MiG Ye-8

[+Gepard 11,289]

Intercepting F-4 strike package

One less

two less

three less

interceptors on the way home

final approach

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Gepard

[+streakeagle 871]

It was an amazing prototype, well ahead of its time. But the swing wing was the popular new toy with all of the air forces, so development and production went to the MiG-23. It is a shame the Ye-8 never entered production. I suspect it could have been superior to both the MiG-21bis and MiG-23MF as a hybrid of both: MiG-21 agility, MiG-23 radar. The canard probably provided high AoA benefits similar to a LERX. It would just need a high thrust/weight turbofan to make it competitive with the F-16. Though it clearly would retain the major MiG-21 flaw: short range.

[+Gepard 11,289]

The Ye-8 flew 10 years before the Americans started to think about a lightweight fighter. It was twice as agile as a MiG-21F-13.

The reason was, that the agility of the MiG-21 was hampered by her small air intake. So the engine very often fall into an engine stall and died. This problem was solved with the Ye-8 and so the full agility was achieved.

[Stratos 3,188]

1 hour ago, Gepard said:

The Ye-8 flew 10 years before the Americans started to think about a lightweight fighter. It was twice as agile as a MiG-21F-13.

The reason was, that the agility of the MiG-21 was hampered by her small air intake. So the engine very often fall into an engine stall and died. This problem was solved with the Ye-8 and so the full agility was achieved.

And that's why so fun to fly the Bis in DCS, taking care of the engine so it doesn't stall leaving you with restarting problems.

[+streakeagle 871]

The biggest problem the Ye-8 solves is how to get a useful radar into the nose of the MiG-21 with a minimum of design changes.

Of course, the MiG-23 solved it by adding F-4 style side intakes.

I have the big Yefim Gordon MiG-21 book (that sells for $700 on eBay!) and it has a nice section on the Ye-8. I also have the matching MiG-23 book, which provides great details into how the MiG designs progressed in the 1960s and early 1970s. 

[+Gepard 11,289]

2 hours ago, Stratos said:

And that's why so fun to fly the Bis in DCS, taking care of the engine so it doesn't stall leaving you with restarting problems.

A former MiG-21 pilot wrote me, that the pilots had big concern during missile life firing that the smoke trail of the missile would blow out the engine. To solve this problem in east german MiG-21 an additional gas bottle with oxygen was installed and was activated during missile launch procedure. So enough oxygen was available and the engine does not stalled anymore.

[Stratos 3,188]

47 minutes ago, Gepard said:

A former MiG-21 pilot wrote me, that the pilots had big concern during missile life firing that the smoke trail of the missile would blow out the engine. To solve this problem in east german MiG-21 an additional gas bottle with oxygen was installed and was activated during missile launch procedure. So enough oxygen was available and the engine does not stalled anymore.

Pretty interesting, never had post missile stall in DCS, could be fun.

[MigBuster 2,884]

6 hours ago, Gepard said:

The Ye-8 flew 10 years before the Americans started to think about a lightweight fighter. 

 

The Ye-8 first flew in 1962 which was around the same time the F-5 was coming in and they certainly were thinking about a lightweight fighter throughout the 1960s in fact the YF-17 came from the F-5 replacement in the late 1960s (started in 1966) ......Northorp asked for the YF-17 to be entered into the LWF comp despite it not meeting the requirement for single engines. 

A better comparison of the Ye-8 for its intended role would be the F-106A.