Sukhoi Su-5
Su-5 (I-107) | |
---|---|
Role | Fighter |
Manufacturer | Sukhoi |
Designer | Pavel Sukhoi |
First flight | 6 April 1945 |
Status | Cancelled |
Number built | 1 |
The Sukhoi Su-5 or I-107 was a Soviet mixed-power (propeller and motorjet) prototype fighter aircraft built toward the end of World War II.
Development
The appearance of the German turbojet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262 near the end of World War II prompted the Soviet Union to develop faster fighter aircraft. Since the USSR lacked a production-ready turbojet engine, development efforts were directed toward mixed-power aircraft utilizing a conventional piston engine-driven propeller for the majority of propulsion with a small rocket or jet engine for bursts of speed.[1]
The Su-5 (initially I-107) and the conceptually similar Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250 were designed in 1944. The aircraft first flew on 6 April 1945 and underwent limited flight testing. It was subsequently fitted with a laminar flow wing and attained 793 km/h (428 kn, 493 mph) at 4,350 m (14,270 ft) with the motorjet functioning.[2] On 15 June 1945, the Klimov VK-107A piston engine was damaged beyond repair in flight. Following acquisition of another VK-107A, flight testing continued until 18 October when the engine reached the end of its service life. No further VK-107As could be procured and the project was canceled.[3]
The Su-5 was a conventional monoplane of all-metal construction. The VRDK (Russian: Воздушно-Реактивный Двигатель Компрессорный) motorjet in the rear of the fuselage was powered by a driveshaft from the VK-107 piston engine and could provide an additional 100 km/h (54 kn, 62 mph) of speed for three minutes.[1]
Specifications (Su-5)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
Performance
Armament
- 1 × 23 mm (0.91 in) Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon
- 2 × 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Berezin UB machine guns
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
- ^ a b c Shavrov V.B. (1994). Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938–1950 gg. (3 izd.). Mashinostroenie. ISBN 5-217-00477-0.
- ^ a b Green, W; Swanborough, G (2001). The Great Book of Fighters. MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.
- ^ "Sukhoi Su-5". Sukhoi Company Museum. Archived from the original on 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
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