Foreign News: RUSSIA’S WARPLANES

Knowledge of Red planes is scarce and hard to come by. Yet quite a bit has been put together. The following is compiled from military experts in the U.S., France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Germany, Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft (1951 edition), and Aviation Age magazine.

FIGHTERS

YAK9 (Yakovlev), single-engine World War II interceptor. Speed, 442 m.p.h.; rate of climb, 4,000 ft. a min.; ceiling, 36,000 ft.; range, 800 miles; armament, one hub-firing 20-mm. cannon, two 12.7-mm. machine guns. Production discontinued, but still being used by satellite air forces and as advanced trainers in Russia.

MIG-15 (Mikoyan), single-jet fighter. Speed, 680 m.p.h.; rate of climb, 7-8,000 ft. a min.; ceiling, 42,000 ft.; range, unknown; armament, one 32-mm., two 23-mm. cannon. Currently Russia’s No. 1 day fighter.

LA-17 (Lavochkin), long-range stablemate of the MIG-15. Speed, 625-650 m.p.h.; rate of climb, 6,600 ft. a min.; ceiling, 45,000 ft.; range, about 2,000 miles; armament, two 20-, 32-, or 37-mm. cannon. Late models have rocket boosts in the tail for extra speed and night fighter’s radar in the nose.

YAK-25 (Yakovlev). Latest Red swept-wing interceptor, designed as the successor to the MIG-15 and LA-17. No details on performance.

YAK-15 (Yakovlev). Rocket-powered, swept-wing interceptor, still in research stage. Speed, about 850 m.p.h.; rate of climb, 16,000 ft. a min.; endurance, less than 5 min.; armament, unknown, possibly four cannon in nose or rockets.

LA-15 (Lavochkin). Twin-jet night fighter carrying pilot and radarman. Speed, about 570 m.p.h.; rate of climb, unknown; ceiling, unknown; range, about 2,200 miles; armament, two nose-mounted 32-mm. cannon plus two 12.7-mm. machine guns. Russia’s No. 1 night fighter. Production limited, but being stepped up.

BOMBERS

TU-10 (Tupolev). Three-man, twin-jet attack bomber (resembles Britain’s Canberra). Speed, 530 m.p.h.; range, unknown; bombload, 6,500 Ibs.; armament, two nose-mounted 30-mm. cannon, two 20-mm. cannon in the tail. Beginning production.

IL-26 (Iliushin). Three-or four-place, twin-jet medium bomber. Speed, about 600 m.p.h.; range, around 2,000 miles; bombload, unknown, but a Red navy version has been fitted to carry a torpedo. Armament, two 37-mm. cannon in the nose, twin 12.7-mm. machine guns in side, top and tail turrets.

TU4 (Tupolev). Direct copy of the U.S. B29. Speed, about 400 m.p.h.; range, 4,000-5,000 miles; bombload, 10,000 Ibs.; armament, 10-20-mm. cannon in four turrets. Tupolev has also built a long-nosed version of the B29, which some observers at the Aviation Day show mistook fora Red B-36.

TU-75 (Tupolev). The Russian answer to the B-36. Swept wings, six huge turboprop engines, a speed of 600 m.p.h., and 10,000-mile range at 45 to 50,000 feet. Scheduled to fly some time late this year or early next.