Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9, part two

On this post today, we're covering the various variants and prototypes that were made around the MiG-9.

• The MiG-9, which was known internally in OKB as the I-307 was powered by the same two RD-21 engines, like the previous versions. The armament was rearranged in order to solve the gun gas ingestion problem with the N37 mounted on the starboard side of the fuselage and the two NS-23 on the port side, well aft so the gun barrels did not protrude beyond the air intake. Therefore, the cockpit had to be moved forward slightly giving pilot that way better field of view when landing. Internal fuel tanks were reduced to five, but the overall fuel capacity of the fighter remained the same.It flew for the first time in July 1947 but factory test flights weren't completed until early 1948. It failed the state acceptance trials in spite of a top speed of 965Km/h (600mph) at 5000m (16000ft) as apparently the engines continued to flame out if they were run at low rpm at altitudes above 8000m (26000ft) and the mounts for the cannons weren't fully developed and the workmanship of the pressurized cockpit was low. However, the real reason was that the MiG-15, which already under development, was far superior.
• There was a, two-seat trainer version, called I-301T internally and izdeliye FT, which was a converted regular MiG-9 one. Fuel capacity was reduced by a third in order to make room for the second cockpit. Dual controls were fitted as well as an intercom to allow instructor and student to communicate in the air. Each cockpit had ejectable seats designed after the ones used in the German Heinkel He.162 Salamander. It was delivered on 17th January 1947 but it wasn't fully tested until 5th April. Ejection seats weren't tested in mid-air as they required extensive ground-training to ensure proper operation of the seat. It was tested by the state in June, but it was rejected due to poor visibility from the rear cockpit. A second aircraft was made on 15th July, which had better visibility from the rear cockpit as it had removed the original bulletproof windscreen with a larger glass plate, reshaping that way canopy's side panels and removing the partition between cockpits. It was fitted with wing airbrakes and two 260 litres (57 imp. gal - 69 US gal) drop tanks under wingtips. This version passed state acceptance trials in late 1947 and was recommended fro production with the designation of MiG-9UTI. Ejection seats were extensively tested all through 1948 but, as the aircraft was considered obsolete, there was not point in developing a trainer version. Sixty of them were ordered together with two-hundred and fifty regular fighter versions in 1948 but as the aircraft was deemed obsolete, the order was cancelled as the MiG-15 was already pushing forward.
• The MiG-9FK was a modified version made in 1949 to serve as a testbed for the Raduga KS-1 Komet air-launched anti-shipping cruise missile. This version featured a second unpressurized cockpit in line with the trailing edge of the wing for the guidance system operator. It was fitted with two radars, a KM-1 target illumination radar and a prominent bullet-shaped fairing above the air intake plus an aft-looking radar mounted on a cigar-shaped fairing at the top of the vertical-stabilizer. This system was intended to test the mid-course guidance system of the launching aircraft and the guidance systems of the missile. Signals from the KM-1 radar were received in small bullet-shaped fairings on the leading edges of the wings. This aircraft served in this role for four years, until the Raduga KS-1 passed its state acceptance trials in 1952-1953.
• The MiG-9FP was a regular MiG-9 with the N-37 cannon moved to the port side in order to solve the gas ingestion problem, but it seems that it wasn't successful.
• The MiG-9FL was a version powered by two Lyulka TR-1 Turbojet engines instead of the RD-20. These engines, the TR-1, had a power of 1500kgf (15KN, 3300lbf) and were the first jet ones to be natively developed in the USSR. Armament was rearranged as well, with the 23mm cannons moved to each of them to a side of the fuselage and the N-37 still in the centre of the air intake. It had the ammunition for the N-37 increased to 45 rounds. It was intended to have a pressurized cockpit and a reduced overall weight of 4500Kg (9900lb). However, as the engine was not fully developed by 1948 and the MiG-15 was already pushing forward, the variant was discarded.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-9 
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9, part one

Back in February 1945 the Soviet Council of People's Commissars ordered Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau to develop a single-seat jet fighter that was powered by the German BMW 003 engines.As it was intended to destroy strategical bombers, it was going to be heavily armed; its expected armament was a single 57mm (2.2in) or 37mm (1.5in) fast-firing guns plus two 23mm (0.9in) guns. According to the directive, it also had to have a maximum speed of 900km/h (559mph) at sea level and it had to achieve a speed of 910km/h (565mph) at 5000m high (16400ft). It had to climb to that altittude in four minutes or less and had to have a range of 820km (510mi). Three prototypes were ordered with a deadline on 15th March 1946.
The prototype, called I-300 by Mikoyan-Gurevich, had a 'pod-and-boom' configuration as it offered many advantages in landing performance and had better visibility from the cockpit when landing, but it had also some setbacks like the unusual tricycle arrangement landing gear which protected the rear fuselage from the jet exhaust, and where to place the aircraft's armament.
It was an all-metal with unswept mid-mounted wings with two prominents air intakes in the nose. Both spar-wings were equipped with slotted flaps and Frise ailerons. It was powered by two RD-20 turbojets (which were a Soviet copy of the German BMW 003) integrated into the fuselage, with a power of 7.8kN (1754lbf) each of them. A steel laminate heatshield was installed on the bottom of the rear fuselage in order to protect it from the exhaust gasses and the fuselage held four bag-type fuel tanks plus other three in each wing, providing a total internal fuel capacity of 1625L (429US gal) and the cockpit wasn't pressurized.
The construction of the three prototypes began in late 1945 and the first prototype was ready to be tested on 30th December. However it wasn't until 24th April 1946 that it flew for the first time, after luck favoured MiG bureau in the rivalry with Yakovlev to see which one would be the first official Soviet jet aircraft to flight. MiG won the contest and they were awarded with a production contract with production starting in 1946 at the No.1 factory in Kazan.
A total of 598 exemplars were manufactured and they served with the Soviet Air Force from 1946 until 1948 (when they replaced by the better MiG-15) and they served with the Fighter Regiments of the 1st, 7th, 14th, 15th and 16th Air Armies with the 15th and 16th based in Kaliningrad and East Germany respectively. Additionaly, the 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment, of the 303rd Aviation Division, based in Yaroslavl, in the USSR, flew the aircraft in 1949 as an interim fighter before receiving the MiG-15.
The USSR sent six Air Divisions, each of them with two Fighter Regiments, to China in November/December 1950 to defend the air space and train Chinese pilots after the outbreak of the Korean War.
The 17th Guards Fighter Aviation Division was based in Shenyang area, the 20th Fighter Aviation Division was based in Tangshan and the 65th Fighter Aviation Division was based in Guangzhou. Shortly later the 144th Fighter Aviation Division arrived in Shanghai, the 309th Fighter Aviation Division was sent to Gongzhuling and the 328th Fighter Aviation Division was assigned to protect Peking. After the training was completed they handed over the MiG-9s to the 6th, 7th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th Fighter Divisions of the, back then, newly created, People's Liberation Army Air Force. They considered to send the MiG-9s to Korea, as the Soviets pressured them, however, after some after battle reports about the performance of the F-86 Sabre and other UN fighters, they considered that it was better to retrain their pilots on the MiG-15 as it was a better adversary for the F-86 Sabre.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-9
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters