A Soviet experimental aircraft (1961) from DB Mikoyan: speed (2681 km/h) and altitude (22670 m) world records
The Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-150 family was a series of prototype interceptor aircraft designed and built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union from 1955.
To fulfil the needs of the Protivo-Vozdushnaya Oborona (Air Defence Forces, PVO) for a heavy interceptor to carry out automatic interceptions, the MiG bureau had developed a range of large fighter aircraft starting with the swept-wing I-3 series (i.e., I-380, I-410 and I-420), followed by the I-7 and the I-75. The requirement for supersonic interception speed and the ability to carry heavy avionic systems dictated the size: the contemporary MiG-21F (similar in layout), weighed 4,819 kg (10,624 lb) and was 15.76m (51 ft 8-1/2in) long, compared with 12,345 kg (27,215 lb) and 18.14m (59 ft 6in) respectively, for the Ye-150.[1]
The MAP (Ministerstvo Aviatsionnoy Promyshlennosti – Ministry of Aviation Industry) ordered the Mikoyan OKB to build prototypes of the new interceptor, to be armed with either K-6, K-7, K-8, K-9 missiles; unguided rockets; or an aimable twin-cannon installation. Automatic guidance to the interception point was to be provided by Uragan-5 (Hurricane-5) integrated weapons systems.
Ye-152
The two single-engined Ye-152’s were completed with improved R-15-300 engines, as the Ye-152-1 and Ye-152-2, but reliability remained an issue, with only limited development flying, weapons system testing and world record flights carried out. The poor reliability of the engine and the cancellation of the intended K-9 / Uragan-5B weapon system brought the Ye-152 program to a close. Cropped delta wings with greater area allowed the large K-80 or K-9 missiles to be carried on wingtip launchers.
World record flights were carried out by the first prototype Ye-152-1 in 1961 and 1962, registered with the FAI as the Ye-166.
The second aircraft, Ye-152-2, was returned to Mikoyan for conversion to the Ye-152M, featuring an axisymmetric convergent-divergent nozzle and canards on either side of the forward fuselage, which were soon removed. The Ye-152M was retired to the Central Air Force Museum at Monino, misleadingly marked as the Ye-166 which was, in fact, the unmodified Ye-152-1.
