Sukhoi Su-9 / Su-11 / Su-13 (1946)

Fighter / Fighter-Bomber / Night-Fighter Prototype Aircraft [ 1946 ]

Captured German wartime technology allowed the Soviets to advance their jet fighter programs such as the Sukhoi Su-9 series.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/20/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

While the concept of the turbojet engine lingered for some time, it was not put into practical use until the latter part of the 1930s with engineers in Britain and Germany both leading the way. The United States and the Soviet Union - all to become major participants in aircraft development during World War 2 - were relatively slower players to emerge with viable turbojet-powered solutions. For the latter, one of the earlier jet-powered fighter attempts became the Sukhoi Su-9 developed from captured German technology by Sukhoi OKB. Work on the type began in 1944 as the Red Army progressed through its bloody offensives, taking German-held ground - and all booty therein - in the process.

The Soviet copy made no qualms about its German design origins for the lines of the famous Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" - aviation history's first operational jet fighter - were clearly apparent in the Sukhoi submission. The aircraft was given a well-contoured and smooth fuselage encapsulating the required avionics, cockpit, armament and fuel stores. Wings were straight appendages with underslung engine nacelles, one engine to a wing. The tail consisted of a rounded vertical tail wing and high-set horizontal planes providing an overall traditional arrangement. The pilot sat just ahead of amidships under a three-piece canopy with light framing. The undercarriage consisted of a wholly retractable tricycle arrangement with two single-wheeled main legs and a twin-wheeled nose leg. When at rest, this gave the Su-9 a pronounced "nose-up" appearance. The Su-9 was also completed with an ejection seat, this based on the design of the German Heinkel He 162 "Volksjager" emergency jet fighter.

Armament was concentrated in the nose assembly with barrels protruding a short distance ahead. The arrangement was a mixture consisting of 1 x 37mm Nudelman N-37 cannon and 2 x 23mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon. The 37mm fitting was afforded 40 rounds while the twin 23mm installations were fed by 200 projectiles per gun. Such a cannon-only arrangement would become a staple of Soviet jet-powered fighters of the near future. Beyond its dedicated fighter role it was envisioned that the Su-9 would also carry up to 1,100lbs of external stored for when in the fighter-bomber role - a role which saw the airframe outfitted with cockpit armoring for added protection. The original 37mm nose cannon could also be replaced by a larger-caliber 45mm Nudelman N-45 series weapon - though at the cost of total ammunition allowed onboard.

From the outset, it was expected that the Sukhoi design would be powered by a pair of in-house Lyulka TR-1 series turbojets. The TR-1 would become the first Soviet-designed turbojet engine in history and attributed to engineer Arkhip Lyulka himself. Despite its promising scope, the engine ultimately failed due to its poor thrust output (2,800lbs). During early development, the Su-9 was outfitted with outright Soviet copies of the German Junkers Jumo 004B series turbojet.

The war in Europe had ended in May of 1945 and the Pacific War wound down in August of that year. Work progressed on the Sukhoi fighter. The first prototype was not completed until October of 1946 and saw its first flight recorded the following month, proving the design sound for the whole. There continued output thrust issues with the engines which would never be officially resolved before the end of the program. The Su-9 prototype was then featured in an August 1947 flyby over Tushino Airfield. This was also joined by the Su-11 prototype, an Su-9 offshoot fitting Lyulka TR-1 turbojets.

By this time, competing designs from Mikoyan-Gurevich and Yakovlev began to outshine the Sukhoi development. Soviet authorities therefore began to focus on these newer, faster aircraft which essentially forced the Sukhoi fighter project to come to naught - only two prototypes ever being completed (Su-9 and Su-11). The Su-9UT designation would have covered a proposed two-seat trainer of the base Su-9 fighter featuring a second cockpit and limited armament and internal volume. The Su-13 was another proposed evolution of the series, intended to solve the thrust output issue even more so. A night-fighter variant would have been born of this initiative as well.

The Su-9 designation later resurfaced in the Sukhoi Su-9 "Fishpot" of 1959, a supersonic jet-powered interceptor/fighter development which saw 1,150 examples produced.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Sukhoi OKB - Soviet Union
Manufacturer(s)

Soviet Union
Operators

1946
Service Year

Soviet Union
National Origin

Cancelled
Project Status

1
Crew

2
Units

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.

GROUND ATTACK
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

TRAINING
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

34.6 ft
(10.55 meters)
Length

36.7 ft
(11.20 meters)
Width/Span

11.2 ft
(3.40 meters)
Height

8,951 lb
(4,060 kilograms)
Empty Weight

13,228 lb
(6,000 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+4,277 lb
(+1,940 kg)
Weight Difference

2 x RD-10 (Junkers Jumo 004) turbojet engines developing 2,000lb thrust each.
Propulsion

550 mph
(885 kph | 478 knots)
Max Speed

41,995 ft
(12,800 m | 8 miles)
Ceiling

746 miles
(1,200 km | 648 nm)
Range

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

STANDARD:
1 x 37mm Nudelman N-37 cannon OR 1 x 45mm Nudelman N-45 cannon.
2 x 23mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 automatic cannons.

OPTIONAL:
2 x 500lb conventional drop bombs.

2
Hardpoints

Su-9 - Original prototype; single example produced.

Su-9UT - Proposed two-seat conversion trainer of Su-9 production fighter.

Su-11 - Su-9 fighter with Lyulka TR-1 series engines; single prototype example.

Su-13 - Su-9 fighter with Klimov RD-500 series engines; never produced.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Images

1 / 1

Image of the Sukhoi Su-9 / Su-11 / Su-13 (1946)

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)