Sukhoi Su-9 (1946)

infobox Aircraft
name = Su-9/Su-11/Su-13
type = Fighter
manufacturer = Sukhoi



caption = Sukhoi Su-9
designer =
first flight = 13 November 1946
introduced =
retired = 1948
produced =
number built =one Su-9, one Su-11
status = Prototype only
unit cost =
primary user = Soviet Air Force
more users =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

"This article describes the first aircraft to carry the Su-9 and Su-11 designation. For the later supersonic interceptors, see Sukhoi Su-9 and Sukhoi Su-11 respectively."

The Sukhoi Su-9, or Samolet K (Russian: Aircraft K), was an early jet fighter aircraft built in the Soviet Union shortly after World War II. The Su-9 also served as the basis for the Su-11 (Samolet LK) and Su-13 (Samolet TK).

Design and development

u-9

While it bore a superficial resemblance to the German Messerschmitt Me 262, the Su-9 was not directly related to that aircraft. The first flight took place on 13 November 1946 and trials the following month proved promising.Shavrov 1994] Su-9 was an advanced design for the time with an ejection seat and a provision for JATO rockets (2x 11.27 kN {2,530 lbf} thrust for 8 seconds). For the first time on a Soviet aircraft, the Su-9 utilized a brake parachute and unique wing-mounted air brakes. These were mounted between the ailerons and the engine nacelles and split above and below the wing. The aircraft was revealed to the general public on 3 August 1947 at the Tushino Airfield.

Development of the Su-9 was hampered by the stigma associated with its resemblance to the Me 262. Competing aircraft designer Aleksandr Yakovlev played this fact against Sukhoi with Joseph Stalin.

The Su-9 was abandoned in favor of the more advanced Su-11 (LK).

u-11

In early 1947, it was decided to modify the prototype two-seat Su-9 trainer then under construction. The resulting Su-11 (Samolet LK) was completed in May 1947. The most important modification was replacement of the German Jumo 004B engines with more powerful Soviet-designed Lyulka TR-1 turbojets developing 12.7 kN (2,865 lbf) thrust each. Su-11 thus became the first Soviet jet aircraft to use indigenous engines. Wing and fuselage structure had been revised to adapt to the considerably larger Lyulka engines. Su-11 first flew on 28 May 1947 with G.M. Shiyanov at the controls. Test flights revealed yaw instability at high speeds and the Lyulka engines were unreliable and eventually had been canceled. As the result, the project was abandoned in April 1948.

u-13

Su-13 was the final attempt to further increase performance of the basic Su-9 design. The maximum wing thickness was reduced from 11% to 9% of the chord and the tailplanes were swept. The aircraft was also fitted with a pair of Klimov RD-500 (unlicensed Rolls-Royce Derwent copies) engines with 15.6 kN (3,500 lbf) thrust each. A night fighter version with radar and 2x 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon was also proposed. However, the projected top speed below 1 000 km/h (540 knots, 620 mph) was deemed insufficient and the project was abandoned before the prototype could be finished.

Operators

;USSR
*Soviet Air Force

pecifications (Su-9)

Aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet
ref=Green 2001]
crew=One
length main=10.57 m
length alt=34 ft 8 in
span main=11.21 m
span alt=36 ft 9 in
height main=3.72 m
height alt=12 ft 2 in
area main=20.24 m²
area alt=217.87 ft²
empty weight main=4 060 kg
empty weight alt=8,950 lb
loaded weight main=5 890 kg
loaded weight alt=12,990 lb
max takeoff weight main=6 380 kg
max takeoff weight alt=14,070 lb
more general=
*Fuel capacity: 1 750 kg (3,860 lb)
engine (jet)=Tumansky RD-10
type of jet=turbojets
number of jets=2
thrust main=8.8 kN
thrust alt=1,984 lbf
max speed main=885 km/h
max speed alt=480 knots, 550 mph
max speed more=at 5 000 m (16,405 ft)
range main=1 140 km
range alt=615 nm, 710 mi
ceiling main=12,800 m
ceiling alt=41,984 ft
climb rate main=4.2 min to 5 000 m
climb rate alt=16,405 ft
loading main=291 kg/m²
loading alt=60 lb/ft²
thrust/weight=0.31
more performance=
*Endurance: 1 hour 44 minutes
armament=
* 1x 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon with 30 rounds (1x 45 mm Nudelman N-45 could be fitted instead)
* 2x 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 200 rounds/gun
* Up to 500 kg (1,100 lb) of bombs (1x FAB-500 or 2x FAB-250)

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=
*Messerschmitt Me 262 - The world's first operational jet-fighter aircraft.
*Gloster Meteor - The first Allied operational jet-fighter aircraft.
*Bell P-59A
*Nakajima J9Y Kikka

see also=
*Heinkel He 178 - The world's first aircraft to fly under turbojet power.
*Heinkel He 280 - The first turbojet-powered fighter aircraft built in the world.

sequence=

References

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