When did jet planes appear in the USSR? The USSR created jet aviation itself
In our era, it is hardly possible to surprise anyone with technological innovations. Moreover, now that the development of technology has gained momentum at a speed that was simply not dreamed of in past eras. The same goes for airplanes. Now with turbojet engines it’s a common thing. And once upon a time people could not even dream of such a thing.
The world's first passenger jet aircraft appeared only in the middle of the last century, when the development of aviation continued actively. Of course, in connection with the Second World War, special attention was paid primarily to the military, so after its end, engineers and inventors turned their attention to passenger airliners.
First, let's define what kind of aircraft this is? This is an airplane whose engine is a jet.
The principle of its operation is to use a mixture of air taken from the atmosphere and products of fuel oxidation with oxygen that are in the air. Thanks to the oxidation reaction, the working fluid heats up and, expanding, is thrown out of the engine very quickly, producing jet thrust.
First models
Aircraft that later became prototypes for passenger airliners, were developed then in Germany, or rather in the Third Reich, and in Great Britain. The pioneers in this area are the Germans.
Heinkel He 178- Considered to be the first jet-powered aircraft. It was first tested on August 27, 1939. The aircraft showed quite encouraging results, but the higher-ups, represented by the Reich Ministry of Aviation, considered that this technology was not interesting. And the main direction then was precisely military aviation equipment.
The British also kept up with the Germans. And in 1941 the world saw the Gloster E.28/39. The engine designer was Frank Whittle.
Gloster E.28/39.
It was these prototypes that showed everyone which way aviation would go in the future.
The first jet passenger aircraft
The first jet aircraft for passengers was created by the British. “Comet-1”. He was tested July 27, 1949. It had 4 turbojet engines, and the interior was designed for 32 passengers. In addition, it was installed 2 hydrogen peroxide accelerators. It was used on routes to Europe and Africa. For example, Johannesburg with stops along the way. The entire flight time was 23.5 hours.
Later “Kometa-2” and “Kometa-3” were developed, but they did not live up to expectations and were discontinued due to metal fatigue and insufficient fuselage strength. Yet some modifications are still used to design RAF fighter aircraft.
Six years later, the USSR introduced the TU-104. The first Soviet jet passenger aircraft. For the first time he took to the air June 15, 1955. A.N. Tupolev took as the basis for his project bomber with TU-16 jet engines. He simply enlarged the fuselage, lowered the wing under it, and placed it in the cabin 100 seats for passengers. Since 1956 it was put into mass production.
For the next two years it was the world's only jet aircraft which was used for transportation civilians. He had 2 turbojet engines. Its maximum the speed reached 950 km/h, and it could fly up to 2700 km.
It also introduced the following new products for the USSR, like on-board meals, beautifully dressed flight attendants and smart pilots.
Nevertheless, Over the 4 years of its operation, 37 accidents involving this aircraft occurred. This is the highest number of accidents among all Russian aircraft. It is not surprising that N.S. Khrushchev refused to even approach him. Despite the fact that it was discontinued, it was still used until 1979 for flights.
In 1958 went on passenger lines. It could take on board from 90 to 180 passengers. Different models were equipped with engines of different power. The aircraft was intended for medium and long-distance routes. However, there were much more accidents with it than with the TU-104.
SE.210 Caravelle 1.
A breakthrough in world aviation was the creation of the French SE.210 Caravelle 1. He started flying in 1959, mainly in the French colonies in Africa. He also had 2 turbojet engines, but from Rolls-Royce, in the tail of the plane. This helped to achieve improved aerodynamics, minimized noise in the cabin, and increased the reliability of the air intakes.
And the ramp was also made in a different way than other aircraft of that time - in the form of a lowering part of the fuselage. There were also innovations in the salon: The portholes became larger and the passage was widened. It was used on medium-range routes only.
A total of 12 aircraft of this type were produced, but still it could not withstand the competition with Boeing, and further production was stopped.
The post was written for the anniversary almost three years ago, but the material is very interesting.
Original taken from zzaharr 60 years of civil jet aviation
At a time when the friend feeds of all aviation lovers are simply bursting with an abundance of posts about the celebration of the centennial anniversary of our valiant Air Force, another significant event somehow passed unnoticed, namely the 60th anniversary of civil transportation on jetliners.
Experts will immediately correct me, saying that “Comet” took off back in 1949, and they will be right. But let’s still count from the first passenger flight.
January 1952 D e Havilland Comet: 
De Havilland Comet 1 receives an airworthiness certificate. An aircraft with a difficult fate, but it was the first. In May and August it makes its first scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Johannesburg and Colombo.
July 1954 Boeing 707
Boeing 707 prototype makes its maiden flight. In October 1955, Pan American Airlines places its first order for six 707-121s.
May 1955 Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Caravel made its first flight on May 27, 1955. This is the world's first tail-engined passenger aircraft, but one cannot help but notice that bow The fuselage borrowed a lot from the Comet.
June 1955 Tu-104
The Tu-104 made its first flight on June 17, 1955. On November 5, 1955, the first production aircraft built at the Kharkov aircraft plant in Ukraine took off. In 1956, the Soviet Union managed to hit western world, when during the visit of the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev to London, a Soviet-made jet plane flew there.
September 1959 Douglas DC-8-10
In September 1959, Delta Air Lines and United began commercial operation of the DC-8. On August 21, 1961, the Douglas DC-8 broke the sound barrier and reached a speed of 1.012 Mach or 1262 km/h. during a controlled dive from a height of 12496 m.
May 1960 Convair 880
Delta Air Lines introduces the Convair 880/22 into scheduled service (first prototype flight in January 1959). It is followed by the 880-M, designed for intercontinental routes. The designation "880" is given to it because its maximum speed equal to 880 ft/s (1000 km/h).
January 1962 Hawker Siddeley Trident HS121
The Hawker Siddeley Trident HS121, a “second generation” medium-range jet, takes off in Hatfield, UK. The aircraft was designed to meet the BEA requirement and had three engines located in the tail. The aircraft was equipped with very advanced avionics for its time and became the first airliner capable of performing a fully automatic landing (since 1965 in evaluation mode, and since 1966 - on regular flights).
October 1962 Tu-124
A new product appears on the Aeroflot flight Moscow - Tallinn. The Tu-124 is actually a smaller copy of the previously developed Tu-104, and both types are similar in appearance but differ in size. On the Tu-124 for the first time in the world for passenger aircraft Turbofan engines were used, which differ from previously used turbojet engines in their increased efficiency. Made a successful landing on the Neva after both engines failed.
August 1963 BAC One-Eleven
The BAC One-Eleven, also known as BAC 1-11, is a British short- and medium-haul jet airliner. Developed and produced by British Aircraft Corporation. First flew on August 20, 1963. From the start of operation it was in great demand and was well purchased by British airlines.
February 1964 Boeing 727
The first commercial flights were made by Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 from Miami to Washington and Philadelphia. Tri-engine, medium-range jet, first flown in February 1963. To simplify the use of the aircraft at poorly prepared airports, important attention was paid to the mechanization of the wing (reducing the required runway length) and the built-in ramp (to simplify the boarding and disembarkation of passengers in the absence of a standard ramp).
April 1964 Vickers VC10
On 23 April 1964, the Vickers VC10 received its airworthiness certificate and was placed on regular passenger service between London and Lagos. During its operation, the Vickers VC10 set a record for the time to cross the Atlantic (London - NY), which could only be beaten by the supersonic Concorde.
November 1965 McDonnell Douglas DC-9
In November 1965, Delta Air Lines unveiled its first McDonnell Douglas DC-9. This twin-engine short-haul jet aircraft became one of the most popular airliners in history.
Subsequent modifications of the DC-9 were the MD-80, MD-90 and Boeing 717. Taking into account the last Boeing 717 aircraft produced in 2006, the total production of the DC-9 family (DC-9/MD-80/90/717) continued 41 year and amounted to about 2,500 aircraft.
March 1967 IL-62
Il-62 is the first Soviet jet intercontinental passenger aircraft. In service since 1967, mass-produced from 1966 to 1995. A total of 276 aircraft were produced. A third of all cars produced were exported to socialist countries. A design feature of the aircraft is a small fourth two-wheel rear landing gear, used to prevent the empty aircraft from tipping over when parked and taxiing. Il-62 became the first domestic jet aircraft to use reverse engine thrust.
April 1967 Boeing 737
On April 9, 1967, at 13:15, the first flight of a Boeing 737-100 aircraft with tail number N73700 took place at the Boeing Field airfield. This was the beginning of the flight biography of perhaps the most successful and mass-produced aircraft in history. civil aviation. The Boeing 737 is in such widespread use that at any given time there are an average of 1,200 aircraft in the air, and every 5 seconds one 737 takes off somewhere in the world. In fact, Boeing 737 is the generic name for more than ten types of aircraft.
September 1967 Tu-134
In September 1967, the first commercial flight Moscow-Adler was made on a Tu-134. However, for almost three years, Tu-134s were used only on international routes, and only in the summer of 1969 they began to serve the intra-Union routes Moscow-Leningrad and Moscow-Kyiv. Initially, the Tu-134 was not designed as a new aircraft. The design bureau had the idea of modernizing the Tu-124. The plane's fuselage was lengthened, the engines were moved to the tail section, and the tail was replaced with a T-shaped one. A total of 852 aircraft of all modifications were built.
December 1968 Tu-144
Tu-144 first in the world supersonic airliner that have ever been used by airlines for commercial transport. It made its first flight on December 31, 1968. The plane crossed the symbolic milestone of Mach 2 on May 25, 1970, flying at an altitude of 16,300 m at a speed of 2,150 km/h. Production of the aircraft began at Voronezh Plant No. 64. Subsequently, the Tu-144D was used only for cargo transportation between Moscow and Khabarovsk. By the time it was abandoned, 16 Tu-144 aircraft had been built.
March 1969 Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde
Prototype No. 001 was completed in early 1969, and made its first flight from the factory airfield in Toulouse on March 2, 1969, under the control of Sud Aviation test pilot Andre Turk. Commercial operation of Concordes began on January 21, 1976, when British Airlines G-BOFA (No. 206) took off on its maiden flight from London to Bahrain. On the same day, flight F-BFBA (No. 205) opened the Paris-Dakar line of Air France. On April 10, 2003, British Airways and Air France announced their decision to cease commercial operations of their Concorde fleet. The last flights took place on October 24.
January 1970 Boeing 747
The first Boeing 747, officially designated Boeing 747-100, was built on September 2, 1968. On January 1, 1970, the plane, owned by Pan American World Airways, made its first commercial flight. The Boeing 747 has a two-deck layout, with the upper deck being significantly shorter than the lower deck. The size and peculiar “hump” of the upper deck have made the Boeing 747 one of the most recognizable aircraft in the world, the hero of dozens of films and a symbol of civil aviation.
May 1971 Tu-154
In May 1971, pre-production Tu-154 aircraft began to be used to transport mail from Moscow to Tbilisi, Sochi, Simferopol and Mineral water. It was mass-produced from 1968 to 1998, with a total of 932 aircraft produced. The production rate sometimes reached 5 cars per month. From 1998 to 2011, small-scale production of Tu-154M aircraft was carried out at the Aviakor plant in Samara. The final cessation of production is planned for 2012.
The most popular Soviet jet passenger aircraft, which until the end of the first decade of the 21st century remained one of the main aircraft on medium-range routes in Russia. Became one of the main characters in the feature film “Crew”; Mosfilm, 1979
August 1971 McDonnell Douglas DC-10
The first mid-range DC-10-10 began service with American Airlines in August 1971. Apart from the Jumbo, it was the world's first wide-body aircraft in the modern sense of the word. Production of this aircraft ceased in 1989, but many aircraft were converted into a cargo version and continue to fly to this day. As of February 2010, there are 168 DC-10s in service (including tankers), of which 67 belong to FedEx and 59 to the USAAF.
October 1972 Airbus A300
On October 28, 1972, the star of a new player in the market of medium and long-haul aircraft rose - the company Airbus Industry. On this day, her first-born, the A300 B1 airliner, made its first flight. During the development of the A300, it was almost impossible to imagine that a twin-turbo aircraft would be capable of transatlantic and Pacific flights. Therefore, the range was determined only for continental flights. Later, the limited range became a major disadvantage of the aircraft.
December 1980 IL-86
On December 26, 1980, the first and most popular Soviet/Russian wide-body passenger aircraft Il-86 performed its first regular flight on the route Moscow - Tashkent. Il-86 is considered one of the best and safest aircraft in Russia and the world. In the entire history of its operation, not a single passenger has died. The spacious cockpit was larger in size than even the cockpit of the A-380.
September 1982 Boeing 767
The Boeing 767-200 wide-body long-haul aircraft became the first aircraft of a new generation of passenger airliners that began flying on air routes in the early 1980s. Also, the Boeing 767-200 became the first twin-engine aircraft capable of serving transatlantic routes between Europe and America without landing. The first 767 entered service on September 8, 1982. To date, the 767 fleet has flown over 27 billion nautical miles and completed 7.7 million flights.
March 1988 Airbus A320
In March 1988, Air France received its first A-320 aircraft. The A320 is the world's first passenger aircraft with a fly-by-wire control system (FFS), a flight deck equipped with side sticks instead of conventional control columns, and horizontal tail, made entirely of composite materials. The A320 family includes both younger brothers (318/319) and older ones (A321). On this moment More than 5,100 units were produced.
January 1989 Tu-204
In 1988, the first prototype of the Tu-204 was manufactured at the ANTK pilot production facility, designed to replace the aging Tu-154. On January 2, 1989, he took to the skies for the first time. On February 23, 1996, Tu-204 made its first flight with passengers on the route Moscow - Mineralnye Vody. The cockpit is equipped with color displays and central Y-shaped handles with short strokes. The aircraft and engine control system is fly-by-wire; Tu-204 became the first domestic airliner to use these innovations.
February 1993 Airbus A340
In competition with Boeing, the Airbas corporation decided to go its own way and created a direct competitor for the 474. At the end of February 1993, the first A340-300 aircraft received airline Air France. At the beginning of February 1993, the first A340-200 joined the fleet of the German airline Lufthansa. On June 16-18, 1993, the A340-200 aircraft, named World Ranger, flew around the world on the route Paris - Auckland ( New Zealand) - Paris with one stop in Auckland. The Airbus A340-600 was the world's longest passenger aircraft with a fuselage length of 75.36 meters before the release of an extended version of the Boeing 747-8 - 76.4 m.
May 1995 Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 (aka Triple Seven, aka "port") is the world's largest twin-engine jet passenger aircraft. The General Electric GE90 engines installed on it are the largest and most powerful jet engines in the history of aviation. A distinctive feature is also the six-wheel landing gear. The Boeing 777 was the first commercial airliner to be designed 100% by computers. The first 777-200 was delivered to United Airlines on May 15, 1995.
April 2005 Airbus A380
Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft. This double-deck liner has the following dimensions: height - 24 m, length - 73 m, wingspan - 79.4 m. In the standard configuration it can accommodate 555 passengers, the charter version can accommodate 853 people. Designed for non-stop flights over a distance of up to 15,000 km. The Airbus A380 is the most economical aircraft of its class. It consumes 3 liters of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometers. It took 10 years and 12 billion euros to develop this model. The aircraft was announced as an alternative to the Boeing 747.
May 2008 Sukhoi Superjet 100
The first Superjet 100 was presented to the public on September 26, 2007 at the plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where it successfully made its first flight on May 19, 2008. In February 2012, the SSJ100 received EASA type certification. As of mid-July 2012, nine airline-operated SSJ100 aircraft have completed more than 5,200 commercial flights totaling over 10,200 flight hours.
December 2009 Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The first test flight of the new “soldier” in the war for passengers and economic efficiency took place on December 15, 2009. As of June 2010, 868 aircraft were ordered. The Boeing 787 is a wide-body twin-engine passenger aircraft capable of carrying 250-330 passengers over a distance of up to 16 thousand 299 kilometers (depending on modification). More than half of the aircraft's parts are made of lightweight composite materials; the new 787 has 12% greater fuel efficiency compared to the Boeing 777, and will also consume 20% less fuel during operation than modern aircraft of the same class.
That, in fact, is all 60 years. Among the upcoming new products, we can expect the Airbus A350 and MC21, which will be even lighter, more economical, quieter, more comfortable, more reliable, etc. and so on. But, all the same, these will be twin-engine low-wing aircraft... More on that next time.
Thank you for your attention.
Jet planes, appearing in the sky for the first time, caused delight in everyone who had the opportunity to observe them. Airplanes with jet engines have replaced conventional propeller-driven aircraft. The first jet aircraft was designed back in 1910, but due to many imperfections in the design, it never took off, burning out on the ground in the first test.
In the years after World War II, jet aircraft occupied an increasingly large share of the aircraft used. When people saw a contrail of a certain width in the sky, they immediately knew which engine was installed on it. aircraft, cutting through the sky at the moment.
Jet engines have found application not only in military equipment, but also in civil aviation designed to transport passengers. At the moment, most of the available aircraft are equipped with jet engines.
There are several types of jet engines:
- Turbojet;
- Pulsating;
- Straight-through;
- Liquid;
- Rocket engines.
In this article we will look at the meaning of the concept of a jet engine and talk about the history of the development of aviation using this technology.
Judging by the root of this word, it can be assumed that the basis of the operation of the engine is some kind of reaction. This does not mean chemical oxidation - it also occurs in ordinary carburetor engines. In the case of a jet engine, the same principle applies as in a rocket. A high-pressure gas jet is ejected in one direction, pushing the body, which reacts with acceleration directed in the opposite direction.
It is quite difficult to separate rocket and aviation research in the matter of jet engines. Developments in the direction of installing a compression engine on an airplane were carried out long before the war - we are talking about the same plane that burned down in 1910.
The first jet aircraft
The first steps were taken by German scientists, but other countries succeeded in this direction - Italy, the USA, Great Britain and Japan, which at that time lagged behind other world countries in matters of technological development. The first planes with jet engines were surprising because they did not have propellers; many pilots initially did not trust such aircraft structures.
The USSR also carried out developments in this direction, but concentrated more on improving existing propeller-driven aircraft. The Bi-1 aircraft was developed and built, extremely imperfect and unreliable. Nitric acid ate through the fuel tanks, and there were other technical complications.
Germany was actively developing all types military equipment, trying to apply new discoveries and technical solutions that can turn the tide of the war and gain a significant advantage over the armed forces of opponents. One of these areas was jet aircraft.
During these developments, the Germans built the first jet-powered aircraft that went into serial production. This plane was Messerschmitt-262 or Sturmvogel. This aircraft reached speeds of over 900 kilometers per hour, which was incredible for those times. It proved to be a successful weapon against B-17 heavy bombers.
At some point, a strange order was received from the German authorities - to convert this fighter into a bomber, which led to the fact that the aircraft was unable to reveal its potential.
Arado
This aircraft is also a German design. Its difference from the previous aircraft in question is that it was originally designed as a bomber. During military operations, he demonstrated excellent fighting qualities - a speed of 750 kilometers per hour and a flight altitude of 10,000 meters did not leave any chance for anti-aircraft guns to knock him out. American and British fighters did not catch up with him.
In addition to the fact that Arado dropped bombs, albeit not very accurately due to the high speed, he also carried out photography, performing reconnaissance functions. When using these aircraft for combat purposes, the Germans suffered virtually no losses. If they could build large quantity these aircraft units, it would be even more difficult to fight them.
Yu-287
Already in the last years of the not yet ended Second World War, the USA and the USSR were mutually preparing for confrontation with each other. On both sides, active development of jet engines for aircraft was carried out, since it was clear to everyone that in the event of another war it would not be possible to do without their use.
The USSR at that time did not have its own nuclear weapons. In turn, the United States captured the Junkers 287 aircraft, which, due to its technical characteristics, was suitable for use as a carrier for an atomic bomb.
Jet aviation after the war
During the war, the USSR did not actively develop jet engines, since they never played a decisive role in it. However, in its last years, the question arose about the need to have a carrier of atomic weapons in service, for which the Boeing B-29 was copied by the Soviet Union.
However, to defend against probable aggression, fast and maneuverable high altitude fighters. The study of German military equipment obtained as war trophies was considered insufficient to resolve this issue. Aircraft designers began designing aircraft that would exceed world standards.
Yak and MiG
Two design bureaus developed prototypes of jet aircraft that had refractory materials installed in those places where the nozzles came into contact with the fuselage, which protected the body from overheating. The main task was the transition to new types of power plants, but these developments were considered as temporary options until they were replaced by the MiG-15.
The MiG-15 has become a legendary aircraft unit. It featured many bold innovations, including the world's first reliable pilot rescue system (catapult), and the vehicle was also equipped with powerful cannon armament. Excellent flight performance and combat characteristics made it possible to instantly win victories over armadas of heavy bombers in Korea.
In response to domestic development, the Americans created the Saber, a kind of analogue of the MiG-15. One of the copies of the MiG aircraft was hijacked by the Koreans and sold to the United States for study, and the damaged Saber was pulled out of the water by Soviet soldiers. Thus, the two superpowers exchanged experience.
Civil jet aviation
Back in the late forties of the last century, the British launched the Comet airliner, equipped with jet engines, on their airlines. It gained great popularity, although it was not particularly reliable - many disasters happened in the first years of its use.
Civil aircraft with jet engines were also developed in the Soviet Union - one of them was the Tu-104, developed on the basis of the Tu-16 bomber. Despite the occurrence of disasters, developments in this direction have not stopped. Gradually, the image of a reliable jet airliner emerged, pushing propeller engines further into the background.
The MiG-9 is a Soviet jet fighter developed immediately after the end of the war. It became the first jet fighter made in the USSR. The MiG-9 fighter was mass-produced from 1946 to 1948, during which time more than six hundred combat vehicles were produced.
Aviation history scholars often refer to the MiG-9 and other Soviet combat vehicles (Yak-15 and Yak-17) created during this period as a “transitional type of fighter.” These aircraft were equipped with a jet power plant, but at the same time they had an airframe similar to piston engines.
The MiG-9 fighters were not in service with the Russian Air Force for long: they were taken out of service in the early 50s. In 1950-1951, almost four hundred fighters were transferred to the Chinese Air Force. The Chinese used them mainly as training aircraft: pilots learned to operate jet aircraft on them.
The MiG-9 cannot be called a very successful machine: from the moment testing began, it was plagued by disasters, and the designers continually had to correct defects that appeared during operation. However, we should not forget that the MiG-9 was the first jet fighter; it was created and transferred to the troops in an extremely short time. At the time work began on the creation of this machine, the USSR did not even have an engine that could develop the thrust necessary for jet flight.
The “problematic” MiG-9 was soon replaced by the MiG-15, which both our and foreign experts call one of the best fighters of this period. The designers were able to achieve such success only thanks to the experience gained during the creation of the MiG-9.
Appearance Soviet Union large quantity jet fighters caused surprise in the West. Many there did not believe that a country devastated by war would be able to quickly establish mass production of the latest aircraft technology at that time. The appearance of the MiG-9 and other Soviet jet aircraft had serious political significance. Although, of course, in the West they had no idea about the difficulties and problems that Soviet aviation designers and pilots had to face, as well as about what it cost the destroyed country to create new types of weapons.
The history of the creation of the first jet aircraft of the USSR
Already at the end of World War II, it became clear that the future of aviation belonged to jet aircraft. In the Soviet Union, work began in this direction; it went much faster after becoming familiar with captured German developments. At the end of the war, the USSR was able to acquire not only intact German aircraft and jet engines, but also seize the German factories where they were produced.
The task to create a jet fighter was simultaneously received by four leading aviation design bureaus of the country: Mikoyan, Lavochkin, Yakovlev and Sukhoi. The main problem was that at that time the USSR did not have its own jet aircraft engine; it had yet to be created.
Meanwhile, time was running out: potential opponents - the USA, England and Germany - already had established serial production of jet aircraft and were actively exploiting this technology.
The first Soviet jet fighters used captured German BMW-003A and YuMO-004 engines.
The Mikoyan Design Bureau worked on the creation of two fighters, which at the project stage were designated I-260 and I-300. It was planned to use the BMW-003A engine on both cars. Work on the aircraft began in February 1945.
The I-260 copied the German Me.262 fighter; two jet engines were located under the wings of the aircraft. The I-300 had a layout with a power plant inside the fuselage.
Purges in the wind tunnel showed that the layout with engines inside the fuselage is more advantageous. Therefore, it was decided to abandon further work on the I-260 prototype and complete the I-300, which later became the first production Soviet jet fighter under the designation MiG-9.
Three experimental vehicles were built for testing: F-1, F-2 and F-3. The F-1 aircraft was ready by December 1945, but the development of the aircraft took until March of the following year, and only then did testing begin. On April 24, 1946, the fighter took off for the first time; the first flight went well.
Already the initial stage of testing clearly showed the enormous superiority of jet aircraft over piston aircraft: the MiG-9 was able to accelerate to a speed of 920 km/h, reach a ceiling of 13 km and gain an altitude of 5 thousand meters in 4.5 minutes. It should be said that initially they planned to arm the aircraft with a 57-mm N-57 automatic cannon, installing it in the partition between the air intakes and two 37-mm NS-23 cannons located in the lower part of the fuselage. However, later they decided to abandon the 57-mm cannon, considering its power excessive.
On July 11, 1946, a tragedy occurred: during the flight, a fragment that came off the wing damaged the stabilizer, causing the aircraft to lose control and crash into the ground. The pilot died.
The second experimental F-2 aircraft was demonstrated to the public during the air parade in Tushino. In August, the Kuibyshev plant began production of a small production batch of ten aircraft. It was planned that they would take part in the parade on Red Square in October 1946.
In March 1947, serial production of the fighter began. However, after the production of 49 aircraft it was suspended. The car had to be urgently rebuilt. Within two months, the fuel system on the MiG-9 was seriously modernized, the design of the tail fairing was changed, the fin area was increased, and a number of other improvements were also made. After this, mass production was resumed.
In June 1947, state tests of four fighters, two prototypes (F-2 and F-3) and two production aircraft, were completed. In general, the MiG-9 received positive reviews: in terms of speed characteristics, rate of climb and flight altitude, it was significantly superior to all piston aircraft in service with the Soviet army. The firepower of the vehicle was also unprecedented.
There were also problems: when firing cannons at an altitude of more than 7 thousand meters, the engine stalled. They tried to fight this shortcoming, but they could not completely eliminate it.
If we compare the characteristics of the MiG-9 with the Yak-15 jet fighter, which was developed at the same time, then the Mikoyan machine was inferior to the Yakovlev Design Bureau aircraft in maneuverability, but was faster in horizontal flight and during a dive.
The new car was greeted by the troops without much enthusiasm. Pilots were often simply afraid to fly an airplane that did not have a propeller. In addition to the pilots, the technical staff also had to be retrained, and this had to be done as quickly as possible. Haste often led to accidents that had nothing to do with technical features airplane.
Description of the design of the MiG-9 fighter
The MiG-9 is an all-metal single-seat fighter aircraft powered by two turbojet engines. It is made according to classic scheme with a mid-wing and tricycle retractable landing gear.
The aircraft has a semi-monocoque fuselage with a smooth working skin. In its nose there is an air intake, which is divided into two tunnels, each of which supplies air to one of the engines. The channels have an elliptical cross-section; they run along the side parts of the fuselage, bypassing the cockpit on both sides.
The wing of an airplane is trapezoidal in shape with flaps and ailerons.
The tail of the MiG-9 is all-metal with a high-mounted stabilizer.
The pilot's cabin is located in the front part of the fuselage, it is closed by a streamlined canopy consisting of two parts. The front part, the visor, is fixed, and the rear part moves back along three guides. On later modifications of the vehicle, the visor is made of armored glass. In addition, to protect the pilot, the vehicle is equipped with front and rear armor plates, their thickness is 12 mm.
The MiG-9 has a three-post retractable landing gear with a front wheel. The landing gear release system is pneumatic.
The fighter was equipped with a power plant consisting of two RD-20 turbojet engines, which were nothing more than a copy of the German captured BMW-003 engines. Each of them could develop a thrust of 800 kgf. The engines of the first series (A-1) had a service life of only 10 hours, the service life of the A-2 series was increased to 50 hours, and the RD-20B engines could operate for 75 hours. Power point The MiG-9 was launched using Riedel starting motors.
The engines were installed in a modified part of the fuselage, the nozzles were adjustable, they could be set in four positions: “start”, “take-off”, “flight” or “high-speed flight”. The control of the cone of the nozzle apparatus was electrically remote.
To protect the body from hot gases, a special thermal screen was installed on the underside of the tail section, which was a corrugated sheet of heat-resistant steel.
The fuel was placed in ten tanks located in the wings and fuselage. Their total volume was 1595 liters. The fuel tanks were connected to each other to ensure uniform use of fuel, which made it possible to maintain the aircraft's alignment during flight.
The MiG-9 was equipped with an RSI-6 radio station, an RPKO-10M radio semi-compass, and a KP-14 oxygen apparatus. The aircraft received power from a captured LR-2000 generator, which was later replaced by the domestic GSK-1300.
The fighter's armament consisted of one 37-mm N-37 cannon with forty rounds of ammunition and two 23-mm NS-23 cannons with 40 rounds of ammunition. Initially, they planned to equip the aircraft with a more powerful 57-mm N-57 cannon, but this idea was later abandoned.
One of the main problems of the fighter was the entry of powder gases into the engines, since the N-37 cannon was installed on a partition between two air intakes. In later modifications of the aircraft, gas exhaust pipes began to be installed on the N-37. Vehicles produced earlier were already equipped with them in combat units.
The first MiG-9s had a collimator sight, which was later replaced by an automatic rifle sight.
Characteristics of the MiG-9
Below are the characteristics of the MiG-9.
| Wingspan, m | 10 |
| Length, m | 9.75 |
| Height, m | 3.225 |
| Wing area, sq. m | 18.20 |
| Max. take-off weight, kg | 4998 |
| Engine | 2 RD RD-20 |
| Thrust, kgf | 2 x 800 |
| Max. speed, km,/h | 910 |
On June 20, 1939, the first ever experimental jet aircraft, the He.176, created by German aircraft designers, flew. With some lag, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, as well as Japan, produced jet vehicles.
1. First pancake
Work on the creation of the first jet aircraft began at Heinkel in 1937. And two years later the He.176 made its first flight. After five flights, it became clear that he did not have the slightest chance of going into production.
The designers chose for it a liquid-jet engine with a thrust of 600 kgf, which uses methanol and hydrogen peroxide as fuel and oxidizer. It was assumed that the car would reach a speed of 1000 km/h, but it was only possible to accelerate it to 750 km/h. The enormous fuel consumption did not allow the aircraft to move more than 60 km from the airfield. The only advantage compared to conventional fighters was the enormous rate of climb, equal to 60 m/s, which was three times higher than that of vehicles with piston engines.
The fate of the He.176 was also influenced by a subjective circumstance - during the display, Hitler did not like the plane.
2. First serial
Germany was ahead of everyone in creating the first production jet aircraft. It became Me.262. It made its first flight in July 1942 and entered service in 1944. The aircraft was produced both as a fighter, and as a bomber, and as a reconnaissance aircraft, and as an attack aircraft. In total, almost one and a half thousand vehicles entered the army.
The Me.262 used two Jumo-004 turbojet engines with a thrust of 910 kgf, which had an 8-stage axial compressor, a single-stage axial turbine and 6 combustion chambers.
Unlike the He.176, which succeeded in devouring fuel, the jet Messerschmitt was a successful machine with excellent flight characteristics:
Maximum speed at altitude - 870 km/h
Flight range - up to 1050 km
Practical ceiling - 12200 m
Rate of climb - 50 m/s
Length - 10.9 m
Height - 3.8 m
Wingspan - 12.5 m
Wing area - 21.8 sq.m.
Empty weight - 3800 kg
Curb weight - 6000 kg
Armament - up to 4 30-mm cannons, from 2 to 14 hardpoints; weight of suspended missiles or bombs up to 1500 kg.
During the period of hostilities, Me.262 shot down 150 aircraft. Losses amounted to 100 aircraft. This accident rate was largely due to both insufficient training of pilots for flights on a fundamentally new aircraft, and to defects in the engine, which had a short service life and low reliability.
3. One way ticket
The liquid-propellant jet engine was used in only one production aircraft during World War II. In the Japanese Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka manned bomber aircraft designed for kamikaze use. From the end of 1944 until the end of the war, 825 of them were produced.
The plane was built on the principle of “cheap and cheerful.” A wooden glider with 1.2 tons of ammonal in the nose was equipped with three liquid-propellant rocket engines that operated for 10 seconds and accelerated the aircraft to a speed of 650 km/h. There were no landing gear or takeoff engines. The bomber delivered the Ohka on a sling within visual range of the target. After which the rocket engine was ignited.
However, the effectiveness of such a scheme was low. Because the bombers were detected by the locators of American Navy ships before the kamikazes were aimed at the target. As a result, both bombers and aircraft filled with ammonal were senselessly lost at distant approaches.
4. British centenarian
The Gloster Meteor was the only Allied jet aircraft to see action in World War II. It made its first flight in March 1943, entered service with the Royal Air Force in July 1944, was produced until 1955 inclusive, and was in service with the air forces of a number of British military allies until the end of the 70s. A total of 3,555 vehicles of various modifications were produced.
During the war period, two modifications of the fighter were produced - F. Mk I and F. Mk III. The F. Mk I squadron shot down 10 German V-1s. F. Mk III, due to their special secrecy, were not released into enemy territory. And they had to repel the attacks of the Luftwaffe, based near Brussels. However, starting in February 1945, German aviation was exclusively engaged in defense. Of the 230 Gloster Meteors produced up to mid-1945, only two were lost when they collided while landing in heavy cloud conditions.
Performance characteristics of Gloster Meteor F. Mk III:
Length - 12.6 m
Height - 3.96 m
Wingspan - 13.1 m
Wing area - 34.7 sq.m.
Take-off weight - 6560 kg
Engines - 2TRD
Thrust - 2×908 kgf
Maximum speed - 837 km/h
Ceiling - 13400 m
Range - 2160 km
Armament - 4 30mm cannons
5. Late to the call
The American Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star began arriving at British airfields immediately before the end of hostilities in Europe - in April 1945. He didn't have time to fight. The F-80 was used extensively as a fighter-bomber a few years later during the Korean War.
The first ever battle between two jet fighters took place on the Korean Peninsula. F-80 and the more modern transonic Soviet MiG-15. The Soviet pilot won.
A total of 1,718 of these early American jets were produced.
Performance characteristics of Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star:
Length - 10.5 m
Height - 3.45 m
Wingspan - 11.85 m
Wing area - 22.1 sq.m.
Take-off weight - 5300 kg
Engines - 1TRD
Thrust - 1×1746 kgf
Maximum speed - 880 km/h
Rate of climb - 23 m/s
Ceiling - 13700 m
Range - 1255 km, with PTB - 2320 km
Armament - 6 12.7 mm machine guns, 8 unguided rockets, 2 454 kg bombs.
6. Soviet-style tender
The first Soviet experimental aircraft BI-1 was designed in the spring of 1941 in twenty days and completed in a month. A wooden glider to which a liquid-propellant rocket engine was attached - it was purely Stakhanov-style. After the start of the war, the plane was evacuated to the Urals. And in July they began testing. According to the designers' plans, BI-1 was supposed to reach a speed of 900 km/h. However, when the famous tester Grigory Yakovlevich Bakhchivandzhi approached the 800 km/h line, the plane lost control and crashed to the ground.
The creation of a jet fighter was normally approached only in 1945. And not even one, but two. By the middle of the year, the twin-engine MiG-9 and single-engine Yak-15 were designed. They took off on the same day - April 24, 1946.
The MiG was more fortunate in terms of its use in the Air Force. As a result of a comparison of the characteristics of the two machines, in which Stalin also took part, the Yak-15 was ordered to be made into a training aircraft for training jet pilots.
The MiG-9 has become a fighting machine. And already in 1946 he began to join the Air Force units. Over three years, 602 aircraft were produced. However, two circumstances greatly affected its fate, and therefore the MiG-9 was discontinued.
Firstly, its development was carried out at an accelerated pace. As a result, until 1948, changes were regularly made to the design of the aircraft.
Secondly, the pilots were very suspicious of the new machine, which required great effort to master and was not forgiving of even minor piloting errors. They were much more familiar with the Yak-15, which was as close as possible to the Yak-3, perfectly familiar to everyone. Actually, it was built on its basis with the necessary minimal deviations.
And in 1948, the first jet fighter, which turned out to be damp, was replaced by the more advanced MiG-15.
Flight characteristics of MiG-9:
Length - 9.75 m
Wingspan - 10.0 m
Wing area - 18.2 sq.m.
Take-off weight - 4990 kg
Engines - 2TRD
Thrust - 2×800 kgf
Maximum speed - 864 km/h
Rate of climb - 22 m/s
Ceiling - 13500 m
Flight duration at an altitude of 5000 m - 1 hour
Armament - 3 guns.
