MiG-9 (China)

␗MiG-9

␗La-9

␗MiG-9 (l)

␗MiG-9

␗La-9

␗MiG-9 (l)

China

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.3	7.3	7.3

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:82 000

Purchase:240 000

Show in game

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

Description

The ␗MiG-9 is a rank V Chinese jet fighter with a battle rating of 7.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Flight performance

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 5,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	868	841	13500	30.3	31.1	17.7	16.6	895
Upgraded	955	909		27.8	29.0	26.8	22.0

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	480	300	~11	~4

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

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Empty mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Klimov RD-20A-2		2	3,505 kg		266 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)				Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		12m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	40m fuel
670 kg	Axial-flow turbojet		3,937 kg	4,195 kg	4,517 kg	4,839 kg	5,044 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
Condition	100%	WEP	12m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	40m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	800 kgf	N/A	0.41	0.38	0.35	0.33	0.32
Optimal	800 kgf (0 km/h)	N/A	0.41	0.38	0.35	0.33	0.32

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

• 12 mm steel: in front of the 37mm & 23mm magazines
• 12 mm steel: in front of the pilot, between the instrument panel and the 37mm & 23mm magazines

• 55 mm bulletproof glass: 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.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The MiG-9 (China) is armed with:

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

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

The MiG-9 requires altitude to be most effective in either of its two main roles. While flying full afterburner 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 at an angle of about 8-10° until the fighter reaches speeds of about 400-500 kph 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, 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 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.

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Compressor		Offensive 23 mm
II			Airframe	New 23 mm cannons
III	Wings repair			Offensive 37 mm
IV		Engine	Cover	New 37 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

In-game description

An all-metal, single-seat cantilever monoplane with two turbojet engines, mid-mounted wings, and retractable tricycle landing gear.

It was clear by the end of World War II that the piston-engine-and-propeller combo had reached the limit of its potential. Soon it would be necessary to switch to new engine types.

Jet aviation in the USSR changed for the better at the very end of the war when captured German turbojet engines, particularly the BMW-003, arrived in the Soviet Union. The aforementioned engine was studied in the shortest time possible, and a Soviet copy, the RD-20, was launched into mass production.

In the end of 1945, the Mikoyan Design Bureau began the development of a jet fighter with two BMW-003 engines (producing 800 kg of thrust). On 24 April 1946, test pilot A.N. Grinchik first flew the prototype I-300 (F-1), the first Soviet fighter with a turbojet engine. The plane reached a speed of 920 km/h and had powerful armament: a 57mm N-57 cannon and two 23mm NS-23 cannons.

In 1946, the I-300 began full-scale production and was accepted for service with the Air Force under the designation of MiG-9 (Product FS). Before producing it on a full-scale basis, the designers of the Mikoyan Design Bureau reworked the fighter's construction (particularly its fuselage) from scratch to adapt it to production in large quantities.

The power unit of production MiG-9s consisted of two RD-20 turbojet engines producing 800 kg of thrust apiece. At first, planes of this model had RD-20A-1 engines, with a service life of 10 hours. Actually, these engines were captured BMW-003s, reassembled in the USSR. Subsequently, MiG-9s featured only Soviet-produced turbojet engines: the RD-20A-2, with a service life of 25 and 50 hours, and later the RD-20B, with a service life of 75 hours.

The armament of the production planes differed from that of the prototypes. The MiG-9 (Product FS) had one 37mm Nudelman N-37 cannon with 40 rounds and two 23mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23K cannons with 80 rounds each.

In 1947, it was decided to equip the MiG-9 with RD-21 uprated engines producing 1,000 kg of thrust. The engine was uprated due to increased gas temperature and turbine revolutions.

A prototype I-307 (Product FF) aircraft was built and tested with these engines in 1947. The testing showed that the I-307 had higher flight characteristics than production MiG-9s. The I-307 remained a prototype, since in March 1948 a decision was made to start the full-scale production of the more advanced MiG-15.

The last production aircraft were handed over to the Air Force in December 1948, and in factories they were supplanted by a new plane from the Mikoyan Design Bureau, the MiG-15. A total of 602 MiG-9 fighters were produced.

The MiG-9 was the beginning of the jet MiG's history. The success of the MiG-15 fighter all over the world would have been impossible without the experience gained in the processes of design, building, testing, mass production, and operation of the first Soviet jet fighter, the MiG-9.

As new fighters were received by the Air Force, some MiG-9s would be delivered to China. These planes became the first jet fighters of the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.