MiG 15 / SV

While the S-03 was chosen as the master aircraft, a few engineering modifications were still necessary before the production standard—the SV—was ready.

The Nene II engine was replaced by a RD-45F. In reality it was the same engine, but manufactured in factory no. 45 in Moscow. Several parts of the aircraft’s structure were strengthened once more: wing spar flanges, fuselage rear frames, wing top skin, and the skin of the airbrakes (in the latter, duralumin was replaced by EI-100N steel) A tab was added to the left aileron, and the wing was equipped with an additional flutter damper. The outlet port for the links and cartridge cases of the three cannons’ ammunition belts was modified to prevent jams when firing. Compared to the S-03, the production MiG-15 dif­fered in many particulars:

—an engine-start switchboard was added in the cockpit, and 12-A-30 batteries were replaced by 12-SAM-25s (the self-starter worked only on the ground)

—NS-23 cannons were replaced by NR-23s —bothersome glints on the canopy were eliminated —the efficiency of the ailerons was improved with the first hydraulic servo-control unit ever installed on a MiG aircraft, in this case a B-7 model developed by TsAGI

—stick forces caused by the elevator or the ailerons were reduced —vibrations experienced while the N-37D cannon was fired were eliminated

—the nose-up attitude caused by airbrake deployment was compen­sated for

—a homemade GS-3000 generator starter was installed

The SV was the first-series production MiG-15, the ‘soldier aircraft’ whose fame dates from the Korean War and whose success earned its manufacturer a worldwide reputa­tion.

—the wing was piped for two 496-1 (131-US gallon) underslung tanks

—the nose gear leg was fitted with a new shock absorber

—fuel tanks were kept under pressure by bleeding air from the

engine compressor

—the NR-23 cannon mounts were modified, and their hydraulic

dampers were removed

—the newer ASP-3N optical gunsight replaced the ASP-1 —a newer IFF interrogator was installed

As the MiG-15 was mass-produced in several factories, its struc­ture, armament, and equipment were continuously updated. During an acceptance test, the engine flamed out when the pilot started to fly upside down. Other aerobatic maneuvers such as barrel rolls also seemed to cause flameouts. To solve this problem ОКБ engineers developed a small tank inside the fuel system that could feed the engine in all negative-g situations. This feeder tank was fitted with a fuel connector that swiveled according to gravitational acceleration (g) and provided a continuous flow to the engine for up to ten seconds whatever the aircraft’s attitude in space (including zero-g or negative-g conditions). After special tests, this tank was installed on all MiG-15s on the assembly line and retrofitted on those that had left the factories.

A certain roll instability experienced at high speed was cured by increasing the stiffness of the wing and its control surfaces at the trail­ing edge. The canopy’s ice and mist problems were solved as well: a new canopy, molded in one piece, was kept clear by engine air bleed. Two other systems were also developed to fight icing: one generated heat electrically, and another employed an alcohol-based deicing fluid. Many other improvements were introduced gradually as production continued:

—the efficiency of the airbrakes was improved by increasing their area from 0.52 mz (5.6 square feet) to 0.88 m2 (9.5 square feet) with the following operating limits: a 0.7 design Mach number during a 16.8-second vertical dive and 1.03 during a 45-degree dive —to increase the survivability of the aircraft in combat, a standby cable-operated elevator control was added —to improve the pilot’s rear view, a TS-23A periscope was fitted on the front arch of the canopy

—the protective armor in the cockpit was strengthened, and the pilot’s life support equipment was improved —to optimize the accelerations the pilot was subjected to while eject­ing, a variety of pyrotechnic cartridges were chosen (there were winter and summer versions); also, the left armrest of the pilot’s

A MiG-15 (SV) with its flaps down and set for landing.

seat was equipped with an emergency handle to trigger the ejec­tion procedure in case the pilot’s right hand was wounded —in 1951 the wing was piped for two 300-1 (79-US gallon) standard­ized drop tanks (subsequent MiG-15 bis and MiG-15R bis received 600-1 [158-US gallon] tanks); these more streamlined tanks enabled the MiG-15 to fly at speeds up to 900 km/h (486 kt) or Mach 0.9 and were able to withstand a load factor of 5 when filled or 6.5 when empty

—to improve both operational safety and fire protection, the duralu­min used in the aircraft’s pipes was replaced by steel —the AGK-47B artificial horizon was replaced by an AGI-51 plus an EUP-46 standby horizon

—for night landings, a powerful headlight was inserted in the air intake partition

—the RD-45F turbojet was continuously improved by the V. Ya. Klimov OKB

V. A. Romodin, MiG deputy chief constructor, coordinated the mass production of the MiG-15 in several factories and their introduc­tion in fighter regiments. On 20 May 1949 the council of ministers ordered the mass production of the MiG-15. The aircraft was deemed

Exploded view of the MiG-15 (MiG ОКБ document)

so important that series production of four other aircraft models—the La-15, Yak-17, Yak-23, and Li-2—was discontinued in order to clear the assembly lines of four factories for the MiG-15. The first production air­craft, MiG-15 no. 101003, was built in factory no. 1. State acceptance tests began on 13 June 1949 but were interrupted because of a faulty cannon. Tests resumed on 26 October and ended on 7 January 1950.

GK Nil VVS test pilots Kuvshinov, Blagoveshchyenskii, Kochyetkov, Sedov, Dzyuba, Ivanov, and Pikulenko made fifty-nine flights for a total of forty hours and fifty-five minutes of air time. Eight in-flight engine relights were carried out successfully. In early 1950 several MiG-15s were taken away for static tests as well as armament and equipment tests. Simultaneously, twenty MiG-15s of the fourth and fifth series passed their military acceptance tests with fighter regi­ments, making 2,067 flights in a total of 872 hours and 47 minutes. Once those tests were completed, the instruction manual for the MiG – 15 was issued for WS and PVO pilots. The samolyot soldat (soldier air­craft) was born.

The first MiG-15s were delivered to operational units during the winter of 1949-50. A short time later, on 25 June 1950, war broke out in Korea. Over the next three years the MiG-15 would make a name for itself in that conflict. In 1952 the WS and the PVO called a joint meet­ing to discuss their operational experience with the aircraft. Pilots were unanimous in praising its performance, its versatility, and its superiori­ty in combat at medium and high altitudes up to 15,000 m (49,200 feet), in clouds, at night, and in the worst weather conditions. Their assess­ment is hard to dispute.

The MiG-15 became the first MiG built under license, first in Czechoslovakia and then in Poland. The first Czechoslovakian MiG-15 (built by Aero) took off on 13 April 1953. The factory built 853 machines of the type, referred to as the S-102. Production started in 1954 in Poland, where the aircraft was called the LIM-1.

Specifications

Span, 10.085 m (33 ft 1 in); overall length, 10.102 m (33 ft 1.7 in); fuse­lage length, 8.125 m (33 ft 7.9 in); wheel track, 3.852 m (12 ft 7.6 in); wheel base, 3.23 m (10 ft 7.2 in); wing area, 20.6 m2 (221.7 sq ft); empty weight, 3,253 kg (7,170 lb); takeoff weight, 4,963 kg (10,938 lb); max takeoff weight, 5,405 kg (11,913 lb); fuel, 1,225 kg (2,700 lb); wing loading, 240.9-262.4 kg/m2 (49.4-53.8 lb/sq ft).

Performance

Max speed, 1,031 km/h at 5,000 m (557 kt at 16,400 ft); max speed at sea level, 1,050 km/h (567 kt); climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 2.5 min; to 8,000 m (26,240 ft) in 5 min; to 10,000 m (32,800 ft) in 7.1 min;

The 1-312 (ST), prototype of the UTI MiG-15, was developed from a MiG-15 airframe and powered by the RD-45F.

climb with two 248-1 (65-US gal) auxiliary tanks to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 3.5 min; to 8,000 m (26,240 ft) in 7 min; to 10,000 m (32,800 ft) in 10.5 min; service ceiling, 15,200 m (49,850 ft); landing speed, 160 km/h (86 kt); range, 1,175 km at 10,000 m (730 mi at 32,800 ft); range with auxiliary tanks, 1,650 km at 12,000 m (1,025 mi at 39,360 ft); take­off roll, 630 m (2,065 ft); takeoff roll with auxiliary tanks, 765 m (2,510 ft); landing roll, 720 m (2,360 ft).