I-75 | |
---|---|
Role | Experimental interceptor aircraft |
National origin | Soviet Union |
Manufacturer | Mikoyan-Gurevich |
First flight | 1958 |
Status | Terminated after losing competition to T-43 (Su-9) |
Developed from | Mikoyan-Gurevich I-7 |
Developed into | Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-150 family |
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-75 was the final design of a series of three experimental swept-wing interceptors developed in the Soviet Union in the mid-late 1950s by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau from their Mikoyan-Gurevich I-3 airframe. All the aircraft in the I-3 program were affected by delays in the development of the Klimov VK-3 turbojet engine, its cancellation and ultimate replacement by the Lyulka AL-7F turbojet engine.
The I-75 was a re-engined and radar-equipped version of the experimental I-7 Mach 2 class aircraft. Work on the I-7U started in early 1956, as a development of the proposed Klimov VK-3 (82.37 kN (18,518.83 lbf) thrust) turbojet powered I-3 prototype fighter. The airframe of the I-3 was modified for the larger and more powerful Lyulka AL-7F after-burning turbojet engine. A short test flight programme ended on 24 January 1958, after which the prototype was rebuilt into the I-75 by fitting an AL-7F-1 that delivered "dry" thrust of 6240 kg and 9215 kg with afterburner and modifying the nose to accept the Uragan-5 radar intercept system.
The maiden flight of I-75 took part on 28 April 1958. The Uragan-5B radar was fitted on 15 May 1958 and the tests continued from 25 December 1958.
Despite its excellent performance the I-75 constantly suffered from development delays and the I-75 programme was terminated on 11 May 1959.
Production contracts were placed for the contemporary Sukhoi T-43 (the Su-9 prototype), as Sukhoi were able to develop this interceptor faster due to its high commonality with the Su-7 tactical fighter. [1]
The armament of the I-75 consisted of two beam-riding long-range Kaliningrad K-8 missiles. So equipped, I-75 became a part of the Uragan automated interception system for which it served as a testbed for some time (more research being conducted on the much faster Ye-150 series delta-winged Mach 2.5+ class planes).
The Uragan-5 was the first Soviet radar system with head-on attack capability; maximum detection range was 30 km (19 mi) and acquisition range was up to 20 km (12 mi).
The Uragan complex was designed to automatically guide the interceptor to its target, perform the attack, and withdrawal from action. Apart from the radar and the aircraft, the system consisted of a 345 km (214 mi) range ground radar, digital control computer, data acquisition and processing equipment, and an autopilot. The system was expected to be able to intercept bombers flying at 10 to 25 km (16 mi) altitude at 1600–2000 km/h; the interception was to take place within a 120 km (75 mi) radius from the aircraft base.
Data from MiG: Fifty Years of Secret Aircraft Design, [2] OKB MiG : a history of the Design Bureau and its aircraft [3]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 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 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 none solved the problem. Several different engines were evaluated, but none were flown as the prototype of the MiG-15 promised superior performance.
The Sukhoi Su-11 was an interceptor aircraft used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The Kaliningrad K-8 (R-8) was a medium-range air-to-air missile developed by the Soviet Union for interceptor aircraft use.
The Sukhoi Su-9 was an early jet fighter built in the Soviet Union shortly after World War II. The design began in 1944 and was intended to use Soviet-designed turbojet engines. The design was heavily influenced by captured German jet fighters and it was subsequently redesigned to use a Soviet copy of a German turbojet. The Su-9 was slower than competing Soviet aircraft and it was cancelled as a result. A modified version with different engines and a revised wing became the Su-11, but this did not enter production either. The Su-13 was a proposal to re-engine the aircraft with Soviet copies of the Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojet as well as to modify it for night fighting, but neither proposal was accepted.
The Lavochkin La-250 "Anakonda" was a high-altitude interceptor aircraft prototype developed in the Soviet Union by the Lavochkin design bureau in the 1950s. Its nickname "Anaconda" was invented during the flight test and referred to both the elongated body shape as well as the relatively critical flight characteristics of the machine.
The Sukhoi T-3 was a prototype Soviet fighter aircraft.
The Sukhoi P-1 was a prototype Soviet interceptor.
The Lavochkin La-200 was a two-seater, swept winged, night/all-weather jet prototype designed as an interceptor and manufactured by the Soviet Union's Lavochkin Design Bureau from 1948.
The Lyulka TR-1 was a turbojet designed by Arkhip Lyulka and produced by his Lyulka design bureau. It was the first indigenous Soviet jet engine.
The Yakovlev Yak-140 was a Soviet prototype lightweight supersonic fighter developed during the 1950s. The prototype was completed in 1954, but it was denied authorization to enter flight testing and the program was cancelled in 1956.
This is a glossary of acronyms and initials used for avionics and aircraft instruments in the Russian Federation and formerly the USSR. The Latin-alphabet names are phonetic representations of the Cyrillic originals, and variations are inevitable.
This is a glossary of acronyms and initials used for aircraft weapons in the Russian Federation and formerly the USSR. The Latin-alphabet names are phonetic representations of the Cyrillic originals, and variations are inevitable.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-150 family was a series of prototype interceptor aircraft designed and built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union from 1955.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-3 was the first of three interrelated fighter prototype programs developed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union in the mid/late 1950s – starting with the I-3, continuing with the I-7 and finally evolving into the I-75. On several occasions airframes were rebuilt and/or reused, both within a program or in a succeeding program. All the aircraft in the I-3 program were affected by delays in the development of the Klimov VK-3 afterburning bypass turbojet engine, and its cancellation and replacement by the Lyulka AL-7F turbojet engine.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-320 was a prototype Soviet long-range all-weather interceptor aircraft of the late 1940s-early 1950s. Only two were made, with no production following.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-350, was a Soviet Cold War-era experimental fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet aircraft able to maintain supersonic speed.
The Klimov VK-3 was the first Soviet afterburning bypass turbojet engine. Designed by S V Lyunevich at Klimov, at OKB-117 in 1949, this engine first ran in 1952, and was qualified at 5,730 kg (12,632 lb) thrust (dry) and 8,440 kg (18,607 lb) thrust in 1954. The VK-3 was developed for the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-3 (I-380) and I-3U/I-5 (I-410) fighters. First flown in the I-3U in July 1956, the engine's performances was good but its reliability was poor. Even after modifications in December 1956 when newly designed compressor blades were installed, developmental problems continued, the program was ultimately canceled in January 1958. The engine was superseded by the Lyulka AL-7F, a less modern but more efficient engine.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-7 was a development of the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-3 experimental fighter. Planned as a Mach 2-class aircraft, the I-7 was the second of a series of three experimental fighter aircraft from the Mikoyan-Gurevich design Bureau. Like the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-3, the I-7 was to be one of the components of the automated Uragan-1 then under development by protivovozdushnaya oborona strany, the Soviet defense system.
The Sukhoi T-49 was a prototype Soviet fighter aircraft.
The Rybinsk RD-36-35 was a small lift turbojet engine, designed for use on V/STOL aircraft at the Rybinsk Engine Design Bureau (RKBM), designed by Pyotr A. Kolesov. Very little is known of this engine, probably due to confusion with the similarly designated Kolesov RD-36 and Lotarev D-36, which have little or no relation to the lift-jet.