Reactive firstborn Lavochkina

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As you know, the manufacture of the first domestic turbojet engine (TRD) AM Lyulka started before the war in Leningrad. But the forced evacuation and difficulties, especially the initial period of wartime, led to the cessation of work in this direction. Only three years later, on May 22 of the year 1944, the creation of a turbojet engine was resumed by the decree of the State Defense Committee No. 5945.

Today there is every reason to believe that in the Soviet Union the first project of an aircraft with a gas turbine engine was proposed by M.I. Hooters. It is a pity that Mikhail Ivanovich, the first to install a large-caliber gun on LaGG-3, an air-cooled M-82 engine and began to work out an airplane with Lyulka’s RTD-1 turbojet engine, “too early”

Is it the result of his relationship with Lavochkin?). Indeed, in agreement they could have done much more, but there was no agreement. The disaster of the Gu-1, as you already know, left a deep imprint on Gudkov's design biography, but in my opinion, it is hopeless to challenge a number of its priorities.

Taking this opportunity, I will tell you that in 1946, Gudkov was sent to Germany, apparently, on the issue of captured technology. Apparently, the main result of this trip was a proposal to develop an interceptor fighter with a liquid-propellant rocket engine. In March, 1948, the project was approved by representatives of the Air Force, Minister M.V. Khrunichev and a special commission of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Policy. But that was all. Nine months later, by order of the Ministry, Gudkov was appointed responsible head for the preparation and testing of the 346 aircraft created by German specialists interned in the USSR.


S.A. Lavochkin, A.S. Yakovlev and A.I. Mikoyan


In the middle of the 1950-s, Mikhail Ivanovich was appointed chief designer of the OKB-424, engaged in the creation of aerostatic aircraft for various purposes. In 1958, the development of a manned SS-stratospheric aerostat began in the walls of this company, which later received the name Volga for printing. A year later, Gudkov moved to the Universal plant, which produced various parachute-assault vehicles.

These are just touches to the designer’s biography, which has been silent for a long time. Generally in stories with Gudkov much unclear. Experience shows that there are not so many initiative engineers, and, judging by the works of Mikhail Ivanovich, he was an extraordinary person. There are no close relatives left, and we hardly know the whole truth about him.

It so happened that the use of jet engines on OKB-21 aircraft was the subject of the Moscow branch, headed by the SM. Aleksey-

you m. Semen Mikhailovich, relying on the Lyulka's C-18 turbojet engine, shortly after the war, he proposed the project of a fighter, which was designated as La-VRD. However, the project - it is too loudly said, rather it was a technical proposal. In contrast to Gudkov, Alekseev chose the two-plane aircraft scheme.

La-WFD was expected to reach speeds of up to 890 km / h, climb 5000 m in 2,5 minutes and have a ceiling of 15 km. However, the S-18 engine did not appear in the expected time frame and remained in the form of a bench model. A further development of reactive aviation at the first stage, it went along the path of using trophy turbojet engines YuMO-004 and BMV-003. Enough has been written about the circumstances under which new German aircraft appeared in the USSR, and I will not repeat it. I only note that in accordance with the order of the NKAP of April 28, 1945 V.Ya. Klimov was entrusted with the copying and serialization of the YuMO-004 turbojet engine under the designation RD-10. At that time it was the most powerful trophy turbojet engine, which developed a thrust of 900 kgf. Less than three months later, on July 20, the GKO adopted a resolution “On measures for the study and development of German jet technology”.

Work on the creation of Soviet jet firstborn, despite the widespread use of the latest achievements of German science and technology, was not easy. If the LaGG triumvirate did not break up in 1940, the OKB-301 would have had the chance to create a fighter jet first. But time ordered in its own way. The redrawn scheme of an aircraft with a turbojet engine was revived again and independently of Gudkov in OKB-115, headed by A.S. Yakovlev. The first who built and proceeded to the ground tests of a fighter with a turbojet engine was the team of Yakovlev, but Alexander Sergeyevich’s caution and “destroyed”. A.I. Mikoyan, who realized the advantages (of course, in those years) of the revised scheme, took a faster pace in the design and development of the machine. As a result, the MiG-9 received the laurels of the Soviet jet first-born, and the OKB-155 for many years became the leader of fighter aircraft.

And what about Lavochkin? OKB-301, one of the first to join the “jet race”, was almost five months behind them.


The first domestic aircraft with a turbojet Yak-15



MiG-9


The documents show that when creating new models of aviation technology, the requirements for it were primarily developed at the Design Bureau, because there they knew the possibilities of industry better than anywhere else. Only after adjusting the requirements of the customer appeared a government decree. There were no exceptions and jet aircraft, which were calculated under the same engines. Competitions involving the achievement of the same characteristics in the USSR were very rare. But the tacit spirit of competition was always present.

Judging by the assignments, SA Lavochkin, A.I. Mikoyan, P.O. Sukhoi and A.S. Yakovlev developed completely different aircraft. The mid-turbojet engines of the mid-1940-s allowed to create a single-engine fighter with a fairly high speed, but its armament and range due to weight limitations and high specific fuel consumption left much to be desired. I think it was only for this reason that OKB-301 considered fighter schemes with one and two engines. The project of the first of them received the designation "150", and the second - "160".

The 160 aircraft with a flight weight of about 4000 kg was distinguished by a powerful battery of three NS-23 guns with 240 ammunition of cartridges and was calculated on the maximum speed of 850 km / h. For some reason, this project, which also promised a good range, was rejected in favor of the 150 machine, the design of which began on 15 in May of 1946.

The edited layout of the turbojet propulsion system 900 kgf at that time was the only one that enabled the fighter to achieve acceptable performance. On this way we went to OKB-301. The layout of the aircraft "150" differed front cockpit.

The engine was placed behind it at an angle of 5 degrees 21 a minute, diverting a gas stream under the tail boom. The cockpit was supposed to have an ejection seat (of the type used on the German Non-162 aircraft), which, however, was not installed, and a lantern with an emergency reset device that was tilted to the side.

The first fighter glider, designed for static tests, built the plant number 381 in April 1946, when the Yak-15 and MiG-9 aircraft were already preparing to overcome gravity. According to the results of static tests, it was necessary to strengthen the airframe design. There were several reasons for this. It has long been the custom that if a glider on static tests withstands only 70 percent of the calculated load, this is good, if 130 percent is worse. The point here is that by strengthening the power elements that are prone to destruction, you can significantly save weight. It is much more difficult to weaken an overly solid structure, and it will still be heavier. The second reason for the finalization of the airframe were new standards of strength, designed for transonic aircraft. All this delayed the deadlines for passing the test flight.


The layout of the aircraft "150"



The first copy of the aircraft "150"


By the end of July, it seemed, all the obstacles on the way to the first flight of the aircraft had been removed, except that it was necessary to replace the engine, which had developed a resource by that time. But during high-speed taxiing they found out that because of the rear centering, the plane randomly sat on the tail. And again the delay. Only 11 September 1946, the factory test pilot A.A. Popov lifted the car into the air. This event cannot be called a great success for the domestic industry, since during this time, OKB-115 and OKB-155, which demonstrated their novelties at the traditional air parade in Tushino, went far ahead. But for the team Lavochkin it was, of course, a holiday. It would seem that the mountain is from the shoulders, but the OKB-301 staff failed to relax. The next day, it became known about the decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, which referred to the preparation for the November 7 air parade. The document prescribed, in particular, to build small series of MiG-9 fighters at the plant number 1 (Kuibyshev, now Samara), Yak-15 - at the plant number 31 and La 150. La-150 release was distributed equally, four in factories No. 301 and No. 21. New Minister of Aviation Industry M.V. Khrunichev, who replaced Shakhurin who had been repressed at the beginning of the year, quickly got down to business, because there shouldn't have been any failures. In less than two months, the planes needed not only to build, but also to fly around, for which they attracted both military and civilian test pilots.

It should be noted that by the time of adoption of the government document, Plant No. 381 built and transferred three assembled aircraft and several machines in aggregates to the Lavochkin Design Bureau, which, of course, made it easier for the 301 plant. Gorky also had to master the car from scratch. And again, as in the pre-war years, the weeks were compressed into days, the days into hours.

Externally, the production aircraft differed by a larger area of ​​vertical tail and a flat windshield of the cockpit lantern, replacing the one-piece curved visor that distorted the view of the front hemisphere. At the same time, additional protection of the tail boom against the impact of a high-temperature gas jet of the turbofan engine was introduced, providing for the flow of cold air between it and the steel screen.

To gain time, the aircraft did not install weapons and reservations, and reduced the composition of the equipment. So fighters were considered more political than fighting. weapons. Yes, and defects in them, both production and design, was abundant enough. It was necessary to limit the maximum flight speed of 600 km / h on the instrument, and the permitted operational overload corresponded more to transport aircraft than to fighters.

But the most significant drawback of the 150 aircraft, in my opinion, was the one-piece wing. If earlier Lavochkin aircraft with undocked wing consoles loaded onto railway platforms and sent to any point of the Soviet Union, this time the factory workers had to break their brains over this task. The car did not fit into the railway dimensions, transportation by barge, although convenient, took a lot of time. It was not possible because of the unsuitability of the factory aerodrome to overtake them through the air. Left alone


The first copy of the aircraft "150"



Modified L a-150 with increased vertical tail


the way is by land. For towing aircraft behind the car, special trailers were built and, overcoming all sorts of obstacles, in October they were taken to the Ramenskoye airfield. Training on 150 machines (sometimes called La-13, but I haven’t seen official confirmation of this) was started by both military and civilian test pilots.

Nevertheless, they could solve the political task, but this did not happen. 7 November 1946 was disgusting, non-flying weather in Moscow and its suburbs. After the holiday, five cars were handed over to OKB-301 for fine tuning and completion of factory flight tests. In addition to A.A. Popov in the tests participated pilot OKB S.F. Mashkovsky and I.E. Fedorov, and from LII - M.L. Gallai and G.M. Shiyanov. The remaining aircraft were in the Air Force Institute. Judging by the report of OKB-301, by the end of 1946, the 150 aircraft completed a total of 35 flights.

The test phase was delayed until mid-July, 1947. By this time, one of the machines, designated as “150M”, modified the wing. New, deflected down tips by 35 degrees reduced the lateral stability margin, while simultaneously increasing the angular velocity of the roll. Expanded cockpit and reduced aerodynamic compensation of the elevator, put the ejection seat and armor. The fuel supply has increased by almost 180 liters. There were other, less significant improvements that improved the performance of the fighter. But flight data compared with the prototype have deteriorated markedly, mainly due to the increased weight. In this form, the aircraft presented to the Air Force Institute.

At the stage of state tests, the engineer V.I. Alekseenko and pilot V.E. Golofastov. As Vladimir Efremovich told me, the 150 had poor maneuverability, could only complete one loop, and the second lacked strength. In addition, insufficient travel stability when landing with a side wind. Fly around the car and the pilots of the Air Force Research Institute AG. Kochetkov, P.M. Stefanovsky, A.P. Suprun The test plane could not stand. Although the “150” designers and provided weapons, they still considered the aircraft more experimental than combat.

Looking ahead, we note that the latest modification of this machine was the 150F aircraft with an RD-10YuF engine. Factory tests, which took place from July 25 to September 5 (pilot I.Ye. Fedorov), although they showed a significant improvement in its speed characteristics, they didn’t save its reputation.

Creating each time a new plane, Lavochkin was in a hurry and, while the war was on, he was in time. “Rather, it is our law,” wrote Simon Alekseevich. “This walking wisdom doesn’t apply to us aircraft designers:“ Better late than never. ” For us, late is worse than never. The plane, which was late, which flew into the sky later than it was supposed to, looks like a fighter who appeared on the battlefield today in the vestments of past years: it is outdated, it is inconvenient, and most importantly, the enemies have long found its vulnerable spots. ”

However, with the La-150 it happened. "The first pancake came out lumpy."

Airplane "152"

After La-150, the 301 aircraft, built with the experience already gained, began to claim the role of the first combat vehicle of the OKB-152. Having preserved the classical scheme of the predecessor, the new fighter was largely reworked. He became a midplane and more like the Yak-15. I did not succeed in finding an official explanation for the rejection of the layout of the La-150, but I think this is primarily due to the need to improve the maneuverability of the vehicle. From here there is a rejection of separated masses - the cockpit of the pilot and the engine, as well as the transition to the scheme of the midplan These changes were supposed to help improve maneuverability in the vertical plane and increase the angular velocity of the roll.

According to the task, the 152 fighter with the RD-10 engine should have reached ground speed of 840 km / h, and on 5000 m - 860 km / h, climb this height in 4,8 minutes, have a ceiling of at least 12 500 m and fly at a distance of 700 km. Planned weapons from two 37-mm guns.


The final version of the La-150 with increased vertical tail and deflected down wingtips


The wing of the aircraft “152” was assembled from the new, as they said, more “mechanical-resistant” profiles “12145” and ПХNUMX-2 with relative thickness 12 percent. At the same time, the critical angle of attack of the wing reached 12 — 18 degrees, and the effectiveness of the ailerons was maintained up to 19 — 22 degrees. During the design, the designers wanted to replace the 24-mm cannon with four HC-37, but installed only three guns with a common 23 ammunition ammunition. The pilot defended frontal 150-mm bulletproof glass and 55-mm front armored and armored. The cockpit canopy was opened to the side, and the pilot was located above the engine, set at an angle 8 degrees 5 minutes to the building horizontal plane.

Factory tests of the “152-y” machines began in October 1946, and the following month I.E. Fedorov tested the car in the air. It was the debut of Ivan Evgrafovich, who for the first time raised an experimental car and became in fact the second, after Nick Shin, chief-pilot of OKB-301.

In the course of the tests, insufficient traveling stability and small loads on the aircraft control stick from the elevators on landing were found. After refinement, factory testing ended in April 1947 of the year.

A comparison of the La-152 with the single-engine Yak-17 shows that with normal flight weight, its speed was on 90 km / h, and the range on 100 km was greater.

There is nothing surprising in this. It's all about aerodynamics. Unlike the Yak-17, the wing of the La-152 was assembled from thin profiles, taking into account the achievement of high speeds, and the specific load on the wing became higher - 260 kg / m2 against 195 kg / m2. All this, together with a large supply of fuel and predetermined the best performance. But the landing data turned out to be worse, which limited the operation of the machine on many unpaved airfields, the most common in the Soviet Union.

In July, the fighter was transferred to 1947 for state tests at the Air Force Institute, but they did not last long. In one of the flights of test-pilot I.M. Ju-be on the plane the engine failed. Forced landing machine


Layout La 152



La-152 aircraft mockup


It was thoroughly damaged, and it was not restored. By this time, a similar 156 fighter with an RD-10YuF engine equipped with an afterburner had already been tested.

Even during the design of the aircraft "152" was provided for the replacement of the TRDR-Yun RD-20 or TP-1 AM cradles. The project of a fighter with an engine TP-1 received the designation "154". Calculations showed that with a more powerful engine, the aircraft, having a couple of guns HC-23, will be able to accelerate from the ground to 950 km / h, and on 5000 m - to 1000 km / h. The time taken to reach this height was reduced to three minutes, and the ceiling increased to 14 km. The prospect is tempting, but the TR-1 did not ripen in time, and when it was done, it turned out that the engine needed a long run. The glider was built, but he did not wait for his motor.

Fight for speed

The low thrust of the first turbojet engines and the lack of prospects in the domestic engine building industry led to proposals for equipping trophy analogues with afterburners, or, as they were then called, afterburners. The fact is that quite a lot of oxygen remained in the combustion products of the aviation fuel behind the turbine turbine turbine, and the injection of fuel into this high-temperature environment made it possible to increase the engine thrust almost one and a half times.

The idea of ​​such an engine, which later received the designation TRDF, was born, apparently, almost simultaneously with the appearance of the first TRD. Apparently, the first information on fuel after-burning devices was gathered by Soviet experts from the “British ally” in April 1944, but it was possible to use it only at the end of next year.

Proposals for installing an afterburner on an RD-10 engine were almost simultaneously made by CIAM and I.A. Merkulov, the most prominent Soviet specialist in ramjet engines. The fact is that the TRDF is actually a combination of a turbofan and a direct-flow WFD, and who, if not Merkulov, who studied the first ramjet engines in 1930, was engaged in this area. The proposal made by Lavochkin was accepted, and in 1945, a small group of Igor Alekseevich joined the OKB-301. V.I. was appointed the technical manager for the afterburner development. Lower, and the lead designer - B.I. Romanenko.


La-152



The glider of the aircraft "154" did not wait for its engine



The layout of the training fighter "XNUMHUTY"


In 1946, two variants of the TRDF were developed. In the first of them, which retained the traditional engine adjustment scheme using a movable nozzle cone, the inclusion of an afterburner resulted in an excessive increase in the gas temperature in front of the turbine. In the second variant, sliding shutters were installed instead of a cone behind a short annular combustion chamber. In this form, the engine, which received the designation "LF" (YuMO - forced), or RD-10YuF, developed thrust at the stand to 1240 kgf, which exceeded the analogous parameter of the predecessor by almost 37 percent. In October 1946, the TRDF passed 25-hour bench tests. And although the specific fuel consumption of the TRDF in the afterburner mode increased more than twice, it was still profitable, by increasing the fuel supply, to obtain the best characteristics of the aircraft.

A month later, the design of the machine “152D” (doubler) with RD-10YUF began. In addition to a more powerful turbojet engine, the aircraft developed a new wing with a relative thickness of nine percent. In December, the project received the designation "156". This machine was not in the thematic plan of the ministry, since it was built on the initiative of Lavochkin instead of the planned “154”. Calculations showed that the plane would be able to develop 890 km / h near the ground, and 5000 km / h at the height of 900 m. The rise to this altitude will take 4,2 minutes, and the ceiling will be no less than 12 500 m. Takeoff and run length should be within 850 m, and the flight distance at flight at 10 km altitude with 630 km / hr - 900 km. Armament - three guns NA-23.

The design of the aircraft took almost a year. The fighter was built in December 1946-th and in February next year it was transported to the airport of LII. After ground tests (leading engineer M.L. Baranovsky) pilot S.F. Mashkovsky 1 March made the first flight on La-156, but without switching on the afterburner. In 27 days, the factory test pilot N. Krivoshey lifted the second 156-2 into the air. The month was spent on fine-tuning both aircraft, and only after that they decided to start the afterburner, but first on the taxiing.

On April 10, pilot Mashkovsky turned on the afterburner for the first time shortly after separation from the runway, and two days later - on takeoff. Factory tests, which ended in August 1947, showed that the speed increase of the fighter versus altitude ranged from 40 to 72 km / h compared to the 152, while the afterburner should not exceed 10 minutes.

In the same month, the car was presented for state tests at the Scientific-Research Institute of the Air Force. Engineers V.V. Veselovsky and pilot A.G. Those rosters. The tests were not without incident.


RD-10YuF engine



The layout of the aircraft "154"


Twice had to perform an emergency landing, did not go out first, then one of the main landing gear. At first, in some modes it was not possible to start the afterburner. But after the modifications, it began to work more reliably, allowing launching at altitudes up to 9500 m, even when the temperature of the gas behind the turbine dropped to 500 degrees and below. And it became the main test result. The maximum speed of 905 km / h was recorded at an altitude of 2000 m.

At the end of the state tests, checking the strength of the aircraft with the "compression" (the generally accepted expression, meaning a flight with a decrease when the engine is operating at maximum mode) to the maximum allowable speed, A.G. Terentyev encountered the strongest shaking. Apparently, it was a flutter, from which it was possible to escape, transferring the fighter into the climb, and extinguishing speed. Already on the run the engine spontaneously moved

at maximum speed. As it turned out, the thrust from the vibrations of the engine control lever (TRD) and TRD was broken.

Air battles with the MiG-9 conducted at the Air Force Scientific Research Institute showed that switching on the afterburner improves the maneuvering characteristics of the aircraft in both horizontal and vertical planes, negating the advantages of the "MiG". Despite the good performance, the 156 still remained in the discharge of experienced, or rather, flying laboratories, paving the way for the RDS. The same plane ended the line of orthoptera fighters with captured turbojet engines, and on the horizon, the contours of near-sound aircraft with different aerodynamic wing configurations were viewed.

Taking this opportunity, I note that after the 156, tests began on the Yak-19 fighter with an RD-10F engine, also equipped with an afterburner


Airplane "156"


measure. In contrast to the aircraft, created in the OKB-301, the Yak-19 was developed according to a scheme that later became a classic for jet fighters with an engine located behind the cockpit. This circumstance also determined the elongated afterburner of the turbofans. Despite the greater weight, the flight characteristics of the Yak-19 were higher than that of the La-156. It turned out that it would be better to lose a little bit of thrust in the long turbine of a turbofan engine than to degrade the aerodynamics of an airplane using an extended scheme.

The emergence of jet engines created the necessary but still insufficient prerequisite for flying at the speed of sound. But the achievement of the speed of sound, and even more, its overcoming was connected with the invasion of a previously unexplored area of ​​knowledge associated with the manifestation of air compressibility.
“Without delving into the technical subtleties of this phenomenon,” Lavochkin wrote, “I’ll say that we were in front of a wall erected from riddles. Aerodynamic laws, known to scientists, lost their strength on the sound barrier, and moreover, much acquired the opposite meaning.

Technique required a scientific explanation of new phenomena. Yes, science has become very necessary for us, engineers. ”


To achieve this goal, it was required to significantly increase the thrust of the turbojet engine and switch to new aerodynamic wing arrangements. The most effective means of reducing the wave drag of the wing turned out to be the use of the sliding effect of the wing (due to sweep) and a decrease in its relative thickness. But the last way, more acceptable for bearing surfaces of low elongation, did not allow creating the required structure, lightweight and with the required margins of strength, rigidity and resource. In addition, for aircraft with straight wings of moderate and large aspect ratio, difficulties arose associated with ensuring the required stability and control margins due to the nonlinear characteristics of the lift and longitudinal moment coefficients. Moreover, there were many cases of aircraft with straight wings being pulled into a dive at flight speeds corresponding to the number M> 0,6.

Giving the wing a sweep made it possible to increase the critical number M, since in this case the local velocities on the wing do not depend on the flow velocity, but on its component perpendicular to the leading edge of the bearing surface. The slip effect also reduced the intensity of changes in all the other aerodynamic characteristics of the wing in the event of local supersonic zones.

Creation of aircraft with swept wings required deep and versatile both theoretical and experimental studies. The pioneers in this area are primarily German aerodynamics. Germany’s priority in creating aircraft with jet engines, including swept wings, which delay the wave crisis, is indisputable. It is also useless to start controversies about the influence of the German school of aerodynamics on the global aircraft industry. It was the achievements of German specialists that became the basis on which the transonic planes were subsequently born, both abroad and in the Soviet Union.


La-160 "Arrow" at the airport


But you can not belittle the role of domestic experts. During the war years, the future academician V.V. Struminsky, based on theoretical studies, showed that on the swept wings, the system of equations of the boundary layer is divided into two independent groups. The first determines the flow around normal to the leading edge of the wing sections, the second determines its span along. Strictly speaking, this separation consists of a slip effect. Therefore, the normal components of the oncoming flow velocity determine the critical Mach number, which means the beginning of a wave crisis. The same calculations subsequently led to the emergence of aerodynamic partitions (crests) along the chord in the swept wings, preventing the flow of air along the span of the bearing surface and, as a result, warning of an early stall from its end parts. At the same time, the values ​​of critical angles of attack increase and the effectiveness of ailerons increases.

The results of the studies, including those of German specialists, were required to be confirmed experimentally on models in wind tunnels and to issue the necessary recommendations to aircraft designers on the aerodynamic layout of swept wings.

The first swept-wing fighter "160" with a swept wing was built in the Soviet Union in the Lavochkin Design Bureau. Only more than two months later, a similar car appeared in the American sky.

The development of the 160 aircraft began in the 1946 year. According to the requirements for an aircraft with an RD-10F engine and armed with three NS-23 cannons, the maximum speed of 950 km / h at 5000 meters, the rise to this height in 4,8 minutes, the practical ceiling - 12 000 meters and range - up to 900 km.

But subsequent calculations at the preliminary design stage showed that the ground speed would be at least 960 km / h, and at 5000 meters altitude - 970 km / h, the ceiling would increase by 200 meters, and the flight range at an altitude of 10 km with 630 km / h will increase from 900 to 1000 km. However, the armament has undergone serious changes: instead of three guns, two H-37М caliber 37 mm were placed.

As follows from the conclusions of the mockup and preliminary design approved by 6 June 1947, “the Air Force is extremely interested in the earliest study of aircraft with swept wings at speeds above 1000 km / h.

Based on the draft design materials, the installed RD-10 engine will not provide an opportunity to reveal all the advantages of aircraft with swept wings.

In this regard, the commission considers it necessary to support Lavochkin’s proposal to replace the RD-10 engine with a more powerful Dervent type on the second copy of the aircraft. ”

The fighter was built in July 1947 of the year, but with a pair of guns H-37 and a common ammunition 60 ammunition. The La-160 differed from its predecessors primarily in the sweep of 35 degrees, for which he received the nickname "Arrow". The first flight on it and factory tests conducted I.E. Fedorov.


La-160, paving the way for more high-speed cars, remained in a single copy



S.A. Lavochkin and test pilot I.E. Fedorov


The 160 km / h speed achieved by the 1050 aircraft at an altitude of 5700 m (corresponding to the number M = 0,92) in flight with a decrease did not cause dangerous changes in its stability and controllability. The aircraft had no tendency to involuntary stalling on the wing. In the case of overtightening the control stick, the stall wore a favorable character and was accompanied by the movement of the machine on the nose without going into a tailspin, after which it easily restored the normal flight mode. La-160 remained in a single copy, and the reason for this was the acquisition in England of more powerful turbojet engines. But the work of the creators of "Strelka" is not lost. The results of experimental studies of aerodynamic models and flight tests of the fighter allowed developing recommendations for designers who soon created more advanced MiG-15 and La-15 vehicles.

In Tushino, on the traditional 1947 summer air parade, viewers could see three OKB-301 airplanes at once: “150”, piloted by test pilot of the Air Force Research Institute A.P. Suprun, as well as "156" and "160", in the cockpits of which there were test pilots of the OKB SF Mashkovsky and I.E. Fedorov. It was the final of the first jet, essentially experimental, OKB-301 aircraft with captured turbofan engines. But despite this, Lavochkin made the last attempt to create a fighter with a straight wing according to a refined design, especially since the Yak-23 aircraft with a similar layout was developed at OKB-115.

Last fighter of the redan scheme

In the second half of February, 1947, with a small interval from each other, issued two government decrees on the construction of Ning I and Dervent V jet engines and the manufacture of aircraft with these turbojet engines. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Trade was instructed to purchase in England 15 TRD "Nin" and 20 - "Dervent V". You will learn more about this story a little later, but for now I’ll note that the 301ТК fighter became the first OKB-174 aircraft with an imported engine.

In terms of OKB-301, there were three variants of the 174 fighter with various wings. The task of developing the first of them, “174ТК”, stipulated that the plane with the engine “Dervent V” would develop speed up to 970 km / h both on the ground and on 5000 m, rising to this height in 2,5 minutes. Its practical ceiling should have been no lower than 14 km, and the range to 1200 km. Armament - three guns caliber 23 mm.

Let me assume that for the aircraft "174ТК" used the glider of the project "154", but with other, more thin wing consoles. I had to lengthen the nose of the fuselage to accommodate a thicker engine "Dervent V" with a centrifugal compressor and increase the tail.

As before, the plane lifted into the air I.E. Fedorov.

A comparison of the Yak-23 car, which came out for flight tests six months earlier than the La-174ТК, shows that with the same engine, the OKB-301 designers managed to get the maximum speed almost 50 km / h more. In this case, the limit number M in horizontal flight reached 0,86 (for the Yak-23 - 0,807). More could be achieved only by excessively increasing the thrust-weight ratio of the aircraft.


The cabin of the aircraft "174TK"




Airplane "174" with a thin wing and the engine "Dervent-V"


A.S. Yakovlev beat Lavochkin. As a result, the Yak-23 was built serially, and the La-174ТК remained in a single copy. But the work on the 174ТК was not in vain, since only thin wings ensured the achievement of high supersonic flight speeds. The plane has long been used as a flying laboratory for various studies.

Melted hope

As is known, only two countries were engaged in the development of combat aircraft with LRE - the Soviet Union and Germany. This was done not from a good life, but because of the illusory idea of ​​a massive and cheap interceptor. However, experience has shown the opposite. Whoever took up the creation of such a machine, it all ended in failure. Although there were exceptions, for example, Me-163 and US experimental aircraft. Not passed this direction and OKB-301.

In 1946, the development of the 162 rocket interceptor with a two-chamber LRE LS began. Dushkina RD2М-ЗВ, designed to protect civilian and military facilities. Interceptor targeting was supposed to be carried out by radio from the ground, and at the final stage - using on-board radar. The take-off of the aircraft was to take place on a dumped two-wheeled trolley, and the landing should take place on a ski and tail wheel produced from the fuselage.


General view and layout of the aircraft "162" with a rocket engine


When the design of the interceptor began, German specialists interned in the USSR brought the 346 rocket aircraft and a report with the test results of this machine was handed over to the OKB-301. But the domestic project was very different from the German, and above all the direct wing. His armament included six turbojets (this name is not associated with the turbojet engine, but with the stabilization of the projectile rotation) TPC-82 Pobedonostsev's design in tubular guides, called the RO-82 rocket guns and located at the bottom of the fuselage.

Calculations showed that with a starting weight of 5000 kg, its maximum speed on 5000 m will reach 1100 km / h (M = 0,962), and the rise time to this height is 2,5 minutes, the ceiling is 18 km. The latter required a sealed cabin. When the LRE is operating in the minimum thrust mode, the flight duration at the height of 3000 m was expected to be at least 20 minutes. The achievement of such high-speed characteristics using TRD in those years was not to be said. But further construction of the layout of the machine did not matter. The reason, in my opinion, was to acquire the English TRD "Derwent V" and "Nin", which opened up new opportunities for the creation of domestic jets.
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  1. -14
    26 December 2013 09: 06
    S.A. Lavochkin, A.S. Yakovlev and A.I. Mikoyan

    I would caption the photo as "Three Rogues" ...
    1. +1
      26 December 2013 11: 39
      quote-The first domestic aircraft with a Yak-15 turbojet engine
    2. Diesel
      -2
      26 December 2013 12: 25
      Maybe Yakovlev, but Lavochkin and Mikoyan for what?
  2. -1
    26 December 2013 13: 14
    Competition is good, of course, but when designers don’t share their best practices, it’s bad for the state.
    On this side, the KLA plus. The fact that Pogosyan does not allow others to develop is a minus.
    You should forget your personal ambitions for the country in which you live. (MiG-27 exceeded the SU-24 in most respects. Yes, and the Tupolev shit.)
    Although the Armenians (Caucasian Jews) are still those ..
  3. +1
    26 December 2013 18: 29
    Quote: Vasya
    MiG-27 exceeded the SU-24 in most characteristics

    Dear colleague Vasya, the MiG-27 (MiG-23BM) is a fighter-bomber (http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/mig27.html), and it needs to be compared with the Su-17 (http: // www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/su17.html).
    Su-24 is a front-line bomber (http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bomber/su24.html).

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