https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-3
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 (Russian: ?????? ? ??????? ???-3) was a Soviet
interceptor and fighter aircraft used during World War II. It was a development
Department) of Zavod (Factory) No. 1 to remedy problems that had been found
during the MiG-1's development and operations. It replaced the MiG-1 on the
production line at Factory No. 1 on 20 December 1940 and was built in large
numbers during 1941 before Factory No. 1 was converted to build the Ilyushin
Il-2.
On 22 June 1941 at the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, some 981 were in
service with the VVS (the Soviet Air Force), the PVO (Soviet territorial air
defense organization) and Naval Aviation. The MiG-3 was difficult to fly in
peacetime and much more so in combat. It had been designed for high-altitude
combat but combat over the Eastern Front was generally at lower altitudes where
it was inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 as well as most modern Soviet
fighters. It was also pressed into service as a fighter-bomber during the autumn
of 1941 but it was equally unsuited for this. Over time the survivors were
concentrated in the PVO, where its disadvantages mattered less, the last being
withdrawn from service before the end of the war.
The MiG-3's top speed of 640 km/h (398 mph) at 7,200 metres (23,622 ft) was
faster than the 615 km/h (382 mph) of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2 in
service at the beginning of 1941 and the British Supermarine Spitfire V's 603
km/h (375 mph). At lower altitudes the MiG's speed advantage disappeared as its
maximum speed at sea level was only 505 km/h (314 mph) while the Bf 109F-2 could
do 515 km/h (320 mph). Unfortunately for the MiG-3 and its pilots, aerial combat
over the Eastern Front generally took place at low and medium altitudes where it
had no speed advantage.
The MiG's loaded weight of 3,350 kg (7,385 lb) was greater than the Bf 109F-2's
2,728 kg (6,014 lb) and it was less maneuverable in the horizontal plane than
the Bf 109 due to its higher wing loading. This lack of maneuverability was
exacerbated by the MiG-3's poor climb performance, its instability at high
speeds (which can make aerial gunnery difficult due to the point of aim
"wandering" and requiring constant pilot input to remain on target), and its
underpowered armament.
The MiG-3's standard armament was one 12.7 mm (0.50 in) UBS machine gun and two
7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns, all mounted in the engine cowling and
synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. In contrast, most versions of
the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 that it encountered had one 20 mm (0.79 in)
cannon and two 7.92 mm (0.31 in) machine guns (although the Bf 109F used during
Operation Barbarossa had the 15mm MG 151/20, meaning that it was armed little
better than the MiG). To remedy this problem, 821 aircraft were built with one
12.7 mm UBK machine gun in a pod under each wing in mid-1941. This lowered its
speed by about 20 km/h (12 mph) at all altitudes, which was unpopular with the
pilots, some of whom removed the pods. One hundred aircraft were equipped with a
pair of UBS machine guns in lieu of the ShKAS weapons. Another 215 aircraft also
had just the UBS machine guns but were fitted to carry six RS-82 rockets. A
total of 72 aircraft mounted a pair of 20 mm ShVAK cannon. A wide variety of
armaments were experimented with by various units at the requests of their
pilots or to make up shortages.
Role
Fighter/interceptor
National origin
Soviet Union
Manufacturer
Mikoyan-Gurevich
Designer
Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich
First flight
29 October 1940
Introduction
1941
Retired
1945
Primary user
VVS, PVO, Naval Aviation
Produced
Number built
3,172
Developed from
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1
Variants
Mikoyan-Gurevich I-211
MiG-3s were delivered to frontline fighter regiments beginning in the spring of
1941 and were a handful for pilots accustomed to the lower-performance and
docile Polikarpov I-152 and I-153 biplanes and the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane. It
remained tricky and demanding to fly even after the extensive improvements made
over the MiG-1. Many fighter regiments had not kept pace in training pilots to
handle the MiG and the rapid pace of deliveries resulted in many units having
more MiGs than trained pilots during the German invasion. By 1 June 1941, 1,029
MIG-3s were on strength, but there were only 494 trained pilots. In contrast to
the untrained pilots of the 31st Fighter Regiment, those of the 4th Fighter
Regiment were able to claim three German high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
shot down before war broke out in June 1941. However high-altitude combat of
this sort was to prove to be uncommon on the Eastern Front where most air-to-air
engagements were at altitudes well below 5,000 metres (16,000 ft). At these
altitudes the MiG-3 was outclassed by the Bf 109 in all respects, and even by
other new Soviet fighters such as the Yakovlev Yak-1. Furthermore, the shortage
of ground-attack aircraft in 1941 forced it into that role as well, for which it
was totally unsuited. Pilot Alexander E. Shvarev recalled: "The Mig was perfect
at altitudes of 4,000 m and above. But at lower altitudes it was, as they say,
'a cow'. That was the first weakness. The second was its armament: weapons
failure dogged this aircraft. The third weakness was its gunsights, which were
inaccurate: that's why we closed in as much as we could and fired point blank."
Specifications (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3)
General characteristics
Crew: one
Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 10.20 m (33 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.30 m (10 ft 9? in)
Airfoil: Clark YH
Empty weight: 2,699 kg (5,965 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,355 kg (7,415 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 640 km/h (398 mph, 346 knots) at 7,800 m (25,600 ft)
Maximum speed at sea level : 505 km/h (314 mph, 273 knots)
Combat range: 820 km (510 mi,443 NM)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,400 ft)
Power/mass: 0.30 kW/kg (0.18 hp/lb)
Climb to 8,000 m (26,250 ft): 10.28 min
Armament
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