PROFILBARU.COM

PBSh-1
Role	Attack aircraft
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Mikoyan-Gurevich
Status	Canceled
Number built	0

The Mikoyan-Gurevich PBSh-1 (Russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич ПБШ-1) was a proposed attack aircraft designed in the Soviet Union.

Design and development

Design work of the PBSh-1 began in January 1940, with the preliminary design by N. Z. Matyuk being approved on 24 July of that year.^[1]^[2] The aircraft was to have an cantilever inverted gull wing in a low-wing configuration and was to be powered by either a single Mikulin AM-37 or 1,178 kW (1,580 hp) Mikulin AM-38 engine.^[2]^[3] The engine, single-seat cockpit, as well as other sensitive parts would have been protected by armor plating weighing a total of 1,390 kg (3,060 lb) – about 30% of the aircraft's weight – which would be integrated into the aircraft's structure.^[4] The center fuselage and wing section were to be of welded steel-tube construction, while the outer wing panels and rear fuselage were to be wooden.^[2] The aircraft was to have conventional landing gear, with the main gear being directly inspired by that of the I-220. Armament was to consist of two 23 mm (0.91 in) Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 cannons and six 7.62 mm (0.300 in) ShKAS machine guns; all firing outside the propeller arc.^[2]^[4] The bomber variant would also be capable of carrying a wide variety of demolition or incendiary bombs inside the fuselage bay, plus two bombs under the wings for dive bombing. Work on the PBSh-1 ended as soon as the competing Ilyushin Il-2 was approved for production.^[5]

With the cancellation of the PBSh-1, OKB Mikoyan and Gurevich began work on a derivative designated PBSh-2 in July 1940.^[5]^[6] Unlike its predecessor, the PBSh-2 was to be a biplane, specifically a reverse sesquiplane,^[7] with the designers reasoning that biplanes were easier to fly and offered better maneuverability and stability than a monoplane.^[5] The large lower wing was to have light dihedral, large ailerons, and two-segment flaps. The smaller upper wing was to be mounted on top of the canopy and have a 12 degree forward sweep. Both wings were to be braces by I-type struts.^[8] The engine, center wing section, armor, armament, landing gear, and cockpit would have been identical to the PBSh-1, apart from a jettisonable side door for the pilot.^[6] By the end of 1940, all work on the PBSh-2 was canceled due to the lack of available factories to produce the aircraft.^[9]

Variants

PBSh-1: Original monoplane design to compete with the Ilyushin Il-2. Not built.^[1]
PBSh-2: Biplane development of the PBSh-1. Not built.^[10]
MiG-4: Alternative designation of the PBSh-1 used in some Mikoyan and Gurevich documents.^[5]
MiG-6: Alternative designation of the PBSh-2 used in some Mikoyan and Gurevich documents.^[9]

Specifications (PBSh-1, estimated)

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 10.145 m (33 ft 3.4 in)
Wingspan: 13.5 m (44 ft 3.5 in)
Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 30.5 m² (328.3 sq ft)
Empty weight: 4,850 kg (10,690 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 6,024 kg (13,277 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mikulin AM-38 12-cylinder piston engine, 1,178 kW (1,600 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 441 km/h (274 mph, 238 kn) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft), 449 km/h (279 mph, 242 kn) at sea level
Range: 900 km (560 mi, 490 nmi)
Service ceiling: 7,600 m (25,690 ft)
Wing loading: 159 kg/m² (32.6 lb/sq ft)

Armament

Guns:
- 2x 23 mm (0.91 in) Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 cannon (96 rounds each)^[2]
- 6x 7.62 mm (0.300 in) ShKAS machine gun (750 rounds each)
Bombs:
- Internal fuselage bay (possible payloads)
  - 24x 8 kg (18 lb) FAB-8 demolition bomb
  - 24x 10 kg (22 lb) FAB-10 demolition bomb
  - 280x 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) FAB-2.5 demolition bomb
  - 120x 1 kg (2.2 lb) ZAB-1 incendiary bomb
- Wing pylons
  - 2x 25 to 250 kg (55–551 lb) FAB demolition bomb
  - 12x RS-82 rockets^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 45–47.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gunston & Gordon 1998, p. 24.
^ Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 45–46.
^ ^a ^b Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 45.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 47.
^ ^a ^b Gunston & Gordon 1998, p. 25.
^ Butowski & Miller 1991, p. 41.
^ Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 47–48.
^ ^a ^b Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 48.
^ Belyakov & Marmain 1994, p. 46–48.

Bibliography

Belyakov, R. A.; Marmain, J. (1994). MiG: Fifty Years of Secret Aircraft Design. United States Naval Institute. ISBN 1-55750-566-7.
Butowski, Piotr; Miller, Jay (1991). OKB MiG: a history of the Design Bureau and its aircraft. Arlington, Tex.: Aerofax for Specialty Press. ISBN 978-0-904597-80-6. OCLC 24004009.
Gunston, Bill; Gordon, Yefim (1998). MiG Aircraft since 1937. United Kingdom: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 1-55750-541-1.