Ye-2

The Ye‑2 was a single‑seat, twin‑engine jet designed by the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG in the early 1950s as a high‑altitude interceptor prototype. Development began in 1952 under the internal designation “Ye‑2” (short for “Yedinaya Eksperimentalnaya” – “single experimental”) and served as a technology demonstrator for the powerful RD‑33 turbo‑jets and swept‑wing aerodynamics that would later define the famed MiG‑17 and MiG‑19 families. The aircraft featured a 57‑degree sweep on the wings, a pressurised cockpit with ejection seat, and a distinctive nose intake feeding two axial‑flow engines capable of delivering 30 kN thrust each. Its avionics suite incorporated an early radar‑guided fire‑control system, allowing engagement of targets at altitudes above 15 000 m. Although only two prototypes were built and the program was cancelled in 1956 in favor of more advanced designs, the Ye‑2 proved crucial in validating high‑speed, high‑altitude flight characteristics and engine performance for subsequent Soviet fighters. Its legacy lives on in the aerodynamic and systems knowledge that shaped MiG’s dominant position during the Cold War, influencing generations of combat aircraft worldwide. Design elements such as the wing sweep and integrated radar later appeared in the MiG‑21 and remain a reference point for modern Russian aerospace engineering.

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification