Artem Mikoyan

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-11

The Mikoyan‑Gurevich MiG‑11 was a short‑lived Soviet fighter‑interceptor project conceived in the early 1950s under the direction of Artem Mikoyan. Intended as a successor to the MiG‑9 and a bridge to the MiG‑15, the MiG‑11 was designed to exploit the newly available after‑burning turbo‑jet engines and to provide higher top speed and climb performance. The prototype, designated I‑301, first flew on 12 July 1950 from the Zhukovsky test centre. Powered by a pair of Klimov VK‑1 engines with afterburner, the aircraft could reach 1 540 km/h at altitude and featured a thin swept‑wing layout with a 33° leading‑edge sweep, hydraulically actuated flaps, and a pressurised cockpit equipped with a K‑1 radar for all‑weather interception. Armament was planned around three 23 mm Nudelman‑Rikhter cannons and provisions for air‑to‑air missiles.

Although the MiG‑11 demonstrated impressive performance, rapid advances in swept‑wing technology and the emergence of the MiG‑15 rendered the programme obsolete, and it was cancelled after only two prototypes were built. The project’s legacy lies in the data it supplied for Soviet high‑speed aerodynamics, engine integration, and radar‑guided interception, influencing later generation fighters such as the MiG‑17 and MiG‑19.

Classification

Production & History

First Flight
1943

Design & Classification

Country of Origin
Manufacturer
Artem Mikoyan
Developer
Artem Mikoyan, Mikhail Gurevich
Engine
Mikulin AM-39
Wikidata ID
Q1933751