Shortly after a German high-altitude Ju 86P reconnaissance plane crashed near Vinnitsa in the early spring of 1941, the Germans were surprised to receive an invitation to tour Zavod (factory) Nr. 1. This was where the MiG­3, the most modern Soviet fighter in service was produced. Stalin's intent was to show the Germans that the Soviet Union would be a formidable opponent, and force Hitler to back off. This was forcefully conveyed by chief designer Artem Mikoyan, who said: "We have now shown you everything that we have and what we can do, and whoever attacks us, we will destroy!" Hitler, upon reading the report of the Luftwaffe mission, commented: "Well, you can see how far they have already progressed. We must begin immediately!"

Mikoyan's words would come true, but not through the medium of the fighter that he so proudly showed the Germans. The MiG-3 was end product of a VVS requirement for a high-altitude interceptor issued in 1938. The Polikarpov Design Bureau was assigned the job of developing a prototype, but this was soon taken over by the newly-formed MikoyanGurevich Design Bureau, as Polikarpov still favored biplane designs.

They decided to build the aircraft around the most powerful engine available, the AM-37, but this ran into extensive development problems and the AM-35A was soon substituted. It was very powerful for its time, some 1350 hp at takeoff, but much heavier than any foreign equivalent. This dictated much of the design, as the engineers were forced to compensate in every way possible for the heavy engine. Their problems were compounded by the shortage of steel and light alloys, and led to the extensive use of wood in the airframe.

Prototype

The first prototype flew on 30 March, 1940 and was probably the fastest fighter in the world at the time, with a speed of 405 mph (651 kph). This speed came at a price: the handling was described as "totally unacceptable". The aircraft could only be flown by the most experienced pilots, since longitudinal stability was "hopeless" due to the abbreviated rear fuselage. The range of the aircraft was also much less than desired. Still, an order for 100 armed aircraft, designated the MiG-1, was placed even before the first prototype was completed. Zavod Nr. I thus stopped production of the 1­153, and re-tooled to produce the new fighter.

The MiG-1 was armed with one 12.7 UBS and two 7.62 ShKAS machine guns, as well as racks under each wing that could carry up to 220 lb. (100 kg) of bombs each. Apart from some minor changes, these aircraft were identical to the original prototype.

MiG then started work to redesign their fighter. Much use was made of new wind tunnels in an attempt to eliminate handling problems and to increase the range, but the designers were unable to eradicate the problems in the time allotted.

The reworked design was a major improvement over its predecessor, and entered service on 5 December 1940 as the MiG3. The fighter's aerodynamics had been cleaned up enough so that the Mig-3 was now merely tricky to fly instead of nearly impossible. Seat-back armor had been added, and the fuel tanks were now protected by cool inert exhaust gases. An extra fuel tank was incorporated under the cockpit, and attachments fitted for eight 82 mm RS-82 rockets under the wings. This was to be the only real increase in firepower, as the admittedly inadequate armament could not be increased without compounding its weight problems.

Zavod Nr. I was the most modern aircraft factory in the USSR, and so it was able to increase production to 25 aircraft per day by June 1941. The first MiG-1 and MiG-3 fighters were issued to combat units in April 194 1, and by June I thirteen regiments were completely equipped, while another six regiments were partially equipped. By June 21, when BARBAROSSA began, the new MiGs comprised almost 90% of the new generation fighters (including the Yak-I, LaGG-3, etc.) in service.

The AM-35A engine was optimized for an altitude of 6000 metres (18,300 ft). Since most air combat took place well below that altitude this placed the MiGs at a severe disadvantage. Its poor maneuverability was even worse at low altitudes and they suffered heavy losses, as those units assigned to this role learned to their cost. Additional 12.7 mm machine guns were fitted to some aircraft to increase firepower for strafing attacks, but these affected the MiG's maneuverability even more.

At altitudes over 5000 in (16,400 ft) the MiG-3 was a very dangerous opponent for the Me 109. As the production of fighters better suited for the low-altitude "frontal" missions increased, the MiGs were shifted to reconnaissance and PVO air defense units.

The factory producing the MiGs, Zavod Nr. 1, was located at Khodinka, Moscow's central airport. The German advance forced the evacuation of Zavod Nr. 1 to Kuibyshev in October 194 1, but that was the least of the MiG's problems. The AM-35A engine was similar to the AM-38 used in the 11-2, and was built in the same factory. When Stalin gave absolute priority to the latter aircraft over the MiG in December 1941, the AM-35A production line was converted to one producing AM-38s. Production of the MiGs ceased on 23 December 1941, aborting several schemes to improve the aircraft.

One scheme was to replace the AM-35A with a AM-38 engine to optimize the MiG for the frontal role. A MiG-3 was re-engined during the Summer of 1941, and performed quite well, not least because of the reduced weight of the engine. It was recommended that production switch over to the new engine, but all AM-38 production was reserved for the 11-2 and existing production lines could not be interfered with. Some MiG-3s were re-engined with overhauled AM-38s as stocks of AM-35As were exhausted.

Improvements

A more systematic series of improvements was planned for the MiG-3U: the substitution of two 20 mm ShVAK cannon for the existing machine guns, replacement of wooden parts with metal, and a more powerful engine, the AM-39. The AM-39 was not yet ready and the usual AM-35 was used, but the cancellation of AM-35 production delayed the aircraft's first flight until August 1942. This model, designated the I230, proved to be faster than the Mig-3 at all altitudes, but all existing production facilities were in use for other aircraft and none could be spared.

Like most other Soviet fighters, the MiG-3 was modified for a M-82A radial engine. The first attempt, the 1-210 was a hasty lash-up and performed poorly. Mikoyan and Gurevich tried again with a total re-design of the fuselage on the 1-211. The prototype flew in December 1942 and proved to be able to outperform all contemporary Soviet fighters with a top speed of 670 kph at 7000 metres (416 mph at 23,000 ft). As usual, production was out of the question lest it interrupt the steady flow of Lavochkins and Yaks, but elements of the design were passed to Lavochkin for use in the La-5FN.

The MiG fighters would have been in their element if the Germans had conducted a high-altitude strategic air campaign during 1941, similar to that conducted by the Allies from 1943. However, the Luftwaffe mostly flew low-level tactical interdiction or ground support missions during the initial phases of the Great Patriotic War. At these altitudes the MiGs simply weren't as effective as their rivals that were designed for the frontal combat role.

Stalin may have erred in ending production of the MiG-3 in favor of the 11-2 rather than adapting it to the latter's AM-38 engine. But perhaps not: his decision to phase out AM-35 production in favor of the low-level AM-38 was correct given the tactical environment faced by the VVS. The AM-35A was a luxury that the Soviets couldn't afford while their backs were to the wall. If war had not broken out in 1941, the MiG3U would have undoubtedly entered service in late 1941 or early 1942. Stalin's decision rendered production of the potentially superb descendants of the MiG-3 equipped with the M-82FN radial engine impossible unless significant disruption of existing production lines could be tolerated, and that was never to be the case.

Aircraft	MiG-1	MiG-3
Engine	AM-35A	AM-35A
Empty weight (kg/lb.)	2602 / 5736	2699/5950
Maximum loaded weight (kg/lb.)	3099/6832	3350/7385
Speed at sea level (kph/mph)	486/302	505/313
Speed at altitude (kph/mph)	628 / 390 at 7200m	640 / 397 at 7800m
Time to altitude	5.9 minutes to 5000m	10.28 minutes to 8000m
Service Celing (m/ft)	12,000 / 39,370	12,000 / 39,370
Range (km/miles)	550/360	820/510
Armament (mm)	1x 12.7, 2x 7.62	same
Bomb load (kg/lb.)	1200/440	same, or 8x rockets

Mig Addendum

by Jim Broshot

Note: it is rare for two sources to agree exactly on military aircraft specifications.

Some sources say that the first prototype flew on 5 April 1940 rather than 30 March and state that the MiG-1 and MiG-3 carried six rather than eight RS-82 rockets. Green, in Warplanes of the Second World War - Fighters - Volume 3, gives the range of the MiG-1 as 360 miles (550 km) with 70% power and a five gallon reserve. Green also gives the MiG-3 a range of 776 miles at 342 mph. Issue #18 of Air Enthusiast (1982) gives the maximum ranges as 454 miles (730 km) for the MiG­1 and 742 miles (1195 km) for the MiG-3.

Another discrepancy: TEM # 18 lists the total MiG production as 3322, rather than 3120.