The MiG-3 was a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor which replaced
the similar, but unsuccessful, MiG-1. Entering service in spring 1941,
the MiG-3 had a ceiling of just over 39,000 feet. Unfortunately for the
Russians, the Germans operated few high-altitude aircraft themselves
and as a result the MiG-3 spent most of it's time below 20,000 feet,
where it was inferior in performance to the Bf-109. In 1942, they began
to be used in the ground attack role. While the MiG served through the
end of the war, only around 3,100 were built.
The MiG-3 burns 50.4 gallons of aviation gas per hour at routine usage.
Subassemblies: Medium Fighter chassis +3, Medium Fighter
Wings
+2, three retractable wheels +0.
Powertrain: 1,007,-kW aerial HP gas engine with 1,007-kW prop
and
174-gallon self-sealing tank [Body]
Occupancy: 1 CS. Cargo: 1 Body, 3 Wings
| Armor | F | R/L | B | T | U |
| All | 2/4 | 2/4 | 2/4 | 2/4 | 2/4 |
| Pilot | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/+25 | 0/0 | 0/+25 |
Weaponry
Long Aircraft HMG/Beresin UBS [Body:F] (300 rounds)
2xAircraft LMG/ShKAS [Body:F] (750 rounds each)
Equipment
Body: Medium range radio transmitter and receiver, navigation
instruments, autopilot. Wings: 220-lb hard point each wing.
Statistics
| Size: 27'x33'x12' | Payload : 0.67 tons | Lwt: 3.73 tons |
| Volume: 224 | Maint.: 43 hours | Price: $21.700 |
HT: 11
HP: 240 [body], 80 [each wing], 24 [each wheel]
| aSpeed: 398 | aAccel: 8 | aDecel: 18 |
aMR: 4.5 | aSR: 2 |
Design Notes
Design aSpeed is 361 mph; the historical speed, as well as actual wing
area (188 sf), has been used. To better match historical weight, the
weight, cost and HP of the chassis were doubled. Loaded weight still
had to be increased by 9%.
Handling was barely improved over the MiG-1; Piloting rolls are at
-2.
Early production aircraft only had 375 rounds for each ShKAS and
pilot armor was DR 22.
To provide a better punch than the fairly weak nose armament some
planes had a 12.7mm UBS hung in a pod under each wing, but this
negatively affected performance too much (-10 mph). This modification
was apparently only made to planes used for ground attack.
Each hardpoint could alternately take three RS-82 rockets.
Variants
Aside from a few one-off prototypes, there were no variants of the
MiG-3.