Despite its impressive appearance - no doubt made possible by captured German research following World War 2 - the MiG-9 was a heavy aircraft prone to accidents.
The MiG-9 (NATO codename of "Fargo") was only the second attempt by the Soviet Union at designing and producing a viable jet-powered fighter platform. Design was undertaken by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Bureau and - though hardly a successful design - the MiG-9 formed the basis and forerunner to the excellent MiG-15 "Fagot" aircraft popularized by its use in the Korean War (1950-1953). With German turbojet design readily apparent in this Soviet addition, the MiG-9 was nevertheless produced in nearly 600 examples and in several variants.
There is little doubt that the MiG-9's appearance influenced the upcoming 1947 design of the MiG-15 - and future Mikoyan-Gurevich creations throughout the Cold War - as all were seen with the highly identifiable nose-mounted split-type intake (feeding the twin turbojets running about halfway into the fuselage) and high vertical tail surface. The cockpit of the MiG-9 was fielded forward as was the case with the MiG-15 and beyond. In an interesting note, the armament of the MiG-9 was equally indicative of its influence over the MiG-15 in that both sported a single 37mm cannon and twin 23mm cannons all in the nose. Whereas the MiG-9 Fargo was designed with straight wings, all later Mikoyan jets were fitted with swept-back wing designs. Power was derived from a pair of German-based BMW 003A turbojets masked as Soviet RD-20's.
Though development of the MiG-9 began in 1935, the prototype I-300 series was not to fly until 1946 with deliveries beginning in the last month of that year. By 1947, the aircraft was refitted with a more powerful RD-21 type engine in the MiG-9F though overall the series till proved to be a heavy aircraft to fly convincingly in combat when compared to the initial Soviet jet fighter attempt in the Yak-15. With turbojet design mechanics and tactics still in its relative infancy, the MiG-9 was also a design that was inherently prone to engine and airframe failures.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
Length
32.0 ft (9.75 m)
Width/Span
32.8 ft (10.00 m)
Height
13.0 ft (3.96 m)
Empty Wgt
7,540 lb (3,420 kg)
MTOW
11,177 lb (5,070 kg)
Wgt Diff
+3,638 lb (+1,650 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (Fargo) production variant)
Installed:
2 x RD-20 (BMW 003A) turbojet engines developing 1,746 lb of thrust each.
STANDARD:
1 x 37mm cannon extending from nose intake divider.
2 x 23mm cannon extending from under sides of nose intake.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
I-300 - Prototype Model Designation; fitted with German-type 2 x BMW 300A turbojets; first flight on April 24 of 1946.
MiG-9 - Base Production Model Series Designation; limited production.
MiG-9F - Fitted with uprated RD-21 turbojet engines.
MiG-9FP - Prototype Model; revised weapons layout.
MiG-9FL - Developmental Model fitted with Lyulka TR-1A engines.
MiG-9FF - Prototypr Model; fitted with RD-20F OR RD-21 type engines with afterburning.
MiG-9FR - Pressurization of cockpit; final production models.
MiG-9UTI - Two-Seat Trainer Model
MiG-9L - Prototype Testbed Aircraft
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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China; Soviet Union
