| Technical data | |
|---|---|
| Type | BI |
| Function | fighter |
| Year | 1942 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Engines |
1*1100kgD-1A-1100 or 2*? ramjets |
| Speed | 990km/h |
| Wing Span | 6.48m |
| Length | 6.40m |
| Height | 2.06m |
| Wing Area | 7.00m2 |
| Empty Weight | 790kg |
| Max.Weight | 1683kg |
| Ceiling | |
| Range | 2 minutes power endurance. |
| Armament | 2*g20mm |
BI-1/.../BI-7, A.Ya.Bereznyak/ A.M.Isaiev
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Rocket-engined fighter, a small straight-wing aircraft. The BI was the world's first rocket-engined fighter, ever flown. This flight took place May 15 1942, on the second BI designated BI-2 (BI-1 was used only as a glider to check handling during landing).
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First tests were quite promising, and pre-production series for army tests was started. When test-pilot G.Ya.Bakhchiwandgi crashed on the BI-3 due to revealed serious handling problems, production was 'frozen'. Nevertheless, few BI's were finished and experiments continued.
Rocket powered flight of BI was too short, so the BI-6 was fitted with ramjets on wingtips. Aircraft was tested in wind tunnel TsAGI-101 (Spring 1944), but did never fly.
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The BI-7 (slightly different from BI-6 by wing shape and added ramjet starters) was flown in 1944, revealing dangerous vibration in tail section. To study this problem BI-5 and BI-6 were rebuilt to the same configuration as BI-7, and flown as gliders tagged by B-25J. No vibration or other problems obtained. Those tests were last ones, because this program was 'folded' (Russian term for cancelled).
BI-5 was tested with ski landing gear, BI-6 - with traditional wheels.
Eight built.
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