IVHG-19SV / SM 9V

In 1955 the cold war had turned up the heat on more than one political leader Soviet airspace was being systematically violated by balloons carrying all sorts of detection equipment and by high-flying Canberra reconnaissance aircraft It was at this time that the ОКБ first received information about the development in the United States of the Lock­heed U-2, a reconnaissance aircraft that had a service ceiling of 25,000 m (82,000 feet). The situation was deemed serious because the USSR did not have a single aircraft capable of intercepting such high-altitude invaders.

A crash program was set up to counter the threat. The consensus was to build specialized high-altitude interceptors and in the meantime to modify the MiG-19S to improve its service ceiling—hence the "V" of the designation, which stands for Visotrdy (altitude). The ОКБ quickly decided to make the following changes in the production aircraft:

—increase the wing area by 2 m2 (21.5 square feet)

—remove the two NR-30 wing cannons; only the fuselage cannon was retained

—take the armor plate out of the pilot’s seat back —raise the turbine inlet temperature (TIT) of the AM-9B to 730° C (1,378° F); the modified engine was renamed the AM-9BF —add a 12-degree flap setting to be used at 15,000 m (49,200 feet); the deployment of flaps during flight maneuvers marked a first in the USSR

G. K. Mosolov and V A Nefyedov dealt briskly with the SM-9V tests under the management of V. A. Arkhipov. The prototype was then handed to military test pilots. During high-altitude flights, the KKO-1 oxygen dispenser was tested. It secured a high oxygen pressure in the pilot’s mask. Moreover, a research center designed and tested the VSS-04A pressure suit, a piece of equipment that was considered essential because the smallest pressure loss at high altitudes—whether caused by a direct hit or a tiny crack in the cockpit hood—could lead to the pilot’s death. The pressure suit was also vital in case the pilot need­ed to eject at high altitudes and high speeds. The OKB brain trust, with Mikoyan in the lead, agreed to give the highest priority to the develop­ment of this pressure suit within the context of the SM-9V program.

The VSS-04A tests were carried out by two OKB pilots, К. K. Kokki – naki and V. A. Nefyedov, first in an altitude chamber and then in flight. In the altitude chamber, both pilots "climbed” to 25,000 m (82,000 feet), a first in the USSR. The suit was developed very quickly, and its use became normal practice. Soon afterward, the pressure suit was supple­mented by the GSh pressure helmet. The combination allowed pilots to fly as high as 24,000 m (78,700 feet). OKB pilots G. A Sedov, К. K. Kokkinaki, and G. K. Mosolov and military test pilots S. A. Mikoyan, V. P. Vasin, and V. S. Ilyushin quickly got used to the high-altitude equip­ment and to the SM-9V, which was mass-produced as the MiG-19SV. On 6 December 1956 N. I. Korovushkin, a GK Nil VVS pilot, climbed to the record altitude of 20,740 m (68,030 feet) by using the zoom technique.

(A zoom is an optimized steep climb at high altitude, normally starting at the aircraft’s maximum level Mach and trading speed for height to reach exceptional altitudes far above its sustainable level ceiling.)

The test report on the USSR’s first high-altitude interceptor reads, "The MiG-19SV does not differ much from the MiG-19S as far as han­dling technique is concerned. On the other hand, at low speeds in the 350-380 km/h [189-205 kt] range the aircraft handles better and proved to be steadier in flight than the prototype." Several MiG-19SVs were powered by AM-9BF and BF-2 turbojets rated at 3,235 daN (3,300 kg st). One of them topped 1,572 km/h at 10,000 m (849 kt at 32,800 ft).

Specifications

Span, 10 3 m (33 ft 9.5 in); overall length without probe, 12.54 m (41 ft 1.7 in); with probe, 14.64 m (48 ft 0.4 in), wheel track, 4.156 m (13 ft 7.6 in); wheel base, 4.398 m (14 ft 5.2 in); wing area, 27 m2 (290.6 sq ft); empty weight, 5,580 kg (12,300 lb); takeoff weight, 7,250 kg (15,980 lb); wing loading, 268.5 kg/m2 (55 lb/sq ft).

Performance

Max speed, 1,420 km/h at 10,000 m (767 kt at 32,800 ft); service ceil­ing, 19,000 m (62,300 ft).