The most massive fighter of the United States

64
The most massive fighter of the United States


The rapid development of aircraft in the thirties ensured the popularity of the American company "Seversky". It was founded in 1928 year by Alexander Seversky, an engineer and pilot who left Russia. The firm of this Russian emigrant was mainly engaged in the development and production of amphibious aircraft.

By the forties, A. Seversky withdrew from direct management of the company. And in the summer of 1939, she received the new name “Republic Aviation Corporation”, or more simply, “Republic”. Its president was the American Alfred Marchev. A talented engineer and also a Russian emigrant Alexander Kartvelli remained the vice-president and chief designer. He worked for a long time with Alexander Seversky and in his cars he kept many ideas and handwriting of Seversky.

In 1940, the company developed a new fighter P-43 "Lancer", which had a maximum speed of 570 km / h and had a range of up to 1000 km. However, the aircraft no longer met the requirements of the US Air Force. At that time, the American corporations Lockheed, Bell, and Curtiss created the fighters Р-38, Р-39, Р-40, and they had much higher flight and technical characteristics.

However, among the large number of types of aircraft in the US Air Force there was no single-engine long-range, high-altitude, and high-speed heavy escort fighter to protect long-range strategic bombers. In 1940, representatives of the United States Air Force signed a contract with 62 million for the serial production of such an aircraft.

6 May 1941, an experienced prototype fighter, which received the designation XP-47В, rose into the air. The flight performance of the car exceeded all expectations. In horizontal flight, it accelerated to 657 km / h, which was 50-70 km / h higher than all other fighters of the time, with the exception of the Soviet MiG-3, which had a speed of 640 km / h.

The newest Pratt-Whitney XR-2800-21 turbocharger engine was installed on the aircraft (its maximum power reached the 2000 HP) at the maximum mode. No other world fighter then put such a powerful engine. At that time, it was precisely the turbochargers that became the Achilles' heel of all high-speed machines. The solid weight and technical imperfection of these devices, the frequent failures negated all the advantages of such power plants.

Most designers have not been able to solve the problem of reliability of the drive of the turbocharger with heated engine exhaust gases, which quickly burned through its turbine. But Cartvelli found a rather original solution. He mounted the turbocharger not on the engine, as was customary, but in the rear fuselage. He stretched air ducts and a long exhaust pipe through almost the entire fuselage. This, of course, led to a significant weighting of the aircraft design. But the turbocharger, which already had a few cooled exhaust gases, worked without interruption. It was possible to significantly reduce the length of the nose of the fuselage, which made it possible to slightly improve the view from the cockpit for the pilot.

Cartvelli also used the original exhaust system on the fighter. When the engine operates in nominal mode, the exhaust from each cylinder was output to a single manifold and was ejected through two adjustable nozzles located on the sides in the nose of the aircraft. When the pilot needed to increase the power of the power plant, he, in addition to adding fuel, blocked the nozzle flaps. In this case, the heated exhaust gases were redirected to the turbocharger, and then went out into the common nozzle, which was located under the tail fin.



At the same time, another technical problem was solved. When compressed in the turbocharger, the air heated up quite strongly, and it was necessary to cool it before it was fed into the motor. And the pipeline with hot air passed through a conventional air radiator, which was also located in the rear fuselage. The air necessary for the radiator entered through the frontal air intake located under the power unit. Then passed through a long duct. The heated air in the radiator cooled from the turbocharger to the engine cooled out through two flat nozzles placed on the sides of the fuselage in the tail section. A certain amount of heated air from the turbocharger was also directed in the plane of the wings to heat the lubricant of machine guns during high-altitude flights.

Cartvelli tried to improve the aerodynamics of the new aircraft. As an initial, an external form was adopted, similar to that of the Lancer fighter. Well-streamlined nose of the fuselage, despite the fairly large cross-section, turned out to be very perfect aerodynamically. Lantern cockpit differed pointed nose. Behind him, he passed into an elongated thin gargrot.

Cartvelli installed a relatively small footprint on the P-47. And if almost all the fighters of that time had a specific wing load of about 150-200 kg / m2, then for P-47 this value reached 213 kg / m2. By the end of World War II, it had increased even to 260 kg / m2. In order to place the main landing gear in a relatively small wing, the designers had to mount special devices on them, reducing the length of the uprights at the time of harvesting.

However, despite the excellent high-altitude and speed characteristics, as well as good armament, as the P-47 fighter showed insufficient maneuverability. First of all, it was caused by a very large weight of the airframe design and a large volume of fuel tanks. The flight weight of even the prototype machine reached 5,5 t (subsequently increased to 9 t). It became close to the weight of some twin-engined bombers and was practically twice as large as most fighters of the time. The heaviest units, such as the engine, compressor, weapons with ammunition, were located far from the center of gravity, this also had a very negative impact on the maneuverability of the fighter.



In the spring of 1942, the first production vehicles with the designation P-47В for the USAF left the workshops of the Ripablik factory. In November, 1942, they began to arrive in the air force of the British Air Force.

The appearance of "thunderbolts" on the fronts of World War II allowed the Allied bomber aviation gradually move from night to day raids on the most important industrial centers of Nazi Germany.

In the winter of 1942, the company Ripablik received a second order for the supply of fighters P-47. Therefore, the company had to completely stop the production of aircraft of other types.

During the period of testing and operation of the P-47, one very serious drawback emerged. Despite the huge supply of fuel in the 1155 l, the maximum range at 0,9 speed from the maximum was about 730 km. Naturally, such speeds were not required for escorting bombers, and on the most advantageous operating mode of the Thunderbolt power plant flew up to 1500 km. However, in the case of air combat, fuel was consumed too quickly and was not enough to return. This led to the creation of a new modification, which received the designation P-47C. This Thunderbolt could carry an extra outboard tank of up to 750 L under the fuselage, and its flight range immediately increased to 2000 km. To ensure the normal operation of the engine for a long time increased the volume of the oil tank.



In 1942, the launch of the C-1 “Thunderbolts” began. On these machines, water was injected into the working mixture, which entered the engine cylinders. This allowed for a short period in 5 min to increase its power by 300 hp. This mode of operation of the power plant was called emergency. By increasing the power of the power plant, the P-47 C-1 - C-5 aircraft, despite the increase in flight weight to 6776 kg, were able to fly at speeds up to 697 km / h at an altitude of 9000 m.

Due to the placement of the 57-liter water tank, the length of their fuselage increased by 20, see. Production of the P-1943D, the most popular version of the P-47, began in 47. As a rule, they were equipped with a pair of additional underwing holders. They could hang two fuel tanks with a capacity of 568 l. The total fuel supply reached 2574 l. Flight range reached - 3000 km.

The US Air Force increasingly needed such aircraft: squadrons of “flying fortresses” continued to suffer heavy losses from German interceptors. Therefore, in 1943, the US government transferred another state-owned plant in Evansville, Indiana, to Repablik.

Under the code P-47G, “thunderbolts” were also produced by the aircraft company Curtiss-Wright at a factory in the city of Buffalo (New York). In the designation of these machines added the letters CU (the first two letters of the company name). Fighters produced in the factories of the company Ripablik (in the cities of Farmingdale and Evansville), in addition received the designation of the letters RE and RA, respectively.



In 1944, one of the P-47D-10RE fighters with an R-2800-63 engine was tested in the USSR. The design of the fighter was carefully studied in the Bureau of new technology TsAGI. Pilots LII and NII VVS tested the "Thunderbolt" in the air, clarified its flight performance, which, as was usual for American technology, turned out to be slightly lower than those declared by the company.

Overall, the P-47 disappointed our test pilots. Famous pilot engineer LII M.L. Gallay described his impressions of the Thunderbolt in the following way: “Already in the first minutes of the flight I understood that this was not a fighter! Steady, with a spacious and comfortable cabin, comfortable, but not a fighter. P-47 had unsatisfactory maneuverability in the horizontal and especially in the vertical plane. The fighter slowly accelerated, was inert due to the large weight. This plane was great for a simple flight en route without abrupt maneuvers. But for a fighter this is not enough. "

For the Soviet Air Force fighter "Thunderbolt" were not suitable. Intended to accompany the long-range high-altitude bombers, in our country they were out of work. At this time, almost all Soviet fighters were involved exclusively in the performance of tactical combat missions - covering ground troops from the air strikes of German bombers, escorting their front bombers and attack aircraft, and destroying enemy aircraft in the air. In addition, almost all the air operations on the Eastern Front were carried out by the Germans at altitudes below 5000 m. Nevertheless, our Air Force received about 200 Thunderbolt fighters.



Americans used P-47 like that. B-17 bombers went in tight formation and created a dense defensive fire, they themselves reliably defended themselves. The Thunderbolts also acted in fairly large groups and drove the Messerschmitts and Fokkeulfa away from the distant approaches to the bomber and did not allow the enemy to effectively attack. The Thunderbolts won not so many victories - one shot down or damaged enemy aircraft on 45 sorties, although some P-47 pilots did have a combat score of more than a dozen aircraft shot down. The most successful were Francis Gabreski and Robert Johnson (28 had victories), David Schilling (22), Fred Christensen (21), Walter Mahyuren (20), Walter Beskam and Gerald Johnson (on 18).

In 1944, a second front opened in the West. Thunderbolts were used to attack ground targets from low altitudes. And this is not surprising. Indeed, in the US aviation there was no specialized attack aircraft, and the P-39, P-40, P-51 and, of course, P-47 were quite widely involved in its mission.

He was more adapted to this. P-47 had a long range, could reach deep enemy rears. True, the speed of the ground, and especially with the suspended bombs, was lower than that of the main Hitlerite fighters. But other dive bombers and attack aircraft remained far behind. In addition, "Thunderbolt" could carry quite a significant bomb load. Р-47 (series from D-6 to D-11, as well as G-10 and G-15) on the vent holder, instead of an additional tank, they took one 227-kilogram bomb or several bombs of lower weight. A little later, starting with the D-15 series, two more were suspended, according to 454 kg. They were placed on the wing nodes of the suspension. Thus, the total bomb load reached 1135 kg, which was comparable to the combat load of many bombers of that period.

R-47 had powerful machine gun weapons. Of course, this did not allow him to effectively fire on enemy tankslike IL-2 or Ju-87C, on which mounted guns of 23 and 37 mm caliber. However, eight large-caliber machine guns turned out to be quite enough to destroy motor vehicles, steam locomotives and other similar equipment, and to destroy manpower.

On many Thunderbolts, six rocket launchers with bazookas were mounted. Such formidable squadrons Р-47 together with the English attack aircraft “Typhoon” and “Mosquito”, during the landing of the Anglo-American troops in Normandy, practically managed to disrupt the transportation of the Nazi troops and did not allow the Germans to deliver reinforcements in time.



"Thunderbolt" was quite tenacious machine. This was facilitated by the star-shaped air-cooled motor and the lack of fuel tanks in the wing, which, because of their large area, were usually primarily affected. The fuel tanks in the fuselage were protected.

The pilot additionally defended the front with bulletproof glass and steel armor plate, and when attacking from behind - with an armor plate, intermediate radiator and turbocharger, their damage did not lead to the crash of the aircraft. The tunnel of the air radiator, which passed under the fuselage, as well as the exhaust pipe and air ducts, stretched along its sides, covered the pilot, tanks and other vital structural elements and assemblies.

The most interesting and unusual element in the P-47 design was a special steel ski truss located under the fuselage. She protected the fighter from destruction in case of a forced landing with the landing gear retracted. In short, the P-47 turned into a fighter-bomber.

Simultaneously with the production of “Thunderbolt”, the company Ripablik was looking for ways to further improve the aircraft. It was created several experimental machines. In particular, an airtight cabin was installed on one of the P-47В fighters. On the other is a wing with a laminar profile, which has less resistance than a conventional one. These aircraft received the designation XP-47E and XP-47F, respectively.

But the emphasis was on experimental machines with other engines. One of them, the XP-47H, was the most different from all the P-47 variants. An experienced 16-cylinder engine with liquid-cooled Chrysler XI-2220-11 hp 2500 take-off power was installed on this machine.

True, XP-47H for quite a long time brought. His first flight took place only at the end of July 1945. The maximum speed did not exceed 666 km / h.

The experimental machine, which had the designation XP-47J, turned out to be more successful. She was a lightweight fighter with a take-off weight of 5630 kg. Armament was standard - six machine guns. Air-cooled motor R-2800-57 takeoff power 2800 hp In July, the 1944 of the year on this plane reached the maximum speed of 793 km / h, then, in the autumn of the same year, 813 km / h at an altitude of 10500 m.

During flight tests, according to the US Air Force, the XP-47J reached a speed of 816 km / h. Rate of climb was almost 30 m / s. In terms of its altitude and speed characteristics, it surpassed all the piston aircraft of the world known at that time. (It is embarrassing that officially the flight speed was never registered as a world record.)



In 1944, under the leadership of A. Kartvelli, another experienced XP-72 fighter was created. In fact, it was the usual "Thunderbolt", equipped with an R-4360 "Wasp Major" engine with an 3650 horsepower. (which led to a significant change in the shape of the nose of the aircraft). Built two copies of the fighter. On one of them, they installed an ordinary four-bladed screw, on the other - two coaxial three-blades. The maximum speed of the latter reached 788 km / h at an altitude of 6700 m.

Despite the high results achieved, the new cars did not go into the series. The engines were not reliable, the planes required a long tune, and maneuverability became even worse. In addition, the Second World War was already coming to an end, and the board of the company Ripablik decided, without knocking down the pace of production of fighters, to carry out their evolutionary improvement.

Thus, a new large-diameter propeller with blades of a different configuration was installed on the P-47D fighter 22 series. Rate of climb increased by almost 2 m / s.

From the 1944 of the year, starting with the modification of the D-25, the P-47 fighter jets began to be produced with a drop-shaped cockpit lantern, which allowed the pilot to conduct a circular review. At the same time, another 248 l increased the volume of the main intra-fuselage fuel tank. Water tank capacity - from 57 to 114 l.



Not in vain work to create an experimental XP-47J. From the end of 1944, the finished motor R-2800-57 began to be installed on serial "thunderbolts", which received the designation R-47М. In horizontal flight, according to the company, their maximum speed at an altitude of 9150 m reached 756 km / h.

It is interesting to note that the P-47M fighters were designed specifically to fight the German V-1 cruise missiles that the Germans fired at London.

The last version of the Thunderbolt was a long-range high-altitude fighter of super-heavy class P-47N. He had significant differences from the machines of early modifications. As on the P-47M, there was an R-2800-57 engine with an 2800 horsepower hp on it. However, the volume of fuel tanks was much larger. Place additional fuel in the fuselage became impossible, and the wing tanks on the "Thunderbolt" was not provided. Because the designers of the company Ripablik designed a completely new wing. Increased its scope and area. Applied a thinner profile and new ending. But the most important thing is that in the wing they still placed fuel tanks with a volume of 700 l!

In addition, we provided for the suspension of two large additional tanks with a volume of 1136 l under the wing and one 416 l under the fuselage. A total of P-47N could take on board almost 4800 liters of fuel. The normal flight weight of the aircraft of the D and M series was about 6500 kg, and at full load it reached 9080 kg.

The machine could fly to a range of 3780 km and be in the air for almost 10 hours. This, in turn, required the installation of an autopilot on it.

In the shock version, instead of outboard fuel tanks under the wing of the Р-47N, two bombs weighing 454 kg and 10 of 127 caliber mm could be suspended. The maximum speed reached 740 km / h at an altitude of 9150 m. The climb rate, despite the large flight mass 15,25 m / s. However, these aircraft rarely acted on ground targets and were used at the final stage of the war mainly to escort B-29 strategic bombers that raided Japan.



Thunderbolt fighters were mass-produced up to the complete defeat of Japan. Then the plant in Evansville was closed and returned to the government.

In total, during the war, Ripablik built 15 329 fighters Р-47. Of these, P-47B is 171, P-47C is 60602, P-47D is 12600, P-47M is 130 and P-47N-1818. The company has released a number of spare parts, equivalent to about 3000 aircraft. Almost 350 fighter P-47G released the company "Curtis". Thus, the P-47 "Thunderbolt" became the most popular American fighter during the Second World War.





Sources:
Bakursky V. Fighter R-47 Thunderbolt. Historical series. M .: NTK "Aqua Vita", 1991. S. 6-12, 17-21.
Kotelnikov V., Bakursky V., Nikolsky M. R-47 “Thunderbolt” // Aviation and Cosmonautics. 2004. No.10. C.22-29.
Bakursky V. The Long Arm of the “Fortresses” // Wings of the Motherland. 1992. No.6. C.34-37.
Ivanov S. R-47 Thunderbolt. Heavy US fighter // War in the air. No.46. C. 12-19.
Haruk I. Fighters of the Second World War. M .: Yauza Press, 2012. C. 263-266.
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  1. +5
    7 July 2015 05: 28
    I wonder what kind of cars Seversky and Sikorsky invented if they stayed in Russia?
    1. +3
      7 July 2015 08: 39
      The proletarians would spank them as enemies of the people! The officers were loaded onto barges in the holds and drowned, or a stone was tied to their feet, their hands were tied, and aircraft were to be designed forwards!
      1. The comment was deleted.
      2. -1
        7 July 2015 09: 54
        Quote: maiman61
        The proletarians would spank them as enemies of the people! The officers were loaded onto barges in the holds and drowned, or a stone was tied to their feet, their hands were tied, and aircraft were to be designed forwards!

        Like many friends who did not agree. And many who did not agree and were the real elite of Russia. It seems to me that all revolutions kill / drive out the best representatives of the nation, and thieves come to power.
        1. +5
          7 July 2015 12: 53
          You are a fool, my friend, and, apparently, be proud of it.
          Your "best" and muddied the water, starting with the "Decembrists" and ending with Gorby, EBN and their henchmen ...
          You don't have any kinship to the "best", keep your ancestors. Or "what about you?" No?
        2. +2
          7 July 2015 14: 05
          interesting, but part of this elite made the revolution ... I'm not talking about technocrats (and the plans of GOELRO and the FIVE YEARS were clearly not "the proletarians did ...)
        3. +1
          7 July 2015 20: 10
          So remember, for whose money and for what purpose the "revolution" was made! And everything will fall into place. In English, in order to prevent Russia from entering the camp of the victors and to destroy it. The genius of Lenin lies in the fact that he threw a VERY large amount of his English masters and SAVED the country. And the elite have always been cut out.
      3. avt
        +16
        7 July 2015 09: 55
        Quote: maiman61
        The proletarians would spank them as enemies of the people! The officers were loaded onto barges in the holds and drowned, or a stone was tied to their feet, their hands were tied, and aircraft were to be designed forwards!

        Aha - personally saw a barge in which a class alien Tupolev, Grigorovich and others were attached to such an officer ka Shaposhnikov .... but what is Shaposhnikov - teacher of the Red Army Academy Slashchev fool Well, if this name says something. Why am I doing this? And besides, it’s time to use the brain already, and not the Svanidmlechpivovar agitation and not turn the tragedy into a cheap booth. Those who put all the gum squeezed out by them, at least stupidly raise the dough in their pocket, in contrast to the virtual rating.
      4. -11
        7 July 2015 12: 49
        Oh, another liberal-shit democrat!
        , sorry for your ancestors did not drown, less shit would now swim.
      5. +4
        8 July 2015 11: 31
        Kalinin, Polikarpov, Grigorovich, etc., were also class alien, as you say, however, they were quite successful designers of aircraft in the USSR
        1. -4
          8 July 2015 16: 16
          Kalinin, Polikarpov, Grigorovich, etc., were also class alien, as you say, however, they were quite successful designers of aircraft in the USSR


          Ага.
          Kalinin - not yet shot. Looks like he was a successful designer!
          Polikarpov - until his student Mikoyan pushed him into a dusty box.
          1. +2
            9 July 2015 11: 34
            Ay, minusculeers, justify:
            Kalinin was not shot?
            Polikarpov, who had a very interesting study of the aircraft, not pushed aside?
            Waiting for answers.
            1. +1
              9 July 2015 17: 41
              It is already starting to get interesting.
              Minusillers, where are you? Get out of the bushes, you are not visible in the bushes.
              If I wrote a lie in my post, have the courage to tell me this in person. And at the same time indicate what exactly is the lie, I will only be grateful. Suddenly, I’m wrong, namely, you are right?
    2. -8
      7 July 2015 09: 28
      You can't imagine a lot with a bullet in your head
      1. 0
        7 July 2015 12: 29
        Even more than that, the vast majority (including myself) and without a bullet in the head can not invent something new.
      2. +9
        7 July 2015 12: 39
        For some, "a little mind can enter through a hole in the head" (c) Mowgli.
      3. -13
        7 July 2015 12: 54
        You are not threatened without a bullet)))
        1. 0
          7 July 2015 15: 02
          Well, that threatens you - you are very developed campaign)
        2. The comment was deleted.
  2. +5
    7 July 2015 07: 05
    I had a long gluing model of "Thunderbolt" flaunted under the ceiling as a child! smile
  3. +4
    7 July 2015 07: 57
    There was Thunderbolt in the collection of models .. smile For a long time then I was looking for information about him .. Eh! Childhood!
  4. +4
    7 July 2015 08: 23
    It was a perfectly acceptable car for its purposes. The main task is to escort bombers, like the Mustang, and it coped with its task quite well.
  5. +1
    7 July 2015 08: 37
    Too healthy.
  6. +1
    7 July 2015 09: 42
    Great article, thanks to the author.
  7. +3
    7 July 2015 09: 42
    Nice plane, but it's too big
    1. 0
      7 July 2015 20: 15
      Yak -9DD, still better.
      1. +2
        8 July 2015 12: 26
        What is better? In more than two times shorter range? At good 200 km / hour speed? One cannon for 120 ammo and one machine gun for 200 ammo? Understand you - these are DIFFERENT aircraft, with DIFFERENT tasks! And comparing them is just silly.
  8. +3
    7 July 2015 10: 03
    The plane, maybe good, but for me, ugly.
    1. 0
      7 July 2015 12: 31
      What can I say, a barrel with wings and a wart of a lantern. But the article is good.
  9. +8
    7 July 2015 10: 45
    The bolt is the bolt ... it’s big, iron and heavy ... Purely American specifics - we fly far, quickly, but preferably in a straight line ... bully
    1. +5
      7 July 2015 18: 26
      Quote: Taoist
      Purely American specifics - flying far, fast, but preferably in a straight line ...

      We fly high, look far. We don’t get involved in dogfight, attack with boom zoom / scissors - and quickly go up.

      With the right tactics, even heavy "wildkets" could fight on an equal footing with "zero". The same Tech at Midway managed to tie about 20 "zeros" with his six, pulling them away from the torpers - and got out of the battle, losing one of his cars and shooting down 3-4 Japanese.
      1. +1
        7 July 2015 20: 09
        It's good when there is such an opportunity ... Yes, and a "wild cat" at least on the verticals could make Zero ... And such a shed as a "bolt" on the verticals ... ;-)
    2. +1
      8 July 2015 17: 20
      And then suddenly it cradles ...
  10. +6
    7 July 2015 11: 14
    Internally, the outwardly massive "thick" Thunderbolt had aerodynamic performance
    better than most fighters of his time.
    1. +6
      7 July 2015 12: 37
      Well, aerodynamics is not only the midship area ... ;-) The bolt in this regard is a very characteristic example. The classic aerodynamics of subsonic speeds. Although it’s also not without jambs - however, as a rule, the pilot, as a rule, didn’t fit on the plane created exclusively according to the rules of aerodynamics ... ;-)
    2. +1
      7 July 2015 12: 56
      What can not be said about maneuvering qualities - the iron is the iron.
      1. +1
        7 July 2015 13: 19
        A direct relationship. The higher the speed, the worse the maneuver. Before the appearance of a variable wing geometry and a controlled thrust vector - indicators: specific wing load / high-speed / maneuverable properties.
        1. 0
          8 July 2015 09: 40
          But what about the center of mass and the focus of the wing .... And -16 in my opinion does not confirm your idea ...
          1. +2
            8 July 2015 11: 01
            The thought is not mine ... These are the laws of aerodynamics. With regards to the example with AND 16, it fully confirms this rule. You just confuse maneuverability with instability ...
            The I-16 is a statically unstable machine - as a result, it did provide large angular velocities when exposed to controls, but nevertheless remained dependent on the load on the wing. The turn time of the I-16 in particular is exactly two times longer than that of the I-15 biplane,
            1. 0
              8 July 2015 11: 35
              I therefore did not write "does not confirm the laws of aero (hydro) dynamics ... And about static instability, I have a concept. I mean that the power-to-weight ratio is the load on the wing. maneuverability is not straightforward interrelated functions ... (which gives room for" creativity ... ")
              1. +1
                8 July 2015 12: 50
                Well, it’s not by chance that I made a reservation that this connection was direct before applying variable geometry and thrust vector ... Well, add here the wing mechanization in principle ...
  11. +6
    7 July 2015 11: 18
    1. 37MM Cannon (VK 3,7) had Junkers not C, but G-series.
    2. Francis Gabreski had 28 victories, among which most was the destruction of German aircraft at airfields, on which he "burned" in the end and was captured by the Germans, Robert Johnson, David Schilling and others, too, most likely "not far left" from Francis. In principle, this is also the destroyed fascist technology, no doubt, but in the context of the article one might think that it was a cool fighter, it is difficult to even imagine that the thunderbolts could destroy so many German aircraft that were utterly superior to them in all flight characteristics, not to mention the weapons, even despite the fact that the flight personnel of the Germans was not the same by 44 - 45, many aces perished in the battle for Britain and on the eastern front.
    1. 0
      8 July 2015 22: 57
      you didn’t take into account something. Americans had many fighters. often the ratio was 5: 1. They did not lose in height and speed, and the number more than compensated for the lack of maneuverability. Because it was possible to shoot down the Germans.
      Another thing is that with such a number it is unrealistic that someone alone would make a big score.
      1. Alf
        0
        9 July 2015 19: 51
        Quote: yehat
        Another thing is that with such a number it is unrealistic that someone alone would make a big score.

        They attributed less.
  12. +11
    7 July 2015 11: 41
    Quote: maiman61
    The proletarians would spank them as enemies of the people! The officers were loaded onto barges in the holds and drowned, or a stone was tied to their feet, their hands were tied, and aircraft were to be designed forwards!

    Yeah. and as soon as we won the war and sent Gagarin into space. After all, the smart ones have melted. One thing remains. By the way, and your grandfather belongs to the latter, since he didn’t get on the barge.
    That's how Solzhenitsyn can spin the brain, that a person ceases to respect himself.
    1. +3
      7 July 2015 14: 33
      Do you think he read Solzhenitsyn? I doubt it very much. As a rule, such heresy is carried out either by clinical liberals, of whom there are very few in the country, or victims of the Unified State Examination, who are already millions, and they are not just Solzhenitsyn, they didn’t read everything and Kolobok.
    2. Ulan
      +1
      7 July 2015 14: 44
      Yes, the agent "Vetrov" heartily heaped up fairy tales, and now they study him at school. Here is the result. According to him and Nikita Mikhalkov's films, some people study history.
    3. -11
      7 July 2015 15: 07
      and as soon as we won the war and sent Gagarin into space

      That's right ... and they put 27 million into the war and in the 20s and 30s, not one million died with the help of the state and the state itself as a result was quickly destroyed. And most citizens did not understand a damn thing - everything sings about Solzhenitsyn, Gagarin and the victory of the party.
      1. Ulan
        +5
        7 July 2015 16: 15
        Very interesting. That is, it was not Hitler who "put" 27 million Soviet citizens by attacking the USSR, but we attacked Hitler and put 27 million? Do you happen to be in Yatsenyuk's assistants? Well, Hitler's lawyers appeared on the forum. It turns out that he is not to blame for the death of 27 million Soviet citizens, but we ourselves.
        1. The comment was deleted.
        2. -3
          8 July 2015 08: 39
          27 million Soviet citizens were not "put" by Hitler by attacking the USSR, but it was we who attacked Hitler and put 27 million

          Yes, Hitler put it. Only any state is responsible for protecting the lives and property of its citizens. How would you not shit Nikolai 2 and sing about the technical backwardness of Russia (which was undoubtedly) - in the WWII the defense line passed through Poland and Turkey. From this we can conclude which authorities fought better and took care of their citizens.
          Secondly - the Soviet state is directly responsible for unleashing the Second World War - this is understandable to a hedgehog only if his brain is not obscured by Marxist-Leninist propaganda. Can you explain the reasons for the invasion of Poland in parallel with the Germans, the invasion of the Baltic states, Romania, Finland? On the one hand, Adolf gnawed Europe, on the other, Stalin. Try to prove that this is not so - only without going to the person, if you can do it at all)) I have nothing to do with it - there are only bare facts.
          You are not the case with Yatsenyuk in the henchmen

          If Yatsenyuk goes to the toilet for hard, this does not mean that everyone who does the same is Yatsenyuk's assistants. The truth is in itself.
      2. +4
        7 July 2015 18: 40
        Quote: Heimdall48
        27 millions put into war

        So you specify right away - the military losses from these 27 are only 7, and the remaining 20 are civilians in the occupied territories. Europeans tried, taught civilization ...

        Quote: Heimdall48
        in 20's - 30's not one million died with the help of the state

        Yeah ... In 20's especially - when all sorts of noble knights wanted to drive the illiterate plebs back into the stall and eat French rolls again. Due to this very plebs. And they taught ungrateful European weapons, which is typical. Some MK-V English are still working as monuments ...

        Quote: Heimdall48
        and the state itself quickly collapsed as a result.

        Yes ... 70 years of history, the victory over Germany, the defeat of the Kwantung army, did not offend Korea, helped China, Vietnam, Cuba ...
        The first satellite, the first man in space ... What else is there?

        Quote: Heimdall48
        And most citizens did not understand a damn thing - everything sings about Solzhenitsyn, Gagarin and the victory of the party.

        Most citizens understand everything. Especially about Solzhenitsyn. And about you, by the way, too ...
        1. -4
          8 July 2015 13: 36
          Why is this photo here? Logically, Sharikov was the apologist for Soviet power, and Preobrazhensky was the critic. I believe that you have taken this into account and are comparing yourself with the first - here I have no objections.
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  13. +1
    7 July 2015 14: 45
    The lobed profile, of course, is a lot of resistance, but the Nazis on the Messers complained that the I-16 pilots in frontal attacks were more protected thanks to the star-shaped engine. Than the Messerschmit pilots. The front location of a large engine, has its advantages, a lot where.
    1. Ulan
      0
      7 July 2015 16: 23
      Undoubtedly has. The success of the Me-109 in Spain generated in the USSR excessive enthusiasm for the design of fighters with liquid-cooled engines.
      All three new fighters adopted before the war were in service with just such engines. Yak-1 and LAGG-3 with Klimov’s engine and MiG-3 with Mikulin’s engine.
      Perhaps this played a fatal role in serial production, a very good fighter Polikarpov I-180. The decision of SNK to launch the fighter in series was made, but in every way inhibited.
      As a result, the Air Force did not receive by June 1941 about 1500-2000 I-180 fighters with an air-cooled engine, which was not inferior to the "Friedrich".
      The same put an end to the best Soviet fighter of the Second World War I-185.
      1. 0
        7 July 2015 16: 59
        A fatal role in the non-acceptance of the I-185 into service was played by the low reliability of the two-row "star" M-71 and the unacceptable time for its development in those conditions.
        1. Ulan
          0
          7 July 2015 17: 26
          However, military tests of two cars took place on the Kalinin Front As an interim measure, it was possible to put the AS-82. Already in the 42nd year it was possible to get a car with the characteristics of La-7, Perhaps better.
          1. +2
            7 July 2015 18: 07
            Quote: Ulan
            However, military tests of two cars took place on the Kalinin Front As an interim measure, it was possible to put the AS-82. Already in the 42nd year it was possible to get a car with the characteristics of La-7, Perhaps better.

            With the M-82, the characteristics of the I-185 really exceeded the TTX La-5 / M-82.

            But there are a number of subtleties. TTX I-185 were measured on licked experimental and small-series machines. TTX La-5 was measured on the converted LaGG-3 serial production with all the pleasures of serial assembly and hasty conversion. For example, the first La-5 in the bow had a double skin - the inner one, remaining from LaGG-3, and the outer one, covering the M-82.

            As the practice of domestic aircraft industry showed, the difference in speed between the prototype and the series was 30-40 km / h. On the other hand, the serial La-5 after TsAGI modifications showed an increase in speed of about 40 km / h.

            But the most important thing: at the end of 1941 - the beginning of 1942 we have not yet completed the M-82A.
            Around the same time, tests began on the TB-7 with 4 M-82. In the first flights, defects were identified: the ejection of oil from the front breather, high temperatures of the cylinder heads, especially during taxiing and take-off, and high oil temperatures. This required many design changes of the VMG, which dragged on the tests until the summer of 1942.
            Things didn’t go very well with A.N. Tupolev. Initially, the prototype aircraft "103" (the future Tu-2) was built in 2 copies with engines AM-37 ("103", "103U"}. The third copy in May 3, by order of the NKAP, instead of the M-1941 engines it was decided to equip the engines with M-120. The first flight of the car under the control of test pilot MP Vasyakin took place on December 82, 15. However, further tests dragged on for 1941 months - until August 7,5, 1. As noted later in the test report : "The main reasons for the tightening of the tests: the unsatisfactory operation of the M-1942 engines and the long development of the propeller-motor group. During the tests, eight engines were replaced ... Due to the unsatisfactory operation of the engines, the aircraft stood 82 days, which is 132% of the time tests. "

            And when M-82A was brought to mind - La-5 already appears on the basis of a mass-produced machine.
            A series of wartime adjustments often hides all the other shortcomings. Let us recall the history of the T-43, which was superior to the T-34-85, but did not go into the series, since it was possible to insert a tower with an 85-mm cannon into the slightly modified T-34 body. Or the story of the T-34 itself, whose production lasted much longer than planned (according to the plan, its release should have been stopped at the end of 1941), despite all the shortcomings.
          2. Alf
            0
            8 July 2015 00: 14
            Quote: Ulan
            However, military tests of two cars took place on the Kalinin Front As an interim measure, it was possible to put the AS-82. Already in the 42nd year it was possible to get a car with the characteristics of La-7, Perhaps better.

            How much can you chew the same thing? I-185 with M-82 was better than La-7 only in range and slightly better in rate of climb, but the 185th was all-metal. Name at least one all-metal fighter of the Red Army Air Force? There was a shortage of duralumin in the country.
          3. +2
            8 July 2015 00: 50
            Troops, 4 vehicles were tested, two with M-82, two with M-71, but each of them was unique. VMG (screws, nosing.), Fuel systems, weapons were different. They can hardly be called "licked" out of 8 prototypes of I-185 half was under construction, and half was rebuilt already during the persecutions / kicks of the Polikarpov design bureau, the deprivation of its own production base, the forced evacuation to Novosibirsk, and also in wartime. Compared to the La-5, Polikarpov's fighter carried 3x20mm + 500kg bomb load. In addition, the machines were equipped with M-82 bomber engines - electric starting, not suitable for a fighter carburetor, a supercharger.The process of selecting and optimizing the VMG propeller at the time of the start of the GSSI was not over And despite all this, the I-185M-82 showed much better characteristics than La-5, which is not a sophisticated machine of a higher technological level, but it was more than half duralumin, and the GKO decree did not allow the use of aluminum in more than 40% of the total parts (for a fighter). We would not have had enough "winged metal" for a large series of such a machine.
        2. 0
          13 July 2015 19: 05
          La-5 went into the series only because Lavochkin, along with Shvetsov's specialists, were able to work out the installation of the M-82 on an airplane. All other design bureaus did not cope with this task.
      2. +2
        7 July 2015 17: 41
        Quote: Ulan
        The success of the Me-109 in Spain generated in the USSR excessive enthusiasm for the design of fighters with liquid-cooled engines.

        Rather, the lack of knowledge of domestic air-cooled engines was the reason for the fascination with the options M-105 and AM-35.

        The history of the M-88 is indicative:
        January 24, 1940 issued a decree KO No. 34ss on the adoption of the M-88 with the establishment of its service life until the first bulkhead for 100 hours and the start of serial production at the factory number 29.
        On August 6, a decision of KO No. 340ss was issued to stop the serial production of M-88.
        On November 13, the KO decree No. 422cc stated: "In connection with the completion of work on the elimination of defects in the M-88 engine and obtaining satisfactory results in the testing process ... to allow the NKAP to resume the serial production of the M-88 engines at plant No. 29".

        As a result, the designers preferred liquid tit to air cranes.
      3. 0
        9 July 2015 15: 12
        I-180 is not inferior to Frederick - this is fantastic, because the best of 180 with an M-88 engine gave 440-450 km / h at the ground and 575 km / h at altitude (more than 7 km by the way), and Friedrich about 520-530 at the ground and 630-660 at altitude according to various sources.
        It’s another matter, if NNPolikarpov would achieve a real launch of the 180 machine in a series, and take care of its further modernization, and there was certainly potential for it, then the I-180 had a chance to become the main workhorse, and with the passage to the M-82 it would not concede to the same Frederick in ltx. drinks
    2. +1
      7 July 2015 16: 28
      The total aerodynamic drag of a car is made up not only of the "forehead" - but from the point of view of aerodynamics of subsonic speeds "tadpoles" are even preferable to "pikes" ...
      1. 0
        7 July 2015 23: 59
        You have enough eco, up to M = 0,6 frontal resistance is up to 65% of the total, (and without any alternatives), then up to M = 0,8-0,9 (first strike of the Mach) the inductive resistance of the wing becomes the main one. most designers to use star-shaped engines in the designs of fighters (and not only) the final stage of the 2MB, due to the much greater specific power of such Navy.
        1. 0
          8 July 2015 11: 08
          Well, you are undoubtedly aware that "drag" is not only a section of the midsection, but also the fact that the "golden section" of an ideal aerodynamic figure at subsonic provides the maximum thickness of the midsection by 1/3 of the length.
          Of course, this is a theory and a real picture of the flow around such a complex object as an airplane involves a lot of compromises ... not to mention the fact that, for example, our cars always suffered from poor sealing of joints and internal volumes - which often influenced much more than the forehead ...
    3. Alf
      0
      8 July 2015 00: 10
      Quote: Free Wind
      The front location of a large engine, has its advantages, a lot where.

      And what other arrangement of engines exists? Aircraft with a propeller unit, and even those, as a rule, experienced.
      1. 0
        8 July 2015 09: 44
        And AeroCobra (for example) ...
  14. 0
    7 July 2015 19: 20
    By modern standards, Thunderbolt is the purest fighter-interceptor. To protect the sky of Moscow 1941-1942 would be very welcome.
    1. +1
      7 July 2015 20: 05
      They were tested on this subject - as an interceptor with its poor acceleration and rate of climb, it was also not an ice ... Heavy too. For 41 of the year, he even lost MiG in this ... Yes, and in the series he went only to 42 ... so ...
  15. +2
    7 July 2015 21: 13
    Quote: Grigorievich
    The plane, maybe good, but for me, ugly.

    Everyone has their own tastes, I like the "Tandenbolt" since childhood. And as for a good one, many write "too big" - well, sorry 2,3,5 tons of fuel in the I-16 will not fit. It was created to accompany thousands km. its bombers. And at the end of the war, when the German fighter aircraft was "thinned out", he showed it as a good fighter-bomber. The load is like 3 Il-2, and the range is impressive. hi pc article +++, thanks.
  16. -1
    8 July 2015 00: 32
    An interesting version of the MiG with an engine from the "Thunderbolt". Weighing about 4,5 tons. calculations showed a speed of 740 km / h.
    1. Alf
      0
      8 July 2015 21: 25
      Quote: tomket
      An interesting version of the MiG with an engine from the "Thunderbolt". Weighing about 4,5 tons. calculations showed a speed of 740 km / h.

      Could you be more precise about the MIG with Pratt-Whitney? I wonder who came up with such a crazy idea? Nobody supplied us with engines.
  17. 0
    8 July 2015 01: 09
    it seems that almost all the thunder (our jugs called them) were sent to the air defense units. to fight with the bombers, it’s quite a good apparatus.
    1. Alf
      +1
      8 July 2015 21: 33
      Not only in the Air Force.

      In aviation of the USSR Navy, R-47 fighters received the 255th IAP of the Northern Fleet Air Force.
      The command of naval aviation decided to double-check the results of flight tests of the P-47D-10-RE at LII. The USSR Navy aviation did not have its own test base, so it was decided that experienced front-line pilots from the 255th IAP would test the Thunderbolt.
      Test flights were conducted from October 29 to November 5, 1944, while the possibility of basing the Thunderbolts at polar airfields was simultaneously investigated. Despite the tight deadline, the test program looked very busy:
      - take-off and landing from concrete and unpaved strips with full load;
      - determination of the combat radius of action with different types of bomb load on the external sling: 2xFAB-250 (for the bomb on the underwing pylons), 3xFAB-250 (two bombs on the underwing and one on the ventral nodes of the suspension), 2xFAB-500;
      - dive bombing;
      - Top-mast bombing from a height of 20-25 m at a distance of 150-170 m from the target.
      The test results were generally favorable. The plane with two FAB-250 bombs took off normally from the Vaenga airfield. The bombs were dropped in a dive at an angle of 50 degrees from a height of 3000 m, aiming during bombing was carried out using a standard machine-gun sight. Bombing with three FAB-250 or two FAB-500 was considered possible to be performed only from level flight. Below is an excerpt from the P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt Test Report.
      From the commander of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet, Lieutenant General of Aviation Preobrazhensky, No. 08489 of November 13, 1944
      Report to the Commander of the Air Force of the Navy of the USSR
      To Marshal Zhavoronkov I report that according to the results of testing the P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt aircraft of serial construction, I decided to arm one 255th IAKP squadron with 14 Thunderbolt aircraft.
      The squadron will perform the following tasks:
      1. long-range escort of bombers
      2. horizontal and low-altitude bombing based on the bomb load of up to 1000 kg per aircraft
      3. attack of convoy guard ships
      Marshal Zhavoronkov put a resolution on the document: “I approve. Rearm the regiment. Select 50 aircraft. ”
      In the 255th IAP "Thunderbolts" (mainly P-47D-27-RE with drop-shaped lanterns) were operated for a year after the end of the war, longer than anywhere else in the USSR.
  18. 0
    9 July 2015 15: 00
    Quote: Predator-74
    1. 37MM Cannon (VK 3,7) had Junkers not C, but G-series.
    2. Francis Gabreski had 28 victories, among which most was the destruction of German aircraft at the airfields, on which he "burned" in the end and was captured by the Germans, Robert Johnson, David Schilling and others, too, most likely "not far left" from Francis. In principle, this is also a destroyed fascist technique, no doubt, but in the context of the article, one might think that it was a cool fighter, it is difficult to even imagine that thunderbolts could destroy so many German planes that completely surpassed them in all LTH, not to mention the armament, even despite the fact that the flight crew of the Germans was not the same by 44–45, many aces perished at the battle for Britain and on the eastern front.


    And on which head of the G series messenger and the A series jocks exceeded the Bolts by 6-7 and higher kilometers?
    Could you turn around with a loss of energy faster? wink
  19. 0
    9 July 2015 15: 28
    Quote: fa2998
    Quote: Grigorievich
    The plane, maybe good, but for me, ugly.

    Everyone has their own tastes, I like the "Tandenbolt" since childhood. And as for a good one, many write "too big" - well, sorry 2,3,5 tons of fuel in the I-16 will not fit. It was created to accompany thousands km. its bombers. And at the end of the war, when the German fighter aircraft was "thinned out", he showed it as a good fighter-bomber. The load is like 3 Il-2, and the range is impressive. hi pc article +++, thanks.


    Plus, I don’t understand the frantic estimates of the T-bolt as a purely fighter among us. And we didn’t try to compare it, say with Pawn, while carrying out a typical task - delivering bombs to a target, say 200 km beyond the front line. And calculate the required expenses: fuel, hours for the preparation of machines, possible losses, and the result. soldier And he would have found an excellent niche with us, which he did not really have time to master the Su-2. Only for myself and my friends I would have stood up after unloading from harmful bomb cargo.
    1. Alf
      +1
      9 July 2015 19: 59
      Quote: BV330
      Plus, I don’t understand the frantic estimates of the T-bolt as a purely fighter among us. And we didn’t try to compare it, say with Pawn, while carrying out a typical task - delivering bombs to a target, say 200 km beyond the front line.

      Delivering bombs is not enough, you still have to hit them. With one pilot in the cockpit, this is difficult to do. It was not for nothing that the Pawn's crew, besides the pilot, also had a navigator-bombardier. Was there a bombsight in the cockpit of 47, or was it bombed "on the boot"? Even the Germans themselves admitted that as a dive bomber the 190 was inferior to Stuka - the speed was higher, the view was less and there was no bombsight.
      Quote: BV330
      Only for myself and my friends I would have stood up after unloading from harmful bomb cargo.

      It would be interesting to see how on the Eastern Front P-47 at an altitude of 2-3 thousand would fight with the 109th. I think the results would be like in the picture. By the way, those pilots who fought on the SU-2 said that after dropping bombs on the SU-2, you can fight like a fighter.

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