| Su-1 | |
|---|---|
 Model of a Su-1 | |
| General information | |
| Type | High-altitudefighter aircraft |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Sukhoi |
| Designer | |
| Status | Prototype |
| Primary user | Soviet Air Forces |
| Number built | 1 × Su-1, 1 × Su-3 |
| History | |
| First flight | 15 June 1940 |
TheSukhoi Su-1 orI-330 (Russian:Сухой Су-1) was a prototypeSoviet high-altitudefighter aircraft built at the beginning ofWorld War II. An improved version, designatedSu-3 (I-360), was also built and tested the following year. Neither version was mass-produced.[1]
In 1939, Sukhoi was tasked with designing a high-altitude fighter, the resulting Su-1 was a conventionalmonoplane with a streamlined wooden semi-monocoque fuselage, low-set all-metal wing made ofduralumin and un-pressurized cockpit. The key feature of the aircraft was a pair of TK-2turbochargers driven by exhaust gases from theKlimov M-105P engine.[2] The prototype was completed at the Sukhoi plant inKharkov in May 1940, flying for the first time, on 15 June 1940, with A.P. Chernyavsky at the controls. Testing continued until 3 August, when Chernavskii mistakenly landed with the landing gear retracted. After the completion of repairs in mid-September, testing resumed, but an in-flight engine failure on 2 October resulted in adeadstick landing. Limited flight testing continued until April 1941, with the Su-1 reaching a top speed of 641 km/h (345 kn, 400 mph) at 10,000 m (32,810 ft).[2] However, the turbochargers proved unreliable and without them the aircraft was inferior in performance to theYakovlev Yak-1.[3]
The second Su-1 prototype, built as the Su-3, differed in having a revised wing section with wing area reduced to 17 m² (183 ft²). Completed in 1941, the Su-3 demonstrated better performance than the Su-1, but suffered from continuing problems with the TK-2 turbochargers.[2] Further development was cancelled on 16 April 1941, when production of reliable TK-2 turbo-chargers was delayed.[1]
The fate of the two prototype aircraft is uncertain. According to some reports, the Su-1 was destroyed during the bombing of a train nearNovosibirsk, while the Su-3 was destroyed within the city of Novosibirsk during theGreat Patriotic War.
Data fromIstoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938-1950,[2] The Great Book of Fighters,[4] OKB Sukhoi[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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