Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 / MiG-3

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3(A Single-seat interceptor fighter aircraft, powered by a 1,007 kW (1,350 hp) Mikulin AM-35A piston engine) was one of the most modern fighters of the Russian air force, at the start of the War on the Eastern Front. It was a result of an urgent improvement on the MiG-1 or I-200 and it took its first flight on 20 December 1940.Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 had excellent performance, at high altitudes, but suffered from bad handling characteristics. It was constructed as a typical ‘modern’ fighter of that era first flew in April 1940.The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 had a cantilever low-wing monoplane design, with fully retractable tailwheel landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. Its first prototype showed good performance but due to the short rear fuselage, and the small horizontal tail surfaces, it was terrible to handle.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 was the same aircraft in terms of powerplant and armament to its earlier version Mig-1 along with 1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon in place of the UBS machine gun, or 2 x UBS machine guns. It had an enlarged internal fuel capacity in four tanks with inert gas protection, removal of all provision for drop tanks, replacement of the original propeller by a VISh-61SH unit with greater pitch movement, and a number of detail improvements.

Mikoyan and Gurevich continued to develop the MiG-3 along the high-altitude interceptor lines that it had originally been designed for, which led to a series of ever-larger and more powerful prototypes, serially designated from the I-220 to the I-225.

SPECIFICATIONS

Crew: One
Type: Fighter
Design: Mikoyan-Gurevich
Engine(s): 1x Mikulin AM-35A liquid-cooled V-12, 993 kW (1,350 hp)
Max Speed: 640 km/h (398 mph, 346 knots) at 7,800 m (25,600 ft)
Max Range: 820 km (510 mi,443 NM)
Ceiling: 12,000 m (39,400 ft)
Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.30 m (10 ft 9-7/8 in)
Empty Weight: 2,699 kg (5,965 lb)
MTO Weight: 3,355 kg (7,415 lb)
Armament: 1 x 12.7 mm UBS machine gun
2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns
2 x 100 kg (220 lb) bombs