The latest best military aircraft of the Air Force of Russia and the world photos, pictures, videos about the value of a fighter aircraft as a combat weapon capable of providing "air supremacy" was recognized by the military circles of all states by the spring of 1916. This required the creation of a special combat aircraft that surpasses all others in terms of speed, maneuverability, altitude and the use of offensive small arms. In November 1915, Nieuport II Webe biplanes arrived at the front. This is the first aircraft built in France, which was intended for air combat.
The most modern domestic military aircraft in Russia and the world owe their appearance to the popularization and development of aviation in Russia, which was facilitated by the flights of Russian pilots M. Efimov, N. Popov, G. Alekhnovich, A. Shiukov, B. Rossiysky, S. Utochkin. The first domestic machines of designers J. Gakkel, I. Sikorsky, D. Grigorovich, V. Slesarev, I. Steglau began to appear. In 1913, the heavy aircraft "Russian Knight" made its first flight. But one cannot fail to recall the first aircraft creator in the world - Captain 1st Rank Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky.
Soviet military aircraft of the USSR of the Great Patriotic War sought to hit the enemy troops, his communications and other objects in the rear with air strikes, which led to the creation of bomber aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load over considerable distances. The variety of combat missions to bombard enemy forces in the tactical and operational depth of the fronts led to the understanding of the fact that their performance should be commensurate with the tactical and technical capabilities of a particular aircraft. Therefore, the design teams had to resolve the issue of specialization of bomber aircraft, which led to the emergence of several classes of these machines.
Types and classification, the latest models of military aircraft in Russia and the world. It was obvious that it would take time to create a specialized fighter aircraft, so the first step in this direction was to try to equip existing aircraft with small arms offensive weapons. Mobile machine-gun mounts, which began to equip the aircraft, required excessive efforts from the pilots, since the control of the machine in a maneuverable battle and the simultaneous firing of an unstable weapon reduced the effectiveness of fire. The use of a two-seat aircraft as a fighter, where one of the crew members played the role of a gunner, also created certain problems, because an increase in the weight and drag of the machine led to a decrease in its flight qualities.
What are the planes. In our years, aviation has made a big qualitative leap, expressed in a significant increase in flight speed. This was facilitated by progress in the field of aerodynamics, the creation of new more powerful engines, structural materials, and electronic equipment. computerization of calculation methods, etc. Supersonic speeds have become the main modes of fighter flight. However, the race for speed also had its negative sides - the takeoff and landing characteristics and the maneuverability of aircraft deteriorated sharply. During these years, the level of aircraft construction reached such a level that it was possible to start creating aircraft with a variable sweep wing.
In order to further increase the flight speeds of jet fighters exceeding the speed of sound, Russian combat aircraft required an increase in their power-to-weight ratio, an increase in the specific characteristics of turbojet engines, and also an improvement in the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. For this purpose, engines with an axial compressor were developed, which had smaller frontal dimensions, higher efficiency and better weight characteristics. For a significant increase in thrust, and hence the flight speed, afterburners were introduced into the engine design. The improvement of the aerodynamic forms of aircraft consisted in the use of wings and empennage with large sweep angles (in the transition to thin delta wings), as well as supersonic air intakes.
Test flights of experimental aircraft are not always successful. Almost any of them - if not outwardly, then in essence - at first is a sort of "ugly duckling". And whether he can turn into a beautiful "swan" depends on the experience and talent of the aircraft designer.
That was the first aircraft of S. A. Lavochkin. To be convinced of this, it is enough to pick up a report on state tests of the LaGG-1 fighter, built by a young designer together with V.P. Gorbunov and M.I. Gudkov. In the conclusions - just a few words about the prospects and good flight data of the aircraft, and then ... A long list of defects and shortcomings of the aircraft occupies several pages in this document! It could well serve as a collection of tasks on aircraft construction: only such "taskers" could hone the skills of the creators of winged machines at that time.
Having received a report with such an extensive list of shortcomings, any designer would probably give up and, having abandoned the “loser”, set about developing a new aircraft, trying to take into account the comments of the testers. Such a path would have been justified in peacetime, but now the war was on, and Lavochkin had to painstakingly work to improve the "ugly duckling". And yet, it was not possible to bring the car. LaP "-1, and then its modification LaGG-3 was discontinued.
S. A. Lavochkin was well aware that his fighter "needed a much more powerful engine. And soon the designer had the opportunity to test his assumptions - he was offered to design a fighter based on the powerful M-82A engine, tested and worked out on the Polikarpov I-185.
La-5 - Lavochkin's new fighter - at first also looked a little like a beautiful swan. But the combination of a powerful radial engine with an aerodynamically "licked" airframe served as the basis for the creation of a very promising fighter. Over time, freed from "childhood diseases", La-5 became one of the most famous aircraft of the Second World War.
A further development of this machine is the La-7, one of the best Soviet piston fighters. It won most of his 62 victories three times Hero of the Soviet Union I. N. Kozhedub. The huge power-to-weight ratio of a high-speed and maneuverable aircraft, powerful three-gun armament, reliability and survivability, as well as ease of maintenance and ease of control brought the well-deserved fame of the La-7 and its creator. But this fighter, descended from the "ugly duckling" LaGG-1, had the same wooden structure, and all its brilliant qualities were the result of the gradual modernization of the prototype.
A completely new machine, which became a tangible embodiment of experience, talent and the most advanced ideas, Lavochkin had a chance to create only after the end of the war. For all the outward similarity of the La-9 to the La-7, it was a completely different aircraft, and the similarity indicated that it had all the best from the previous model. The main difference between the La-9 is its all-metal construction. And this was the solution to the problem of creating a light fighter with a very powerful weapon, consisting of four 23-mm guns and a fuel supply for four and a half hours of flight. The aerodynamics of the aircraft was radically redesigned. In particular, the wing profile has changed - it has become laminar, which somewhat reduced drag. The result was a car with exceptionally high flight data.
State tests of the La-9 passed without any complications and without any serious comments. It is characteristic that the La-9 jet fighters that appeared simultaneously with it were inferior only in top speed, significantly surpassing them in maneuverability, soon-"lift, range and duration of flight, as well as in terms of armament power. The only wish expressed was to increase the flight range, thus turning the front-line fighter into an escort fighter. The recommendation was easily implemented by increasing the capacity wing fuel tanks.In addition, due to one removed gun, it was possible to equip the car with an anti-icing system.At the same time, in order to maintain alignment, the mesloradiator had to be moved from the tail section to the front, under the engine.
The new aircraft was named La-11. But it was not only an escort fighter. The device of his benzoene-stem allowed the use of only two tanks out of five - and then the La-11 was in no way inferior to the La-9. That is why the "eleventh" soon completely replaced the "ninth" in the series and, together with the all-metal La-9U, was in service with our Air Force for a long time, as if insuring the nascent jet aircraft. Only with the advent of the MiG-15 did the era of piston fighters come to its logical conclusion.
However, La-11 still had to fight. On it, Korean-Skye and Chinese pilots repelled barbaric American air raids on peaceful cities and ancient places of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea during the years of intervention. For many "corsairs", "tein mustangs" and "sullerfortress" volleys of guns from Lavochkin's aircraft became fatal.
The light front-line fighter, which was primarily a weapon of defense, perfectly corresponded to the Soviet military doctrine. But the designers of Western countries adhered to a completely different tactical concept. There, in the mid-40s, exceptionally heavy vehicles with a long flight range were built, which were used both to escort long-range bombers and to destroy ley bombers, since they could also carry a solid bomb load.
The most typical representative of the class of aircraft of an exclusively offensive nature was the American Thunderbolt. During the war years, it was repeatedly modernized and the latest versions had a 2300 hp engine. e., equipped with a turbocharger to increase the altitude. This allowed him to accompany the B-29 "super-fortresses" at altitudes over 10 thousand meters. And the fighter itself could take on board more than a ton of bombs, and takeoff weight it exceeded 9 tons (by the way, this is more than that of our average Pe-2 bomber). Created back in 1941, the Thunderbolt had a classic aerodynamic scheme and the most powerful of the then available engines.
As for the powerful engine, the expediency of its use on a fighter was not in doubt, but the classic scheme ... Many aircraft designers believed that its replacement had reserves for improving flight data.
Among the research developments, there were also such exotic ones as, for example, the pancake disk plane "Skimmer" of the company "Vout", which, according to the creators, was supposed to have a speed range from 0 to 800 km / h. But still, great hopes were placed on less fantastic devices, for example, on the Valti HP-54, a two-beam fighter with a 2000-horsepower liquid-cooled engine and a pusher propeller. Armament was placed in the nose of this aircraft, including two 37-mm guns.
A battery of machine guns and cannons was also installed in the nose of another fighter - the KhP-56 of the Northrop company. Air-cooled engine with a capacity of 2 thousand liters. With. located in the tail section, and the cockpit fit into the midsection of the engine. To remove the huge power with a screw of limited diameter, I had to go for the installation of coaxial screws. But the main feature of the HP-56 was the swept wing and the absence of horizontal tail, which made it possible to reduce the mass of the structure and increase the aircraft's speed to 744 km/h.
Only the transition to the "duck" scheme could improve these indicators, since the aircraft of the tailless scheme must have an overestimated wing area to maintain take-off and landing properties, while on the "duck" the eye could be significantly smaller. Japanese aircraft designers managed to fully reveal all the advantages of such an arrangement in the Zh7V1 Kayushi fighter with an air-cooled engine with a capacity of 2130 hp. With. The Japanese "duck" in terms of flight performance surpassed all overseas experimental and production aircraft.
Of course, when developing "crazy" layouts, the designers did not forget the old proven way to improve flight performance by installing a second motor * and thereby doubling the total power. The most original, perhaps, was a kind of "push-pull" - the Dornier-335 fighter-bomber, which was in service with the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany. The first engine with a capacity of 1750 liters. With. occupied the usual place in front, and the second, working on a pusher propeller, behind the cockpit. As a result, a twin-engine car had a midsection and the dimensions of a single-engine one, and as a result, its speed exceeded 760 km / h.
After the surrender of the "Third Reich" experimental work in the field of piston fighters ceased everywhere - wider prospects opened up for jet fighters. But piston fighters were in service for many more years.
Similar planes still fly today, but without weapons. The fact is that they were chosen by athletes - air racers. In 1969, the American D. Greensmeier on a modified "Birket" with a 3200 hp engine. With. reached a speed of 776 km / h and exceeded the world speed record for piston engines, which had been held since 1939, and in August 1979 this record was surpassed. He was beaten by the Mustang with a liquid-cooled engine with a capacity of 3 thousand liters. e., with a top speed of 803 km/h. It is characteristic that such a slight increase in speed was carried out due to a huge increase in engine power. This once again clearly confirmed the futility of piston fighters. They were already being replaced by jet aircraft, the first flights of which took place in the early 40s.
La-11 is an all-metal monoplane fighter of the classical design.
WING with a laminar profile TsAGI, detachable, consisted of a center section and two consoles. The power scheme of the wing: one spar, torsion skin, and the rear wall, to which the landing shield was suspended.
The FUSELAGE consisted of three parts: a gun carriage - a welded truss, to which the engine mount N of the aircraft armament was attached; the middle semi-monocoque part and the tail monocoque - ie stringers, frames and skin.
The feathering of the aircraft is all-metal. Stabilizer - ie two single-spar consoles mounted on the rear fuselage. The keel is integral with the fuselage.
The elevators and rudders, as well as the ailerons, had metal frames and fabric covering.
CHASSIS console, with side struts-hydraulic lifts, retracted into the center section, inward to the axis of the aircraft. In the released position, the strut-hydraulic lift was locked with a ball and hydraulic lock. Wheel brakes are pneumatic. The release and cleaning of the landing gear and landing flaps were carried out by a hydraulic system.
The POWER PLANT included an ASh-82FN air-cooled engine with direct fuel injection into the cylinders and a VISH-105V4 propeller. Engine hood for orientation of cooling cylinders air flow had a special profiling and a system of deflectors. In addition, the crankcase and engine units were closed with an internal hood. The airflow was regulated by petal-type blinds at the entrance and two shutters at the exit. Exhaust pipes were also displayed under the same doors - six on each side. The engine suction nozzle was located in the upper part of the hood, and its intake fit into the front edge of the frontal ring of the hood. The air intake of the oil cooler located under the engine crashed into it, only from below (on the La-9, the oil cooler was located in a special tunnel under the fuselage). The benzosis theme included five wing tanks with a total capacity of 1109 liters (on La-9-825 liters).
La-11, designed for long-range escort of bombers and flights in difficult weather conditions, was equipped with an anti-icing system. The frontal part of the wing consoles was heated by a gasoline air heater, and special conductive rubber was used to heat the leading edge of the stabilizer. Removing ice from propeller carried out with an alcohol system.
The armament of the La-11 consisted of three 23 mm VS-23 synchronous cannons located in the upper part of the fuselage under the engine hood. There were four such guns on La-9.
La-9 and La-11 were painted either entirely in light gray or in protective green on top and blue on the bottom.
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Fighter La-11- Soviet long-range piston fighter developed by OKB-301, is a further development of the La-9 aircraft. Continuing to improve their fighters, the Design Bureau of S.A. Lavochkin built a new aircraft "134" (La-9M) on the basis of La-9. The production of a new fighter under the designation La-11 began at plant No. 21 in Gorky in 1947. There the car was called “product 51” or “type 51”. During the year, this enterprise produced the first 100 mass-produced machines. At first, they were not so different from the La-9. Outwardly, of course, you can’t confuse them. The transfer of the oil cooler to the front ring of the hood greatly changed the appearance of the front of the aircraft. But other changes were less noticeable. La-11 was assembled in parallel with La-9. Therefore, some changes in their design were made at the same time. So, in 1948, 210 changes were introduced into the design and equipment of the La-11.
The first flight on it in May 1947 was performed by test pilot A.G. Kochetkov, who transferred to the design bureau from the Air Force Research Institute. Five days later, a second copy of the "134D" with a longer flight range appeared at the Chkalovskaya airfield. Additional fuel tanks were equipped in its consoles, as a result, the fuel supply on it increased from 825 to 1100 liters. Two experimental versions of the aircraft "134" and "134D" differed from the La-9 with an oil cooler built into the engine hood and the number of NS-23 guns reduced to three. The propeller group of these modifications was a single complex. The cannon loopholes, the oil cooler air intake were organically integrated into the ASh-82FN engine hood, which significantly reduced the overall resistance of the machine in flight. The 134D aircraft, designed to escort bombers, had an additional oxygen tank and a urinal. The seat was equipped with adjustable armrests and a wide padded back. The weighting of the machine led to a decrease in flight data. Despite the continuity of the 134 and La-9 fighters, tests revealed more than a hundred defects in the new machine. But the car was still recommended for mass production with the name La-11. Serial production continued until 1951, in total about 800 cars were produced in various versions.
In 1948, the idea came up to use fighters La-11 to protect the polar regions of the USSR. At that time, several scientific expeditions of the USSR Academy of Sciences were working in the North Pole region. It was decided to fly the La-11 group to one of the ice floes used by scientists. Three planes made a safe landing on the ice floe. After completing several flights from the ice floe, they returned back. After these flights, La-11s began to regularly guard our northern borders. To do this, it was necessary to install an anti-icing system on the aircraft, improve navigation equipment and ensure takeoff from rough snow strips. In 1950, 150 La-11s were retrofitted with RV-2 radio altimeters, MRP-48 marker radios, and ARK-5 automatic radio compasses. Apparently, not all production vehicles that left the factory airfield were fully equipped with radio equipment.
La-11 fighters participated in hostilities. In 1951, by order of the Council of Ministers, China received 60 La-11 aircraft. On them, Chinese and Korean pilots repelled American air raids on the peaceful cities of the DPRK. There they scored several victories over American aircraft, but they could not defeat the B-29. After all, the Yankees flew at altitudes of about 10,000 m, and it took La-11 26 minutes to reach such a height. In the USSR, La-11 fighters participated in the interception of American reconnaissance aircraft. On April 8, 1950, the La-11 flight took off to intercept the target. The American plane did not obey the Soviet pilots, who ordered him to land, and fire was opened to kill. As a result, nine crew members died.
La-11, designed for long-range escort of bombers and flights in adverse weather conditions, was equipped with an anti-icing system. The frontal part of the wing consoles was heated by a gasoline air heater, and special conductive rubber was used to heat the leading edge of the stabilizer. The removal of ice from the propeller was carried out with an alcohol system. The armament of the La-11 consisted of three 23 mm VS-23 synchronous cannons located in the upper part of the fuselage under the engine hood.
All La-11 could conduct aerial reconnaissance using a standard AFA-IM planning camera. It was quite compact and light camera, but with very limited capabilities. The idea arose to create a high-speed and maneuverable long-range reconnaissance reconnaissance aircraft on the basis of a fighter, capable of shooting objects well protected by air defense systems behind enemy lines. A swinging installation with a more advanced AFA-BA-40 camera was installed on the car. In July 1950, factory tests were completed, and on September 22, state tests of the La-11 in the photo reconnaissance variant were completed. This modification did not have any special designation. Tests showed that in the reconnaissance version with external tanks, the La-11 turned out to be overweight; with increased weight, he lacked engine power. However, the aircraft was accepted into service. The reconnaissance aircraft were not specially built, but were converted from previously produced fighters.
La-11 is a single-seat long-range fighter, an all-metal cantilever monoplane. This description corresponds to aircraft manufactured in 1948, starting from the 4th series. Fuselage - semi-monocoque oval section, riveted construction. Technologically, it is divided into front and tail parts, which are joined by bolts in four nodes. The frame of the front part - a truss structure, consists of seven main and four additional frames, stamped from sheet duralumin, four spars and stringers. A truss-carriage welded from steel pipes is attached to the front. The tail section of the semi-monocoque design has nine frames and four semi-frames, stamped from duralumin, as well as four spars and stringers. The fuselage skin is load-bearing, made of a sheet with a thickness of 1.2 mm to 2 mm. On the left side is a large hatch. The keel is integral with the rear fuselage; its frame is formed by the upper parts of the fuselage frames, as well as the ribs and the keel spar. The thickness of the skin is 0.8-1 mm.
The cockpit is located in front of the fuselage. From above it closes a transparent lantern with a frame made of steel pipes. It consists of a visor, in which armored glass 60 mm thick is mounted in front, a middle section that slides back and a fixed rear part. middle section in emergency reset. In the fixed part on the left there is a hinged hatch for access to radio equipment and a tank with slurry.
The pilot's seat is stamped from duralumin sheet, with a cup for a parachute, adjustable in height. The chair has a soft cushion on the back and armrests. Behind the pilot is protected by an armored back and armored glass 73 mm thick, mounted in a frame behind his head. Ventilation in the cabin is carried out through a pipe, exposed to the right in front of the canopy. The air flow is regulated by a valve. Air can also be supplied through a special channel from the oil cooler tunnel; a control valve is installed on the channel. A urinal is provided for the pilot.
The wing, assembled from laminar profiles, is technologically divided into a center section and two consoles. The center section is the main power unit of the aircraft. Consoles, landing gear, motor mount, carriage, fuselage and landing shields are attached to it. The center section frame consists of one spar, a rear wall, 12 split ribs and a rear stringer connecting the tails of the latter to each other. The spar is an I-section with steel shelves and a duralumin wall. The toes of 10 ribs have cutouts for the gutters for laying the landing gear. Pipes are mounted in the ribs at the junction with the consoles, serving as axles when turning the landing gear. From the bottom, in the middle between the spar and the rear wall, there is a hatch for mounting gas tanks.
The design of the consoles is similar to the design of the center section. The frame of each console consists of a spar, a rear wall and 18 ribs. The skin of the entire wing is a duralumin sheet 1.2-1.5 mm thick. The joints of the center section with the consoles at the top and bottom are covered with aluminum tapes. The wingtips are detachable, rounded, have a set of stamped diaphragms, covered with sheet sheathing 1.2 mm thick. On the right console, a PVD tube is attached, and a landing light is located in the toe of the left. On the trailing edge of the wing are mounted landing flaps of all-metal construction with a deflection angle of up to 60°. Their release and cleaning are carried out hydraulically. Ailerons of the "Frize" type with a metal frame and linen covering are attached to the consoles. On the right aileron, a thin adjustment plate is riveted, which is bent on the ground. An electric trimmer is mounted on the left. The junction of the wing and fuselage is closed by the upper and lower ferings (fairings). They are made of duralumin sheet reinforced with stamped diaphragms.
The tail unit is of a normal design, single-keel. The horizontal tail, recruited from the aerodynamic profiles "B" with a relative thickness of 11%, consists of a stabilizer and elevators. The stabilizer installation angle is 1.5". from profiles "B" with a relative thickness of 9%. As already mentioned, the keel is made together with the rear of the fuselage; the rudder is hung on it at three nodes. The tail frame is all-metal, covered with canvas. All rudders are equipped with trimmers.
Aircraft control La-11- mixed: elevator and ailerons - by means of rigid rods, rudder - by means of cables. The pilot has an aircraft control stick and pedals. The rudder trims are operated by handwheels on the left side of the cab. The trim control on the left aileron is electric.
Chassis - retractable, with a tail wheel. The main bearings are equipped with oil-pneumatic shock absorbers. Their 660x160mm pack pressure wheels have dual air brakes. Racks with the help of side struts-lifts are removed by the hydraulic system into the wing towards the axis of the aircraft. In the retracted position, they are completely covered by flaps. Both in the retracted and in the released position, the racks are locked with hydraulic locks. The tail support, retractable back into the fuselage, is equipped with a 300x125 mm wheel. Depreciation - oil-pneumatic. The wheel is self-orienting, with a landing locking mechanism. In the retracted position, it completely goes into a niche in the rear fuselage and is closed by flaps. An emergency release of the chassis with compressed air from an onboard cylinder was envisaged. Wheel position alarm - electric, with lights on the dashboard; for the main racks - also mechanical, with pins protruding upwards from the wing.
The ASh-82FN two-row star-shaped 14-cylinder air-cooled engine with direct fuel injection into the cylinders has a two-stage driven centrifugal supercharger and gearbox. It rotates a three-bladed metal variable-pitch propeller VISH-105V-4 with a diameter of 3.1 m, the sleeve of which is closed with a streamlined spinner. The motor mount is a welded truss made of steel pipes. Motor cooling is controlled by louvres at the front and two side flaps at the rear. Blinds are controlled by a cable mechanism, shutters - by means of an electric drive. The air intake for the supercharger is carried out through a window on top in the front ring of the hood. On takeoff, air enters through the dust filter, the main path is automatically closed by a hydraulic damper when the landing gear is extended. Exhaust - through 12 nozzles: ten individual and two paired. Starting the engine - with compressed air from a cylinder on an airplane or an airfield cylinder.
Fuel is placed in five tanks located between the spar and the rear wall. Three of them are in the center section: the central metal one with a capacity of 270 liters and two soft ones with 215 liters each. Two more soft tanks of 200 liters are placed in the root parts of the consoles. The total capacity of the system is 1100 l (normal filling is 700 l). Installation of tanks of the center section - through the hatch from below. Central tank - welded, made of aluminum alloy, protected; it is suspended on two tapes to the upper skin of the center section. Soft tanks - multi-layered, made of fabric, rubber and leatherette, in the center section - protected. Before installation, they were placed in plywood caisson boxes. Wing tanks were inserted into the holes in the ribs before attaching the consoles to the center section. As the fuel was consumed, the tanks were filled with cooled and dried exhaust gases to reduce the risk of a fire during lumbago.
The oil tank is welded from aluminum alloy, with a capacity of 63 liters (normal filling - 50 liters), mounted on frame No. 1 and closed with a heat-insulating casing. Oil cooler - type OP-812, honeycomb, C-shaped, located at the bottom in the front ring of the hood. The control flap of the oil cooler channel is equipped with an electric drive. For sticking operation in winter, there is a system for diluting the oil with gasoline. The hydraulic system provides a drive for cleaning and extending the landing gear and landing flaps. The pressure in it is created by the MSH-3A pump mounted on the motor. Compressed air used to start the engine, emergency landing gear, brakes and reloading guns, is stored on the left side of the center section in an 8-liter cylinder, recharged from a cylinder at the airfield. The electrical system is powered by a GSN-3000 generator on the engine and a 12A-10S-3 battery in a wooden container at the rear of the fuselage. The network is two-wire. The aircraft is equipped with a set of navigation lights and a landing light FS-155.
The radio equipment includes the RSI-6 radio station (RSI-6K transmitter and RSI-6M1 receiver), ARK-5 radio compass, RV-2 radio altimeter and SCh-3M SRO set. The receiver and transmitter are mounted behind the cockpit. The radio station antenna is two-beam, stretched between the wooden mast and the keel, the SCh-3M antennas are between the fuselage and the stabilizer. The radio compass frame is installed under the cabin floor. T-shaped antennas RV-2 are located under the wing panels. On the later series of fighters, the MRP-48 receiver was mounted, the antenna of which is pulled from below in the rear of the fuselage from the starboard side.
The anti-icing system includes devices for heating the leading edges of the consoles and the stabilizer and washers for the propeller blades and the front bulletproof glass of the cockpit canopy. Two heaters (petrol heaters) BO-20 are installed one in each console. Cold air for the BO-20 is taken in through windows in the middle of the leading edge. Warm air from the heaters is fed into the channels in the wing toe, passes through them and is ejected through the holes in the root part and in the tips. The leading edge of the center section has no heating. The toe of the stabilizer is glued with conductive rubber and is heated by the current passing through it. The propeller blades and the front bulletproof glass are washed with an alcohol mixture supplied by an electric pump from a tank with a capacity of 15.3 liters. The tank is mounted in the casing of the engine gearbox. The inclusion of all these devices is carried out by the pilot after the icing warning light comes on.
Oxygen equipment consists of a KP-14 device, a KM-14 mask and two cylinders: one with a capacity of 8 liters, lying in the center section toe on the right, and another 4 liters, standing vertically in the radio compartment. The kit can be supplemented with a KP-15 parachute oxygen device for jumping from high altitudes. The aircraft provides for the installation of a planned AFA-IM camera in the rear of the fuselage. The shutters of the photo hatch open with a cable mechanism. The fighter is equipped with an electric rocket launcher (flare cassette) with four rockets on the right side of the cockpit and a first aid kit on the right side of the fuselage in the tail section.
Fighter armament La-11 includes three NS-23S synchronous guns of 23 mm caliber. They are installed asymmetrically at the top in front of the fuselage - two on the left and one on the right. Total ammunition - 225 rounds. Spent cartridges and belt links are assembled when firing into cartridge boxes. Cannon reloading is pneumatic, fire control is electro-pneumatic. The ASP-1N collimator sight is located in the cockpit in front of the canopy. To control the results of firing and training targets, a C-13 photo-machine gun in a fairing is mounted on the cockpit canopy.
Main characteristics of La-11
Crew: 1 person
Length: 8.62 m
Wingspan: 9.80 m
Height: 3.47 m
Wing area: 17.59 m
Empty weight: 2770 kg
Weight normal takeoff: 3730 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 3996 kg
Fuel weight: 846 kg
Engine: 1 x ASh-82FN (1 x 1850 hp)
Max Speed:
at altitude: 674 km/h
near the ground: 562 km/h
Practical range: 2235 km
Service ceiling: 10,250 m
Rate of climb: 758 m/min
Armament 3 x 23 mm NS-23 guns
In the distant thirties of the 20th century, the era of biplane fighters, which dominated the sky literally from the moment of the birth of aviation, ended, and the period of high-speed monoplane fighters began.
The first mass-produced fighter of this type was the I-16:
The last one was - the last piston fighter in the USSR (and probably all over the world) LA-11. All fighters of this class, regardless of who developed them, have an amazing resemblance and look alike almost like brothers. Moreover, even many of their foreign counterparts, surprisingly, have similar common features, but we'll talk about them some other time next time.
A legitimate question arises - why and how did it happen? This is what I want to talk about in this brief historical review of USSR fighters with air-cooled radial engines ...
My previous articles on historical topics:
If you look at the drawings or photographs of monoplane fighters of the 30-50s of the last century, you can see great amount different in design and appearance fighters of various designers - both domestic and foreign. The profiles of aircraft of the same designer usually resemble one another, but aircraft of different designers have outlines and designs that differ significantly from one another. This is exactly the case for fighters with water-cooled engines. However, if from a long range of fighter designs it is precisely the machines with air-cooled radial engines that are singled out, then the picture immediately changes and they magically become similar friend like twin brothers, and not only in appearance, but also in layout and even in internal structure.
Here are some images of cars of this class known at the time:
The scale here is not too precisely observed, but basically corresponds to one another. The first two machines are designed by Polikarpov (I-16 and I-185), and the last two are designed by Lavochkin (LA-5 and LA-11) ... Except for the size of the aircraft, everything else is made as if in carbon copy - they are all so similar.
If you build approximately the same line of machines with in-line water-cooled engines from the 30-40s, then there will be significantly more significant differences in appearance and internal design:
The first Polikarpov fighter (I-17, 30s), then LaGG-3 and MiG-3 at the turn of the 30s-40s, and the last two are the Yak-1 and Yak-9 designer Yakovlev. The location of air intakes, weapons, general layout and design - literally everything is different from designer to designer and from model to model.
For a long time, back in my school years, during classes at the Chisinau SYuT, I had thoughts that all this was far from accidental and should be explained by something. The different designs and different looks of the water-cooled fighters are completely intuitive. used different materials, different engines, different weapons, etc., including different designers made cars, as they say, to their taste and color. But for fighters with radial air engines - the picture is different. The weapons are different, the engines are a smaller variety, but there are, the designers are different, but the solutions used are such that it seems they borrowed ideas from each other.
The first thing that clarifies the situation is the design of the radial engine. At the dawn of aviation in 1910-1920, they were often used in aviation and had a wide variety of designs, including those with cylinders rotating with the propeller for better cooling ... For example, the well-known Gnome-Ron engine.
Engine Gnome-Ron
The cylinder block rotated along with the propeller for better cooling. It was used in many aircraft of the 1st World War, including those of Russian designers. But such exotic designs quickly disappeared from the scene. The historical ancestor of almost all radial motors with fixed cylinders was the Lawrance J-1 engine, created in the 20s of the 20th century, developed in the USA.
Lawrance J-1 engine
Its further development led to the emergence of a whole series of engines with the common name Wright of various modifications.
Wright-Whirlwind-R-790A engine
There were various modifications of it in 5, 7, 9 cylinders in one row, then two-row 14 and 18 cylinder versions appeared. A distant descendant of these models is the Soviet long-lived aircraft industry, the Soviet ASh-82 engine.
USSR ASh-82 engine.
The design features, shape and dimensions of radial engines just determined the characteristic lobed and round shape of the hood of fighter jets of the 1930s and 40s with air-cooled engines. Their peculiarity is that they provided more power per unit weight, had a simpler design than engines with a complex water cooling system, and significantly greater reliability (at least foreign ones). For example, when bullets and shells hit the radial engine, it could often continue to work until landing, while the water-cooled inline engine overheated as soon as coolant leaked through the hole and stopped. In addition, the radial engine covered the pilot well, unlike the in-line engine, which had a much smaller cross section.
I propose to look at a series of USSR fighters of the 30-40s in their historical sequence. Along the way, some more reasons for the strange similarity of fighters with radial engines will become clear. I will not go too far into the past and will only consider monoplane fighters (biplanes are a separate issue and deserve a separate description). Undoubtedly, the number one in this series will be the famous Polikarpov I-16 fighter, for which the no less famous pilot V. Chkalov opened the way to the sky. Its first flight was made on December 30, 1933. Its performance characteristics and its glorious history are easy to find on Wikipedia, so I won’t dwell on it especially.
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I-16 during the war in Spain.
For my long life since its inception, it had many modifications, was armed with from 2 to 4 machine guns or a couple of machine guns and a couple of automatic guns. More than 10,000 aircraft of various modifications were produced. The last I-16s were decommissioned by the Spanish Air Force already in the 50s. Created in the design bureau of the famous aircraft designer Polikarpov, also known under the pseudonym "King of Fighters". I must say that in the 30s there were only two widely known aircraft designers Polikarpov and Tupolev. The second developed bombers and heavy aircraft. The first died during the war at 52, and the second lived a long life and developed many aircraft after the Victory of 45, including civilian ones, which are known to everyone and still fly. Their biographies are also easy to find online. Biography of Polikarpov N.N. Biography Tupolev A.N.
It was these designers who determined the direction of development of the Soviet aviation industry in the 30s and later. It was from their design bureau that most of the aircraft designers of the 40s came out. Let's remember this fact. We'll need it later. Both Mikoyan and Lavochkin started their engineering activities at N.N. Polikarpov Design Bureau.
The next, important stage in the development of fighters with radial engines was the I-180 fighter, during the tests of which V. Chkalov tragically died. This largely determined the fate of N.N. Polikarpov, only a little later. In this case, it is important for you and me that, developed back in 1938, this aircraft in its characteristics far exceeded all other fighters of its time and even many German aircraft of 1941-1942, which cannot be said about other Soviet fighters of later releases. A little lower will be a comparative table of performance characteristics of various fighters of that time and you can see for yourself.
The pinnacle of N.N. Polikarpov is the I-185 fighter following the I-180. Designed and tested in 1941, before the start of the war. Already in 1941, he reached a speed of more than 600 km / h. He was armed with either 2x7.62mm + 2x12.7mm, or three 20 mm ShVAK guns. Exceeded in performance characteristics literally all the fighters that existed at that time and developed much later, both Soviet and German
Various modifications of the I-185 in 1941-1943.
Unfortunately, this fighter was produced only in a limited series for military trials. The reasons for this fact are beyond the scope of our discussion here. A huge number of books and articles have been written about this, where various versions and memories of eyewitnesses are considered, but conspiracy theory is not my forte.
For the I-185 M-71 fighter, recognized after military and state tests as the "best modern fighter" for the end of 1942 and the beginning of 1943, N.N. Polikarpov was awarded the Stalin Prize of the 1st degree for 1943. This is the lower version in the picture above. Amazing plane. I have long wanted to build a copy of it, but I can’t make up my mind - my respect for N.N. is very great. Polikarpov does not want to make this copy hastily and haphazardly. Died N.N. Polikarpov, the "King of Fighters", an absolutely brilliant designer and student of the famous Russian aircraft designer I.I. Sikorsky in 1944 without completing his work on so many projects. It is likely that the dark intrigues around his KB in 1940-1943 greatly accelerated his death.
So let's get back to the topic of the review ... About the similarity of all subsequent aircraft with radial air engines to the designs of N.N. Polikarpov. She really is. And it is determined not only by the design of the engine, which of course determines a lot. Compare, for example, the first serial LA-5 with the latest modification of the I-185.
"Valery Chkalov" is one of the first variants of LA-5.
It is very difficult to distinguish the last version of the I-185 and the first LA-5 in appearance. I quote Wikipedia: "Lavochkin La-5 is a single-engine fighter created by OKB-21 under the leadership of S.A. Lavochkin in 1942 in the city of Gorky." Remember, I noted that Lavochkin worked in N.N. Polikarpov? Right - that's exactly what I mean. Even the engine on the penultimate model I-185 and on the first LA-5 is the same - M82. No - of course, Lavochkin did not steal anything from N.N. Polikarpov, but the influence of the teacher on the student is undoubted. True, Lavochkin could not achieve the parameters of the I-185 at 42 in his LA-5 aircraft. The aircraft was a worthy opponent for the Messerschmites and Focke-Wulfs, but in terms of its performance characteristics it was in line with them.
The further development of the LA-5 - the fighter La-7, and then the LA-9, naturally repeats the original LA-5 in many ways. Materials, engines, weapons have changed significantly performance characteristics, but the main generic features of the LA-5 brother and I-185 father are noticeable to everyone who wants to see and think.
Design Bureau Lavochkin only in 1943, on the LA-5FN model with a forced engine, managed to the most important parameter TTX - in terms of speed - surpass the teacher's car and former boss N.N. Polikarpov I-185, which I-185 showed back in 1941, almost before the start of the war.
Fighter LA-7 I. Kozhedub.
Interesting fact: A.I. Pokryshkin, the first three times Hero of the USSR, according to some memoirs of front-line soldiers, preferred the American Airacobra to all domestic aircraft (even La-7), despite the fact that La-7 in many respects surpassed it in their performance characteristics. 
Fighter LA-9.
Lavochkin's last model, developed during and released after the war, is the LA-9.
And finally, the last piston fighter developed in the USSR as a long-range escort fighter - LA-11. It made its first flight in May 1947, and was mass-produced in 1947-1951.
Long-range escort fighter LA-11.
This aircraft worthily completed the entire line of aircraft discussed above from I-16 to LA-9 and is famous for taking part in the Chinese and Korean conflicts, where it successfully opposed American aircraft of that time. It ended the era of piston aircraft, which were in service with the USSR in the mid-50s.
The result of all of the above is that the amazing similarity of all the considered machines is due, on the one hand, to the similar designs of the best engines for their time, as well as the design principles inherited from N.N. Polikarpov, which of course does not detract from the merits of Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin himself (or Simon Alterovich) - Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Major General of the Aviation Engineering Service, four times Stalin Prize laureate, twice Hero of Socialist Labor.
In the end, I cite the comparative table promised above, from which it is clearly visible how many years the I-180 and I-185 fighters were ahead of their time.
Thank you for your attention
Nicholas P.
PS: In preparing the article, illustrative materials from various sources on the Internet were used, including:
- Materials from Wikipedia,
- Materials of the site "Palette of the Wing"
- Materials of the site "Corner of the sky"
- Some other sources available on the web
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