Polikarpov TIS

Polikarpov TIS
Type:	Heavy escort fighter
Design country:	Soviet Union
Manufacturer:	Plant No. 5
First flight:	September 2, 1941
Commissioning:	-
Number of pieces:	2 prototypes

The Polikarpow TIS ( Russian Поликарпов ТИС ) was a heavy Soviet escort fighter from the Second World War . Only two copies were made of it, because the development and testing of the machine took a long time due to the lack of suitable engines and the model, when it was finally supposed to be produced, was no longer needed due to the events of the war . TIS stands for heavy escort fighter aircraft ( Russian Тяжёлый истребитель сопровождения , Tjascholy istrebitel saprowoschdenija).

development

The starting samples for the TIS were the types WIT-2 and SPB (D), also developed by Nikolai Polikarpow . It was created in response to a request from 1938 as a parallel development to the MiG-5 . The air-cooled radial engine M-90 should serve as the drive ; Since this was only available in a few copies, it was decided to use two V-engines of the type AM-37. Since several design offices were working on heavy twin-engine fighter projects, a commission was founded in 1940 under the chairmanship of Boris Jurjew to select the most suitable designs. Polikarpov presented the plans for the TIS on September 18, 1940. After checking all the work, the offices of Nikolai Polikarpow, Pyotr Gruschin and Artyom Mikoyan received the order for the development. On October 22nd, the construction of a true-to-scale TIS model was completed and the state acceptance commission placed the order for three prototypes. Construction took place mainly in Plant No. 5, only the wings were manufactured and delivered to Plant No. 84 in Khimki .

The first flight of the first prototype with the designation TIS (A) - called "Anuschka" by Polikarpow's employees - took place on September 2, 1941 and was carried out by G. M. Schijanow and the chief engineer M. K. Jangel himself from the Stakhanovo airfield near Moscow. The flight test had to be canceled after seven flights due to the German advance on October 11th. Polikarpov's department was evacuated to Novosibirsk that same month, including the factory . The prototype was transferred there via Arsamas and Kazan. The other two aircraft, which were 50 and 60 percent completed respectively, were also transferred. This resulted in the improved second prototype, which was tested under the designation 2A until February 16, 1942. But since it was also equipped with the inefficient AM-37 engines, its performance parameters were disappointing.

The draft was therefore revised and tailored to the newly released AM-39 engine. The name for this type was changed to TIS (MA) . The delivery of the engine was delayed, however, and so one was forced to carry out the tests in the summer of 1944 with two AM-38F , which, however, were also too weak.

On June 29, 1944, the TIS (MA) crash-landed with Gavrilow at the wheel and slipped into an earth wall on his stomach. Since Nikolai Polikarpow died a month later on July 30th and a victory over the German Reich was already looming at this point in the war, the program was finally discontinued.

construction

The Polikarpow TIS was a cantilevered low- wing aircraft in all-metal shell construction made of a steel frame clad with duralumin. The horizontal stabilizer, at the ends of which there were two vertical stabilizer end plates, was also self-supporting. The crew cabin was protected by armor of various thicknesses. The two-spar wings consisted of five parts and had automatic slats. The rear wheel landing gear was completely retractable, with the main wheels going into the engine pods.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Polikarpow TIS (A)	Polikarpow TIS (MA)
crew	2 (pilot / gunner)
length	11.70 m
span	15.50 m
height	k. A.	3.99 m
Wing area	34.85 m²
Empty mass	6,281 kg	k. A.
Takeoff mass	8,280 kg	k. A.
Engine	two liquid-cooled V12 engines Mikulin AM-37 with 1,400 HP (1,030 kW) each	two liquid-cooled V12 engines Mikulin AM-38 F with 1,768 HP (1,300 kW) each
Top speed	522 km / h near the ground 652 km / h at 7,400 m	535 km / h at an altitude of 1,660 m
Rise time	k. A.	9.2 min at 5,000 m
Summit height	10,250 m	k. A.
Range	normal 1,070 km maximum 1,720 km	k. A.
Armament	(provided) two 20 mm MK SchWAK + four 7.62 mm SchKAS or + two 12.7 mm MG UBS or + one 37 mm MK NS-37	two 20 mm MK in the bow two 37 mm or 45 mm MK in the wings between the fuselage and the engine a movable 12.7 mm machine gun, firing backwards

literature

• Mikhail Maslow: Polikarpow TIS - heavy two-engine . In: Aviation Classics . No. 5/2011 . Motor Presse, Stuttgart 2011.