Sukhoi Su-6
Su-6 | |
---|---|
Su-6(S2A) second prototype, two-seater with M-71 engine | |
Role | Ground-attack aircraft |
National origin | Soviet Union |
Manufacturer | Sukhoi |
First flight | 1 March 1941 |
Status | Prototype |
Primary user | Soviet Air Forces |
Number built | 3 |
The Sukhoi Su-6 was a Soviet ground-attack aircraft developed during World War II. The mixed-power (rocket and piston engines) high-altitude interceptor Su-7 was based on the single-seat Su-6 prototype.
Design and development
Development of the Su-6 began in 1939, when the Sukhoi design bureau began work on a single-seat armoured ground-attack aircraft. An order for two prototypes was placed on 4 March 1940, and on 1 March 1941 flight testing of the first prototype was begun by test pilot A.I. Kokin.[1]
The flight tests indicated that the Su-6 was superior to the Ilyushin Il-2 in nearly all performance categories, however its engine exceeded its age limit before testing could be completed, and no further Shvetsov M-71 engines were available.[1]
The second prototype flew only in January 1942 because the
Meanwhile, combat experience with single-seat Il-2s demonstrated the need for a rear gunner. The third prototype was therefore designed with the second crewman at the expense of bomb load (decreased from 400 kg/881 lb to 200 kg/440 lb), and was fitted with a more powerful M-71F engine. Official tests revealed that the two-seat Su-6 had a 100 km/h (54 kn, 62 mph) greater top speed than the Il-2, although with a considerably smaller payload.[2] When the troublesome M-71 was canceled, Sukhoi was directed to utilize the liquid-cooled Mikulin AM-42 engine. When flight tests began on 22 February 1944, the re-engined Su-6 proved inferior to the Ilyushin Il-10 using the same engine thanks to the additional 250 kg (551 lb) of armor required to protect the liquid-cooled engine and the lower power output of the AM-42 compared with M-71F.[2]
Although the Su-6 never entered production, in 1943 Pavel Sukhoi was awarded the Stalin Prize of the 1st Degree for the development of the aircraft.[1]
Su-7
As an experiment, the basic single-seat Su-6 design was converted into a mixed-power high-altitude interceptor named Su-7 (the name was reused in the 1950s for
Variants
- A[4]
- The initial design for the Su-6.
- S[4]
- The second prototype with various modifications.
- SA (modified)[4]
- The SA with 2 x OKB-16 37 mm (1.46 in) Cannon and 2x 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns.
- S2A[4]
- The Su-6 fitted with a second cockpit with a rear-firing Il-2, but despite recommendations, production was not carried out due to the M-71engine not entering production.
Operators
- Soviet Air Force
Specifications (Su-6(SA) 2nd prototype)
Data from OKB Sukhoi,[4][1][2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 9.243 m (30 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 13.58 m (44 ft 7 in)
- Height: 3.89 m (12 ft 9 in) (S2A)
- Wing area: 26 m2 (280 sq ft)
- Airfoil: root:TsAGI B (18%) ; tip: TsAGI B (8%)[5]
- Empty weight: 3,727 kg (8,217 lb) (SA)
- (S2A) 4,000 kg (8,800 lb)
- Gross weight: 5,534 kg (12,200 lb) (S2A)
- Fuel capacity: 480 kg (1,060 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-71 18-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,500 kW (2,000 hp)
- (S2A) 1x 1,600 kW (2,200 hp) Shvetsov M-71F
- (S2A) 1x 1,600 kW (2,200 hp)
- Propellers: 4-bladed AV-54A, 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in) diameter constant-speed propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 496 km/h (308 mph, 268 kn) at sea level with 10x RS-132rockets
- 510 km/h (320 mph; 280 kn) at sea level without warload
- 491 km/h (305 mph; 265 kn) at 2,500 m (8,200 ft) with bombs
- 527 km/h (327 mph; 285 kn) at 2,500 m (8,200 ft) without bombs
- (S2A) 514 km/h (319 mph; 278 kn) at 3,800 m (12,500 ft)
- Landing speed: 136 km/h (85 mph; 73 kn)
- Take-off speed: 160 km/h (99 mph; 86 kn)
- Range: 450 km (280 mi, 240 nmi)
- Ferry range: 576 km (358 mi, 311 nmi)
- (S2A) 973 km (605 mi; 525 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 8,100 m (26,600 ft) (S2A)
- Time to altitude: (S2A)1,555 m (5,102 ft) in 10 minutes 36 seconds
- Take-off run: 520 m (1,710 ft)
- Take-off roll (S2A): 410 m (1,350 ft)
- Landing roll (S2A): 730 m (2,400 ft)
Armament
- Guns: *2 × 37 mm (1.46 in) Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 autocannon in the wings (90 rounds per gun, 180 rounds total)
- 2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns in the wings (1,400 rounds per gun, 2,800 rounds total)
- 1 × Berezin UBT machine gunin rear turret with 196 rounds
- Rockets: 10x RS-132rockets
- Bombs: Up to 400 kg (880 lb) of bombs
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
- ^ a b c d e "Sukhoi Su-6". Sukhoi Company Museum. Archived from the original on 2007-04-30. Retrieved 2007-01-07.
- ^ ISBN 5-217-00477-0.
- ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.
- ^ ISBN 9781857800128.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.