The first of the “A” high-altitude fighter series to mate turbo-supercharger and cabin pressurisation, the I-222, or 3A, was powered by a Mikulin AM-39B-1 engine of 1750hp for take-off and had a TK-300B turbo-supercharger on its port side.
Armament consisted of two synchronised 20mm ShVAK cannon.
Reverting to the wooden monocoque rear fuselage of the I-220, the I-222 employed a Shchyerbakov-designed pressure cabin of welded dural sheet with inflatable rubber seals and pressurized by air tapped from the compressor. The cockpit was air conditioned for the first time in a Soviet fighter.
The flight test programme began on 7 May 1944, but although plans had been formulated to produce the “A” series altitude fighters in quantity, the course of the war had meanwhile virtually eliminated the threat of high-altitude Luftwaffe attack. Priorities were therefore changed and although the development programme was continued all proposals for series production were discarded.
Engine: Mikulin AM-39B-1, 1750hp Max take-off weight: 3790 kg / 8356 lb Empty weight: 3167 kg / 6982 lb Wingspan: 13.00 m / 42 ft 8 in Length: 9.60 m / 31 ft 6 in Wing area: 22.44 sq.m / 241.54 sq ft Max. speed: 691 km/h / 429 mph Ceiling: 14500 m / 47550 ft Range: 1000 km / 621 miles
Late in 1942, work was well advanced at the MiG bureau on several aircraft in parallel and referred to as Series “A” prototypes, with which the OKB hoped to fulfil a VP (vysotny perekhvatchik, or high-altitude interceptor) requirement raised earlier in the year.
The second Series “A” high-altitude fighter and referred to as the 2A, the I-221 was the first of the OKB’s fighter prototypes to be fitted with turbo-superchargers. The I-221 was fitted with an AM-39A engine rated at 1700hp for take-off and equipped with a centrifugal compressor and paired TsIAM-developed TK-2B turbo-superchargers which, it was anticipated, would permit maximum power to be maintained to an altitude of 13000m. Although adhering closely in most other respects to the preceding I-220, the I-221 had a rear fuselage of dural construction rather than a wooden monocoque, and the outer wing panels were extended, increasing span by a total of 2.00m. Armament consisted of two synchronised 20mm cannon. The initial flight test took place on 2 December 1943, but the programme came to an abrupt end when, during one of the prototype’s early trials, a piston rod fractured, the engine seized and the aircraft crashed.
Late in 1942, work was well advanced at the MiG bureau on several aircraft in parallel and referred to as Series “A” prototypes, with which the OKB hoped to fulfil a VP (vysotny perekhvatchik, or high-altitude interceptor) requirement raised earlier in the year. The first of these, the I-220, owed little or nothing to earlier MiG fighters and was of mixed construction, the fuselage being of metal forward of the cockpit and a wooden monocoque aft, and the wings making use of steel main and auxiliary spars with spruce outer panel ribs.
The first prototype, which was rolled out of the factory in June 1943 and was first flown during the following month, was initially powered with a low-altitude Mikulin AM-38F engine of 1700hp. Armed with two synchronised 20mm ShVAK cannon, the AM-38F-powered I-220 achieved speeds of 572km/h at sea level and 630km/h at 7000m, practical ceiling being 9500m. The prototype was then re-engined with a medium-altitude AM-39 affording 1800hp for take-off and flown in January 1944, flight testing continuing until the following August. A second prototype also powered by the AM-39 flew in September 1944, but differed in armament, being the first Soviet fighter to carry four 20mm ShVAK cannon.
The second Series “A” high-altitude fighter and referred to as the 2A, or the I-221.
The programme came to an abrupt end when, during one of the prototype’s early trials, a piston rod fractured, the engine seized and the aircraft crashed.
Prototype 2 Engine: Mikulin AM-38 Max take-off weight: 3647 kg / 8040 lb Empty weight: 3101 kg / 6837 lb Wingspan: 11.00 m / 36 ft 1 in Length: 9.60 m / 31 ft 6 in Height: 3.16 m / 10 ft 4 in Wing area: 20.38 sq.m / 219.37 sq ft Max. speed: 697 km/h / 433 mph Ceiling: 11000 m / 36100 ft Range: 630 km / 391 miles
Assigned the Izdeliye (Product) designation T, the design of a DIS (Dalniy istrebitel soprovozhdenya), or long-range escort fighter, began in 1940, competing proposals being the Grushin Gr-1, Polikarpov TIS and Tairov Ta-3.
The MiG DIS-200 was designed initially for Charomskii M-30 or M-40 engines, but the non-availability of these led to installation of two 1400hp Mikulin AM-37 12-cylinder Vee-type engines in the first prototype. The first prototype had an armament of two 12.7mm BS and four 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns, plus one 23mm VYa cannon in a detachable ventral pod which could be replaced by a single 1000kg bomb or a torpedo.
Ground tests began on 15 May 1941, and the first flight took place before the end of the month. Series production of the DIS (as the MiG-5) was ordered, but cancelled shortly afterwards owing to lack of manufacturing capacity. Nonetheless, a second prototype, also referred to as the DIS-200, but assigned the Izdeliye designation IT, was flown in January 1942 with 1700hp Shvetsov M-82F 14-cylinder radials. This had an armament of four 7.62mm ShKAS and two 12.7mm BS machine guns and two 23mm VYa cannon, a maximum speed of 604km/h at 5000m, attaining that altitude within 6.3 min and having a range of 2500km. The primary VVS requirement at this stage of the conflict was short-range tactical aircraft, and further DIS development was discontinued.
First prototype Engines: two 1400hp Mikulin AM-37 12-cylinder Vee Max take-off weight: 8060 kg / 17769 lb Empty weight: 6140 kg / 13536 lb Wingspan: 15.10 m / 49 ft 6 in Length: 10.87 m / 35 ft 8 in Height: 3.40 m / 11 ft 2 in Wing area: 38.90 sq.m / 418.72 sq ft Max. speed: 610 km/h / 379 mph Range: 2280 km / 1417 miles Armament: two 12.7mm BS, four 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns Hardpoint: one 23mm VYa cannon ventral pod, or 1000kg bomb, or torpedo.
Second prototype Engines: 2 x 1700hp Shvetsov M-82F 14-cylinder radials Armament: 4 x 7.62mm ShKAS, two 12.7mm BS machine guns, 2 x 23mm VYa cannon Maximum speed: 604km/h at 5000m Time to 5000m: 6.3 min Range: 2500km
After completion by the TsAGI of full-scale wind tunnel testing of the I-210 / IKh, the OKB redesigned the junction between the engine cowling and the fuselage. It moved the pilot’s cockpit aft, enlarged the vertical tail surfaces, redesigned the engine cowling and repositioned the oil cooler intakes in the wing roots. The undercarriage was redesigned, power was provided by a Shvetsov M-82F radial engine of 1700hp and armament was restricted to a pair of wing-mounted 20mm ShVAK cannon. Only the outer wing panels of the MiG-3 remained and slots were applied to these.
This thorough-going redesign of the I-210 was referred to as the I-211, or Ye, a pre-series batch of 10 aircraft being laid down of which the first flew in August 1942. Factory testing was completed within one month, the results being highly successful, but no manufacturing capacity was available for production, and all aerodynamic data and information on the slots were passed to the Lavochkin OKB as a result of a ministerial request.
Engine: Shvetsov M-82F radial, 1700hp Max take-off weight: 3100 kg / 6834 lb Empty weight: 2528 kg / 5573 lb Wingspan: 10.20 m / 33 ft 6 in Length: 7.95 m / 26 ft 1 in Height: 3.63 m / 11 ft 11 in Wing area: 17.44 sq.m / 187.72 sq ft Max. speed: 670 km/h / 416 mph Range: 1140 km / 708 miles Armament: 2 x 20mm ShVAK cannon
Late in 1941, series production of the MiG-3 was being phased out. The AM-35A engine manufacture was being discontinued as priority having been assigned to the AM-38 for the IL-2 Shturmovik. An attempt was made to adapt the basic airframe to take the 1700hp Shvetsov M-82A 14-cylinder air-cooled radial.
Assigned the Izdeliye designation IKh by the OKB and the provisional official designation I-210, and also referred to unofficially as the MiG-3M-82, the first of five airframes adapted to take the new engine was flown in December 1941.
The M-82A weighed only 20kg more than the AM-35A that it supplanted, but was 38cm wider, a new forward fuselage being necessary to cater for the cross section translation from the circular cowling to the oval centre fuselage. The armament consisted of three 12.7mm guns.
Plans were prepared to initiate IKh production as the MiG-9, but flight test revealed a serious drag problem, severe tail vibration and poor control characteristics. Despite the disappointing results of factory testing, the first aircraft was fitted with yet two more 7.62mm guns and sent to the Kalinin Front. The TsAGI, meanwhile, conducted full-scale wind tunnel testing with one of the IKh aircraft, resulting in development of the I-211.
Engine: 1700hp Shvetsov M-82A 14-cylinder air-cooled radial Take-off weight: 3382 kg / 7456 lb Empty weight: 2720 kg / 5997 lb Wingspan: 10.20 m / 33 ft 6 in Length: 8.08 m / 26 ft 6 in Wing area: 17.44 sq.m / 187.72 sq ft Max. speed: 565 km/h / 351 mph Range: 1070 km / 665 miles
With the primary objective of improving the aerodynamics of the basic MiG-3 design, the OKB began work late in 1941 on an enhanced version of the fighter to which it gave the Izdeliye designation of D. Known officially as the I-230, and later as the MiG-3U – the suffix letter signifying uluchshenyi (improved) – the new fighter was first flown in August 1942.
Whereas the fuselage of the MiG-3 was primarily of steel tube with duralumin skinning, that of the I-230 was almost entirely of wood owing to the contemporary metal shortages. By comparison with the MiG-3, the fuselage was lengthened by 37cm, but the Mikulin AM-35A engine was retained and the wing of the first prototype was unchanged, armament consisting of two 20mm SP-20 (ShVAK) cannon mounted above the engine.
The second prototype differed in having a larger wing of 18.00sq.m area and spanning 11.00m. Performance proved good during factory and state trials, but it was not possible to reinstate production of the AM-35A and production of the I-230 was therefore restricted to a pre-series of five aircraft which were assigned to a Guards Regiment (1 GvIAP) on the Kalinin front for service evaluation.
Prototype 1 Engine: Mikulin AM-35A, 1200 hp Wingspan: 10.20 m / 33 ft 6 in Length: 8.62 m / 28 ft 3 in Wing area: 17.44 sq.m / 187.72 sq ft Max take-off weight: 3285 kg / 7242 lb Empty weight: 2612 kg / 5759 lb Max. speed: 660 km/h / 410 mph Range: 1350 km / 839 miles
Lacking the time for a redesign of the MiG-1 to eradicate the fighter’s less acceptable characteristics, a series of ‘fixes’ were applied to the basic design to result in the MiG-3. Power plant and (initially) armament remained unchanged, but some structural simplification and strengthening was introduced. The engine was moved forward 10cm and dihedral of the outer wing panels was increased by one degree. A 250 lt supplementary fuel tank was introduced beneath the pilot’s seat, the aft fuselage decking was cut down, and the radiator bath fairing was enlarged and extended forward. The supercharger intakes were revised; 9mm seat armour was provided, together with radio, and four wing hardpoints were introduced for a maximum external load of 220kg.
The first MiG-3 left the factory in December 1940, 11 being completed by the end of the month. 140 were produced in January 1941, and, by June, production had peaked at 25 aircraft every 24 hours. The first MiG-3 was delivered to a VVS regiment in April 1941, simultaneously with the MiG-1, and production continued until 23 December 1941 with approximately 3,120 built, but 50 more were completed from component stocks in the early summer of 1942.
Some MiG-3s had a supplementary pair of 12.7mm BK machine guns under the wings, raising take-off weight to 3510kg, and others were fitted with two 12.7mm UBK guns in the wings.
Tests were also performed with two fuselage-mounted 20mm ShVAK cannon.
Engine: Mikulin AM-35A, 1200 hp. Wingspan: 10.20 m / 33 ft 6 in Length: 8.25 m / 27 ft 1 in Height: 2.65 m / 8 ft 8 in Wing area: 17.44 sq.m / 187.72 sq ft Max take-off weight: 3350 kg / 7386 lb Empty weight: 2699 kg / 5950 lb Max. speed: 360 mph Range: 820 km / 510 miles Armament: 2 x 50 mg, 2 x .30 mg
The first design to achieve production status of an OKB (Experimental Construction Bureau) headed by Artem I Mikoyan and Mikhail Y Gurevich, the MiG-1 was conceived as a high-altitude interceptor under the OKB’s Izdeliye (Product) designation Kh.
Also assigned the initial military designation I-200, the first of three prototypes was flown on 5 April 1940, attaining 648.5km/h at 6900m on the following 24 May. Second and third prototypes flew on 9 May and 6 June 1940 respectively, factory and state testing being performed in parallel, with the factory testing completed on 25 August and the state testing on 12 September 1940.
The MiG-1 was powered by a 1350hp Mikulin AM-35A and carried an armament of one 12.7mm UBS and two 7.62mm ShKAS guns. Manoeuvrability and handling were considered inadequate, longitudinal stability and control responses were poor, and a programme of peripheral redesign paralleled manufacture of an initial batch of 100 aircraft, the last of which was completed in December 1940. The first eight MiG-1s had non-jettisonable side-hinged cockpit canopies, the remainder having jettisonable aft-sliding canopies.
The first MiG-1 was delivered to a VVS regiment in April 1941, by which time this fighter had been supplanted in production by the MiG-3.
MiG-1 Engine: 1350hp Mikulin AM-35A Max take-off weight: 3099 kg / 6832 lb Empty weight: 2602 kg / 5736 lb Wingspan: 10.20 m / 33 ft 6 in Length: 8.16 m / 26 ft 9 in Height: 2.62 m / 8 ft 7 in Wing area: 17.44 sq.m / 187.72 sq ft Max. speed: 628 km/h / 390 mph Range: 580 km / 360 miles
Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich and Artem Ivanovich Mikoyan with a model of the MiG-3 fighter
A. Mikoyan and G. Gurevich design bureau established December 1939; still operating in 1990 as MAPO “MiG” as part of MIG “MAPO-M” organization, although Gurevich retired in early 1960s and Mikoyan died December 9,1970.
MiG-1 fighters with AM-35 engine produced 1940-1941; developed MiG-3 produced until 1942. First jet aircraft built in quantity was MiG-9 with twin RD-20 (BMW 003A) engines, flown 24 April 1946. Swept-wing MiG-15 with Russian copy of Rolls-Royce Nene introduced 1947, built under license in Czechoslovakia and Poland. Followed by approximately 9,000 of derived MiG-17, with redesigned wing, manufactured 1950-1957. Twin Mikulin AM-5-powered MiG-19 flown September 1953, built under license in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and China. Superseded by delta-winged MiG-21, in service in the USSR from 1959 and, when built in India, was first Russian aircraft manufactured in non-communist country.
Col-Gen Mikoyan died in 1970.
As ANPK “MiG” named after A.I. Mikoyan Aviation Scientific- Production Complex, produced MiG-23 (4,278 constructed 1969-1985; also built in India) and MiG-27 (over 900 between 1973 and 1983) related variable-geometry fighter and ground-attack aircraft, MiG-25 Mach 2.8+ reconnaissance aircraft and interceptor (some 1,200 built up to 1985), and MiG-31 long-range interceptor (about 400, operational from 1983).
MAPO ‘MiG’ produced MiG-21 upgrade as MiG-21 -93, MiG-29 Fulcrum lightweight close-air-combat fighter (first flown October 1977 and over 1,500 built, serving since 1983), improved MiG-29M (first flown April 1986) and MiG-33 export version, MiG-29K shipborne fighter prototype (first flown July 1988, first landing on aircraft carrier Admiral KuznetsovNovember 1989, and development restarted in 1996 after earlier program halt), MiG-35 multirole fighter (first flight 1999?), MiG 1-44 uniquely configured newgeneration combat aircraft (first seen February 1999), and MiG-AT/UTS/AC series of advanced and combat trainers. MiG-301/321 are reported hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft, thought to be under development. Also developing MiG-110 light multipurpose transport and MiG-115 and MiG-125 transports.
Migavia – the first national aircraft manufacturer in Russia aircraft corporations. RAC “MiG” is integrated company in which all technologies of design, production and improvement of aircraft are collected together in one legal frame. Corporation Migavia holds the shares of other corporations which are included into the complex of firms developing and producing the aircraft engines.
