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[J311yfish]

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The goals are:

-- expand accurate historical information for aircraft in-game (directly from primary sources, not secondarily from Wikipedia or unsubstantiated websites)

-- identify opportunities for growth/expansion of USSR tech tree

-- work here will be concurrent with United States and Germany, to resemble the level of detail brought to United Kingdom and Japan

-- emphasis initially will be on bombers, but will also look at radar development across the 5 major powers (especially as it relates to bomber navigation and night fighter interception)

Edited by J311yfish, 13 March 2022 - 01:40 PM.

[J311yfish]

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[J311yfish]

Tier I & II

 

Polikarpov I-5

 

 

 

 

---

 

Polikarpov I-5 ShKAS

 

 

 

 

TsKB I-7 -- Dr Ernst Heinkel -- mass production of Heinkel HD 37 from Germany

 

-- developed in Germany by Heinkel as HD-37, mass produced USSR as I-7.

-- HD = Heinkel Doppeldecker = "biplane"

 

 

Polikarpov I-15

 

 

 

 

Kochyerigin TSh-2

 

 

 

 

Tomashevich Pegasus

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 05:33 AM.

[J311yfish]

Tier III

 

Polikarpov I-16 (e.)

 

 

 

 

Polikarpov I-15bis DM-2

 

 

 

 

Polikarpov TsKB-12bis

 

A prototype of the I-16 (TsKB-12) equipped with a Wright Cyclone engine and three-blade propeller. Following trials, it was decided to produce I-16 with the M-22 engine.

 

 

Kochyerigin-Yatsenko Di-6i (09/1934) -- 223 built

 

Kochyerigin-Yatsenko

Developed as a two-seat multirole fighter capable of engaging single-seat fighters in maneuvering combat. Its first flight took place in September 1934. The aircraft did not see active combat service. A total of 223 modifications of the DI-6 were built.

 

 

Kochyerigin TSh-3

 

 

 

 

Kochyerigin BSh-1 -- redesign of Vultee V-11 from United States

 

 

 

 

Arkhangelsky/Tupolev SB (02/1935) -- 7,000 built

 

-- SB = Skorostnoi Bombardirovshchik = "fast bomber" (Gunston, 89)

-- built in larger numbers than any other Tupolev aircraft (Gunston, 89)

-- official NII-VVS requirement issued 10/1934 (Gunston, 89)

-- Hispano-Suiza V-12 engine made under license by Vladimir Klimov as M-100. (Gunston, 90)

-- first flight 10/07/1934 with Wright Cyclone F-3 air-cooled radials 710 hp by test pilot K. K. Popov using non-retractable skis (Gunston, 91)

-- retested from 02/05/1935-07/1935 with M-85 800hp two-row radials ... 325 km/h @ 4,000 m; service ceiling 6,800 m; range 700 km (Gunston, 91)

-- 2nd prototype, 2x Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs water-cooled V-12 engines, each rated at 780 hp @ 3,300 m ... completed 12/1934 and first flown 02/16/1935 ... 332 km/h @ SL, 404 km/h @ 5,000 m, climb to 5,000 m in 9.4 min, service ceiling 9,400 m. (Gunston, 91)

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 02:05 AM.

[J311yfish]

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[J311yfish]

Tier VII

 

Lavochkin La-9RD (late 1947)

 

-- "In the second half of 1947 a [pair of ramjets], designated RD-13, were flown under the wings of an La-9, which misleadingly received the designation La-9RD.  Despite the fact that the programme had already been abandoned, 8 further La-9 fighters were fitted with these engines, and all 9 made a deafening formation flypast at the Tushino Aviation Day." (Gordon & Gunston, 84)

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-3RD (12/1944)

 

Gunston, 141

Gordon & Gunston, 210

 

 

Kostikov 302 (08/1943) -- A. G. Kostikov

 

-- "By spring 1943 two 302 aircraft were almost completed.  Testing in the T-104 tunnel at CAHI (TsAGI) began at this time. In 1943 the original proposed ramjets were changed to a new design by Vladimir Sepanovich Zuyev. After much argument it was decided to forget the ramjets and complete the aircraft as the 302P (Perekhvatchik, interceptor) with the rocket only." (Gordon & Gunston, 77)

-- flight tested as a glider without ramjets 08/1943 (Gordon & Gunston, 77)

-- "... in [03/1944] the second 302P was being tested in the T-104 tunnel at CAHI.  In the same month the whole programme was cancelled." (Gordon & Gunston, 77)

-- "The 302 was made mainly of wood, with a monocoque fuselage and smooth skin of Delta and Shpon veneers bonded by Bakelite-type plastics.  The wings had 15% RAF.34 profile at the root, tapering to 8% NACA-2030 near the pointed tip.  In contrast, the control surfaces were of Dl alloy with fabric covering, the starboard aileron, rudder and both elevators having trim tabs. The rocket engine was a Dushkin/Shtokolov D-1A with a main chamber rated at 1,100 kg (2,4251 lb) at sea level and a cruise chamber rated at 450 kg (992 lb).  Under the wings were to have been installed the ramjets, but information on these Zuyev units is lacking.  Their nacelles were to have been oval, with the major axis horizontal, faired neatly into the wing.  the all-rocket 302P had tanks for 1,230 kg (2712 lb) of RFNA [concentrated red fuming nitric acid] and 505 kg (1,113 lb) of kerosene.  The cockpit, which was to have been pressurized, had a canopy hinged to the right and a bulletproof windscreen and frontal armour.  The main and tailwheel landing gears were to have been retracted hydraulically, and the same system would have operated the split flaps.  No documents have been found describing how the environmental and hydraulic systems would have been energized.  Two 20mm ShVAK cannon were to have been mounted in the nose and two more in the bottom of the forward fuselage, each with 100 rounds [4x20mm ShVAK]." (Gordon & Gunston, 77)

 

other rocket-powered development

-- first reliable rocket engine to be produced in USSR, designed by Leonid Dushkin, first tested on the ground in 1939. (Buttler & Gordon, 108)

-- first time Soviet aircraft flown under rocket power, Korolyov RP-318 research aircraft 02/28/1940 with Dushkin engine. (Buttler & Gordon, 108)

-- Bereznyak- Isayev BI first flight 05/15/1942; first flight by a fully engineered rocket-powered interceptor (Buttler & Gordon, 108)

-- Bereznyak- Isayev BI (flown 09/1941) was powered by a Dushkin D-1A-1100 (2,425 lb @ SL), 1,300 kg (2,866 lb) @ high altitude. (Gordon & Gunston, 28)

-- Polikarpov Malyutka ('Little One') design started 06/1943, construction began early 1944, but Polikarpov died 07/30/1944 so work stopped. (Gordon & Gunston, 110-111)

-- Lavochkin '162' design began 1946, to be powered by Dushkin RD-2M-3V; 20 minutes @ 3,000 m (9,843 ft); 6x Pobyedonostsev TRS-82 spin-stabilized rocket projectiles; mock-up built but project stopped. (Gordon & Gunston, 114)

-- Moskalyov SAM-29 (RM-1), Moskalyov's OKB closed 01/1946. (Gordon & Gunston, 114)

-- Mikoyan I-270 first flight 01/1947, Dushkin and Glushko RD-2M-3V 14.2 kN (3,200 lbs) @ SL, auxilitary chamber 3.9 kN (880 lb), increasing 15-20% at altitude; glider tests 12/1946 prior to powerplant availability (Gordon & Gunston, 114)

 

 

 

 

Lavochkin La-7

 

 

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-9U

 

 

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-3 (03/1944)

 

-- "The first production Yak-3 assembled in Saratov was completed on [03/01/1944] and test-flown a week later. Not until the end of the following month were 22 Yak-3s officially accepted ..." (Gunston, 135)

-- "The Yak-3's special feature was its ability to accelerate very quickly -- for example, in a shallow dive. In such cases the pilots had to 'hold the fighter back' because its good aerodynamics made it easy to exceed the limit of 650 km/h (404 mph) indicated airspeed, which was dangerous due to insufficient structural strength." (Gunston, 136)

-- "The Bf 109G was the fighter's main opponent." (Gunston, 136)

-- "Checkout tests conducted by NII VVS on Yak-3 c/n 11-12 ... in [08/1944] showed that, with an AUW of 2,675 kg (5,900 lb), the fighter attained a speed of 555 km/h (345 mph) @ SL and 631 km/h @ 4,200 m (13,780 ft), climbing to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) within 4.5 minutes. The military were also satisfied with other performance figures: a full-circle banking turn was performed in 21 seconds, the altitude gain in a combat turn amounted to 1,200 m (4,560 ft), the take-off run was a mere 280 m (918 ft) and the service ceiling was 10,400 m (34,110 ft)." (Gunston, 137)

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-3T (01/1945) -- 1 built

 

-- "Built in the OKB in [01/1945], the Yak-3T (tyazhelovo'orouzhonnyy -- heavily armed) possessed even more potent armament. It retained the pair of synchronized cannons in the front upper decking, as on the Yak-3P, while the engine-mounted B-20 cannon was replaced by a lightened 37mm N-37 cannon designed by A. Nudel'man, with 25 rounds of ammunition. // Externally the Yak-3T differed from production machines in having a muzzle brake mounted on the barrel protruding from the propeller spinner; it absorbed up to 3/4 of the cannon's recoil energy. Installation of the heavy cannon necessitated some design changes. The cockpit was moved aft 400 mm (1 ft 3.75 in) in a fashion similar to the Yak-9T; the fuel capacity was reduced by 17 liters (3.74 Imp gal) and the self-sealing coating of the fuel tanks was deleted. // Despite the weight saving measures, the AUW rose to 2,756 kg (6,077 lb) and the performance deteriorated marginally. Top speed was 560 km/h (348 mph) @ SL and 629 km/h (391 mph) @ 4,000 m (13,120 ft), while the cruising range was a mere 559 km (347 miles). The designers succeeded in keeping the CG of the fully equipped Yak-3 at 25.7% of the mean aerodynamic chord, thanks to which good controllability was retained. // Tests showed that the fighter remained as easy in handling as ever. The armament of the Yak-3T ensured effective engagement of aerial targets and enabled attacks against railway trains, soft-skinned and armored vehicles. There was virtually no loss of accuracy when firing a burst of 4 rounds from the engine-mounted cannon. This made it possible to fire long bursts while retaining accurate sighting -- something that could not be done on the Yak-9T. // However, major defects were also revealed. The combination of the engine with the new cannon was not yet trouble-free, the engine being plagued by overheating of water and oil, which precluded normal operation. The engine persistently malfunctioned; this included emission of smoke, vibration, spark plug failures, drops in the fuel pressure and the like. All this prevented the Yak-3T. (Gunston, 140-141)

 

 Engine VK-105PF2

 Airframe Yak-3T

 Hub-mounted weapon 37 mm NS-37 (H)

 Synchronized machine gun 2x20 mm B-20 (S)

 

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich I-220 (07/1943)

 

-- "Aircraft A No. 01 was painted in three-tone dark green/pale brown/pale grey camouflage, with white bordered national markings. This aircraft was rolled out at Khodynka [06/1943]. It was first flown [07/1943], the assigned pilot being A. P. Yakimov of the LII-NKAP ... Had it gone into production the VVS would have allotted the next fighter (odd-number) designation, MiG-11." (Gordon & Gunston, 35)

-- "Aircraft A No. 02 was the first of these larger fighters to be powered by the AM-39 engine, with a takeoff rating of 1,800 hp and maximum rating of 1,500 hp @ 7,100 m (23,294 ft). It had all four guns fitted, though with only 100 rounds each. It is believed to have been the first Soviet aircraft with a whip-type radio antenna, serving an RSI-4 radio behind the cockpit." (Gordon & Gunston, 35)

 

 

Ilyushin IL-10

 

 

 

 

Ilyushin IL-8

 

 

 

Tupolev Tu-2

 

 

 

Tupolev Tu-1 (03/1947)

 

"63P, Tu-1 -- Apart from retaining the Tu-2S landing gear, this later aircraft was based on the SBD-2, but was completed as a 3-seat long-range radar-equipped interceptor and escort fighter.  The engines were [AM-43VS 1950hp] driving 4-blade AV-9K-22A propellers.  The crew comprised a pilot on the centreline and upper and lower rear gunners, the upper also being the radio/radar operator. Armament comprised [2x NS-45] in the lower part of the nose, [2x NS-23] in the wing roots and a single UBT in the upper and lower rear positions.  An internal bomb load of 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) could be carried, and maximum fuel capacity was increased approximately 4,000 liters (880 gal). The nose, rear fuselage and tail housed components of the PNB-1 Gneiss-7 radar, based on the German FuG 220, with tail warning.  First flown on [03/22/1947], the 63P's test program was completed on [11/03/1947]. Series production as the Tu-1 was thwarted by unavailability of the engines, and the 63P was used for radar interception research. It is believed to have been the first aircraft in the USSR with operative radar." (Gunston, 122)

-- Span 18.86 m (61 ft 10.5 in)

-- Length 13.6 m (44 ft 7.5 in), including guns 14.1 m (46 ft 3 in)

-- wing area 48.8 sq m (525 sq ft)

-- weight empty 9,460 kg (20,855 lb)

-- fuel/oil 3,000 kg (6,614 lb)

-- loaded weight 12,755 kg (28,119 lb) normal; 14,460 kg (31,878 lb) maximum

-- maximum speed 479 km/h (298 mph) @ SL, 641 km/h (398 mph) @ 8,600 m (28,220 ft)

-- climb to 5,000 m in 11.6 min

-- service ceiling 10,000 m (36,090 ft)

-- range 2,250 km (1,400 miles)

-- take-off run 605 m (1,984 ft), landing run 560 m (1,837 ft)

-- Data from Gunston, 122-123

 

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 09:56 AM.

[J311yfish]

Tier VIII

 

Lavochkin La-9

 

 

 

 

Lavochkin La-11

 

 

 

 

Sukhoi Su-9 (11/1946) -- Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi -- 1 built

-- one of the first Soviet combat aircraft to feature an ejection seat and canopy jettison system; direct copy of seat fitted to Heinkel He 162 (Gordon, 116)

-- first Soviet aircraft to have powered controls (Gordon, 116)

-- originally designed with S-18 1,300 kgp (2,866 lbst) in mind (later redesignated TR-1), but due to delays used Jumo 004B (Gordon, 116)

-- full-scale mock-up 02/07/1946; accepted 02/16/1946; production plan 03/27/1946 with flight tests scheduled to begin 11/01/1946 (Gordon, 116)

-- development slowed due to additional burden of Tu-2 UTB trainer program (among other things). (Gordon, 116)

-- first flight 11/13/1946 by test pilot Gheorgiy M. Shiyanov; 5,782 kg (12,747 lb), attained a top speed of 885 km/h and climbed to 5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 4.7 minutes. (Gordon, 117)

-- 136 flights between 11/13/1946 and 05/25/1948; top speed 847 km/h @ SL, 885 km/h @ 8,000 m (26,246 ft), service ceiling 12,800 m (41,994 ft) and endurance 1 hour 44 minutes. (Gordon, 117)

-- if powered by RD-10F, was to have top speed 925 km/h @ SL, 908 km/h @ 6,000 m (19,685 ft). (Gordon, 118)

-- 2nd prototype emerged as new type Su-11, almost identical to Su-9 (Gordon, 117-118)

 

Su-11 (05/1947)

-- from Su-9, incorporated revised wing/nacelle arrangement and dihedral tailplane and [2x TR-1] turbojets (Gordon, 118)

-- first flight 05/28/1947 by Gheorgiy M. Shiyanov. (Gordon, 118)

-- "The unavailability of TR-1A engines and the insufficient effect of TsAGI's recommendations aimed at improving the aircraft's handling at high Mach numbers render further development work pointless." (Gordon, 118)

 

Su-13 (project)

-- Su-11 served as basis for Su-13; two versions of Su-13, one was to be a single-seat all-weather interceptor project of 03/1948 with a Toriy (Thorium) radar in the nose, chief project engineer A. B. Slepooshkin; antenna dish between N-37 cannons; required major structural changes, project ultimately abandoned. (Gordon, 118)

 

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich I-260 (project 1945) -- Artyom I. Mikoyan

 

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-15 (04/1946) -- 280 built -- first Soviet jet-powered fighter to enter service

 

 

 

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250 (03/1945) -- 12 built

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich

Gordon & Gunston, 40-42

 

 

Ilyushin IL-20

 

 

 

 

Tupolev Tu-10 -- 10 built

 

 

 

Myasishchev RB-17 (12/1945 design) -- fast day bomber -- Vladimir Myasishchev -- project terminated and restarted by Sukhoi as Su-10

 

-- first indigenous jet bomber (Gordon, 19)

-- officially designated DSB-17 (dnevnoy skorosnoy bombardirovshchik -- fast day bomber (Gordon, 17)

-- known in-house as VM-24 (Vladimir Myasishchev, Project 24). (Gordon, 17)

-- design work began autumn 1945 (Gordon, 17); detailed design work began 12/1945 (Gordon, 19); OKB-482 subordinated to OKB-240 (chief designer Sergey V. Ilyuhsin) as of 02/1946 (Gordon, 19)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 10:04 AM.

[J311yfish]

Tier IX

 

Antonov M Masha (cancelled 07/1948) -- A. A. Batumov and V. A. Dominikovskiy -- 1 prototype incomplete

 

-- 04/06/1947 instruction received from NKAP (the state commissariat for aviation industry) to design a fighter with [2x RD-10]. By this time he had recognized that jet engines not only made possible unconventional new configurations for fighters but might even demand them.  He quickly roughed out the Masha, abbreviated as the 'M'.  A A Batumov and V A Dominikovskiy were appointed chief designers, with I I Yegorychev in charge of construction.  Design was virtually complete when in late 1947 the NKAP instructed OKB-153 to redesign the aircraft to use the RD-45, the Soviet-built copy of the Rolls-Royce Nene.  Apart from the forward fuselage, the redesign was total.  Following tunnel testing of models, and free-flight testing of the E-153 (which was used as both a detailed full-scale wooden mock-up and a towed glider), construction of the M prototype went ahead rapidly. In [07/1948], when the prototype was almost ready, and Mark L Gallai was about to begin flight testing, the project was cancelled.  The La, MiG and Yak fighters were thought sufficient." (Gordon & Gunston, 11)

-- "Antonov considered that the final M ought to have been allowed to fly.  He considered it would have dramatically out-maneuvered any contemporary competition, and could have had radar and a more powerful engine." (Gordon & Gunston, 11)

 

 

Lavochkin La-160 (07/1947) -- Semyon A. Lavochkin -- 1 built -- first Soviet swept-wing jet fighter

 

-- work commenced 12/1946; prototype completed 07/1947 (Gordon, 7-9)

-- first flight 07/23/1947 by test pilot Ivan Ye. Fyodorov. (Gordon, 9)

-- known as 'little arrow' (Gordon, 7)

-- "For the first time in Soviet aircraft design practice, the most highly stressed elements of the structure were made of the new V95 high-strength aluminum alloy." (Gordon, 8)

-- RD-10F 1,140 kgp (2,510 lbst), an uprated derivative of Junkers Jumo 004B (Gordon, 8)

-- empty weight 2,738 kg (6,036 lb), take-off weight 4,060 kg (8,950 lb). (Gordon, 9)

-- prototype made 25 test flights 09/1947-11/1947. (Gordon, 9)

-- max speed 1,050 km/h (652 mph) @ 5,700m (18,700 ft). (Gordon, 9)

-- 35-degree wing sweep at a time when sweep angles in excess of 20-degrees were not yet adequately studied (Gordon, 7-12)

-- "The aircraft broke up in mid-air during a test flight with the objective of establishing the machine's maximum speed; the structural failure was caused by violent wing vibration." (Gordon, 12)

-- with Jumo 004 engine, 4.4 minutes to 5,000 m (16,404 ft), service ceiling 12,200 m (40,026 ft), range 1,000 km (622 miles). (Buttler & Gordon, 35)

-- nicknamed Strelka or Dart (Buttler & Gordon, 35)

 

 

Alekseyev I-211 (09/1947) -- Semyon Mikhailovich Alekseyev

 

-- first flight autumn 1947 with A. A. Popov as test pilot (Gordon, 123)

-- Derwent-powered version continued as I-215 (Gordon, 124)

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-19 (01/1947) -- Leon M. Schekhter -- 2 built -- first Soviet jet aircraft to feature an afterburner

 

-- first all-metal Yakovlev aircraft (Gordon, 170)

-- first Soviet aircraft to be powered by an afterburning turbojet [though it was not the first to use afterburning]; RD-10F (derived from Jumo 004) equipped with an indigenous afterburner (Gordon, 170); "[Yak-19] was not the first to actually use afterburning; the afterburner was not ignited in flight until [05/21/1947], more than a month later than on Lavochkin's rival '156' (La-156) fighter." (Gordon, 172)

-- chief engineer Leon M. Schekhter, later Nikolay K. Skrzhinskiy, and later Leonid L. Selyakov. (Gordon, 170-171)

-- first time in Soviet design practice to have engine buried in aft fuselage with exhaust via a long extension jetpipe (Gordon, 171)

-- unpressurized cockpit, ejection seat, 57mm bulletproof windscreen, 6mm forward armor plate, 8mm armored seat back. (Gordon, 171)

-- 2x23mm Shpital-nyy Sh-3 cannons with 75 rounds each (Gordon, 171)

-- Avionics and equipment included an RSI-6 radio, an RPKO-10M direction finder, an SCh-3 IFF transponder, a GSK-1200 generator, a 12-A-10 DC battery, a PAU-22 gun camera, a KP-14 breathing apparatus with a 2-liter oxygen bottle, and other items (Gordon, 171-172)

-- cleared for flight tests 11/29/1946 (Gordon, 172)

-- first flight 01/08/1947 by Colonel Mikhail I. Ivanov; test pilot for the rest of the program was Sergey N. Anokhin (Gordon, 172)

-- 2nd prototype first flight 06/6/1947 by Sergey N. Anokhin. (Gordon, 172)

-- first Soviet aircraft to crack 900 km/h (559 mph); reached 904 km/h (561 mph) @ 5,000 m (16,400 ft). (Gordon, 172)

-- cancelled in favor of Yak-23 and Yak-25 designed around non-afterburning centrifugal flow Derwent V as RD-500 in production as of 1948. (Gordon, 173-174)

 

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (04/1946) -- 604 built -- entered service 07/1948

 

Gordon & Gunston, 49-51

 

 

Ilyushin IL-40 (03/1953)

 

-- design study 1950-1951, prototype complete 02/1953, first flight 03/07/1953, acceptance trial 03/1954.

 

 

Tupolev Tu-12 (07/1947) -- medium bomber -- Andrey N. Tupolev

 

-- "It is worth noting that the twin-engined Tupolev Tu-12 (alias '77'), a heavily modified [WW2-vintage] Tu-2 bomber refitted with Rolls-Royce Nene 1 centrifugal-flow turbojets and a nosewheel landing gear, made its first flight almost concurrently with the IL-22 [FF 07/24/1947].  Still, the Ilyushin bomber was the first past the post." (Gordon, 14-15)

-- "[04/1947] Andrey N. Tupolev approached the government with a proposal concerning the '77 bomber' ... [arguing] to create an interim jet bomber based on the familiar and well-mastered Tu-2." (Gordon, 77-78)

-- full-scale mock-up completed 05/1947; prototype construction began 05/1947, converted from a standard Tu-2S; directive issued 05/31/1947; prototype completed by 07/1947. (Gordon, 74-96)

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 27 March 2022 - 03:38 PM.

[J311yfish]

Tier X

 

Lavochkin La-15 (01/1948)

 

-- 'aircraft 174' = La-15 (Gordon, 19); officially designated La-15 as of 04/1949 (Gordon, 32)

-- design stage completed 12/1947 (Gordon, 21)

-- ASP-1N computing gunsight, a Soviet-built copy of the British Mk IID gunsight (Gordon, 21)

-- first flight 01/08/1948 (Gordon, 23)

-- production ultimately terminated in favor of MiG-15 as 05/14/1949 (Gordon, 33)

 

 

 

Alekseyev I-215 (04/1948)

 

-- continuation of I-211 with Rolls-Royce Derwent engines (Gordon, 124)

-- flight tests between 04/18/1948 and 06/20/1948 with A. A. Popov as test pilot. (Gordon, 124)

 

 

Yakovlev Yak-30 (__/1948) -- 2 built

 

-- Yakovlev's first swept-wing aircraft (Gordon, 180)

-- 35-degree leading-edge sweep; aside from wings, obvious resemblance to Yak-25 (Gordon, 180)

-- passed manufacturers tests between 09/04/1948 and 12/16/1948 (Gordon, 180)

 

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis (07/1949) -- 8,354 built

 

-- I-310 = MiG-15 prototype (Gordon, 19)

-- I-310 first flight 12/30/1947 (Gordon, 23)

-- "... the first production MiG-15 (No. 101003) made its first flight at Factory No. 1, the original MiG factory which after the war had remained at Kuibyshev, on [12/30/1948], a year to the day after the first flight of the S-01." (Gordon & Gunston, 61)

-- MiG-15bisP first flight 04/23/1949, VK-1 engine, large radome fitted to upper lip of the intake, Toriy (Thorium) radar, did not enter service because radar was unreliable (Buttler & Gordon, 39)

-- MiG-15bis first flight 07/22/1949, VK-1 engine. (Buttler & Gordon, 39)

-- "Originally called MiG-15 with VK-1, the new fighter was designated MiG-15bis in 1951, soon after deliveries began." (Gordon & Gunston, 69)

-- "Its principal opponent was the F-86 Sabre (A, E and F versions)." (Gordon & Gunston, 69)

 

 

Ilyushin IL-40P (02/1955) -- 7 built

 

-- (second prototype of IL-40) officially endorsed 10/16/1954, completed early 1955, first flight 02/15/1955, acceptance trials 10/12/1955, five produced by spring 1956, canceled 04/13/1956.

 

 

Sukhoi Su-10 (04/1946 design) -- tactical bomber -- Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi -- eclipsed by Ilyushin IL-28 with 2x RD-45F

 

-- 02/26/1946 directive issued to commence development of a bomber powered by [4x Jumo 004B]. (Note that this occurs immediately after the subordination/cancellation of RB-17 which was already in the design stage). Design work began 04/24/1946. Full-scale engineering mock-up began 05/06/1946; wind tunnel model began 05/08/1946; drawings for test rig delivered 07/03/1946; wind tunnel model testing began 07/19/1946; mock-up unveiled 10/07/1946; prototype construction began 10/14/1946; formal acceptance 12/02/1946; 12/04/1946 powerplant change, new plan needed; 12/23/1946 drawings completed; static test airframe completed 12/26/1946; 01/15/1947 static test airframe failure; 03/08/1947 power plant options presented; 03/11/1947 directive issued to change powerplants, officially ordered 04/16/1947; static tests 04/21/1947; prototype construction slowed considerably due to technical development delays; 03/12/1948 alternative power plant considered; 06/04/1948 directive issued to reduce Research & Development; Su-10 project terminated 06/12/1948 in light of IL-28 tactical bomber development which surpassed SU-10. (Gordon, 21-26)

-- "second only to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in the defensive armament's weight of fire." (Gordon, 21)

 

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 10:18 AM.

[J311yfish]

ENGINES overview

 

RTD-1 400 kgp (881 lb st) -- 1938, Arkhip M. Lyul'ka, evolved to RD-1 (Gordon, 3)

RD-1 500 kgp (1,102 lb st) -- multi-stage axial compressor; 75% complete by 08/1941 (Gordon, 3)

M-18 600 kgp (1,322 lb st) -- under development as of 08/1941, on hold due to outbreak of war (Gordon, 3)

Junkers Jumo 004B 900 kgp (1,1984 lb st) -- captured, reverse-engineered beginning 04/28/1945, produced as RD-10 in 1946, chief designer Vladimir Yakovlevich Klimov (Gordon, 4)

BMW 003A 800 kgp (1,763 lb st) -- captured, reverse-engineered beginning 06/13/1945, produced as RD-20 in 1946 (Gordon, 4)

S-18 1,250 kgp (2,755 lb st) -- continuation of RD-1 as of autumn 1944, bench trials, led to TR-1, to be led by chief designer Arkhip M. Lyul'ka (Gordon, 4)

 

RD-45 -- Soviet copy of Rolls-Royce Nene, based on Nene I and Nene II (5,000 lbst) acquired from United Kingdom late 1946 (Gordon, 4)

RD-500 -- Soviet copy of Rolls-Royce Derwent V (3,500 lbst) acquired from United Kingdom late 1946 (Gordon, 4)

 

VK-1 -- derivative of Rolls-Royce Nene (Gordon & Gunston, 199)

 

TR-1 -- first Soviet turbojet to fly [Lyul'ka TR-1] in 1946, tested on Tupolev Type 61. (Gordon & Gunston, 199)

 

Junkers TV-2 tubroprop

Klimov VK-2 (TV-4)

Kuznetsov NK-2

Kuznetsov NK-4

Ivchenko AI-20

TV-12 11,995 hp turboprop (Gordon & Gunston, 199)

NK-12M turboprop developed from TV-12, used in Tu-95 and Tu-142 (Gordon & Gunston, 199)

Edited by J311yfish, 20 March 2022 - 08:17 PM.

[J311yfish]

RADAR overview

 

-- "In early 1945 the Type 104 radar-interception system began flight testing (the first to be airborne in the Soviet Union). The system had been designed from 1943, by a team led by A. L. Mints, and the Type 104 test aircraft [implied Tu-2] had begun flight testing on [07/18/1944] but with the vital radar simulated by ballast.  The pilot had a modified sight, which was later linked to the radar, and fired two VTa-23 cannon installed under the forward fuselage.  The rear fuselage was faired over and contained nothing but a balancing mass." (Gordon & Gunston, 198)

 

Radar-equipped fighters

-- "In [01/1948] an official requirement was issued for an advanced radar-equipped fighter.  It was actually described as a cover interceptor and was intended to serve as a night and all-weather fighter to oppose any type of enemy aircraft breaking into Soviet airspace.  A crew of two was requested and the document brought responses from all 4 of the main fighter Design Bureaux." (Buttler & Gordon, 64)

-- Lavochkin 'Aircraft 200-01' first flight 09/09/1949 without Toriy radar installed; Mach 0.946 on the level, Mach 1.01 in a dive (Buttler & Gordon, 64)

-- Lavochkin 'Aircraft 200-02' first flight 04/1951 with Toriy-A radar (Buttler & Gordon, 64)

-- Lavochkin 'Aircraft 200B' first flight 07/03/1952 with mock-up radar installed; was to use RP-6 Sokol (Falcon) radar; first flown with RP-6 09/10/1952 (Buttler & Gordon, 65)

-- Mikoyan SP-1 variant of MiG-15 first flight 04/1949 with Toriy (Thorium) radar, no automatic target tracking, considered a failure (Butler & Gordon, 65)

-- Mikoyan SP-2 variant of MiG-17 first flight 03/1951 with Korshoon (Kite) radar, no automatic target tracking, considered a failure (Buttler & Gordon, 65)

-- Mikoyan I-320 prototype R-1 first flight 04/16/1949 without Toriy-A radar in place (Buttler & Gordon, 66)

-- Mikoyan I-320 prototype R-2 first flight 12/1949 with Toriy-A radar and [2x VK-1 24.6 kN (5,950 lb st) (Buttler & Gordon, 66)

-- Mikoyan I-320 prototype R-3 first flight 03/31/1950 with Korshoon radar and [2x VK-1 24.6 kN (5,950 lb st) (Buttler & Gordon, 66)

-- Sukhoi Su-15 [2x RD-45] first flight 01/11/1949; a flight on 06/03/1949 experienced wing flutter, aircraft abandoned, project cancelled. (Buttler & Gordon, 66)

-- Yak-50 [VK-1 24.6 kN (5,950 lb)] first flight 07/15/1949, single seat, to use Korshoon radar, difficult for 1 person to manage; abandoned 05/30/1950. (Buttler & Gordon, 68)

-- Yak-60 transitional aircraft design to Yak-120 (Buttler & Gordon, 68)

-- Yak-13 immediate predecessor of Yak-120, twin-engine design, began 08/1951 (Buttler & Gordon, 68)

-- Yak-120 orders placed for prototypes 08/06/1951, Mikulin AM-5 19.6 kN (4,410 lb) later renamed RD-5A, eventually selected to carry RP-6 Sokol (Falcon) radar.  "The Sokol ... was showing more promise than previous equipment and offered a detection range of 30 km (18.5 miles)." Yak-120 first flight 06/19/1952, entered service as Yak-25 (Buttler & Gordon, 69)

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 01:06 AM.

[J311yfish]

placeholder -- ALTERNATES 1

[J311yfish]

ALERNATES 2 -- Tier VII-X

 

Sukhoi Su-5 -- same powerplant as Mikoyan I-250

Sukhoi Su-7R -- rocket in tail

Sukhoi Su-11

 

Lavochkin 150 (09/1946) -- (Buttler & Gordon, 16-18)

Lavochkin 152 (12/1946) -- (Buttler & Gordon, 18)

Lavochkin 156 (03/1947) -- tested RD-10 with reheat; terminated on or after 01/1948. (Buttler & Gordon, 19)

Lavochkin 168 (04/1948) -- developed in parallel to La 160; Rolls-Royce Nene II 2,270 kgp (5,000 lbst) in fuselage, 37-degree 20' wing sweep, pressurized cockpit, airbrakes on rear fuselage sides, ejection seat, tricycle landing gear, 1x37mm N-37 and 2x23mm NR-23; prototype construction began summer 1947; first flight 04/22/1948 (Gordon, 13-18); flight testing until 02/1949 (Buttler & Gordon, 35)

Lavochkin 174TK (01/1948) -- TK = tokoye krylo = "thin wing"; a development of 156; already behind La-160 when it flew; prototype only. (Buttler & Gordon, 20)

Lavochkin 176 (late 1948) -- transonic research aircraft, 45-degree wing sweep; Mach 1.02 in a shallow dive 12/26/1948; first Soviet aircraft through sound barrier. (Buttler & Gordon, 36)

 

Yak-23 -- from Yak 17, RD-500 (Derwent V), thick unswept wings, unpressurized cockpit, 2x23mm; 925 km/h (Gordon, 5); 313 built; production ultimately terminated in favor of MiG-15 (Gordon, 166); used by Czechoslovakia as S-101; Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, North Korea, Poland; one was evaluated in United States at Wright-Patterson AFB (Gordon, 169-170)

Yak-25M -- patrol fighter/interceptor, 2x37mm, ceiling ~15,000m (49,200 ft), subsonic, served until mid-1950's (Gordon, 3)

 

MiG I-310 (12/1946) -- first flight 12/30/1946, adopted for production as MiG-15 (Buttler & Gordon, 39)

MiG-15bisP (04/1949) -- first flight 04/23/1949, VK-1 engine, large radome fitted to upper lip of the intake, Toriy (Thorium) radar, did not enter service because radar was unreliable (Buttler & Gordon, 39)

MiG-15bis (07/1949) -- VK-1 engine, first flight 07/22/1949. (Buttler & Gordon, 39)

 

Baade EF 137 (design 09/1946) -- 49-degree sweep leading edge, variable sweep trailing edge, thick wing, 2x Jumo 004 mounted in double nacelle beneath rear fuselage fed by a large single ventral intake; massive cannon in nose, two more either side of cockpit; estimated performance 4.75 minutes to 6,000 m (19,685 ft) and 13.75 minutes to 10,000 m (32,808 ft), rate of climb at sea level 27 m/sec, and 15.7 m/sec @ 6,000 m. (Buttler & Gordon, 34-35)

 

 

 

Edited by J311yfish, 21 March 2022 - 12:57 AM.

[AirCrewChief]

You've taken on quite a project J311y, and I for one am very interested in how it evolves.  Are you looking for help; locating sources/photos/first-hand accounts of each plane?  

[J311yfish]

AirCrewChief, on 14 March 2022 - 09:27 AM, said:

You've taken on quite a project J311y, and I for one am very interested in how it evolves.  Are you looking for help; locating sources/photos/first-hand accounts of each plane?  

 

Anything you want to do is appreciated.  Dialogue helps these projects along.  Finding significant outliers (aircraft not yet in game) is one way to move things along quickly, because we can use the existing modules and development timelines to make accurate predictions for each tier.  I was going to start at the ends, read about each, and work my way towards the middle tiers, but all progress is forward progress!  Thank you for your support.