The first airplane to reach supersonic speed in horizontal flight

Thanks to Armyguy1534. He helped me solve the landing gear problems.

Side note: The reason for all the removed posts of this airplane in the Jet Stream, is that I was having trouble making it a successor of the Challenge.

Here is my entry for the Soviet Challenge: a replica of the Lavochkin La-190 interceptor. I think I nailed it trying to replicated the shape, and did pretty good at making realistic acceleration, maneuverability, and top speed.

Features

• Custom landing gear
• Soviet Paint!
• Two 37mm N-37 cannon
• Flaps
  

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Controls

• AG-1 - Landing gear doors
• VTOL - Flaps
• Brake - Custom airbrakes
  

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History

This aircraft resulted from a direct approach to Stalin by Semyon Lavochkin, who in his letter said this:

”Such an interceptor will quickly gain height (in 1.5-2 minutes per 10,000 m), possess a maneuver both horizontally and vertically on the bomber’s ceiling. Maneuvering vertically is especially important - this allows the interceptor to always be above the bomber, attack dive upon it, or be above an enemy bomber at an unattainable height and bombard it with special, small bombs, scattered in large numbers on the bomber’s path. to air the air along the height and along the path of the bomber advancement. (Something like the parachute-wire bomb of V.S. Vakhmistron, tested before the war.) The indicated interceptor should have a height of 19000-20000 m, radar, equipment for blind landing and flight in any weather (day and night)…”

As work continued the project and its performance were refined with time to 32,808 ft (10,000 m) on dry thrust increasing to three minutes and a ceiling of 54,134 ft (16,500 m); in reheat the figures were about 2.2 minutes and 59,055 ft (18,000 m). The power plant was a single Lyulka TR-3A (AL-5), estimated top speed of 761 mph (1,225 km/h) at 10,000 m and range on internal fuel 622 miles (1,000 km). A version powered by the Klimov VK-1 was also assessed which offered a lower performance but greater engine reliability.

The result was 'Aircraft 190' which during 1949 was turned from a draft proposal into a preliminary project. It was intended to have a Korshoon (Kite, “The Bird”) AI radar housed in a radome mounted in the upper section of its nose intake, but in fact the radar itself was never fitted. The chosen layout represented a completely new arrangement for the Lavochkin OKB with the wing swept 55° at the leading edge and having an aspect ratio of 6.1%. A quite unusual tailplane of near delta shape was placed towards the top of the fin (with the rudder above and below), two 37mm N-37 cannon were mounted under the nose (an alternative three 23mm NR-23 arrangement was not adopted) and a bicycle undercarriage was used with light outrigger stabilizing legs and wheels. The internal fuel load of 'Aircraft 190' totaled 462 gallons (2,100 liters), which was housed in both the wings and the fuselage.

Design work progressed throughout 1949 and the prototype was rolled out on February 3, 1951. The first flight was made a week later but problems with the engine quickly appeared. For example, during a taxi run in early March, the AL-5 did not respond soon enough to a reduction in throttle and the airframe received some damage. Repairs lasted until the end of May but then an in-flight engine failure on June 16 resulted in a forced landing. Flying resumed in mid-July but only eight sorties were completed before the program was abandoned on August 20. Flight test data had revealed that the stability and controllability of 'Aircraft 190' were satisfactory up to speeds of 510 mph (820 km/h) at 22,966 ft (7,000m) altitude and its control characteristics were fine; in addition the aircraft's systems and mechanics (including the hydraulic booster intended to prevent aileron reversal) all worked well. The reliability of the engine was the only problem, but it was serious enough to bring closure to the program and neither the aircraft nor its engine were to enter production.

Sadly, because of this the '190' has become a somewhat neglected and forgotten design, yet in appearance it shared some of the advanced features used by the concurrent Mikoyan and Sukhoi designs. One reason for this is that the Lavochkin OKB ceased building aircraft a long time ago, many years before the end of the Cold War. Its performance figures included a speed of 740 mph (1,190 km/h) or Mach 1.03 at 16,404 ft (5,000 m) (achieved on one test flight), a time to 5,000 m of 1.5 minutes and a service ceiling of 51,181 ft (15,600 m).

• Sources: Tony Buttler & Yefim Gordon, Soviet Secret Projects Fighters Since 1945 (Midland Publishing, 2005), pp. #70-71, and Airwar.ru.
  

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Gallery

The sole prototype

Cockpit

Inboard profile

3-View

La-190 model by John Hall

Color-scheme

Enjoy your flight!