https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-9
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (Russian: ?????? ? ??????? ???-9, USAF/DOD
designation Type 1, NATO reporting name: Fargo) was the first turbojet fighter
developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich in the years immediately after World War II. It
used reverse-engineered German BMW 003 engines. Categorized as a first
generation jet fighter, it was moderately successful, but suffered from
persistent problems with engine flameouts when firing its guns at high altitudes
due to gun gas ingestion. A number of different armament configurations were
tested, but nothing solved the problem. Several different engines were
evaluated, but none were flown as the prototype of the MiG-15 promised superior
performance.
A total of 610 aircraft were built, including prototypes, and they entered
service in 1948 with the Soviet Air Forces. At least 372 were transferred to the
People's Liberation Army Air Force in 1950 to defend Chinese cities against air
raids by the Nationalist Chinese and train the Chinese pilots in jet operations.
The MiG-9 was quickly replaced by the MiG-15, and three are known to survive.
According to aviation historian Bill Gunston, on 24 April 1946 representatives
from Mikoyan-Gurevich and the Yakovlev OKB tossed a coin to determine which
aircraft would be the first Soviet jet to fly. (MiG had brought the I-300, and
Yakovlev the Yak-(3)-15.) MiG won and the I-300's first flight lasted six
minutes. These early flights revealed problems with the stability of the
aircraft and vibration problems with the new articulated heatshield. It was
stiffened before the twelfth flight, but that only partially cured the problem.
The first aircraft crashed, killing the pilot, during a demonstration in front
of high-ranking officials on 11 July when the attachment lugs of the wing
leading edge fairings failed and they hit the horizontal stabilizers. The
remaining two prototypes began flight testing the following month, but
preparations for the 7 November parade commemorating the October Revolution
delayed the start of the State acceptance trials until 17 December. Meanwhile,
the horizontal stabilizer of the second prototype disintegrated during flight,
but the pilot was able to land the aircraft safely. Another such incident
happened to the third prototype in February 1947 and forced the tail to be
reinforced.
Role
Fighter
Manufacturer
Mikoyan-Gurevich
First flight
24 April 1946
Status
Retired
Primary users
Soviet Air Forces
PLA Air Force
Produced
Number built
610 (including prototypes)
The MiG-9 was flown in Soviet service by fighter regiments in the 1st, 7th,
14th, 15th, and 16th Air Armies. These last two were based near Kaliningrad and
in East Germany respectively. In addition, the 177th Fighter Regiment of the
303rd Air Division near Yaroslavl flew the aircraft in 1949.
Six divisions of MiG-9s, each with two regiments of 31 aircraft, were
duties. The 17th Guards Fighter Division (GIAD) defended Shenyang, the 20th
Fighter Division (IAD) guarded Tangshan, and the 65th IAD protected Guangzhou.
The 144th IAD defended Shanghai, the 309th guarded Gongzhuling and the 328th IAD
protected Peking. These units later handed their aircraft over to the 6th, 7th,
12th, 14th, 16th, and 17th Fighter Divisions of the People's Liberation Army Air
Force when their training was complete. The Chinese considered sending their
MiG-9s to Korea in 1951 under Soviet pressure, but reconsidered when the PLAAF
commanders reported that they believed that it would be better to retrain MiG-9
pilots on MiG-15s.
Specifications (MiG-9)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 9.75 m (32 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Height: 3.225 m (10 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 18.2 m2 (196 sq ft)
Empty weight: 3,350 kg (7,385 lb)
Gross weight: 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)
Fuel capacity: 1,625 liters (429 US gallons)
Performance
Maximum speed: 915 km/h (569 mph; 494 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 0.85
Never exceed speed: 1,050 km/h (652 mph; 567 kn)
Range: 800 km (497 mi; 432 nmi)
Service ceiling: 13,500 m (44,291 ft)
g limits: 14g
Rate of climb: 22.0 m/s (4,330 ft/min)
Armament
*
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