Friday 9 February 2018

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-5IT

As it was originally planned, the second prototype of the MiG-5 was going to be powered by two M-40 diesel engines rated each of them at 1500hp because diesel engines would, theoretically, offer greater range than gasoline powered one due to the lower fuel consumption.
However, the second prototype, AKA MiG IT (as MiG design bureau named it) or MiG DIS-200 (as it was called by the military designation), encountered a number of problems that hindered its development. That's why the second prototype was, in the end, fitted with two ASh-82 fourteen cylinder two-row radial engines rated at 1676hp each.
The decission of adopting radial engines led to a redesign of the engine nacelles, so, compared to the original DIS, the main wheel cover doors were enlarged and bulged and it was equipped with Hucks-type starter lugs on the propeller spinners.
Development works started at Moscow-Khodinka, but, as the state factory had to be evacuated due to the German offensive, the unfinished DIS-200 was taken East to Kuibyshev delaying the project seriously.
It wasn't until 22nd January 1942 that the prototype flew for the first time, but, after being tested at the factory in Kazan, the program came to an end shortly after in 1942 as aerial combat experience in the Eastern Front showed that there was no need for a long-range escort fighter as most bombing run missions performed by the Petlyakov Pe-2 and Ilyushin DB-3 bombers were of short duration and could be perfectly escorted by the already existing Lavochkin and Yakovlev single-engined fighters.










Sources:
1. http://www.airpages.ru/eng/ru/mig5_2.shtml
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_DIS
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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