Category Mig

When series production of the MiG-3 stopped in December 1941 for lack of engines, the Perm power plant factory was producing the M – 82A, a 14-cylinder, double-row, air-cooled radial engine. Its power out­put was high at takeoff—1,251 kW (1,700 ch)—but it lost power rapidly with altitude. At 6,500 m (21,300 feet) its rating dropped to only 979 kW (1,330 ch)

Despite this shortcoming the MiG OKB redesigned the MiG-3 with an M-82 engine in a risky attempt to prolong the aircraft’s life. Chief engineer I. G. Lazarev tried to match the engine with the front fuselage structure with a minimum of modifications and designed an engine cowling to minimize load losses resulting from its internal turbulent flow.

The cockpit canopy was enlarged and deepened to improve rear and lateral visibility. The fin area was increased slightly to improve yaw stability, and the wing was fitted with leading-edge slats tested on a production MiG-3. The three 12.7-mm UBS machine guns (one on top of the engine cowling and one on each side of it) were controlled by a single trigger.

Five I-210s were completed in November-December 1941, and the first flight took place in December with Nil WS pilot V. Ye. Golofastov in the cockpit. From the very beginning of the test flights, strong vibra­tions occurred in the tail unit, and the aircraft’s maneuverability

proved to be rather scanty. The size of the engine master cross section and the poor airtightness of the engine cowling generated vortex flows that increased the drag significantly. Despite the high power of the M – 82, the maximum speed of the 1-210 was less than that of the MiG-3 with an AM-35A engine

The aircraft was tested in a TsAGI full-scale wind tunnel and returned to the OKB for modifications. The wind tunnel tests con­firmed the decisive effect of the lack of cowling airtightness on the air­craft’s aerodynamic drag. They led at last to the design of a new aircraft code-named Ye and powered by a M-82F, which was not completed before the end of 1942. Despite its poor performance, the 1-210 was combat-proven on thb Kalinin front. Two 7.62-mm ShKAS synchro­nized machine guns were added to the basic armament.

In some OKB documents the 1-210 is referred to as the MiG-9 (the first of many).

Specifications

Span, 10.2 m (33 ft 5.6 in); length, 8.078 m (26 ft 6 in); wheel track, 2.78 m (9 ft 1.4 in); wheel base, 5.022 m (16 ft 5.7 in); wing area, 17.44 m2 (187.7 sq ft); empty weight, 2,720 kg (5,995 lb); takeoff weight, 3,382 kg (7,454 lb), fuel + oil, 360 kg (795 lb); wing loading, 193 9 kg/m2 (39.71 Ib/sq ft)

Performance

Max speed, 565 km/h at 6,150 m (305 kt at 20,170 ft); max speed at sea level, 475 km/h (257 kt); landing speed, 146 km/h (79 kt); climb to

5,0 m (16,400 ft) in 6.7 min; range, 1,070 km (665 mi); takeoff roll, 410 m (1,345 ft); landing roll, 535 m (1,755 ft).

The aims of this program were not very different from those of the previous designs—that is, improving the aerodynamics, handling quali­ties, and production processes of the MiG-3 even though its assembly lines were now closed. The motivation of this new attempt was to give the MiG-3 a successor without departing too much from the original design.

Compared to the MiG-3, the 1-230’s fuselage was 370 mm (14 57 inches) longer. The main landing gear was modified and equipped with more efficient and reliable shock absorbers, and the pilot’s view was greatly improved. Aware of the scarcity of light alloys in 1942, the designers called for the fuselage to be made entirely of wood except at the engine mounting

At the time of the preliminary design, the utmost was done so that the 1-230 might be manufactured on the same assembly lines as the MiG-3, with the same production tooling and methods. The quality of the skin finishing and the aerodynamic cleanness of the airframe were superb The aircraft was really a beauty.

The ventral radiator bath underneath the wing center section was moved forward and made much smaller. A slightly bigger wing was used on an experimental basis to increase the aircraft’s ceiling by 500 m (1,640 feet). But this was not considered enough of an improvement to justify acceptance of the new wing.

The team in charge of this program ran into an old snag. The AM- 35A, the only suitable engine for this type of aircraft, was no longer being produced. The AM-38F was certainly not the ideal engine for a fighter—and besides, its entire production run was reserved for the 11-2. Consequently, the 1-230 was fitted with a salvaged AM-35A. The flight reports filed by MiG-3 pilots were taken into account: firepower was increased by mounting two synchronized 20-mm ShVAK (SP-20) can­nons on top of the engine (150 rpg) The 1-230 became the first single­engine MiG equipped with cannons.

The aircraft was first flown and flight-tested in August 1942. Even though the results were positive, there was uncertainty in 1943 over whether series production could he launched. After the prototype roll­out, five preproduction aircraft were completed in the ОКБ workshop and delivered to the 1 GvIAP (1st Guards fighter aviation regiment) for

combat proving on the Kalinin front, where they performed with dis­tinction. Nonetheless, the chaotic circumstances of most engine manu­facturers in this period (evacuation of production factories, establish­ment of new production facilities in distant places, and difficulties in managerial staff recruitment) made it impossible to resume production of the AM-35A. Despite all its good qualities, the 1-230 did not succeed the MiG-3.

The 1-230 is sometimes called the MiG-3 D (Dalnostniy, long range) or MiG-3U (Ulushchenniy, improved).

Specifications

Span, 10.2 m (33 ft 5.6 in); 1-230 no. 02 span, 11m (36 ft 1 in); length, 8.62 m (28 ft 3.4 in); wheel track, 2.78 m (9 ft 1.4 in); wheel base, 5.426 m (17 ft 9.6 in); wing area, 17.44 m2 (187.7 sq ft); 1-230 no. 02 wing area, 18 m2 (193.75 sq ft); empty weight, 2,612 kg (5,757 lb); takeoff weight, 3,285 kg (7,240 lb); fuel, 324 kg (714 lb); oil, 56 kg (123 lb); wing loading, 188.4/182.5 kg/m2 (38.57/37.36 lb/sq ft); max operating limit load factor, 8.

Performance

Max speed, 660 km/h at 6,000 m (356 kt at 19,680 ft); max speed at sea level, 560 km/h (302 kt); climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 6.2 min; ser­vice ceiling, 11,500 m (37,700 ft); 1-230 no. 02 service ceiling, 12,000 m (39,360 ft); range, 1,350 km (840 mi).

OKB engineers were desperately tiying to find a successor to the MiG – 3. In 1943 they thought they had hit on something when a new engine, the AM-39 A, became available Its takeoff power reached 1,325 kW (1,800 ch), and it was rated at 1,104 kW (1,500 ch) at 5,850 m (19,190 feet). The engine was installed in an airframe almost similar to that of the 1-230 with the same armament (two 20-mm ShVAK cannons above the engine with 160 rpg).

The 1-231 prototype was completed and test-flown in 1943 with Yu A. Antipov and later P. M. Stefanovskiy at the controls, but it was destroyed as a result of a mislanding. It could have been a chance mishap, the aircraft having shown great capabilities justifying its mass production. But once more a shortage of engines put an end to what would be the final attempt to extend the life of the MiG-3: series pro­duction of the AM-39 had to be stopped a short time after it began. Also, no production unit had the capacity to manufacture the 1-231 They were all busy, day and night, turning out Yakovlev and Lav­ochkin fighters.

Specifications

Span, 10 2 m (33 ft 5 6 in); length, 8.62 m (28 ft 3.4 in); height in level flight position, 3.275 m (10 ft 8 9 in); wheel track, 2.78 m (9 ft 1.4 in); wheel base, 5.426 m (17 ft 9.6 in); wing area, 17.44 m2 (187.7 sq ft); empty weight, 2,583 kg (5,693 lb); takeoff weight, 3,287 kg (7,245 lb); fuel, 333 kg (734 lb); oil, 34 kg (75 lb), wing loading, 188.5 kg/m2 (38 6 Ib/sq ft); max operating limit load factor, 8

Performance

Max speed, 707 km/h at 7,100 m (382 kt at 23,290 ft); climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 4.5 min, service ceiling, 11,400 m (37,400 ft)

As mentioned earlier, this program was a direct result of the 1-210 tests in one of the full-scale TsAGI wind tunnels. The goal was still to pro­long the MiG-3 series with an updated product. But to improve the level and climbing speeds of the aircraft, it was necessary to find a more powerful engine than the M-82A and to reduce its takeoff weight significantly. The only available engine alternative was the M-82F, delivering 1,362 kW (1,850 ch) at takeoff and 979 kW (1,330 ch) at

The 1-211 marked a new attempt to match a radial engine with the MiG-3 airframe. This time it was a complete success. But, strangely enough, the project was not pur­sued, and Lavochkin inherited most of the technical innovations tested with this machine.

5,400 m (17,700 feet). The 1-211 differed from the 1-210 in several other respects as well. The front fuselage cross section was increased to make the junction of the engine cowling and the fuselage smoother, and the adjustable flaps of the engine exhaust outlet were moved to the sides of the fuselage. The cockpit was moved 245 mm (9.64 inches) back and the fin chord was extended forward, increasing its area and improving the aircraft’s yaw stability. The oil cooler air inlets were moved into the wing root fairings. The shape of the engine cowling was carefully designed to cope with the problem of airtightness and to achieve the best junction possible with the fuselage. All of these modi­fications resulted in an outstanding increase in the aircraft’s speed. In 1942 most of these technical innovations (engine cowling design and airtightness, proper positioning of the engine itself, and the 1-210 wing leading edge slats) were passed on—at the order of the Narkomavprom (state commissariat of the aviation industry)—to the Lavochkin OKB, which adapted them successfully to the La-5, a mass-produced fighter.

The armament was also modified: the 1-210’s machine guns were replaced by two synchronized 20-mm ShVAK cannons at the bottom of engine cowling. Assembly of the 1-211 begai in December 1942 and finished in August 1943. Golofastov was the first pilot to fly it. Two pro­totypes were built, followed by eight preproduction aircraft. The short­comings of the first 1-210 and its engine became nothing more than a bad memory, and the 1-211 proved to be the best Russian fighter of the time. Compared with the 1942 version of the La-5, its level speed was 40 to 166 km/h (21 to 90 kt) higher, depending on the altitude. Com­pared with the 1942 version of the Yak-9, it was 65 to 73 km/h (35 to 39 kt) faster. To climb to 5,000 m (16,400 feet), the La-5 took 1.4 to 2.2 minutes longer, and the Yak-9 0.9 to 1.5 minutes longer. After the pro­totypes passed the factory flight tests, ten preproduction 1-21 Is were delivered to the VVS to prove themselves in combat. They engaged successfully in air battles over the northwestern front near Kalinin. Air force pilots and Nil WS test pilots spoke out in favor of adding the 1-211 to the WS fleet. But in spite of their recommendations and the aircraft’s remarkable flying qualities, the GKO (defense state commit­tee) gave up mass-producing the aircraft because two factories were already building the La-5FN (an La-5 with an ASh-82FN engine)

Specifications

Span, 10.2 m (33 ft 5.6 in); length, 7.954 m (26 ft 1.1 in); height, 3.63 m (11 ft 10.9 in); wheel track, 2.78 m (9 ft 1.4 in); wheel base, 5 015 m (16 ft 5.4 in); wing area, 17.44 m2 (187.7 sq ft); empty weight, 2,528 kg (5,572 lb); takeoff weight, 3,100 kg (6,830 lb); fuel + oil, 385 kg (848 lb); wing loading, 177.75 kg/m2 (36.38 lb/sq ft).

Performance

Max speed, 670 krn/h at 7,000 m (362 kt at 22,960 ft); climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 4 min; service ceiling, 11,300 m (37,065 ft); range, 1,140 km (710 mi).