MiG-9 (l) (China)

This page is about the jet fighter MiG-9 (l) (China). For other versions, see MiG-9 (Family).

␗MiG-9 (l)

␗MiG-9

J-2

␗MiG-9 (l)

␗MiG-9

J-2

China

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	7.3	7.7

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:48 000

Purchase:270 000

Show in game

Description

The ␗MiG-9 late , alongside with its earlier variant, was the very first jet aircraft arrived at China and the first jet for PLAAF by 1950. To quickly upgrade PLAAF for the upcoming Korean War and the dire need for major cities air-defense operations from Nationalist bombers, VVS transferred 9 divisions of MiG-9 series to PLAAF which also made the officials decided to purchase extra MiG-9 to arm the air force. The aircraft was deemed sufficient to handle earlier jets such as F-84B or F-80 series, soon after the introduction of state-of-the-art F-86 series in USAF service and the eventual introduction of MiG-15 in PLAAF service, these MiG-9s were soon retired from frontline and served as PLAAF's jet "lead-in trainer" before their ultimate decommission in 1959.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision" with the initial Chinese aviation tech tree, the aircraft shares identical performance to its Soviet counterpart; while the new engine with WEP mode certainly helps its acceleration, players would still have to keep extra caution on their speeds and any unwelcomed third-party during a dogfight - a careless jet can be an easy prey for even a propeller aircraft.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 1 000 m967 km/h

Turn time26 s

Max altitude13 500 m

Engine2 х Klimov RD-20F

TypeJet

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight6 t

When looking at this fighter, a pilot may complain at the lack of ordnance options available, being only limited to a single 37 mm and two 23 mm cannons with what seems to be only a handful of ammunition rounds between them. Without the addition of suspended ordnance, the flight model will not change due to added weight of bombs, missiles, rockets or gun pods, since none are available and the aircraft wasn't designed to use them.

As such, this fighter was built almost like a rocket, needing to get to bomber altitude as fast as possible and intercept inbound bombers. The limited ammunition prevents the pilot from just spraying-and-praying, but instead requires trigger control to maximize rounds on target. This is especially important in realistic and simulator battles where after the ammunition is expended, the pilot must return to base to reload.

The MiG-9 has enough speed to get to 5,000 m within about 4 minutes, however once there, it is best to either target bombers and go higher if needed (13,500 m is maximum altitude for the fighter) or to then turn the MiG-9 into a diving fighter and going for quick hits before zooming back up. Immelmanns and Split-S manoeuvres are recommended to change directions as this fighter is a very slow turner, taking about 30 seconds to make a complete circle. It is important to keep the speed up on this fighter due to when it becomes slow, it then becomes an easy target for enemy aircraft.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	916	890	13500	27.2	27.9	22.8	21.5	800
Upgraded	986	967		25.0	26.0	33.8	28.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	X	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1020	380	N/A	434	300	~12	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 550	< 600	< 720	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Klimov RD-20F		2	3,790 kg		279 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)				Max Gross Weight
Weight (each)	Type		9m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	31m fuel
670 kg	Axial-flow turbojet		4,177 kg	4,597 kg	5,001 kg	5,079 kg	5,134 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (108%)
Condition	100%	108%	9m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	31m fuel	MGW
Stationary	898 kgf	1,000 kgf	0.48	0.44	0.40	0.39	0.39
Optimal	898 kgf (0 km/h)	1,000 kgf (0 km/h)	0.48	0.44	0.40	0.39	0.39

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural1 020 km/h

Gear380 km/h

• 12 mm steel plate - in front of the 37 mm & 23 mm magazines
• 12 mm steel plate - in front of the pilot, between the instrument panel and the 37 mm & 23 mm magazines
• 55 mm bulletproof glass - canopy windscreen

The MiG-9, unfortunately, is not built like a tank and as a bomber interceptor, it had to be constructed like one, sacrificing armour for speed. The aircraft does feature 55 mm of bulletproof glass on the canopy windscreen and two 12 mm steel plates on both sides of the 37 mm ammunition magazine, but that is it for aircraft protection. All the protection is in the front which is meant to offer defence from any defensive gunners on enemy bombers. From the front profile, the armour plates and glass do a good job of shielding the critical components, however, from just about any other angle, the pilot, engines and fuel tanks are clustered in the centre of the aircraft and are all vulnerable from machine gun, cannon, missile and rocket damage. The MiG-9 (l) does have a little more of a weight issue that the standard MiG-9 in that it has fuel pods at the end of the wing-tips which both add more weight and slightly decrease manoeuvrability.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 554 → 4 609

RB9 743 → 12 636

SB13 143 → 17 046

Total cost of modifications80 000

129 800

Talisman cost2 000

Crew training78 000

Experts270 000

Aces1 500

Research Aces670 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

120 / 340 / 600 %

190 / 190 / 190 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 5 300 Cost: 8 600 200 Compressor Research: 5 300 Cost: 8 600 200 Wings repair Research: 10 000 Cost: 16 000 390 Engine Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 340	Airframe Research: 9 000 Cost: 15 000 350 Cover Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 340	ns23_belt_pack Research: 5 300 Cost: 8 600 200 ns23_new_gun Research: 9 000 Cost: 15 000 350 ns37_belt_pack Research: 10 000 Cost: 16 000 390 n37_new_gun Research: 8 700 Cost: 14 000 340

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 137 mm N-37D cannon

Ammunition40 rounds

Fire rate400 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 23 mm NS-23K cannon

Ammunition160 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

The MiG-9 (l) (China) is armed with:

• 1 x 37 mm N-37D cannon, nose-mounted (40 rpg)
• 2 x 23 mm NS-23K cannons, chin-mounted (80 rpg = 160 total)

To fulfil the role of a bomber hunter, the best weapons for mid to late 1940s aircraft was rockets and cannons. Bombers were typically large aircraft and machine guns would not do the job. Bomber interceptors needed to get to the target and spend the least amount of time on target not only for their own safety but to be able to intercept multiple targets before needing to return to base to refuel or rearm. The N-37D and NS-23 cannons centrally mounted on the MiG-9 virtually nullify the need for messing with convergence, allowing the pilot to sling both ammunition types at bombers at 690 m/s. In a high speed pass only so many rounds could be fired off before the MiG was zooming past and needed to set up for another run if they missed.

Having the 37 mm and 23 mm cannons helped ensure if the critical areas are hit, only one pass is needed. Without rockets or missiles to provide backup or alternative weapon options, proficiency with the cannons is a must. The "Air targets" ammunition belt provides provide a large amount of HE ammunition, which will critically damage enemy targets, even without a precise hit.

Usage in battles

The MiG-9 (l) requires altitude to be most effective in either of its two main roles. While flying full throttle into the middle of the map may seem like the noblest thing to do, it may end your piloting career faster than you care for, not allowing you to reach your full potential during the match. Best bet for this fighter is to start side climbing on the map or working on gaining altitude away from where the main group of aircraft are flying as this provides you with a relatively safe area to climb and allows you to see any enemy aircraft which may be gunning for you and give you enough time to respond or dive away. It is important to begin your side climb flying straight until the fighter reaches speeds of about 500-550 km/h when the climb angle can be increased to about 15°.

When you reach an altitude of where the bombers are at, you can then begin to patrol and set up for any attack runs. Typically it is best to have some altitude over the bombers as this will allow you to gain more speed when driving and make it that much more difficult for the defensive gunners to hit you. Flying towards the rear of the bomber is the worst angle to come at, while it makes it easy for you to line up the target, you will actually be flying into bullets fired at you causing them a chance for deeper penetration into your jet than if you came from another angle. Due to the limited amount of ammunition, controlled bursts are best especially when aimed at engines, cockpits or fuel tanks. Carefully aim at these critical components and let the ammunition do the rest for you. It is best not to linger around a target, instead, add full power and zoom away until you are at least a kilometre or two away and outside of the range of any defensive turrets before manoeuvring for another run.

If there are no bombers to attack, either because they have all been destroyed or waiting for more to spawn (in Arcade battles, some pilots tend to leave their attackers/bombers as late match reserves), then when at altitude, you can patrol and look for unsuspecting fighters or you can work to lure aircraft up into a stall fight. From your perch, you can start to dip down towards a fighter as if you are going to pounce on it, if they take the bait and climb to meet your MiG-9 (l), then pull up as if you chickened-out and are running, begin a moderate climb with your speed and watch as they follow up, especially watch for the condensation trails coming from their wings, this is a good indication that they are beginning to stall and are an easy target. The MiG-9 (l) has a rather larger rudder and can make use of it for a wing-over manoeuvre which will put you in line with the stalled out target allowing for you to get a quick shot off before returning to your patrol altitude. It is recommended to take 20 minutes of fuel; even though it greatly reduces performance at the start of the match, it allows for you to freely use 108% as well as having a much longer-lasting presence over the battle.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful armament for bomber hunting
• All armour is in the front of the aircraft to protect against defensive weapons
• Engines do not overheat at 100% throttle
• Is able to land quite well on engines like the Me 262
• High rip speed for an early Soviet jet (a little over 1,000 km/h)
• Can outrun almost anything it fights

Cons:

• Two different trajectories for both guns
• Limited ammunition of 160 (NS-23) and 40 (N-37D)
• No access to bombs or other payload options
• Underwhelming acceleration (though a bit better than the MiG-9 Early)
• Unimpressive climb-rate (likewise, improved from the earlier version)
• Control lock starts at around 800 km/h
• Loses a lot of speed during turns
• Very bad turn rate even compared to some jet bombers
• Difficult jet for beginners (hard to use due to its weapons and flight characteristics)
• Overheats quickly at 108% throttle and oil cools down slowly

History

The very first jet on Chinese soil

The Korean War saw the very first major battle between the East and the West as well as between jet fighters. Mainland China was involved in the 3-year conflict against the UN forces. One major problem for the newly-born PLAAF was that they had no jet aircraft. During the mid-1950, the Nationalist forces and the USAF would often perform air raids to major cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou and the new capital of Beijing. Between August 1950 to January 1951, the Soviet Air Force transferred 13 fighter divisions to defend these cities, with 9 of them equipped with MiG-9s. This was the very first time Mainland China got their hands on jets and later they decided to purchase some MiG-9s from the Soviets as well, both the PLAAF and the Soviet Air Force expected the MiG-9 to be sufficient enough to handle USAF jet fighters.

PLAAF service

Later from April till June 1951, the PLAAF received 358 out of the total of 369 MiG-9s in their service, where the Soviet Air Force transferred them straight to the PLAAF at Mainland's airfields, while there were some MiG-15 fighters that came into service in PLAAF, most of the new divisions of the PLAAF had only MiG-9s on their hands. While they were handy and sufficient to shoot down propellers, MiG-9s were inferior to the late F-84 used by the USAF, let alone the later F-86 Sabre. Thus in mid-1951, the Soviet Union decided to replace all the MiG-9s in service of 6 fighter divisions with MiG-15. Although the MiG-9s had very little contributions to the war due to their performance, the PLAAF saw it as a trainer to train propeller pilots into jet pilots, and they were mostly used as a jet trainer for new units before MiG-15s were delivered.

MiG-9s remained in PLAAF service till 1959 after its decommission order was effective since 3 November 1956 and 2 examples of this aircraft remain till today in different places in Beijing.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the MiG-9 (l) (China) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance