Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-150

Mikoyan-Gurevich · Soviet Union · first flew 1960 · fighter

The Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-150 was a Soviet experimental interceptor designed to investigate the performance envelope of a single powerful turbojet in a tailored delta-wing airframe, pushing toward Mach 2.8.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, delta
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	very slender fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

single-engine tailed delta
large intake cone
very slender fuselage

The extremely slender tailed-delta fuselage and enormous centre-body intake cone are unmistakable; the aircraft is far longer relative to its wingspan than contemporary Western deltas like the Mirage III.

Specifications

The Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-150 has a length of 19 m (62 ft).
It has a wingspan of 8.5 m (28 ft).
Its maximum speed is 2900 km/h (1802 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Developed in the late 1950s as part of MiG's 'Ye' (Experimental) series of research aircraft, the Ye-150 was built around the massive Tumansky R-15 turbojet — the same engine later used in the MiG-25. The aircraft explored high-altitude, high-speed interception profiles that would inform the design of production fighters.

Variants

The Ye-150 was followed by the Ye-152, which flew in 1961 and reached speeds above Mach 2.8; the Ye-152A used two R-11 engines. None reached production.

Where you'll see it

Operated solely as research aircraft by the Soviet Air Force flight test establishment at Zhukovsky; not cleared for operational service.

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