft. (13,000 m) powered by one AM-39 experimental engine with PTsN gear driven centrifugal compressor and two TsIAM TK-2B turbochargers.

The pilot was forced to bail out when the compressor disintegrated rotating at 24,000 rpm.

MiG I-221 technical data
Wingspan: 42.6 ft. (13 m), length: 31.3 ft. (9.55 m), height: 10.3 ft. (3.16 m), wing surface: 249 sq. ft. (22.44 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,583 lb. (3,888 Kg).

In February 1944, the Spitfires Mk. IXb started to arrive to the U.S.R.R. until reaching a number of 1,183 units in several months, giving the Soviets access to the technology of the Merlin 61 and 62 engines. Their two speeds, two stage gearbox with intercooler, were studied by the scientists of the Air Force Research Institute (NKAP LII) for reverse-engineering purposes.

On May 7, 1944, the MiG I-222 (MiG-7) was flown powered by one AM-39 B-1 high-altitude engine fitted with one TK-300 turbocharger placed in the port engine block, while maintaining the jet exhaust in the other block.

The prototype reached 47,560 ft. (14,500 m) absolute ceiling and continued its testing until 1945, but mass production was discarded due to the availability of the British Lend-Lease Spitfire HF Mk IXb, with 45,000 ft. (13,720 m) ceiling.

MiG I-222 technical data
Wingspan: 42.6 ft. (13 m), length: 31.5 ft. (9.6 m), height: 10.3 ft. (3.16 m), wing surface: 249 sq. ft. (22.44 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,366 lb. (3,790 Kg).

1n August 1944, several 195 P-47D Thunderbolts, with R-2800 turbocharged engines and 33,430 ft. (10,192 m) service ceiling, were handed over to the Soviets and tested in the NKAP LII.

With the P-47 the Soviet scientists had access to turbo-superchargers technology, but the General Electric Type B turbo-supercharger was a product of 15 years investigation that required enormous technical and manufacturing resources that were not available in Russia. The 1,500 ºC temperatures reached by the exhaust gas and the high rotation speeds of turbines (26,000 rpm) required the use of austenitic stainless-steel chrome-molybdenum and ’17 W’ chrome-nickel alloys and the development of work-hardening techniques that enabled the turbo-supercharger to withstand stresses caused by centrifugal forces. The precision machining of turbines and impellers could only be made possible by sophisticated machine tools and surplus of raw materials.

The exhaust-driven turbo-superchargers were larger, involved extra piping and increased aircraft size, weight, complexity, and cost. It was not possible to install them in a conventional single engine Soviet fighter and its use required airplanes specially designed, with enough room for installation of the turbo, the intercooler, and the heavy tubing system.

The Soviet industry was also unable to duplicate the British technology of gear-driven superchargers or the automatic Vulkan coupling of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines, a supercharger fitted with continuously variable transmission device that automatically regulated the rotation speed of the impeller by means of a barometric control.

The Lavochkin La-7 TK (I-116), powered by one 2,000 hp. Ash-71 TK engine with a pair of TK-3 turbochargers was flown on July 25, 1944. In June 1945 the prototype was destroyed when one TK-3 exploded.

Lavochkin La-7 TK technical data
Wingspan: 32 ft. (9.8 m), length: 28.4 ft. (8.67 m), height: 9 ft. (2.7 m), wing surface: 189.3 sq. ft. (17.59 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,240 lb. (3,280 Kg).

The MiG I-224, powered by one AM-42 TK (with the TK-300B turbocharger mounted on its starboard side), was flown on October 20, 1944. The prototype reached 46,250 ft. (14,100 m) and 397 mph (639 km/h) top speed.

MiG I-224 technical data
Wingspan: 42.6 ft. (13 m), length: 31.2 ft. (9.51 m), height: 10.3 ft. (3.16 m), wing surface: 249 sq. ft. (22.44 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,344 lb. (3,780 Kg).
Flight testing of the Sukhoi Su-7R, fitted with one Ash-82 radial engine and one RD-1KhZ rocket, commenced in the summer of 1944 reaching 423 mph (680 km/h) and 42,640 ft. (13,000 m) ceiling.
In January 1945 two TK-3 turbochargers were mounted in the Ash-82. During the first flight the prototype experienced strong torching of the exhaust pipes at 41,820 ft. (12,750 m) altitude.
The project was abandoned in December 1945 after the rocket exploded, killing the pilot.

Sukhoi Su-7R technical data
Wingspan: 44.3 ft. (13.5 m), length: 31.5 ft. (9.6 m), height: 9.3 ft. (2.85 m), wing surface: 280 sq. ft. (26 sq. m), take-off weight: 9,568 lb. (4,340 Kg).
On March 14, 1945, the MiG I-225 prototype, powered by one AM-42 FB with intercooler and two TK-1A turbochargers, reached 726 km/h flying at 10,000 m.

MiG I-225 technical data
Wingspan: 36 ft. (11 m), length: 31.5 ft. (9.60 m), height: 12 ft. (3.7 m), wing surface: 226 sq. ft. (20.38 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,609 lb. (3,900 Kg).

 

[BarnOwlLover2]

Any info on the structural details of the I-220 series, namely the I-225?

 

[hesham]

From the book, MiG Fifty Years.

 

[hesham]

From, Крылья 2/2008,

the I-200.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

While it barely reached production, I think the MiG 13 motorjet fighter qualifies as on of these projects.

the forgotten MiG-13

During WWII some long-standing military disciplines (biplane fighters, battleship duels) went extinct. Others (submarines, radar, jet engines) were in a basic state in 1939, then highly developed d…

wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com

 

[Justo Miranda]

The appearance in combat in July 1944 of the new German swept-wing fighters Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1, with 591 mph (870 km/h), and Messerschmitt Me 163 with 597 mph (960 km/h), forced the Allies to speed up the entry into service of their own jet fighters de Havilland Vampire, Gloster Meteor Mk.III and Lockheed P-80 A.

Since the USSR lacked a serviceable turbojet, government and military officials became increasingly disturbed about the substandard performance of their frontline fighters.

To solve the speed problem, the State Defense Committee (GKO) resorted to desperate measures fitting with one Campini afterburner the experimental interceptors MiG I-250 (MiG-13) and Sukhoi I-107 (Su-5).

The TsIAM/Kholshchevnikov VRDK propulsion system consisted of 1,650 hp. Klimov VK-107 reciprocating engine, driving a ducted fan compressor by means of power shaft. The compressor was fed by a nose air scoop. The compressed air was sprayed with fuel from seven gas-steam jets and ignited in one stainless steel combustion chamber, generating 660 lb. forward thrust.

The GKO specification (May 2, 1944) required a high-altitude VRDK boosted fighter with 33,000 ft. (10,000 m) service ceiling and 497 mph (800 km/h) top speed. Each design bureau should have two prototypes ready by March 1945.

The MiG I-250 was flown on March 3, 1945, under piston engine alone.

In March 1943 the prototype reached a maximum speed of 513 mph (825 km/h) and 39,230 ft. (12,000 m) ceiling, using the VRDK afterburner, but the airframe was not properly designed to fly at high-speed and low altitude. On July 5, 1945, the prototype suffered compressibility tail flutter and disintegrated.

With the VRDK running the I-250 endurance was 10 minutes maximum and the combustion chamber lifespan was 35 operational hours only.

Despite of these shortcomings the aircraft was ordered into production, as MiG-13, to be used as a point-defense interceptor against Boeing B-29 bombers in a future war.

The first eight pre-production machines, fitted with “scimitar” propellers, were delivered for service trials but suffered engine problems that prevented a planned appearance in the Summer Aviation Day display at Tushino airfield on August 3, 1946.

MiG I-250 technical data

Wingspan: 31 ft. (9.5 m), length: 26.8 ft. (8.18 m), height: 8.5 ft. (2.6 m), wing surface: 166.6 sq. ft. (15 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,678 lb. (3,931 Kg).

The Sukhoi Su-5 prototype was flown nn April 6, 1945, reaching 503 mph (809 km/h) and 39,370 ft. (12,000 m) but the supercharger of the VK-107 engine was disintegrated on July 15, 1945.

During testing, it was determined that the Su-5 was inferior to the MiG, with only three minutes of afterburner operation.

No further VK-107 engines could be procured. The second prototype was never flown, and the Su-5 was cancelled in November 1946.

Sukhoi Su-5 technical data

Wingspan: 34.6 ft. (10.56 m), length: 27.9 ft. (8.51 m), height: 11.6 ft. (3.53 m), wing surface: 183 sq. ft. (17 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,387 lb. (3,804 Kg).

The VRDK program was also cancelled on April 3, 1948, in favor of the Yak-15 fighter powered by one German turbojet.

 

[Justo Miranda]

- The Soviet industry proved to be unable to build an efficient turbo-supercharger during the World War II and the era of mixed powered fighters was over: rockets, ramjets and thermojets were a dead end, but indigenous turbojets were not yet reliable at the end of the war.

In 1935 the German Dr. Ing. Hans-Joachim Pabst von Ohain patented a new propulsion system for aircraft which comprised a two-stage air compressor, with axial fan, followed by a centrifugal compressor and an inward-flow radial turbine.

To prove the concept, one private venture prototype, with 0.9 m overall length and 0.95 m of diameter, was built in 1935 by Max Hahn facilities.

The construction of the more sophisticated HeS1 (TL) jet engine, with radial-outflow compressor and radial-inflow turbine, started in the summer of 1936 at the Heinkel-Rostock facilities. The new engine was ground tested in March 1937, giving 136 kg static thrust only.

To further develop the HeS1 (TL) it was necessary to reduce engine RPM and obtain more thrust. To achieve this, four axial stages were added to the inlet to ease the load of the centrifugal compressor.

A year later, the HeS 3 (TL) engine, with 1.48 m length and 0.93 m of diameter, was bench tested, reaching 450 kg thrust.

The new engine was considered suitable for aircraft propulsion and the Heinkel He 178 experimental airplane was flown, on August 27, 1939, powered by one HeS 3b (TL) turbojet.

The He 178 was demonstrated to the RLM officials on November 1, 1939, but the Luftwaffe was not interested in the development of combat jet aircraft.

Instead, the Soviets quickly realized the potential of the new technology and in 1938 Arkhip Lyulka, an engineer of the Kharkov Aviation Institute, began the design of a gas turbine engine suitable for aircraft propulsion.

To prove the concept the RDT-1 prototype was built in 1939 at the Kirov-Leningrad plant.

The two-stage centrifugal Soviet turbojet, with 1.35 m length and 1.0 m of diameter, was very similar in shape and dimensions to the German HeS 3b. It was ground tested in December 1940, giving 500 kg thrust.

In 1939, Max A. Mueller, engineer of the firm Junkers AG, joined the Heinkel-Rostock team, working at the time on the development of the HeS 8 centrifugal turbojet, which was expected to be used to propel the He 280 fighters. With a planned thrust of 700 kg and a diameter 20 per cent shorter than the HeS 3, the new turbojet required a great research effort and an extensive test program. Numerous technical problems had to be solved before starting its large-scale production and the HeS 8 suffered numerous delays. By March 1941 it only produced 500 kg static thrust, 550 kg by early 1942 and 600 kg in early 1943.

The root cause was the reduction of the diameter, recommended by the aerodynamicists to minimize the drag produced by the engine nacelles when installed under the wings of the He 280. Trials experience revealed that the most effective way to increase thrust in this type of turbojets was to also increase their diameter, to improve the performance of the centrifugal compressor. In 1939, the HeS 3B, with 0.93 m of diameter, produced 450 kg. In May 1941, the British Power Jets W.1, with 1.07 m in diameter, produced 387 kg and in 1943, the De Havilland Halford H.1, with 1.27 m in diameter, produced 1,225 kg static thrust. With this power, it was possible to build a single engine jet fighter, with the centrifugal turbojet installed inside the fuselage.

In 1943, the British chose the Halford to propel their new fighters Gloster E5/42 and De Havilland E6/41 Vampire.

In Germany, Max A. Mueller proposed to build the 'ZTL' version of the HeS 8, with a ducted fan of 1 m diameter and a planned thrust of 900 kg.

In the spring of 1943, the OKL decided to cancel all research work with centrifugal turbojets to focus on the development of axial-flow type engines.

Further development of the Soviet RDT-1 turbojet led to the RDT-1/VDR-2, designed in 1939, with a new two-stage axial compressor added to the inlet.

The construction of one prototype that promised 750 kg thrust started in 1940. The new engine, with 2.2 m length and 1.06 m of diameter, was very similar in shape and dimensions to the German HeS 8. It was also cancelled in mid-1943 when the prototype was 70 percent built.

RDT-1/VDR-2 was scheduled to power the first Soviet jet fighter Gudkov Gu-VRD which also had to be cancelled.

Gu-VRD technical data

Wingspan: 31 ft. (9.5 m), length: 30.5 ft. (9.9 m), height: 9.68 ft. (2.95 m), wing surface: 122 sq. ft. (11 sq. m), take-off weight: 4,967 lb. (2,250 Kg), estimated maximum speed: 560 mph (900 km/h), proposed armament: one ShVAK 20 mm cannon and two UBS 12.7 mm machine guns.

In summer 1943, Lyulka started the design of the S-18/VRD-3 eight-stage axial-flow turbojet, with 2.10 m length and 0.75 m of diameter.

The new engine was bench tested in August 1945 giving 1,268 kg static thrust, but their mass production was dismissed because steel turbine blades were not heat-resisting enough for use in operational airplanes, due to technological backwardness of Soviet metallurgy alloys.

It was also necessary to cancel two fighter projects that had been designed to use RD-1/TKVRD axial-flow turbojets: The LaGG-3/RD (October 1942) and the Lavochkin-Gudkov VRDK-1 (1943).

LaGG-3/RD technical data

Wingspan: 34.4 ft. (10.5 m), length: 29 ft. (8.9 m), height: 8 ft. (2.45 m), wing surface: 202.6 sq. ft. (18 sq. m), estimated maximum speed: 435 mph (700 km/h).

Gu-VRDK-1 technical data

Wingspan: 32 ft. (9.8 m), length: 29 ft. (8.9 m), height: 7.6 ft. (2.03 m), wing surface: 188.5 sq. ft. (17 sq. m), take-off weight: 4,967 lb. (2,250 Kg), estimated maximum speed: 541 mph (870 km/h).

 

[Justo Miranda]

- In April-May 1945, twelve BMW 003 A turbojets were taken by Soviet troops at Breslau-Lower Silesian, one in Vienna-Hinterbruehl, blueprints and several engines at Basdorf-Zühlsdorf and eleven semi-destroyed turbojets at Heidfield.

Two Heinkel He 162 A-2 jet fighters, powered by BMW 003 A-1 engines, six HeS 8a and nine Jumo 004 B turbojets were captured at Heinkel-Vienna facilities.

Two BMW 003 E engines, along with a complete set of drawings, at Heinkel-Rostock factory.

One Arado Ar 234 C-3 bomber, powered by four BMW 003 A-1 engines, was seized in Damgarten, and their blueprints were found buried in the ground at the Arado-Brandenburg firm.

Several Jumo 004 B turbojets were captured at Brandis-Leipzig and ten at CKD-Prague works.

At Muldenstein Werke AG, Ascherleben FZA, Junkers-Ebersbach, Koethen MZK-Merseburg and Lindenthal-Leipzig underground facilities the Soviets captured enormous stocks of Jumo 004 B components and the technology for manufacturing and testing turbojets.

Documentation and some parts of the Jumo 012 turbojet were captured at Dessau, Brandis, Aken and Mosigkau facilities.

The destroyed prototype of the BMW 018 turbojet captured by U.S. troops at Stassfurt was handed over Soviet occupation forces.

When some samples of Jumo 004, BMW 003 and HeS 8a engines were bench tested, in August 1945, by the TsIAM scientists, it was discovered that the construction of German turbojets required enormous technical and manufacturing resources that were not available in the USSR.

The high temperatures and high rotation speeds reached by the turbine blades required the use of austenitic steel alloys to withstand stresses caused by centrifugal forces.

The precision machining of these heat-resisting parts could only made possible by sophisticated machine tooling and highly skilled labor force.

Jumo 004 B-1 turbine blades were made of the 580ºC heat-resisting steel alloy Krupp-Essen Tinidur (C, Si, Mn, Ti, Ni, Cr, Fe).

The air compressor casing was made of Electron Magnesium alloy and the turbine discs were built in forged Molibdenum steel.

Other parts of the engine were made of aluminized anti-corrosion mild steel. To obtain this material the Germans had developed the manufacturing process called Aluminitieren.

It was also necessary to develop a new procedure for welding the solid turbine blades, the WMF atomic hydrogen welding process.

To increase the life of the turbine Junkers, they tried making air-cooled hollow blades, but the Tinidur sheet proved unsuitable for welding.

A new manufacturing process was developed by William Prym-Stolberg using Degussa Flussmetal (85% Ag, 15% Mn), Silma solder and Lithium fluoride at 1,000 ºC.

In August 1944 production of hollow blades started at Prym-Zweiffall factory and the whole project was classified secret.

The main Junkers plant at Dessau was heavily bombed in late 1943 and the Jumo 004 B-2 production was taken over by Köthen and Muldenstein satellite factories in August 1944.

When the Nickel became extremely scarce in the Reich, after their supply lines of Finnish ore were cut off, Krupp-Essen developed the heat-resisting alloy known as Cromadur (Mn, Cr, V, Si, C, Fe). It was easy to weld, and it was used for the manufacture of the Jumo 004 B-4 air-cooled hollow blades.

Jumo 004 was developed from the beginning to run on diesel oil, but the BMW 003 availability suffered delays when converted to diesel and the BMW-Bramo’s Spandau plant was bombed in 1943.

By August 1944 it was finally ready for mass production, under SS control, in underground dispersed sites of SS-Kraftfahrttechnischen Versuchsanstalt-Oranienburg, Eisenach, Zühlsdorf, Nordhausen, Wittringen and Stassfurt.

The BMW 003 air compressor forged blades were of Normen Nº 3510 Magnesium alloy and the compressor discs of Normen Nº 3115 Duralumin.

The turbine blades were made of Sicromal 10 heat-resisting steel (Cr, Al, Si, C, Fe), FBD Chrome-Nickel steel (Cr, Ni, Mo, Ta-Nb, Si, C, Fe) and FCMD steel (Cr, Mn, Mo, Nb, Si, V, C, Fe).

The turbine discs were made of steel alloy (Mn, Cr, Mo, Si, C, Fe) and the cooling insert of the blades of WMF Remanit 1880S Chrome-Nickel steel.

Other parts of the engine had undergone an anti-corrosion treatment, based on Aluminum lacquer paint, developed by Zarges-Weilheim.

When the Soviets realized the difficulties, they would have to overcome to obtain reverse-engineered copies of the German turbojets, they decided to continue production in the numerous underground facilities that had survived the Allied bombings.

But they were forced to change their plans because inter-allied peace treaties prohibited the manufacture of weapons in Germany.

On October 22, 1946, a crash program was initiated to produce these engines in the USSR, a task in which the Soviets were much assisted by German, Austrian and Czech technicians to adapt the German technology to Soviet manufacturing standards.

A training program of Soviet technicians was also conducted at GAZ-19 Kuibyshev establishment.

Tools, equipment, and engine parts from Junkers-Ascherleben FZA, Junkers-Ebersbach, Junkers-Muldenstein, Junkers-Köthen, Junkers-Lindenthal and Junkers-Schoenebeck underground factories were transferred to GAZ-437 Kiev, GAZ-4 and GAZ-27 Moscow, GAZ-26 Ufa and GAZ-86 Taganrog.

In late 1946, 59 Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets were assembled into GAZ-19 Kuibyshev, using components from CKD-Prague.

Another 447 Jumo 004 B-2 engines were assembled into GAZ-26 Ufa using components captured at Muldenstein Werke AG.

Both the Jumo 004 B-1, with solid turbine blades, and the Jumo 004 B-2, with Tinidur air-cooled blades, assembled in USSR received the RD-10 codename.

The RD-10 turbojets suffered from low reliability. The time between overhauls was officially claimed to be 25 hours, but in reality, it was 17 hours at best.

In 1947 the manufacture of 883 Jumo 004 B-4 turbojets at the GAZ-10 Kazan began under the name RD-10 A.

Having raw materials previously unavailable for the Germans, the Soviet version had between 30-40 hours extended service life and slightly increased thrust.

In 1948, the Jumo 004C with afterburner was put in production, as RD-10F, at the GAZ-10.

The RD-10 (first version) had 900 kg thrust, the RD-10 (second version) 910 kg, the RD-10 A 1,000 kg and the RD-10 F 1,100 kg.

Production of BMW 003 A-1 copies which were designated RD-20, started in 1947 at GAZ-466 Leningrad and GAZ-19 Kuznetsov plants.

The Soviet version from Kazan factory Nº 16, with 50 hours extended service life, was named RD-20F and the Soviet version of the BMW 003 S, an afterburning variant of the RD-20, was named RD-21.

The RD-20 had 850 kg thrust, the RD-20 F had 1,000 kg and the RD-21 had 1,050 kg.

By the end of the war the Western Powers had centrifugal turbojets with a thrust of 1,500 kg.

With the help of German scientists and engineers, the Soviets tried to develop the Jumo 004 H of 1,800 kg and the Jumo 012 with 2,700-2,900 kg thrust, but the technological step required several years of testing and development was stopped in 1948.

Work in the 3,400 kg thrust BMW 018 turbojet proved particularly difficult and several parts of the engine had to be redesigned from scratch in October 1946.

Therefore, they found themselves forced to design the first generation of Soviet jet fighters (Lavochkin La-150/152/174 TK and Yakovlev Yak-15/17/19) with the shortest possible air-intake ducts and tailpipes to minimize the jet power loss.

Early in 1943, the Technisches Amt (RLM Technical Office) asked Messerschmitt if the Bf 109 G fighter could be adapted to take one Jumo 004 turbojet. The answer was negative.

In fact, the firm had all the necessary resources to comply with the RLM requirement: using the wing of the Me 209 and the nose wheel of the Me 309, it would only have been necessary to design a new central wing section so that the attachment points of the undercarriage would not interfere with the jet exhaust. But the Sofortprogramm (interim solution) proposed by the RLM was contrary to the plans of Messerschmitt who at that time had already decided to continue the development of the Me 262. This situation gave the firm Focke-Wulf the opportunity to participate in the supplies of turbojets that until then had only been available for the Me 262 and the Arado Ar 234.

In February1943, the Bad Eilsen design team envisaged the study of several possible fuselage-turbojet-air intake configurations and their integration with different types of wings, tail surfaces and landing gears for the construction of a future single jet fighter. The simplest solution was to replace the BMW 801 radial engine of an Fw 190 by a Jumo turbojet, mounted under the nose, to not altering the position of the center of gravity of the aircraft. Unfortunately for the firm, the new engine turned out to be too long, so the jet nozzle would interfere with the retraction of the main wheels of the Fw 190. It was necessary to design a new type of wings capable of housing the mainwheels of 660 x 160 mm. The greater consumption of J2 heavy kerosene of the turbojet required the installation of two fuel tanks of 390 liters each in the fuselage, making necessary to advance the location of the cockpit by 170 cm.

It was planned to mount two Mauser MG 151/20 cannons in the wing roots and two Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 108/30 cannons under the cockpit floor. The Projekt I was introduced to the OKL in March 1943 as a realistic solution that would have allowed the Jagdwaffe to have an interceptor that would be faster than the Mustang, better armed than the Tempest and the Meteor and able to overcome the Thunderbolt in dive. It could have been mas manufactured by late 1944, but the Technisches Amt rejected the project claiming that the position of the turbojet (whose axis was located 86 cm lower than that of the BMW 801) would substantially decrease the rolling properties, and it was feared that the Jumo 004 would suffer serious damage at belly landing. Also taken into consideration was the risk that jet exhaust gases would cause damage to the tailwheel or burn the airfield surface.

In response to a State Defence Committee requirement issued in February 18, 1945, for a 900 km/h pure jet fighter, the Soviets demonstrated with their stopgap jet fighter Yak-15 that German precautions were unfounded. The new Yakovlev fighter was based on the same formula as the Projekt I and was powered by the same turbojet, being mass-produced, and entering into service in May 1947.

The integration of the turbojet in redan (stepped) configuration with the airframe of a Yak-3 piston fighter was relatively simple. It was only necessary to modify the wing spar central section, replace the tailwheel with a steel roller, protected by a blast deflector, and to cover the lower part of the fuselage with steel plates.

Yak-15 technical data

Power plant: one Koliesov RD-10 turbojet rated at 900 kg static thrust, wingspan: 30.2 ft. (9.20 m), length: 28.5 ft. (8.70 m), height: 7.4 ft. (2.27 m), wing surface: 159.85 sq. ft. (14.85 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,029 lb. (2,735 Kg), maximum speed: 500 mph (805 km/h), service ceiling: 43,800 ft. (13,350 m), armament: two 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon in the top of the nose.

The Italians also used this aerodynamic solution in the Reggiane Re 2006 R project fighter and in the prototypes Ambrosini Saggitario I (January 1953) and Aerfer Saggitario II (May 1956).

 

[Justo Miranda]

- Unfortunately for Lavochkin OKB it was not possible to use the same solution of the Yak-15 with the La-9 piston fighter because the wing structure and landing gear could not be easily modified to replace the ASh-82 FN piston engine with an RD-10 without making a major redesign of the airframe.

This was a major setback because all OKB-dependent production facilities were preparing to start the manufacturing, in October 1946, of a series of 1,630 La-9 conventional fighters at Gorky Plant No. 21.

It was necessary to create the completely new design La-150 with shoulder wing, pod-and-boom configuration and the engine mounted behind the cockpit.

Some German features were adopted by Lavochkin: the nose air intake, the cockpit placed at the front of the fuselage and the fuselage-mounted, narrow-track, tricycle type landing gear, to avoid damaging runways, from the Focke-Wulf Ta 183 jet fighter project, the bifurcated air ducts from the Focke-Wulf Project P 011.025 (November 1944) jet fighter project and the bubble canopy from the Junkers Ju 248 V2 rocket fighter prototype captured at Kassel-Bettenhausen.

Fabrication of the La-150 prototypes had been delayed because the OKB was committed to other programs.

Five testing airplanes were built at Moscow Plant Nº 381 and the first of them was flown on September 11, 1946, reaching 546 mph (878 km/h), but it was not a success.

The aircraft showed many shortcomings during flight tests: duct power losses, high airframe weight, excessive oscillation of the tail surfaces caused by tail boom stiffness, lateral instability, and poor elevator forces.

A pre-series of 15 machines, with 25 per cent enlarged vertical stabilizer, were built at Gorky factory under the designation La-13 but their structural stiffness could not be overcome, and the La-150 development was stopped in December 1947.

Lavochkin La-150 technical data

Power plant: one Koliesov RD-10 turbojet rated at 900 kg static thrust, wingspan: 26.9 ft. (8.20 m), length: 39.9 ft. (9.42 m), height: 8.5 ft. (2.6 m), wing surface: 130.8 sq. ft. (12.15 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,528 lb. (2,961 Kg), maximum speed: 546 mph (878 km/h), service ceiling: 41,328 ft. (12,600 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon.

Designed in parallel with the La-150, the La-152 prototype was powered by one nose mounted RD-10 turbojet in redan configuration. The 9.1 % thickness wing planform and tail surfaces were very similar to those of the La-150 but the mid-wing configuration and the folding-rearwards landing gear were based on those of the Messerschmitt P 1101 (February 22, 1945) and P 1106 (February 22, 1945) jet fighters projects.

The prototype was flown on December 5, 1946, reaching 522 mph (840 km/h) but crashed during state acceptance trials, on July 12, 1947, when the engine failed.

Lavochkin La-152 technical data

Power plant: one Koliesov RD-10 turbojet rated at 900 kg static thrust, wingspan: 26.9 ft. (8.20 m), length: 29.9 ft. (9.12 m), height: 11.4 ft. (3.48 m), wing surface: 130.8 sq. ft. (12.15 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,141 lb. (3,239 Kg), maximum speed: 522 mph (840 km/h), service ceiling: 35,105 ft. (10,700 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon.

 

[Justo Miranda]

- The small size and light airframe of the Yak and Lavochkin proposals resulted in a performance that compared reasonably well with contemporary Western jet fighters, but their armament was inadequate to combat the B-29 bombers.

In February 1945, Pavel Sukhoi and Mikoyan Gurevich design bureaus were instructed to evolve a single seat heavy fighter of the Me 262 class around a pair of German turbojets.

Owing to the urgency with which the program was attended, the Sukhoi Su-9 design, with two wing-mounted Jumo 004B turbojets, was very influenced by the Me 262 captured on March 30, 1945, and flight tested on August 15, 1945.

During the Luftwaffe trials conducted at the end of 1942 with the Messerschmitt Me 262 V2 prototype, the high-altitude combat test program revealed unexpected compressibility effects during high-speed dives between 7,600 and 5,500 m. The Me 262 had been designed in 1940, before the aerodynamicists discovered the destructive effects associated with the transonic flux. The turbulent airflow generated in the junction between the engine nacelles and the wing undersurface generated some tailplane buffeting and elevator flutter.

Like its predecessors, Bf 110, and Me 210, the Me 262 proved to be an easy prey in dogfight against the single-engine Allied fighters, because the position of the engines considerably penalized their roll rate.

In September 1945 the Soviet Me 262 crashed during a high-speed dive test.

To circumvent the buffeting and poor roll rate problems, the MiG OKB-155 decided to use two BMW turbojets, placed very close together inside the fuselage, allowing it to fly using only one of them in case of failure, without lateral stability problems.

This aerodynamic solution also generated less drag than the Me 262 formula allowing the new I-300 (MiG-9) fighter to reach higher speeds.

It is at that time the scientists of the TsAGI did not yet have enough data to design swept wings as efficient as those of the Me 262 and the Soviet industry proved to be unable to build reverse engineered copies of the German wings.

Both Soviet fighters were designed with straight wings and tail surfaces and armed with one nose mounted 37 mm N-37, and two 23 mm NS-23 cannon, but the I-300 was tested with one nose mounted 57 mm N-57 cannon with a bulkhead in the intake, dividing the airflow to each turbojet.

German ground tests carried out in November 1944 showed that the internal drag in air ducts reduced the turbojet thrust by 45 kg for each meter in length.

To best profit of the scarce power available, the fuselage installation of the MiG-9 turbojets should have air-intake ducts and tailpipes as short as possible to minimize the jet power loss.

MiG OKB decided to incorporate into its design the mid-mounted straight wings, 27 degrees swept delta-style tailplane, tricycle undercarriage with the main gear retracting into the wings and ‘tadpole configuration’ used in the German night fighter project Focke-Wulf Hochleistung Nachtjäger Projekt II (Baubeschreibung Nr.251-251) from March 6, 1945.

The MiG-9 prototype was flight tested on April 24, 1946, reaching 572 mph (920 km/h) at 4,500 m. On July 11, 1946, the plane was destroyed as a result of tailplane structural failure.

The Su-9 prototype was flown on November 13, 1946, reaching 550 mph (885 km/h) but further development of the fighter was abandoned in favor of the MiG-9 series production.

Su-9 technical data

Power plant: two Koliesov RD-10 turbojets rated at 900 kg static thrust, wingspan: 36.8 ft. (11.21 m), length: 34.7 ft. (10.57 m), height: 12.2 ft. (3.72 m), wing surface: 217.87 sq. ft. (20.24 sq. m), take-off weight: 14,065 lb. (6,380 Kg), maximum speed: 550 mph (909 km/h), service ceiling: 42,000 ft. (12,800 m), equipment: one Heinkel Kartusche ejector seat.

MiG-9 technical data

Power plant: two Kuznetsov RD-20 turbojets rated at 850 kg static thrust, wingspan: 32.8 ft. (10 m), length: 32.2 ft. (9.83 m), height: 10.6 ft. (3.23 m), wing surface: 202.2 sq. ft. (18.20 sq. m), take-off weight: 10,956 lb. (4,963 Kg), maximum speed: 572 mph (920 km/h), service ceiling: 44,280 ft. (13,500 m).

 

[Justo Miranda]

- In April 1945 a special commission from the People´s Commisariat of the Aviation Industry flew to Berlin for examine German technical advances in the field of Aviation.

At the home offices of RLM, OKL and DVL institute, the Soviets had access to the technological secrets of the latest Focke-Wulf designs, when scored a complete set of Ta 183 blueprints, several scale models of the Ta 183 A-0 and many valuable technical documents of swept wing research by professors Goethert and Ruden.

Several DVL employees, including its head professor Bock, were interrogated, providing valuable information about wind tunnel tests performed with swept wings at critical Mach numbers.

In the autumn of 1945, Kurt Tank met with representatives of the GPU (Soviet Military Intelligence) who invited him to continue the development of the Ta 183 jet fighter in the USSR.

Especially interesting to Soviets was the design of the Ta 183 constant chord swept wing because it could be manufactured in wood/plywood, contain fuel and reach transonic speeds.

In addition, this type of wing performed well at low speeds without the installation of the leading edge automatic slats of the Messerschmitt designs that were very difficult to reproduce with Soviet manufacturing techniques.

On September 1947 the prototype La-156 reached 562 mph (905 km/h) powered by one RD-10F turbojet, with afterburning. But on January 28, 1948, the airplane was rejected during state acceptance trials because longitudinal instability and control problems.

Lavochkin La-156 technical data

Power plant: one Kazan RD-10F turbojet rated at 1,100 kg static thrust, wingspan: 28 ft. (8.52 m), length: 29.9 ft. (9.12 m), height: 11.4 ft. (3.48 m), wing surface: 142.4 sq. ft. (13.24 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,762 lb. (3,521 Kg), maximum speed: 562 mph (905 km/h), service ceiling: 41,328 ft. (12,600 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon.

During January 1946 the State Defence Committee issued a specification for a high-altitude interceptor with Mach 0.9 top speed and 30,000 ft. service ceiling.

A high-speed variant of the La-156 was fitted with 35-degree (25% chord-9.5% thickness) swept wings and a 44-degree swept tailplane based on those of the Focke-Wulf Ta 183 A-0 (October 1944) project.

The prototype, named La-160, was flown on June 24, 1947, powered by one RD-10 turbojet. After initial trials the aircraft was fitted with one RD-10 F engine, ejector seat and two boundary layer fences on each wing to overcome the problems of span wise flow. These anti-turbulence devices were patented by the Dipl. Ing. Wolfgang Liebe in 1938 after testing on the Messerschmitt Bf 109 B.

The La-160 reached a post-dive speed of 659 mph (1,060 km/h-Mach 0.92) flying at 5,700 m. but the transonic research program came to an end when the prototype disintegrated in September 1947 during a high-speed run, due to severe wing flutter.

Lavochkin La-160 technical data

Power plant: one Kazan RD-10F turbojet rated at 1,100 kg static thrust, wingspan: 29.3 ft. (8.95 m), length: 33 ft. (10.07 m), height: 12.9 ft. (3.9 m), wing surface: 171.15 sq. ft. (15.9 sq. m), take-off weight: 8,951 lb. (4,060 Kg), maximum speed: 659 mph (1,060 km/h), service ceiling: 36,080 ft. (11,000 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon.

 

[Justo Miranda]

- The Yak-19 had been designed on June 15, 1946, with pod-and-boom configuration, 12% thickness laminar flow wing and RD-10 engine, but in late June 1946 the project was modified with an RD-10F engine. To meet the January 1946 specification, it was necessary to redesign the fuselage with a more aerodynamically efficient "flying stovepipe" configuration to install the afterburner under the tailfin.

The prototype was flown on January 8, 1947, reaching 564 mph (907 km/h) but the project was cancelled on August 21, 1947, due to problems experienced with the afterburner and the roll control.

Yak-19 technical data

Power plant: one Kazan RD-10F turbojet rated at 1,100 kg static thrust, wingspan: 28.5 ft. (8.7 m), length: 27.4 ft. (8.36 m), height: 10.9 ft. (3.3 m), wing surface: 145.3 sq. ft. (13.50 sq. m), take-off weight: 6,724 lb. (3,050 Kg), maximum speed: 564 mph (907 km/h), service ceiling: 39,600 ft. (12,100 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm

Sh-23 cannon, equipment: ejector seat.

To meet the April 1946 specification issued by the Council of People’s Commissars, calling for a jet fighter powered by the indigenous Lyulka turbojet, the prototype La-154 was to have been fitted with one TR-1 engine, but it was abandoned in 1947 because this engine was not considered safe for use in single engine fighters. The integration program was assigned to the development of the heavy fighters Sukhoi Su-11 and Alekseyev I-211.

MiG OKB decided to build a lighter version of the MiG-9 powered by only one turbojet.

It was expected to be able to use one Lyulka TR-1A rated at 1,500 kg in the prototype I-305/FL and a reheated variant, with 2,000-2,500 kg thrust in the MiG-9 FL series version.

The prototype was completed at the end of 1947, but the Lyulka exploded on the test bench and the FL project was discontinued.

MiG I-305/FL technical data

Power plant: one Lyulka TR-1A turbojet rated at 1,500 kg static thrust, wingspan: 32.8 ft. (10 m), length: 31.8 ft. (9.70 m), height: 10.8 ft. (3.20 m), wing surface: 202.2 sq. ft. (18.20 sq. m), take-off weight: 10,088 lb. (4,570 Kg), estimated maximum speed: 557 mph (897 km/h), estimated service ceiling: 43,952 ft. (13,400 m), equipment: pressurized cockpit and ejector seat.

 

[Justo Miranda]

British Turbojets

​

Following the failure of the Soviet Lyulka VRD-3, TR-1 and TR-1A turbojets and the difficulties encountered by the Soviet industry in obtaining reverse-engineered copies of German turbojets, on June 17, 1946, the Council of People’s Commissars ordered the purchase of ten Rolls-Royce Nene Mk.I and ten Rolls-Royce Derwent V British turbojets.

In the middle of July 1946, the Soviet Union placed an order for these engines together with:

-Practical assistance.

-Training of Soviets engineers in jet engine assembly, operation, maintenance, and repair.

-Manufacturing licences, including high-grade, high-temperatures metallurgic process of Nimonic 75-80 alloys used to make turbine blades and discs.

The engines were delivered between March and July 1947 and the USSR ordered a second batch of twenty Derwents, ten Nene Mk.I and five Nene Mk.II to be delivered in November.

A third batch of four Derwents and twenty Nenes were ordered at the end of year.

The British government did not granted manufacturing licenses but Klimov GAZ 116 started the mass production of unlicensed copies under the codenames RD-45 (Nene Mk.I with 2,230 kg thrust), RD-45F (Nene Mk.II with 2,270 kg thrust) and RD-500 (Derwent V with 1,590 kg thrust).

On March 11, 1947, the Council of People’s Commissars ordered to Lavochkin, Yak and MiG bureaus the development of two new fighters powered by British turbojets: one general-purpose tactical fighter with 950 km/h top speed and Derwent engine and one high-altitude Mach 0.9 interceptor with Nene turbojet.

Each OKB proposed two versions of each model: one with straight wings and pod-and-boom configuration and another with swept wings and "flying stovepipe" configuration.

March 11, 1947, tactical fighter development:

In an attempt to improve the performance of the La-156, a thin wing version was built with a thickness ratio of only 6 per cent and 200 kg less weight.

The new prototype, named La-174 TK, was flown in January 1948, reaching 603 mph (970 km/h).

Lavochkin La-174 TK technical data

Power plant: one Roll-Royce Derwent V turbojet rated at 1,590 kg static thrust, wingspan: 28.3 ft. (8.64 m), length: 30.9 ft. (9.41 m), height: 12 ft. (3.7 m), wing surface: 145.53 sq. ft. (13.52 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,308 lb. (3,315 kg), maximum speed: 603 mph (970 km/h), service ceiling: 44,280 ft. (13,500 m), armament: three nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon.

Late in 1947 a production MiG-9 was modified replacing the two RD-20 turbojets with one Nene Mk.I.

To accommodate the new centrifugal engine of 1,257 mm of diameter it was necessary to redesign the fuselage but the project, named I-320/FN (a project without any connection with the I-320 R-1 night fighter) was cancelled in favor of the new I-310 S swept wing prototype.

MiG I-320/FN technical data

Power plant: one Rolls-Royce Nene Mk.I turbojet rated at 2,230 kg static thrust, wingspan: 32.8 ft. (10 m), length: 35.7 ft. (10.88 m), height: 10.76 ft. (3.23 m), wing surface: 202.2 sq. ft. (18.20 sq. m).

The Yak-23 was a follow-on of the Yak-15, with redan configuration and tricycle undercarriage, powered by one nose mounted Derwent V turbojet.

The prototype was flown on July 8, 1947, reaching 575 mph (925 km/h).

The Yak-23 was built, as a tactical fighter, on a series of 316 machines between 1948 and 1951.

Yak-23 technical data
Power plant: one Rolls-Royce Derwent V centrifugal turbojet rated at 1,590 kg static thrust, wingspan: 28.6 ft. (8.73 m), length: 26.7 ft. (8.13 m), height: 10.8 ft. (3.31 m), wing surface: 145 sq. ft. (13.5 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,460 lb. (3,384 kg), maximum speed: 575 mph (925 km/h), service ceiling: 48,600 ft. (14,800 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm NR-23 cannon, equipment: ejector seat.

The Yak-25 was an improved variant of the Yak-19, with "flying stovepipe" configuration, 9% thickness straight wing and 45-degree swept back tail surfaces, powered by one Derwent V turbojet.

The prototype was flown on October 31, 1947, reaching 610 mph (982 km/h) but the project was discontinued on July 1948 due to extremely severe tail buffeting.

Yak-25 technical data

Power plant: one Rolls-Royce Derwent V centrifugal turbojet rated at 1,590 kg static thrust, wingspan: 29.1 ft. (8.88 m), length: 28.3 ft. (8.65 m), height: 11.87 ft. (3.62 m), wing surface: 150 sq. ft. (14 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,022 lb. (3,185 kg), maximum speed: 610 mph (982 km/h), service ceiling: 46,000 ft. (14,000 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm NR-23 cannon, equipment: ejector seat.


March 11, 1947, high-altitude interceptor development:

When it became apparent that the reheated Lyulka TR-2 with 2,500 kg thrust was not going to be available, the MiG I-305/FL was completely redesigned to reduce the weight to a maximum of 4,500 kg.

To meet the March 11, 1947, specification the airplane received the project designation I-310 S.

The I-310 S initial project was expected to be powered by an RD-10F, but as British centrifugal turbojets became available, it was necessary to redesign the fuselage with a diameter of 1,512 mm.

Having the excess power generated by the new British turbojets, the Soviet designers were able to abandon the pod-and-boom system and build lighter fuselages with the same tubular structure of the Junkers Ju 248, already tested on the MiG I-270.

The MiG I-310 S had mid-mounted wings with 35-degree swept (25% chord), 2-degree anhedral, fitted with fences to delay the migration of the pressure center at high speed, 55.7-degree swept tailfin, 40-degree swept mid-high tail plane and nose mounted bubble canopy.

The prototype I-310 S-01 was flown on December 30, 1947, powered by one Rolls-Royce Nene Mk.I and was cleared for mass production, under the designation MiG-15, at State Aircraft Factory I.

MiG I-310 S-01 technical data

Power plant: one Roll-Royce Nene Mk.I centrifugal turbojet rated at 2,230 kg static thrust, wingspan: 33 ft. (10.08 m), length: 33.1 ft. (10.10 m), height: 12 ft. (3.7 m), wing surface: 228.8 sq. ft. (20.6 sq. m), take-off weight: 10,640 lb. (4,820 kg), maximum speed: 648 mph (1.042 km/h), service ceiling: 49,856 ft. (15,200 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon and one 37 mm N-37 cannon.

The Lavochkin La-168 prototype flew on April 22, 1948, reaching 1,084 km/h-Mach 0.914.

The new plane was fitted with 37-degree swept wings, 45-degree T-tail plane and fuselage mounted landing gear.

The La-168 was a better performing aircraft than the I-310S but its narrow track landing gear was not considered suitable for rough-field operations.

Lavochkin La-168 technical data

Power plant: one Roll-Royce Nene Mk.I centrifugal turbojet rated at 2,230 kg static thrust, wingspan: 31.2 ft. (9.5 m), length: 34.6 ft. (10.56 m), height: 11.47 ft. (3.5 m), wing surface: 194.6 sq. ft. (18.08 sq. m), take-off weight: 10,097 lb. (4,580 kg), maximum speed: 674 mph (1.084 km/h-Mach 0.914), service ceiling: 42,650 ft. (13,000 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon and one 37 mm N-37 cannon.

The Yakovlev response to the March 11, 1947, requirement was the Yak-30, an advanced version of the Yak-25 with 35-degree swept wings and 35-degree tailplane.

The prototype was flown on September 4, 1948, reaching 659 mph (1,060 km/h) powered by one Derwent V turbojet.

Factory testing concluded on December 16, 1948.

Yak-30 technical data

Power plant: one Roll-Royce Derwent V centrifugal turbojet rated at 1,590 kg static thrust, wingspan: 28.4 ft. (8.65 m), length: 29 ft. (8.86 m), height: 11.55 ft. (3.52 m), wing surface: 161.5 sq. ft. (15 sq. m), take-off weight: 7,286 lb. (3,305 kg), maximum speed: 659 mph (1.060 km/h), service ceiling: 49,200 ft. (15,000 m), armament: two nose mounted 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon and one 37 mm N-37 cannon.