Mikoyan-Gurevich I-7
Mikoyan-Gurevich · Soviet Union · first flew 1957 · fighter
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-7 was a Soviet experimental interceptor, a development of the I-3 and planned as a Mach 2-class aircraft. It was the second of three experimental fighters in the series.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Long slender circular-section fuselage with a mid-mounted swept wing and swept tail |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Long slender circular-section fuselage with a mid-mounted swept wing and swept tail
- Nose inlet with a long adjustable centre-body cone that houses the search radar
- Inlet duct splitting into two elliptical ducts that pass around the cockpit
The three-shock mixed-compression inlet with its long centre-body spike marks the nose, and the wing is set mid-fuselage.
Specifications
- The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-7 has a length of 16.93 m (56 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.98 m (33 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
In summer 1956 it became clear that the Klimov VK-3 engine of the I-3 would not be available, so the single I-3 airframe was rebuilt around a Lyulka AL-7F afterburning turbojet. The airframe was significantly lengthened, marking the step from the MiG-19 family to the MiG-21.
Variants
After a landing accident the I-7 was modified to take the more powerful AL-7F-1 engine and became the I-75.
Where you'll see it
It was an experimental prototype, with only one built. It was meant to be one component of the Uragan-1 automated air defence system.
Related aircraft
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