"Comrade Svetov, how is the improvement of the ASH-82 engine going?" After Manturov and Klimov had finished talking, he went to another engine designer, Arkady Dmitrovich Schvetsov, to ask about the development of another engine. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"At present, we have developed a new engine with an output of 1,650 hp based on the ASH-82-111, called the ASH-82-F, and is installed on the prototype of the Lager-5." Schvetsov pointed to the Lager-5 on the runway, "That's the one." ”

Manturov took a closer look at the Rag-5, which was equipped with an ASH-82F engine, and noticed something unusual.

In appearance, there seem to be many differences between this Lago-5 and the historical Lago-5, because in terms of appearance, this aircraft is not the La-5 we are familiar with, but an evolved version of the La-5 - La-7.

Except for the engines, this aircraft is no different from the La-7 from the inside out. But because it appeared in advance, skipping the "La-5" we know as a transitional model, this fighter that should have been called "La-7" was directly named Lager-5, to be precise, it should be called Lager-5F (F refers to ASH-82F engine).

In terms of performance, this "Lager-5F" is similar to the La-7 in other aspects, including firepower, flexibility, protection and other parameters, except for a little slower.

If Schvetsov had been able to develop the 1,850-horsepower ASH-82FN engine and equip it with the new Lager-5 fighter before the Soviet-German war broke out in 1941, the Lager-5 would have become exactly the same as the La-7, both in terms of design and performance.

At that time, if the Soviet Union can really launch the Yak-3 equipped with the VK-107 engine and the Rag-5 equipped with the ASH-82FN engine, the German BF-109 and FW190 will have no advantage at all. Of course, it is still unknown whether these two engines will be developed.

After the start of the war, the Soviet Union will continue to develop in the aviation industry, and there will still be room for improvement. This advantage, even if it will be reduced, will not be small, and it will not be lost in vain.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the comparative test officially began. The first performance was the I-16 fighters, which were equipped with a large number of Soviet air forces and built miraculous feats in Nomenhan, defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army Air Force.

Judging by the data, the I-16 fighter is not at all a match for the Luftwaffe BF-109 fighter. This monoplane, which appeared in 1934, is equipped with the M-63 engine developed by Schvetsov, with an output of only 900 hp and a top speed of only 525 kilometers per hour, which is not a match for the BF-109F (670 kilometers per hour).

Therefore, after the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the Soviet Air Force, dominated by the I-16, was heavily damaged by the Luftwaffe equipped with BF-109F and FW190 in a very short time. As a result, the Germans gained air supremacy at the beginning of the war, and their bombers could bomb any Soviet target at any time, clearing the way for the army to advance, and successfully launched many blitzkriegs.

After taking off to the specified altitude, the IL-16 fighters participating in the test immediately made a number of designated maneuvers, including horizontal figure-eight, serpentine flight, hovering ascent and descent, combat turning, and sideslipping, in order to test the performance of the modified aircraft. Of course, there are also two important maneuvers: diving and jumping.

As one might expect, the I-16 successfully performed those maneuvers and showed good flexibility. However, the I-16, which has a maximum speed of only 525 kilometers per hour, does not fly very fast and cannot catch up with the latest German development of the FW190 and BF-109F.

Next, the Lag-5F designed by Lavochkin (that is, the La-7 with an ASH-82 engine) was put to the test. Like the I-16, the Lag-5F prototype successfully performed all the aerobatic maneuvers, showing excellent agility and vertical maneuverability.

In the later speed test, the Lager 5F showed good acceleration, and the top flight speed also exceeded 600 kilometers per hour. At the time, that was a good number.

In all respects, the Lager-5F has a clear advantage over the I-16, both in terms of performance and protection. This made Stalin, who was present at the scene, see the superiority of the new type of aircraft, and also realized the necessity of producing and mass-equipping new fighters.

The last to appear was the Yak-3 designed by Alexander Yakovlev, using the M-105PF2 engine developed by Klimov. The fighter had an all-aluminum fuselage, half a ton lighter than the already low-weight Lager-5, and was one of the lightest fighters of its time.

After takeoff, the Yak-3, piloted by Stalin's son, Vasily Stalin, performed a series of basic maneuvers quickly and nimblely. In the subsequent speed test, Vasily experienced the thrill of speed, increasing the speed of the aircraft to 650 kilometers per hour, faster than the Lag-5F and I-16, and the fastest fighter in the Soviet Union at that time.

Both Vasily Stalin, who flew the plane, and Stalin, the steel leader who sat on the sidelines and watched the plane show, were quite satisfied with this superior aircraft.

"Comrade Manturov, this Yak-3 fighter has better performance than I imagined." Stalin smiled with satisfaction: "It seems that with this aircraft, we will be able to firmly grasp air supremacy." ”

"Yes, Comrade Stalin, this Yak-3 fighter is really good. However, the production cost is high, and the demand for the manufacturing process is also relatively high. For example, the surface of the fuselage is smoother and more complex than other fighter jets, so production may be slower. Manturov told Stalin about the shortcomings of the Yak-3.

"I think so too." Stalin took a puff of his cigarette and said: "An all-aluminum fuselage should be more expensive, and the pace of production may be slower." But we still feel that this superior fighter should be mass-produced and mass-equipped with the Air Force.

As for the Lager-5F just now, although its performance is not as good as that of the Yak-3, it is easy to produce, the cost is not high, and the performance, firepower and other aspects are good, and it can quickly equip the Air Force. ”

"Yes, so I think that the Lager 5F and the Yak-3 should be produced at the same time. The Soviet Air Force should be upgraded as soon as possible and training should be carried out.

As for the Il-15 and Il-16, the two outdated fighters, they should be retired in stages, and all the production lines of the Il-16 should be changed to the production of the Lag-5F or Yak-3. ”

"Well," Stalin nodded, "I'll leave the work to you." ”

? (To be continued.) )