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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.

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. 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.

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.

Specifications (Su-5)

Data from Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938–1950, The Great Book of Fighters, OKB Sukhoi

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 8.51 m (27 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 10.56 m (34 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 17 m (180 sq ft)
• Airfoil: root: TsAGI 1B10 (16.5%) ; tip: NACA 23011
• Empty weight: 2,954 kg (6,512 lb)
• Gross weight: 3,804 kg (8,386 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Klimov VK-107A V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,230 kW (1,650 hp) at 8,300 m (27,200 ft)
• Powerplant: 1 × VRDK main-engine driven thermojet booster, 2.9 kN (650 lbf) thrust for 10 minutes (Воздушно-Реактивный Двигатель Компрессорный - Vozdushno-Reaktivny Dvigatel Kompressornyi – air reaction compressor jet)
• Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 793 km/h (493 mph, 428 kn) at 4,350 m (14,270 ft)

810 km/h (500 mph; 440 kn) at 7,800 m (25,600 ft)

• Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 12,050 m (39,530 ft)
• Time to altitude: 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 5 minutes 42 seconds

Armament

• Guns:
  

• 1 × 23 mm (0.91 in) Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 100 rounds
• 2 × 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Berezin UB machine guns with 200 rpg

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250

References

1. ^ Shavrov V.B. (1994). Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938–1950 gg. (3 izd.). Mashinostroenie. ISBN 5-217-00477-0.
2. ^ Green, W; Swanborough, G (2001). The Great Book of Fighters. MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.
3. "Sukhoi Su-5". Sukhoi Company Museum. Archived from the original on 2006-11-18. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
4. Antonov, Vladimir; Gordon, Yefim; Gordyukov, Nikolai; Yakovlev, Vladimir; Zenkin, Vyacheslav; Carruth, Lenox; Miller, Jay (1996). OKB Sukhoi : a history of the design bureau and its aircraft (1st ed.). Earl Shilton: Midland Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 9781857800128.
5. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

• Mixed-power aircraft
• Motorjet-powered aircraft
• 1940s Soviet fighter aircraft
• Sukhoi aircraft
• Abandoned military aircraft projects of the Soviet Union
• Aircraft first flown in 1945