MiG-3
From OnAirpower.org
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The MiG-3 was harder to fly and had a higher accident rate than the I-16 and I-153 fighters that it was replacing[1]. The MiG-3 was used as a front-line fighter from 1941 to 1943. For the rest of the war it was used primarily as a night-fighter in the PVO, a task for which its high ceiling (12,000 meters) and high speed made it well suited[1].
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[edit] Production History
The MiG-3 began life as the I-200 prototype, which made its first flight on April 5, 1940. The first I-200 prototype was followed by two additional prototypes, which made their first flights May 9, 1940, and June 6, 1940, respectively. The I-200 was designated the MiG-1 for series production, which began in January, 1941. After the first 100 examples were produced, the improved version of the aircraft was redesignated the MiG-3 for the remainder of its production run. Series production was canceled on December 23, 1941, with the final units completed in the beginning of 1942. Production of the MiG-3 was canceled for two main reasons: first, the factory which made the AM-35A engines used by the MiG-3 was switched over to production of the AM-38 engine used by the Il-2, and second, the MiG-3 was not as effective as other fighters at the lower altitudes that the Germans usually flew at[1].
[edit] Timeline
- April 5, 1940 The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-200 prototype (which would eventually become the MiG-3) makes its first flight, piloted by A. N. Ekatov[1].
- December 23, 1941 Series production of the Soviet MiG-3 fighter is ended[1].
[edit] Sources
- Welcome back, comrade by Sheppard, Mark J., Reference:FlyPast, No. 315 (October 2007). a pictorial report on reconstruction of MiG-3s by Aviarestoration in Russia, with photographs illustrating the construction of the MiG-3, including its wooden tail and wing sections.
