Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3

The Mikoyen-Gurevich MiG-3 was created to tackle the Luftwaffe and its bombers at high-altitude, but the nature of combat along the Eastern Front often meant that this diminutive fighter had to operate outside of its original design parameters.

The Museum’s MiG-3 (s/n 3457) is the only example of its breed in North America and one of just a handful of intact examples anywhere in the world. Aviarestavratsiya rebuilt the aircraft at their facility in Russia. Like the Museum’s Yak-3M, the MiG-3 is powered by an American-made Allison V-1710 engine, which is similar in design to the type’s original Mikulin AM35-A powerplant. 

The MiG-3 bears the same livery it wore (White 17) when Colonel. M.M. Golovnya crash-landed the fighter during September 1941. Parts from as many as six MiG-3 wreck sites, found throughout the Murmansk and Loukhi regions, went into 3457’s restoration. Interestingly, the MiG-3 features a significant amount of wood in its construction, due to both wartime shortages of aluminum alloys and the abundance of high-quality wood products in the Soviet Union. 

Having to operate outside its intended role resulted in the MiG-3 suffering the highest loss rate, as a percentage of total air frames built, of any fighter type in the Voyenno-Vozdushnyye Sily (VVS), the Soviet Air Force – 1,432 examples of just 3,422 built were shot down.

Did You know?

Some MiG-3s were fitted with a Mikulin AM-38 engine, which had a noticeably positive effect on their low-altitude performance, but this experiment was cut short as those powerplants were prioritized for the Il-2 Sturmovik, considered vital to the Soviet war effort.

Specifications

  • Number Built:  3,272 
  • Year Produced:  1940-1941
  • Serial Number:   3457
  • Crew: (1) Pilot
  • Current Pilots:

Dimensions

  • Length:  27 ft. 1 in.
  • Wingspan:  33 ft. 6 in. 
  • Empty Weight:  5,950 lbs.
  • Loaded Weight:  7,397 lbs.
  • Engine: 1x Allison V-1710 V-12 liquid-cooled, supercharged, inline piston engine (originally a Mikulin AM-35A V-12 liquid-cooled, supercharged, inline piston engine of 1,332 hp)
  • Engine Power:  1,400 hp

Performance

  • Cruising Speed:  314 mph
  • Max Speed:  398 mph 
  • Range:  510 miles
  • Ceiling: 39,000 ft
  • Rate of Climb:  2,560 ft./min. initial

Armament

  • 1x 12.7 mm machine gun and 2x 7.62 mm machine guns mounted in the top of the nose cowling
  • *MAM aircraft are unarmed

Gallery & Media

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3
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