MiG-37B fighter: a subtle fictional secret
Secret History
In the eighties, one of the main topics in the field of military aviation there was a reduction in visibility for enemy detection tools. The appearance of the first stealth aircraft, which, as expected, could radically change the face of the air forces of leading countries. Rumors circulated in the USA about their own projects in the field of stealth technologies, and the possibility of the appearance of such developments in third countries was also discussed.
The protagonist of rumors and discussions then was a hypothetical, inconspicuous F-19 aircraft of American design. Later it turned out that the real stealth tactical aircraft was called F-117. The technical details of the project were not disclosed, which became good ground for speculation.
In 1986, the American company Testors released a prefabricated scale model of the F-19 fighter. This product reflected solely the views of the designers of the company and had nothing to do with real developments. At the same time, the miniature plane looked unusual and was futuristic. The model appeared at the right time and gained well-deserved popularity. Soon, F-19 became perhaps the most commercially successful Testors product in its entirety. history.
Model box from Testors. Photo Cybermodeler.com
At the same time, the press and the public were discussing the possibility of stealth aircraft from a potential enemy. The lack of real information from the USSR did not interfere with such processes at all, and in some cases even contributed to their development.
In 1987, Testors designers set about developing a new stealth aircraft, this time “Soviet”. Having familiarized themselves with real samples, data leaks, ratings, and even feature films, they came up with a fighter called the MiG-37B and arbitrarily assigned it the NATO Ferret E code. The new product was accompanied by a story about the work of Soviet industry, intelligence data and the characteristics of a previously unknown machine.
According to that legend, the MiG-37B was a direct rival to the American F-19. It was alleged that the Soviet project took all measures to reduce radar and infrared visibility, and also used modern electronic warfare equipment, which makes it difficult to detect the aircraft. According to the tabular flight-technical characteristics, the MiG-37Б lost a little to the main rival, but was ahead of it in maneuverability.
Initially, the MiG-37B prefabricated models were produced only at the American factory Testors. Soon their release was established by the Italian company Italeri. An unknown plane of the USSR interested buyers and provided manufacturers with a solid profit.
Later, “repackaging” appeared from some other companies, including Russian ones. Despite its considerable age, the model of the secret Soviet stealth fighter is still popular. In addition, Testors' hoaxes inspired other companies to "develop" their own top-secret and unknown aircraft technology.
It should be noted that the legend from Testors turned out to be extremely successful and tenacious. The real history of the MiG-37B has long been revealed and is well known, but there are still a lot of publications in which this aircraft is given out as a real Soviet development. Moreover, some even claim that the United States was able to get documentation on the Soviet aircraft and used it in its ATF program. However, the never-existing F-19 project also still creates unhealthy sensations.
Appearance of the future
Designers from Testors claimed that their MiG-37B was based on available data on promising Soviet developments and general considerations on the topic of stealth technologies. They were also inspired by the famous fictional MiG-31 aircraft from the movie “Fire Fox”. The result was an unusual fighter with a number of interesting features.
Packaging model from Italeri. Photo Scalemates.com
Modellers were offered an aircraft with an integrated layout with a pronounced flat bottom, developed influx of the bow and a trapezoidal wing. The tail unit was made in the form of collapsed arrow-shaped planes. “To reduce visibility”, the design mainly consisted of rectilinear panels assembled at different angles. Curved parts were present in a minimal amount.
In the bow of the fuselage placed a single cabin with a large lamp. It was alleged that the pilot was protected by booking.
A wing with a pronounced negative “V” had a standard set of mechanization in the form of a pair of deflectable elements on each plane. The inclined keels were equipped with rudders. On the continuation of the bottom under the plumage there was a plane-elevator. On top of the fuselage provided two air brakes.
The fictional plane received a power plant with two turbojet engines. To protect against radiation from below, air intakes were placed over the influx of the wing. Of particular interest is the nozzle apparatus, made in the form of a large gap located above the deflected plane. Apparently, the authors tried to imitate means of cooling a gas jet, and also to close the nozzle from irradiation with ground-based radars.
The original model from the "Testor" assembly. Photo Fantastic-plastic.com
The MiG-37B had a built-in 30-mm gun and eight suspension points. Four were located under the wing, the others - in two internal cargo bays located on the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. In front of the front compartment there was a niche of the nose landing gear, behind it there were niches of the main struts and a second compartment. It was argued that the fighter can carry all modern weapons to combat aircraft and ground targets.
"According to intelligence", the fighter had a length of about 13,5 m and a wing span of 10,2 m. Take-off mass exceeded 16 m. The aircraft could reach speeds of the order of M = 5 and was highly maneuverable.
Fudge potential
The model of the non-existent MiG-37Б aircraft is quite interesting, and in addition, it shows what views on stealth technologies existed in the mid-eighties. With modern knowledge, you can determine which features of a fictional fighter would be realistic and useful, and which designers would have to give up.
Rear view, characteristic nozzle unit is noticeable. Photo by Alternathistory.com
First of all, you need to consider the contours of the fighter. Indeed, the angular shape of stealth aircraft allowed to scatter radar radiation and reduce visibility. However, they spoiled flight performance, which is why they were subsequently abandoned. Modern subtle aircraft technology is characterized by smoother contours - and less noticeability.
The views of designers on the design of the power plant are interesting. The air intake above the wing, shielded from radiation, was indeed used in various Soviet and foreign projects. Studies have also been conducted to improve the nozzle apparatus. The flat nozzle of a special design made it possible to both reduce radiation and provide control of the thrust vector. However, real projects of this kind, brought to production and operation, do not look as bold as the MiG-37B.
The deployment of weapons in the internal cargo bay provides obvious advantages. As a result, such compartments have both the fictional MiG-37B and real stealth aircraft. The authors also guessed with a course on improving electronic equipment.
The bottom of the plane. The front cargo bay is open. Photo by Alternathistory.com
The authors of Ferret E clearly overestimated the ability of world industry, indicating the flight speed M = 5. Even 30 years after the appearance of their “development”, real combat aircraft do not even come close to M = 3. The advantages of such speeds simply do not justify the difficulty of achieving them.
In general, the proposed appearance of a promising Soviet aircraft is quite interesting and has realistic features. Its other features turned out to be unrealistic or morally obsolete shortly after its appearance. A particular piquancy to the fighter was given by the history of its appearance.
Model without prototype
The rapid development of aviation in the past led not only to the development of fundamentally new models of equipment, but also to the appearance of rumors and hoaxes. Public interest in this topic spurred the media, publishers, and model makers to take special steps. In the mid-eighties, this led to the appearance of the F-19 and MiG-37Б models that did not have a real prototype.
If the MiG-37B fighter really existed, it would be of great technical interest. In addition, he would certainly attract the attention of modellers and model makers. However, as it turned out, the lack of a real model does not interfere with the release of new models and does not reduce the interest of the public.
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