Polikarpov TIS
Polikarpov TIS | |
---|---|
The second prototype (MA) of the TIS | |
Role | Heavy fighter |
National origin | Soviet Union |
Manufacturer | Polikarpov OKB |
Designer | Mikhail Yangel |
First flight | September 1941 |
Status | canceled |
Number built | 2 |
The Polikarpov TIS was a heavily armed
.Only two prototypes were built because its intended engines proved to be too unreliable to be placed into production and the engines' manufacturer lacked the resources to fix the problems.
The second prototype crashed in September 1944 and the program was canceled after the death of
Design and development
The original request for proposals for a heavy escort fighter (Tyazholyy Istrebitel' Soprovozhdeniya) was received at the Polikarpov OKB in November 1938, but the press of work with the I-180 and SPB prototypes prevented any significant design work until the third quarter of 1940. Mikhail Yangel was appointed head designer, but his job was complicated by multiple changes in the role of the aircraft from escort fighter to interceptor, dive bomber, and eventually reconnaissance.[1]
The prototype, internally designated as aircraft or TIS "A", was a low-wing, all-metal, cantilever monoplane with two
The 'A' prototype first flew in September 1941 and reached a speed of 555 km/h (345 mph) at 5,800 m (19,000 ft) altitude. It suffered from a lack of directional stability and the engines were unreliable and vibrated above 5,000 m (16,000 ft). Factory No. 51 attempted to fix the stability problem in late September by increasing the area of the rear fins, but was unsuccessful. Flight testing continued in October in Novosibirsk, to where the LII (Russian: Лётно-исследовательский институт—Flight Research Institute) had been evacuated. Eliminating the stability problem took until March 1942, although the engines remained as unreliable as ever.[4]
By the summer of 1942 it was clear that the
Operational history
The "MA" was flight tested from June to September 1944 and generally met its expected performance figures. The engines were optimized for low altitudes and the aircraft could only reach a maximum speed of 535 km/h (332 mph) and a ceiling of 6,600 metres (21,700 ft). It did, however, have an initial climb rate of 13.5 m/s (44 ft/s) and, on the basis of the flight tests, it was concluded that it would be capable reaching 650 km/h (400 mph) at 7,150 m (23,460 ft) and would take 6.4 minutes to reach 5,000 metres (16,404 ft) once the AM-39s were fitted. A brake failure on 29 June damaged the "MA", which required a month to repair, but a crash-landing on 16 September caused by the failure of the undercarriage to extend proved to be the death knell for the TIS program. The OKB was being shut down after Polikarpov's death at the end of June and there was no one willing to champion the TIS.[5]
Specifications (TIS (A))
Data from Gunston, The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995[6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11.7 m (38 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in)
- Height: 4.35 m (14 ft 3 in) [7]
- Wing area: 34.8 m2 (375 sq ft)
- Airfoil: NACA-230
- Empty weight: 5,800 kg (12,787 lb)
- Gross weight: 7,840 kg (17,284 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 2,430 L (530 imp gal; 640 US gal)
- Powerplant: 2 × Mikulin AM-37 liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1,044 kW (1,400 hp) each
- Propellers: 3-bladed VISh-61SF
Performance
- Maximum speed: 555 km/h (345 mph, 300 kn)
- Range: 1,720 km (1,070 mi, 930 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 10,250 m (33,630 ft)
- Time to altitude: 7.3 minutes to 5,000 m (16,404 ft)
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 × 20 mm ShVAK cannon (wing roots)
- 2 × 12.7 mm UBK machine guns(wing roots)
- 4 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns (nose)
- 2 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns (flexibly mounted)
- Bombs: up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Bristol Beaufighter
- de Havilland Mosquito
- Grumman XP-50
- Kawasaki Ki-45
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning
- Messerschmitt Me 210
- Mikoyan-Gurevich DIS
- Petlyakov Pe-3
- Westland Whirlwind
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Gordon, Yefim. Soviet Airpower in World War 2. Hinckley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-85780-304-4.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
- Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
- Townend, David R. Clipped Wings – World War Two Edition. Markham, Ontario: Aerofile Publications, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9732020-1-4.