MiG-3-15

MiG-3-15

I-16 type 5

I-16 type 10

MiG-3-15

I-16 type 5

I-16 type 10

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	2.3	1.7

Class:

Fighter

Interceptor

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

This page is about the Russian interceptor MiG-3-15. For other uses, see MiG-3 (Family).

Description

The MiG-3-15 in the garage

The MiG-3-15 is a rank I Russian interceptor with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/SB) and 2.3 (RB). This aircraft has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29.

The MiG-3-15 is the first of the Mikoyan-Gurevich designed aircraft in the USSR tech tree (after the ShKAS-armed I-16s and before the MiG-3-15 (BK) and MiG-3-34), and provides a very interesting Rank II aircraft type to play around with. Unlike its Yak or Lavochkin contemporaries, the MiG-3-15 is more suited to high-altitude combat than low-alt combat, something which is rarely seen in War Thunder realistic battles, and as a result, can lose a fair bit of performance when below around 4,000 m altitude. In arcade battles, it is well suited to hunting higher altitude bombers. In lower ranks, biplanes and more primitive monoplanes will struggle to catch bombers like the He 111 and F.222.2 when they are at high altitude. If they are allowed to reach altitude, bombers can be a serious threat to your base. The MiG-3 can counter these aircraft, quickly reaching their altitude (where it is most effective), and taking them out with its machine guns. Be sure to aim for their cockpit, engines, and wings. Despite the 12.7 mm machine gun, pumping rounds into the fuselage of a bomber is relatively ineffective.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 7,800 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
612	559	12,000	25.5	26.0	12.6	12.6	300
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 7,800 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
669	640	12,000	22.5	24.0	23.7	16.0	300

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
620	320	???	~20	~9

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 350	< 420	< 420	> 260

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
6,100 m	1,200 hp	1,446 hp

Survivability and armour

• 8 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.
• 8.5 mm Steel plate under the pilot.
• No armour glazing
• Critical components located at front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
• More fuel tanks located in wings near fuselage

Armaments

Offensive armament

The MiG-3-15 is armed with:

• 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, nose-mounted (300 rpg)
• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, nose-mounted (750 rpg = 1,500 total)

Usage in the battles

The MiG-3 has a few issues that can hinder its success on the battlefront. Its power plant, although powerful for its time, performs best above 4000 m (approx. 12,000 ft) altitude, and as a result of the early MiG's speed and climb rate at lower altitudes may be disappointing at first, particularly when stock. Its armament, one 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun and two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, is generally inferior to its Allied and German opposition (its contemporaries on the Eastern Front, the Emil and Friedrich 109s, have 20 mm cannon armament on hand). Manoeuvrability can be a problem, especially at lower altitudes, as the plane bleeds speed in turns and can lock up at high speeds during dives. Despite these flaws, the MiG-3 in all its variants can be seen as a good stepping stone towards learning how to utilize the tricky-to-fly I-185s, especially in practising Boom & Zoom attacks as well as energy fighting.

Specific enemies worth noting

• Bf 109 E-1- The Bf 109 shares your BR in AB, so you will be facing them a lot. They have a higher top speed, perform well at high altitude (above 4000 m like the MiG-3) and have great energy retention. You do have some firepower advantage but a battle with a Bf 109 E-1 often becomes a battle of energy retention; the pilot with higher energy often wins. Try to get a height advantage when going against one and take it by surprise.

• Spitfire Mk Ia - The Spitfire is one of the most manoeuvrable monoplanes in the game, and has great anti-fighter capabilities with its 8 x 7.7 mm machine guns. DO NOT engage a Spitfire in a turn fight. You will lose your speed and be easily out turned. The Spitfire is also quite fast and accelerates well, so don't be surprised if after a failed boom and zoom attempt you have a Spitfire gaining on your tail. Luckily, the Spitfire performs poorly at high altitude, meaning that if you can lure one up to 3000 m, you can then sap it of its energy and hopefully kill it. The Spitfire is a poor diver too, so if one tries to escape, you can quickly out dive it. This also makes for a nice defensive option.

• A6M2-N - Like the Spitfire, except slower, more manoeuvrable and with a great big float to shoot at (don't, it will gain even more manoeuvrability). Same rules apply. Don't turn fight, just boom and zoom. The incendiary ammo from your 12.7 mm will set these on fire easily.

• P-36 (all variants) - The P-36 is very well armed (4 x 7.62 mm Browning machine guns and 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns), meaning that it has an edge in firepower over the MiG-3. It also has an edge in manoeuverability, whilst also being quite fast. This makes it a challenging opponent. Your performance is superior to the P-36 over 4000 m, so try to lure it up to higher altitudes. You also have a much better climb rate than the P-36, so get an altitude advantage and then dive. Boom and Zoom works best here.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs
III	Wings Repair	Engine		Offensive 12 mm
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 12 mm MGs

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Gets air spawn in realistic battle
• Decent climber - one of the few Soviet prop-fighters that can use WEP well
• Good for high-altitude fighting
• Efficient at gliding - this is useful in case of an oil leak or engine damage
• Nose mounted armament makes for very accurate shooting
• 12.7 mm and 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS is more than adequate to deal with aircraft the MiG-3 faces

Cons:

• Not the most manoeuvrable fighter in Rank II
• Performance is a bit disappointing below 4,000 m
• Controls can lock up at high speeds
• Overheats easily with WEP

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.

In-game description

"A single-seat monoplane fighter with all-metal construction, closed cockpit and retractable landing gear with a tail wheel. The fighter was initially developed by N.N. Polikarpov, and later by A.I. Mikoyan and M.I. Gurevich at OKB-155. The experimental I-200 fighter took its maiden flight on 5 April 1940. The plane went into series production in June 1940 at aircraft plant No. 1 in Moscow under the designation MiG-1.

The MiG-3 model joined the series in February 1941, with a modified wing, larger landing gear, an additional fuselage fuel tank, a new radiator, modified flaps and self-sealing for the centre wing fuel tanks.

The MiG-3 series fighters were powered by the twin-row V12 Mikulin AM-35A engine with a maximum output of 1,350 hp. This was a geared-down engine with a single-stage supercharger and an air pressure regulator.

The armament on the first few MiG-3 series consisted of two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns with 750 rounds each and one synchronized large-calibre 12.7 mm Berezina BS machine gun with 300 rounds. All three machine guns were placed above the engine.

The design also allowed for the suspension of two containers under the wing, each housing an unsynchronized large-calibre 12.7 mm Berezina BK machine gun.

The plane's bombing equipment consisted of four locking DZ-40 bomb racks mounted under the wing, each able to carry up to 100 kg. The overall weight of its bomb load was no greater than 220 kg. The MiG-3 could carry the AO-8/-10/-25 and FAB-50/-100, cluster bombs and bottles of KS incendiary fluid.

The plane possessed the PBP-1A collimator sight, which allowed it to use all types of anti-air and anti-ground weapons. Before the Great Patriotic War, the MiG-3 was the most prolific modern fighter in the Soviet Air Forces. From June 1941, it was widely used on the front in Soviet Air Forces units, naval aviation units and Air Defense Forces units.

In total, 3172 of these planes were made. The MiG-3's production ended in December 1941. Its use continued in Soviet Air Forces divisions until 1943, and in air defense fleets until the end of the war."

Notable pilots

• 

  The Mig-3 was the first fighter Pokryshkin flew and racked up almost 20 victories with it.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
• other literature.