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

1946 COLD WAR X-PLANE

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

While the concept of the turbojet lingered for a while, it wasn't until the second half of the 1930s that it was put into practice with British and German engineers. The United States and the Soviet Union both of which became major players in aircraft development during World War II were relatively slow in coming up with viable turbojet-powered solutions.

For the latter, one of the earlier jet combat attempts was the Sukhoi Su-9, which was developed by the Sukhoi OKB based on captured German technology. This type of work began in 1944, when the Red Army launched a bloody offensive to seize German-held land - and all the booty it contained.

The Soviet copy leaves no doubt of its German design pedigree, as the lines of the famous Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" - the first operational jet fighter in aviation history - are clearly visible in Sukhoi's submission . The plane has a sleek, sleek fuselage that houses the necessary avionics, cockpit, weapons and fuel depots. The wings are straight appendages with engine nacelles below, one engine per wing. The tail consists of a circular vertical fin and raised horizontal planes, presenting a traditional overall layout. The pilot sits amidships under a three-part canopy with a lightweight frame.

The landing gear consists of a fully retractable tricycle assembly with two single-wheel main legs and a two-wheel front leg. At rest, this gave the Su-9 a distinct "nose up" appearance.

The Su-9 is also equipped with an ejection seat based on the German Heinkel He 162 "Volksjager" emergency jet fighter design.

The weapon is concentrated in the nose assembly with the barrel sticking out a short distance forward. The unit is a mix of 1 x 37mm Nudelman N-37 gun and 2 x 23mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 guns. The 37mm armature has 40 rounds, while the dual 23mm units can hold 200 rounds per gun. In the near future, this gun-only arrangement will become the main armament of Soviet jet fighters.

In addition to its dedicated fighter role, the Su-9 is also intended to carry up to 1,100 pounds of external bearings for the fighter-bomber role - in which the fuselage is outfitted with cockpit armor for added protection. The original 37mm nose cannon could also be replaced with a larger caliber 45mm Nudelman N-45 series machine gun - albeit at the expense of the total ammunition allowed on board.

From the outset, it was expected that the Sukhoi design would be powered by two in-house Lyulka TR-1 series turbojets. The TR-1 is considered the first Soviet-designed turbojet in history, by engineer Arkhip Lyulka himself.

Despite its promising size, the engine ultimately failed due to poor thrust (2,800 pounds). During early development, the Su-9 was equipped with a Soviet version of the German Junkers Jumo 004B series turbojet.

The European War ended in May 1945 and the Pacific War ended in August of the same year. Work on the Sukhoi fighter has progressed. The first prototype was not completed until October 1946, and its first flight was recorded the following month, justifying the entire design.

There is still a problem with the output thrust of the engine that will never be formally resolved until the program is over. In August 1947, the Su-9 prototype was unveiled during a flyover at Tushino Airport.

They were also joined by the Su-11 prototype, a Su-9 derivative with a Lyulka TR-1 turbojet.

At this point, the competing designs of Mikoyan-Gurevich and Yakovlev began to overtake Sukhoi's development. As a result, Soviet authorities began to focus on these newer, faster aircraft, essentially forcing the Sukhoi fighter project to die only two prototypes (Su-9 and Su-11) were completed. The Su-9UT designation will cover the proposed two-seat Su-9 base fighter-trainer with a second cockpit and limited armament and interior space.

The Su-13 is another proposed evolution of the family that will further address thrust performance issues. A variant of the night fighter will also emerge from the initiative.

The Su-9 designation later reappeared in the 1959 Sukhoi Su-9 "Fishpot", a development of a supersonic jet interceptor/fighter of which 1,150 were produced.