DONE +++ Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC: "Flout") mixed powerplant escort fighter

rickshaw · March 26, 2018, 01:48:46 AM

Quote from: loupgarou on March 26, 2018, 12:28:53 AM
Quote from: Dizzyfugu on March 25, 2018, 11:23:20 PM
"To boldly combine things that none did before..."

It's a quote from Shakespeare ?

I think it is a misquote from Star Drek...

Something about going where no man has gone before or something like that...

Dizzyfugu · March 26, 2018, 11:59:33 PM

While the model itself is a wild mix of parts with lots of improvisation involved, I wanted to keep the livery rather simple. The most plausible choice would have been an NMF finish, but I rather wanted some paint – so I used Soviet La-9 and -11 as a benchmark and settled for a simple two-tone livery: uniform light grey upper and light blue lower surfaces.
I used RAF Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165) and Soviet Underside Blue (Humbrol 114) as basic tones, and, after a black ink wash, these were lightened up through dry-brushed post-shading. The cockpit as well the engine and landing gear interior became blue-grey (Revell 57), similar to the typical La-9/11's colors.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Tactical markings were kept simple, too. The "38" and the Red Stars come form a Mastercraft MiG-15, the Guards badge from a Begemoth MiG-25 sheet and most of the stencils were taken from a Yak-38 sheet, also from Begemoth.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri) and it received some mild soot stains and chipped paint around the cockpit and on the leading edges. Some oil stains were added around the engine (with Tamiya Smoke), too.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Almost done!

Gondor · March 27, 2018, 03:04:46 AM

Looks really good. Difficult to tell that the wings were not what came with the base model

Gondor

NARSES2 · March 27, 2018, 06:12:57 AM

It is looking good

Dizzyfugu · March 29, 2018, 04:37:44 AM

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Gudkov Gu-1 was a Soviet fighter aircraft produced shortly after World War II in small numbers at the start of the jet age, but work on the Gudkov Gu-1 already started in 1944. Towards the end of World War II the Soviet Union saw the need for a strategic bombing capability similar to that of the United States Army Air Forces. The Soviet VVS air arm had the locally designed Petlyakov Pe-8 four-engined heavy bomber in service at the start of the war, but only 93 had been built by the end of the war and the type had become obsolete. By that time the U.S. regularly conducted bombing raids on Japan from distant Pacific forward bases using B-29 Superfortresses, and the Soviet Air Force lacked this capability.

Joseph Stalin ordered the development of a comparable bomber, and the U.S. twice refused to supply the Soviet Union with B-29s under Lend Lease. However, on four occasions during 1944, individual B-29s made emergency landings in Soviet territory and one crashed after the crew bailed out. In accordance with the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, the Soviets were neutral in the Pacific War and the bombers were therefore interned and kept by the Soviets. Despite Soviet neutrality, America demanded the return of the bombers, but the Soviets refused. Three repairable B-29s were flown to Moscow and delivered to the Tupolev OKB. One B-29 was dismantled, the second was used for flight tests and training, and the third one was left as a standard for cross-reference.

Stalin told Tupolev to clone the Superfortress in as short a time as possible. The reverse-engineering effort involved 900 factories and research institutes, who finished the design work during the first year. 105,000 drawings were made, and the American technology had to be adapted to local material and manufacturing standards – and ended in a thorough re-design of the B-29 "under the hood". By the end of the second year, the Soviet industry was to produce 20 copies of the aircraft ready for State acceptance trials.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

While work on what would become the Tupolev Tu-4 was on the way, the need for a long range escort fighter arose, too. Soviet officials were keen on the P-51 Mustang, but, again, the USA denied deliveries, so that an indigenous solution had to be developed. With the rising tension of international relationships, this became eventually the preferred solution, too.

While the design bureau Lavochkin had already started with work on the La-9 fighter (which entered service after WWII) and the jet age was about to begin, the task of designing a long range escort fighter for the Tu-4 was relegated to Mikhail I. Gudkov who had been designing early WWII fighters like the LaGG-1 and -3 together with Lavochkin. Internally, the new fighter received the project handle "DIS" (Dalnij Istrebitel' Soprovozhdenya ="long-range escort fighter").

In order to offer an appropriate range and performance that could engage enemy interceptors in the bombers' target area it was soon clear that neither a pure jet nor a pure piston-engine fighter was a viable solution – a dilemma the USAAF was trying to solve towards 1945, too. The jet engine alone did not offer sufficient power, and fuel consumption was high, so that the necessary range could never be achieved with an agile fighter. Late war radials had sufficient power and offered good range, but the Soviet designers were certain that the piston engine fighter had no future – especially when fast jet fighters had to be expected over enemy territory.

Another problem arose through the fact that the Soviet Union did not have an indigenous jet engine at hand at all in late 1945. War booty from Germany in the form of Junkers Jumo 004 axial jet engines and blueprints of the more powerful HeS 011 were still under evaluation, and these powerplants alone did neither promise enough range nor power for a long range fighter aircraft. Even for short range fighters their performance was rather limited – even though fighters like the Yak-15 and the MiG-9 were designed around them.

After many layout experiments and calculation, Gudkov eventually came up with a mixed powerplant solution for the DIS project. But unlike the contemporary, relatively light I-250 (also known as MiG-13) interceptor, which added a mechanical compressor with a primitive afterburner (called VRDK) to a Klimov VK-107R inline piston engine, the DIS fighter was equipped with a powerful radial engine and carried a jet booster – similar to the US Navy's Ryan FR-1 "Fireball". Unlike the FR-1, though, the DIS kept a conservative tail-sitter layout and was a much bigger aircraft.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The choice for the main powerplant fell on the Shvetsov ASh-82TKF engine, driving a large four blade propeller. This was a boosted version of the same 18 cylinder twin row radial that powered the Tu-4, the ASh-73. The ASh-82TKF for the escort fighter project had a rating of 2,720 hp (2,030 kW) while the Tu-4's ASh-73TK had "only" a temporary 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) output during take-off. The airframe was designed around this massive and powerful engine, and the aircraft's sheer size was also a result of the large fuel capacity which was necessary to meet the range target of at least 3.000 km (1.860 mi, 1.612 nmi).
The ASh-82TKF alone offered enough power for a decent performance, but in order to take on enemy jet fighters and lighter, more agile propeller-driven fighters, a single RD-20 axial-flow turbojet with 7.8 kN (1,754 lbf) thrust was added in the rear-fuselage. It was to add power for take-off and in combat situations only. Its fixed air intakes were placed on the fuselage flanks, right behind the cockpit, and the jet pipe was placed under the fin and the stabilizers.

Outwardly, Gudkov's DIS resembled the late American P-47D or the A-1 Skyraider a lot, and the beefy aircraft was comparable in size and weight, too. But the Soviet all-metal aircraft was a completely new construction and featured relatively small and slender laminar flow wings. The wide-track landing gear retracted inwards into the inner wings while the tail wheel retracted fully into a shallow compartment under the jet pipe.
The pilot sat in a spacious cockpit under a frameless bubble canopy with very good all-round visibility and enjoyed amenities for long flights such as increased padding in the seat, armrests, and even a urinal. In addition, a full radio navigation suite was installed for the expected long range duties over long stretches of featureless landscape like the open sea.

Armament consisted of four 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannons with 100 RPG in the wings, outside of the propeller arc. The guns were good for a weight of fire of 6kg (13.2 lb)/sec, a very good value. Five wet hardpoints under the fuselage, the wings outside of the landing gear well and under the wing tips could primarily carry auxiliary drop tanks or an external ordnance of up to 1.500 kg (3.300 lb).
Alternatively, iron bombs of up to 500 kg (1.100 lb) caliber could be carried on the centerline pylon, and a pair of 250 kg (550 lb) bombs under the wings, but a fighter bomber role was never seriously considered for the highly specialized and complex aircraft.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The first DIS prototype, still without the jet booster, flew in May 1947. The second prototype, with both engines installed, had its fuel capacity increased by an additional 275 l (73 US gal) in an additional fuel tank behind the cockpit. The aircraft was also fitted with larger tires to accommodate the increased all-up weight, esp. with all five 300 l drop tanks fitted for maximum range and endurance.

Flight testing continued until 1948 and the DIS concept proved to be satisfactory, even though the complicated ASh-82TKF hampered the DIS' reliability - to the point that fitting the ASh-73TK from the Tu-4 was considered for serial production, even if this would have meant a significant reduction in performance. The RD-20 caused lots of trouble, too. Engine reliability was generally poor, and re-starting the engine in flight did not work satisfactorily – a problem that, despite several changes to the starter and ignition system, could never be fully cured. The jet engine's placement in the tail, together with the small tail wheel, also caused problems because the pilots had to take care that the tail would not aggressively hit the ground upon landings, because the RD-20 and its attachments were easily damaged.

Nevertheless, the DIS basically fulfilled the requested performance specifications and was, despite many shortcomings, eventually cleared for production in mid 1948. It received the official designation Gudkov Gu-1, honoring the engineer behind the aircraft, even though the aircraft was produced by Lavochkin.

The first machines were delivered to VVS units in early 1949 - just in time for the Tu-4's service introduction after the Russians had toiled endlessly on solving several technical problems. In the meantime, jet fighter development had quickly progressed, even though a purely jet-powered escort fighter for the Tu-4 was still out of question. Since the Gu-1 was capricious, complex and expensive to produce, only a limited number left the factories and emphasis was put on the much simpler and more economical Lavochkin La-11 escort fighter, a lightweight evolution of the proven La-9. Both types were regarded as an interim solution until a pure jet escort fighter would be ready for service.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Operationally the Gu-1s remained closely allocated to the VVS' bomber squadrons and became an integral part of them. Anyway, since the Tu-4 bomber never faced a serious combat situation, so did the Gu-1, which was to guard it on its missions. For instance, both types were not directly involved in the Korean War, and the Gu-1 was primarily concentrated at the NATO borders to Western Europe, since bomber attacks in this theatre would certainly need the heavy fighter's protection.

The advent of the MiG-15 - especially the improved MiG-15bis with additional fuel capacities and drop tanks, quickly sounded the death knell for the Gu-1 and any other post-WWII piston-engine fighter in Soviet Service. As Tu-4 production ended in the Soviet Union in 1952, so did the Gu-1's production after only about 150 aircraft. The Tu-4s and their escort fighters were withdrawn in the 1960s, being replaced by more advanced aircraft including the Tupolev Tu-16 jet bomber (starting in 1954) and the Tupolev Tu-95 turboprop bomber (starting in 1956).

The Gudkov Gu-1, receiving the NATO ASCC code "Flout", remained a pure fighter. Even though it was not a success, some proposals for updates were made - but never carried out. These included pods with unguided S-5 air-to-air-rockets, to be carried on the wing hardpoints, bigger, non-droppable wing tip tanks for even more range or, alternatively, the addition of two pulsejet boosters on the wing tips.
There even was a highly modified mixed powerplant version on the drawing boards in 1952, the Gu-1M. Its standard radial powerplant for cruise flight was enhanced with a new, non-afterburning Mikulin AM-5 axial flow jet engine with 2.270 kgf/5,000 lbf/23 kN additional thrust in the rear fuselage. With this temporary booster, a top speed of up to 850 km/h was expected. But to no avail - the pure jet fighter promised a far better performance and effectiveness, and the Gu-1 remained the only aircraft to exclusively carry the Gudkov name.

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 14 m (45 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.65 m (15 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 28 m² (301.388 ft²)
Airfoil:
Empty weight: 4,637 kg (10,337 lb)
Loaded weight: 6.450 kg (14.220 lb)
Maximum take-off weight: 7,938 kg (17,500 lb)

Powerplant:
1× Shvetsov ASh-82TKF 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, rated at 2,720 hp (2,030 kW)
1x RD-20 axial-flow turbojet with 7.8 kN (1,754 lbf) thrust as temporary booster

Performance:
Maximum speed: 676 km/h (420 mph) at 29,000 ft (8,839 m) with the radial only,
800 km/h (497 mph/432 kn,) with additional jet booster
Cruise speed: 440 km/h (237 kn, 273 mph)
Combat radius: 820 nmi (945 mi, 1,520 km)
Maximum range: 3.000 km (1.860 mi, 1.612 nmi) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 14,680 m (48,170 ft)
Wing loading: 230.4 kg/m² (47.2 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.28 kW/kg (0.17 hp/lb)
Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 5 min 9 sec;
Climb to 10,000 m (32,800 ft): 17 min 38 sec;
Climb to 13,000 m (42,640 ft): 21 min 03 sec

Armament:
4× 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannons with 100 RPG in the outer wings
Five hardpoints for an external ordnance of 1.500 kg (3.300 lb)

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Gudkov Gu-1 (NATO ASCC code: Flout); "38 White" of the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (Soviet Air Force) 196th IAP, attached to the 184th GvTBAP Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Pryluky Air Base (Ukraine), 1953 (Whif/kitbashing) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A massive aircraft, and this new use of the P-47/Attacker combo results again in a plausible solution. The added jet engine might appear a bit exotic, but the mixed powerplant concept was en vogue after WWII, but only a few aircraft made it beyond the prototype stage.
While painting the model I also wondered if an all dark blue livery and some USN markings could also have made this creation the Grumman JetCat? With the tall fin, the Gu-1 could also be an F8F Bearcat on steroids? Hmmm...

Rick Lowe · March 29, 2018, 04:55:37 AM

Sounds like you need to make another, to go in the other scheme, then...

Weaver · March 29, 2018, 04:58:10 AM

Splendid, and highly credible too. Well done!

Dizzyfugu · March 29, 2018, 05:01:23 AM

Quote from: Rick Lowe on March 29, 2018, 04:55:37 AM
Sounds like you need to make another, to go in the other scheme, then...

It's earmarked. The P-47/Attacker combo has some serious potential for post-WWII projects. Originally, this one here (or at least the main ingredients) were to become an Australian Navy alternative to the Hawker Fury - but the F-84 fin and the F6F nose really gave it a potential, somewhat American touch. Even the jet engine, which was added for the Soviet incarnation, would have made sense.

Glad you like it!

NARSES2 · March 29, 2018, 06:07:10 AM

That is gorgeous

Tremendous build

Almost looks to attractive to be Soviet ?

TheChronicOne · March 29, 2018, 09:50:14 AM

Magnificent!!! I love them props and spinner.

PR19_Kit · March 29, 2018, 10:06:06 AM

I like that a lot, one of your very best Thomas (and there's a lot to chose from....)

JayBee · March 29, 2018, 11:12:53 AM

That certainly gets the Jaybee nod of approval, in fact it gets a really big WOW!

Dizzyfugu · March 29, 2018, 11:24:40 AM

Thanks a lot, everyone!

zenrat · March 29, 2018, 05:41:26 PM

Quote from: NARSES2 on March 29, 2018, 06:07:10 AM
...Almost looks to attractive to be Soviet ?

My thoughts exactly. Nowhere near odd enough to be Soviet.
Good job though.

Old Wombat · March 30, 2018, 02:13:27 AM

Big brute, innit!

Really good job, Dizz!