Russian military hardware of WW2 thread

Superboy · May 29, 2015

MiG-3 fighter. Comparable to American P-40, German Me 109, British Spitfire in its day.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yak-1 fighter. Comparable to American P-40, German Me 109, British Spitfire in its day.

Yakovlev Yak-1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yak-9 fighter, considered on par with P-51B/C Mustang

Yakovlev Yak-9 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yak-3 fighter, considered the best Russian fighter of WW2, on par with American P-40D Mustang

Yakovlev Yak-3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

flameboard · May 29, 2015

Antonov An-40 The Winged Tank

Penguin · May 30, 2015

Superboy said:
MiG-3 fighter, superior to American P-40, German Me 109, British Spitfire in its day.

The MiG-3 was difficult to fly in peacetime and much more so in combat. It had been designed for high-altitude combat but combat over the Eastern Front was generally at lower altitudes where it was inferior to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 as well as most modern Soviet fighters. It was also pressed into service as a fighter-bomber during the autumn of 1941 but it was equally unsuited for this. Over time the survivors were concentrated in the PVO, where its disadvantages mattered less, the last being withdrawn from service before the end of the war.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However high-altitude combat of this sort was to prove to be uncommon on the Eastern Front where most air-to-air engagements were at altitudes well below 5,000 metres (16,000 ft). At these sorts of altitudes the MiG-3 was outclassed by the Bf 109 in all respects, but also by other modern Soviet fighters like the Yakovlev Yak-1. Furthermore the shortage of ground-attack aircraft in 1941 forced it into that role as well, for which it was totally unsuited.[16] Pilot Alexander E. Shvarev recalled: "The Mig was perfect at altitudes of 4,000 m and above. But at lower altitudes it was, as they say, 'a cow'. That was the first weakness. The second was its armament: weapons failure dogged this aircraft. The third weakness was its gunsights, which were inaccurate: that's why we closed in as much as we could and fired point blank

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comparison to other fighters[edit]
The MiG-3's top speed of 640 km/h (398 mph) at 7,200 metres (23,622 ft)[5] was faster than the 615 km/h (382 mph)[6] of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2 in service at the beginning of 1941 and the British Supermarine Spitfire V's 603 km/h (375 mph).[7] At lower altitudes the MiG's speed advantage disappeared as its maximum speed at sea level was only 505 km/h (314 mph)[5] while the Bf 109F-2 could do 515 km/h (320 mph).[6] Unfortunately for the MiG-3 and its pilots, aerial combat over the Eastern Front generally took place at low and medium altitudes where it had no speed advantage.[8]
The MiG's loaded weight of 3,350 kg (7,385 lb)[9] was greater than the Bf 109F-2's 2,728 kg (6,014 lb)[10] and it was less maneuverable in the horizontal plane than the Bf 109 due to its higher wing loading. This lack of maneuverability was exacerbated by the MiG-3's poor climb performance, its instability at high speeds (which can contribute to shell trajectory inaccuracy during a pursuit) and its weak armament.[8]
The MiG-3's standard armament was one 12.7 mm (0.50 in) UBS machine gun and two 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns. This was a rather light armament by international standards. For example most versions of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 that it encountered were equipped with one 20 mm (0.79 in) engine-mounted Motorkanone autocannon — most often the MG 151/20 — and two 7.92 mm (0.31 in) upper-cowl mount synchronized machine guns. To remedy this problem, 821 aircraft were built with one 12.7 mm UBK machine gun in a pod under each wing in mid-1941. This lowered its speed by about 20 km/h (12 mph) at all altitudes, which was unpopular with the pilots, some of whom removed the pods. One hundred aircraft were equipped with a pair of UBS machine guns in lieu of the ShKAS weapons. Another 215 aircraft also had just the UBS machine guns but were fitted to carry six RS-82 rockets. A total of 72 aircraft mounted a pair of 20 mm ShVAK cannon. A wide variety of armaments were experimented with by various units at the requests of their pilots or to make up shortages.[11]

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Which version of Me-109, P-40, Spitfire are you talking about anyway?

Superboy said:
Yak-3 fighter, considered the best Russian fighter of WW2, on par with American P-40D Mustang]

P-40D / P-40E / Kittyhawk Mk 1 / Kittyhawk Mk Ia

More powerful than the P-40B/C in terms of both armor, armament and performance, this was the type which fought as a fighter during the most crucial period in both the Pacific and North African campaigns. The P-40E played a major role in the defense of Australia and New Guinea in 1942, and with the Desert Air Force (DAF) in intense fighting against the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica also in 1942. The P-40E was also an important type for the Soviets.
In the Desert War the arrival of the Kittyhawk led to the early retirement of the Bf 109E and its replacement by the faster and more maneuverable Bf 109F. The top scoring DAF squadrons, including No. 3 Squadron RAAF and No. 112 Squadron RAF, transitioned from the Tomahawk to the Kittyhawk, scoring many kills against Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica types, helping the DAF hold on through this tough period.