The Bisnovat SK-2 was seemingly too advanced for its own good and, despite promising performance gains, was not adopted for serial production during World War 2.
Like other powers of the late-Interwar period (that is, the period between the two World Wars), the Soviets were hard at work on development of all-new monoplane wing planforms to improve their lot of frontline machine gun-armed fighters. The Central Dynamics and Hydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI), under the direction of Matus Bisnovat, had conducted research in the field involving the SK/SK-1 ("Skorostnoye Krylo") high-speed monoplane-winged speedster of 1939-1940 and this work was used to progress a combat-level fighting monoplane bearing his name - the Bisnovat "SK-2". Bisnovat had already accrued the needed knowledge while working as an aeronautics engineer at OKO in Kiev, Ukraine, and was eventually allowed to establish his own design bureau ("OKB") for extending the project.
Like the original SK, the SK-2 sought to accomplish complete refinement in design, not only utilizing an all-new, small-area wing planform but also securing the smallest, most efficient airframe to viably accommodate an inline piston engine of the day. The aircraft featured the Klimov M-105 (VK-105) 12-cylinder inline piston engine of 1,050 horsepower driving a three-bladed propeller at the nose - the engine housed in a compact, low-profile space to maintain the aircraft's streamlined efficiency. The pilot's position was held low against the fuselage and positioned well-aft in the design, the dorsal spine meeting the base of the single rudder tail fin. The "tail-dragger" undercarriage was hydraulically controlled and wholly-retractable. The mainplanes, with their rounded tips, straight leading edges, and tapering trailing edges, were fitted low and ahead of midships creating a balanced flying platform. All-metal construction, including light alloy skinning, was used throughout the makeup of the aircraft though fabric covered the tail's control surfaces.
In its potential combat form, it was proposed that the aircraft would carry an armament array of at least 2 x 12.7mm BS Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in the engine cowling and possibly 1 x 7.62mm Medium Machine Gun (MMG) to improve firepower in meeting the threats of the day.
As finalized, the SK-2 was first-flown during October 1940 (this as World War 2 raged on) and gave itself a good showing. However, the gains found through this advanced design were not enough to supplant the current mold of fighter design in the Soviet aircraft stable. As such, the Sk-2 project was abandoned as the war continued.
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AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
INTERCEPTION
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
27.2 ft (8.28 meters) Length
24.0 ft (7.30 meters) Width/Span
10.7 ft (3.25 meters) Height
4,079 lb (1,850 kilograms) Empty Weight
5,071 lb (2,300 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
+992 lb (+450 kg) Weight Difference
1 x Klimov M-105 (VK-105) 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled inline piston engine developing 1,050 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose. Propulsion
PROPOSED:
2 x 12.7mm BS Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in engine cowling.
1 x 7.62mm Medium Machine Gun (MMG).
0 Hardpoints
SK-2 - Base Series Designation; single flyable example completed.
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
52
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 500mph
Lo: 250mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (410mph).
Graph average of 375 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (1)
1
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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