Daesŭngri DS-2: Difference between revisions

Daesŭngri DS-2
Role	Fighter aircraft
National origin	DPRM
Designer	Daesŭngri Aviation Bureau
Introduction	1967
Primary users	Menghean People's Army (historical); Dzhungestani Air Force (historical)
Produced	1967-1979
Number built	2,500+
Developed from	MiG Ye-2

Latest revision as of 00:26, 10 April 2019

The Daesŭngri DS-2 (Formal designation: 대승리 2호 전투기 / 大勝利二號戰鬪機, Daesŭngri I-ho Jŏntugi, "Daesŭngri No.2 Fighter;" Short designation 대승리-2 Daesŭngri-i "Daesŭngri-2") is a single-engine jet fighter produced in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe. It was derived from the Letnian Ye-2 prototype fighter, which served as a precursor to the MiG-21, but ultimately diverged from the MiG-21 in design and evolution, most notably through its retention of swept wings.

With over 2,500 airframes completed during 12 years of production, the DS-2 is the most widely produced Menghean combat aircraft since the end of the Pan-Septentrion War. While a fairly successful design in its own right, it was already nearing obsolescence at the time of its introduction, and it was eventually superseded by the Daesŭngri DS-5. In 1993 it was retired from active service with the Menghean Army, though DS-2D2 airframes are still used by some jet training units as of 2019.

Design and development

During the Menghean War of Liberation, the Menghean communists' main fighter aircraft was the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, imported from Letnia via Polvokia. Following the war's end, the MiG-17 was license-produced in Menghe as the Daesŭngri DS-1. Yet even as the production lines were being set up, Menghean military planners still saw the need for a more advanced fighter aircraft.

In 1965, the Menghean government sent their Letnian contacts a request for license-production of the more advanced MiG-21. The Letnian government refused the initial offer, as the MiG-21 was their most advanced fighter aircraft at the time, and Menghe's radical communist government was not considered reliable as an ally. The Menghean People's Army also viewed the MiG-21's delta-wing layout as sub-optimal, believing from combat experience during the War of Liberation that swept-wing plane with better turning performance would be more effective. After Menghean negotiators turned down a license for the MiG-19, also considered outdated, the two sides came to an agreement: Letnia would send Menghe its Ye-2 prototype, plus documentation related to the MiG-21 project, and Menghe would use this as the basis to produce a less advanced domestic fighter.

To improve upon the Ye-2 design, Daesŭngri assembled a team of aviation engineers with experience designing aircraft for the Greater Menghean Empire, as well as personnel brought in from Polvokia and Letnia. As Menghean pilots in the War of Liberation had mainly relied on maneuverability to defeat more modern opponents, Daesŭngri took a number of steps to lighten the airframe, and used a thinner frame on the forward canopy and windshield to improve visibility. In response to stability and endurance problems which early MiG-21 pilots had encountered, the layout of the internal fuel tanks was revised to keep the center of gravity constant as fuel levels changed, and the rear horizontal stabilizers were enlarged.

Most components of the airframe, including the large wing fences, were borrowed from the Ye-2A, but early production models used the same engine as the original Ye-2. The first Menghean-built prototype made its maiden flight in early 1967, and the plane was accepted for mass production later that year at a factory which had been set up after the war's end. It initially bore the designation "Type 67 fighter," but it was later renamed DS-2.

At a time when many air forces were shifting their attention to speed and missiles, the DS-2 clung to a more traditional view of aerial combat. The main armament consisted of a pair of 23mm cannons located in the wing roods, with 120 rounds per gun. The original DS-2G had no external hardpoints, a deliberate design choice which reduced weight and drag but also prevented it from carrying missiles, bombs, or external fuel tanks. It also lacked an air-to-air radar, with the pilot relying on a ringed reflector sight to estimate the range to the target.

As the drawbacks of this approach grew apparent, the DS-2 was modified to improve its capabilities. The DS-2N, introduced in 1970, added four under-wing hardpoints for license-built YGG-1 missiles or 750-L fuel tanks. The modified nose cone could adjust position to control the amount of airflow to the engine, and contained a ranging radar with a maximum range of 12 kilometers, though it was not able to guide SARH missiles. The DS-2N also came with a two-seat trainer variant for easier lead-in conversion.

Operational history

With over 2,400 airframes produced, the DS-2 is the most widely produced Menghean aircraft of the postwar period.

It had only limited success on the international market, in part because it was already obsolete by the time Menghe began offering it for export. Azbekistan purchased 170 airframes over the course of the 1970s, and some of these remain in reserve service. Thirty-eight DS-2Gs were supplied to Dzhungestan's communist forces in 1973. Polvokia and Maverica made no purchases, instead buying the MiG-21.

Variants

DS-2G: Original production version lacking radar and hardpoints. 468 built.
DS-2N: Improved single-seater variant with external hardpoints, modified nose cone, and ranging radar. Introduced in 1971; 1197 built.
DS-2N2: Two-seat trainer variant of the DS-2N.
DS-2NHJ: DS-2 capable of being fitted with external solid-fuel rockets for zero-length launch operations.
DS-2JCh: Tentative designation for a dedicated reconnaissance version with a camera pod mounted under the fuselage. Two prototypes produced.
DS-2PJG: Unmanned drone used for target practice. Converted from retired airframes during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
DS-2LD: Prototype with a completely redesigned nose section, featuring a conventional radar nosecone in front of the cockpit with the intakes moved to either side. Five produced between 1975 and 1977; eventually rejected in favor of the DS-5.
DS-2HHJ: DS-2 airframe converted to a cruise missile with a nuclear warhead, first unveiled in 1986. Dayashinese intelligence originally believed it was manned, but guidance actually relied on an inertial navigation system; while it was never tested, accuracy probably would have been poor.
DS-2 Hwasaldae: Modified DS-2N with modern avionics, a new engine, and weapons removed. It is used by the "silver arrows" aerobatic group.

Specifications (DS-2N)

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 With over 2,500 airframes completed during 12 years of production, the DS-2 is the most widely produced Menghean combat aircraft since the end of the [[Pan-Septentrion War]]. While a fairly successful design in its own right, it was already nearing obsolescence at the time of its introduction, and it was eventually superseded by the [[Daesŭngri DS-5]]. In 1993 it was retired from active service with the Menghean Army, though DS-2D2 airframes are still used by some jet training units as of 2019.
-==Development==
+==Design and development==
-{{WIP}}
+During the [[Menghean War of Liberation]], the Menghean communists' main fighter aircraft was the {{wp|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17}}, imported from [[Letnia]] via [[Polvokia]]. Following the war's end, the MiG-17 was license-produced in Menghe as the [[Daesŭngri DS-1]]. Yet even as the production lines were being set up, Menghean military planners still saw the need for a more advanced fighter aircraft.
+In 1965, the Menghean government sent their Letnian contacts a request for license-production of the more advanced {{wp|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21}}. The Letnian government refused the initial offer, as the MiG-21 was their most advanced fighter aircraft at the time, and Menghe's radical communist government was not considered reliable as an ally. The Menghean People's Army also viewed the MiG-21's delta-wing layout as sub-optimal, believing from combat experience during the War of Liberation that swept-wing plane with better turning performance would be more effective. After Menghean negotiators turned down a license for the {{wp|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19|MiG-19}}, also considered outdated, the two sides came to an agreement: Letnia would send Menghe its Ye-2 prototype, plus documentation related to the MiG-21 project, and Menghe would use this as the basis to produce a less advanced domestic fighter.
-The DS-2 began its life in Erusuia to the north, where in 1951 the national government placed a design requirement for a high-speed fighter aircraft capable of exceeding Mach 2. In response, the Kamik-Tsylvanov design bureau began testing two prototypes: Ya-2, with a swept wing, and Ya-3, with a delta wing. Flight tests in 1952 and 1953 found that the two airframes had broadly similar performance, but lackluster maneuverability and a high-profile crash of the Ye-3 led the designers to choose the swept-wing design instead. Production deliveries of the new aircraft, designated KTs-9, began in 1955.
+To improve upon the Ye-2 design, Daesŭngri assembled a team of aviation engineers with experience designing aircraft for the [[Greater Menghean Empire]], as well as personnel brought in from Polvokia and Letnia. As Menghean pilots in the War of Liberation had mainly relied on maneuverability to defeat more modern opponents, Daesŭngri took a number of steps to lighten the airframe, and used a thinner frame on the forward canopy and windshield to improve visibility. In response to stability and endurance problems which early MiG-21 pilots had encountered, the layout of the internal fuel tanks was revised to keep the center of gravity constant as fuel levels changed, and the rear horizontal stabilizers were enlarged.
-During the later stages of the '''Menghe War of Liberation''' that ended the [[Occupation of Menghe]], Erusuia supplied KTs-9 fighters to pilots of the '''Menghe People’s Army,''' which had by then occupied several airfields in the north. Impressed with the fighter’s performance, these pilots and their commanders petitioned the revolutionary government to seek a production license, which was granted in 1965. Airframes imported from Erusuia retained the designation KTs-9, but those produced in the DPRM were designated DS-2, as the newly created design bureau Daesungri ("Great Victory," named for the return to independence in 1964) had taken charge of flight testing and quality control.
+Most components of the airframe, including the large wing fences, were borrowed from the Ye-2A, but early production models used the same engine as the original Ye-2. The first Menghean-built prototype made its maiden flight in early 1967, and the plane was accepted for mass production later that year at a factory which had been set up after the war's end. It initially bore the designation "Type 67 fighter," but it was later renamed DS-2.
-==Design==
+At a time when many air forces were shifting their attention to speed and missiles, the DS-2 clung to a more traditional view of aerial combat. The main armament consisted of a pair of 23mm cannons located in the wing roods, with 120 rounds per gun. The original DS-2G had no external hardpoints, a deliberate design choice which reduced weight and drag but also prevented it from carrying missiles, bombs, or external fuel tanks. It also lacked an air-to-air radar, with the pilot relying on a ringed reflector sight to estimate the range to the target.
-A fairly conventional swept-wing design, the KTs-9 was relatively advanced for its time in 1955, but was already somewhat outdated when the first DS-2 deliveries began in 1967. In addition to the designers’ choice of a swept wing over a delta wing, it lacked a targeting radar in the nose cone, which solely served to moderate aerodynamic shock into the intake at supersonic speeds. As such, it could only fire heat-seeking missiles like the YGG-1, which lacked {{wp|All-aspect|all-aspect}} homing capability and had poor range and accuracy even when fired in a tail-on chase. On the other hand, it was inexpensive to produce and maintain, especially with the addition of several simplifying modifications introduced by the Feidou design bureau, making it adequate for Menghe’s needs at the time.
-Thrust was provided by a single license-built Tsylvanov Ts-133 afterburning turbojet, which produced 36.2 kN of thrust “dry” and 58.8 kN with afterburner. Airflow to the engine is regulated by the nosecone, which can be slid forward or backward at differing speed and altitudes. At full thrust and with clean pylons, the DS-2A can reach Mach 1.95, just shy of the original Mach 2 design target.
+As the drawbacks of this approach grew apparent, the DS-2 was modified to improve its capabilities. The DS-2N, introduced in 1970, added four under-wing hardpoints for license-built {{wp|K-13 (missile)|YGG-1}} missiles or 750-L fuel tanks. The modified nose cone could adjust position to control the amount of airflow to the engine, and contained a ranging radar with a maximum range of 12 kilometers, though it was not able to guide {{wp|Semi-active_radar_homing|SARH}} missiles. The DS-2N also came with a two-seat trainer variant for easier lead-in conversion.
-Lift, meanwhile, was provided by an aggressively swept wing with a leading edge 30 degrees from the centerline. Large wing fences were installed on each, slightly closer to the fuselage than the wingtip, to regulate airflow down the wings at high speeds. In combination with its fairly light weight, these gave the DS-2B decent agility in low-level flight, with less speed reduction in turns than a delta wing.
+==Operational history==
+With over 2,400 airframes produced, the DS-2 is the most widely produced Menghean aircraft of the postwar period.
-Armament on early-model KTs-9s consisted of two 30mm FZP-30 autocannons, one in each wing root, as well as two 12.7mm machine-guns in the upper nose. To save ammunition, pilots were instructed to reserve the 30mm guns for “hard” targets such as bombers, buildings, and armored vehicles but use the 12.7mm on everything else. The latter weapons were part of the reason for the fighter’s distinctive relatively long nose forward of the canopy. Combat experience in the liberation of Menghe demonstrated that pilots generally ignored these instructions and used the 30mm cannons on everything, as the 12.7mm machine-guns had insufficient range, accuracy, and damage to engage enemy fighters. The DS-2A and DS-2B followed this result, deleting the 12.7mm guns and adding more ammunition for the 30mm autocannons. These guns were supplemented by five external hardpoints in the DS-2A, one under the fuselage and two under each wing. The DS-2D carried four under each wing but none under the fuselage for eight in all.
+It had only limited success on the international market, in part because it was already obsolete by the time Menghe began offering it for export. Azbekistan purchased 170 airframes over the course of the 1970s, and some of these remain in reserve service. Thirty-eight DS-2Gs were supplied to [[Dzhungestan]]'s communist forces in 1973. [[Polvokia]] and [[Maverica]] made no purchases, instead buying the MiG-21.
 ==Variants==
-===Daesungri DS-2B===
+* '''DS-2G:''' Original production version lacking radar and hardpoints. 468 built.
-In response to the apparent obsolescence of the KTs-9 airframe as a fighter, the Feidou design bureau began work on a dedicated ground-attack variant not long after the DS-2A began arriving in front-line units. The resulting DS-2B, designed with Erusuian aid, entered service in 1970. It was externally similar to the DS-2A, but has some changes for the ground-attack role, including a new targeting sight and a modified canopy to improve forward visibility. It also incorporated a number of fixes present on the latest Erusuian KTs-9OVTS, including new fuel tanks and fuel lines to reduce balance and fire issues on early-production airframes. DS-2Bs account for the majority of the ~5000 DS-2 airframes produced in the DPR Menghe.
+* '''DS-2N:''' Improved single-seater variant with external hardpoints, modified nose cone, and ranging radar. Introduced in 1971; 1197 built.
+* '''DS-2N2:''' Two-seat trainer variant of the DS-2N.
+* '''DS-2NHJ:''' DS-2 capable of being fitted with external solid-fuel rockets for {{wp|zero-length launch}} operations.
+* '''DS-2JCh:''' Tentative designation for a dedicated reconnaissance version with a camera pod mounted under the fuselage. Two prototypes produced.
+* '''DS-2PJG:''' Unmanned drone used for target practice. Converted from retired airframes during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
+* '''DS-2LD:''' Prototype with a completely redesigned nose section, featuring a conventional radar nosecone in front of the cockpit with the intakes moved to either side. Five produced between 1975 and 1977; eventually rejected in favor of the [[Daesŭngri DS-5|DS-5]].
+* '''DS-2HHJ:''' DS-2 airframe converted to a cruise missile with a nuclear warhead, first unveiled in 1986. [[Dayashina|Dayashinese]] intelligence originally believed it was manned, but guidance actually relied on an inertial navigation system; while it was never tested, accuracy probably would have been poor.
+* '''DS-2 Hwasaldae:''' Modified DS-2N with modern avionics, a new engine, and weapons removed. It is used by the "silver arrows" aerobatic group.
-===Daesungri DS-2Ch===
+==Specifications (DS-2N)==
-A 1971 proposal for a Daesungri-2 air superiority fighter, based on the Erusuian KTs-9 obr. 1969. The revised nose would have incorporated a wider mouth and larger cone, the latter housing a radar set capable of guiding {{wp|Semi-active_radar_homing|SARH}} air-to-air missiles. The central government allocated funding for basic design work, including a number of paper blueprints and scale models, but scrapped the project in 1973 to focus on the [[Daesungri DS-5]] instead.
+{{WIP}}
-===Daesungri DS-2D===
-The DS-2D represents the most advanced departure from the original DS-2 airframe. It entered service in 1992 in response to a project requirement submitted in 1989. The design goal was to develop a better ground-attack aircraft with improved air-to-air capabilities as an interim measure in case the more advanced multirole project that became the [[Daesungri DS-12]] encountered delays.
-Its clearest distinguishing features concern the forward half of the airframe: the original nose intake has been replaced by a more conventional downward-sloping wedge, which contains a rudimentary surface-search radar and laser targeting system. Airflow to the engine is instead provided by a narrow semicircular intake on either side. The wing root FZP-30 cannons have been discarded in favor of a single BGP-30-2 in a streamlined conformal pod under the fuselage. Designed in a {{wp|Gast_gun|gast}} arrangement, in which each barrel’s recoil loads the other barrel’s chamber, the BGP-30-2 can achieve a higher rate of fire than both FZP-30s combined.
-Other major changes concerned the powerplant. A new and more efficient afterburning turbojet, the Chŏngman 4070, allowed for a slightly longer range while increasing the payload to 2,400 kilograms. This latter increase came in spite of the addition of armor plates around the cockpit and engine, a measure intended to improve survivability against small-arms fire. Though insufficient for heavy bombing runs, a task left to the larger [[Sunglin SL-6]]B, the DS-2D was often armed with rocket pods or anti-tank missiles to provide low-level close air support for ground forces. Unfortunately, in spite of the “armor plates,” the DS-2D remained highly vulnerable to anti-air autocannons and shoulder-launched missiles – a problem worsened by its lightweight but fragile airframe and single engine.
-===Other Variants===
-*DS-2HR: trainer version based on the DS-2B with a tandem canopy. Has the same weight and dimensions as the DS-2B, but the fuel tanks were shrunk to make room for the additional seat, so range is shorter.
-*DS-2DHR: trainer version based on the DS-2D with a tandem canopy. Unlike the DS-2HR, it has a stretched fuselage and similarly sized fuel tanks, allowing it to match the range of the DS-2D.
-*DS-2RI: proposed conversion kit for use by the Innominadan Air Force, based on the DS-2D but with Spanish instruments and compatibility with Innominadan payloads. DS-2Ds currently in Innominadan service have certain instruments relabeled, but are still restricted to weapons sold from the Socialist Republic of Menghe.
-*DS-2 ''Goguk'' (Homeland): Specialized airshow variant converted from decommissioned DS-2Bs which have passed functionality screening tests. Hardpoints have been stripped, apart from mounts for optional smoke-trail attachments, and ground-attack sights have been removed in favor of a new heads-up display.
-*DS-2BQ: Unofficial designation for DS-2Bs exported to Qusayn. Some early accounts stated that the instruments had been redone in Alasedite script, but news reports later confirmed that they had been kept in [[Sukomun]].
-==Service and Users==
-===Menghe===
-The DPR Menghe and the Socialist Republic of Menghe were historically the main operators of the DS-2, and most of the 5,000 or so DS-2s of all variants remained in domestic use. In 2005 Menghe deactivated its last squadron of DS-2Bs and downsized its force of DS-2Ds, but still flew 324 operational DS-2Ds in the Light CAS Aviation Regiments of its Motorized Armies. In 2011 the government announced its intent to withdraw all of these aircraft from service by 2015, but after the outbreak of war with the Republica Innominada it reversed this decision and reactivated the CAS units which had been disbanded. As of 1 January 2016, there are still 180 DS-12s in Menghean service, all of them deployed in the Republica Innominada.
-===Qusayn===
-The [[Qusayn|Qusayni]] air force purchased 150 DS-2Bs in 1970, enough to equip 12 squadrons plus trainers and spares. Another 150 were delivered in 1975. These were widely used in bombing strikes against rural insurgents in 1975-1977 and 1979-1983, after failed collectivization and drought-related famine led to rebellion in Qusayn’s inland provinces. Operational experience in these campaigns first revealed the DS-2B’s vulnerability to 22mm anti-aircraft guns and shoulder-launched missiles, and survivors of the insurgency still claim that they downed at least one DS-2B with small-arms fire from assault rifles.
-Minus wartime attrition, decommissionings, and breakdowns after the cutoff of Menghean supplies in 1987, the Qusayni Air Force still operates 223 aircraft, which serve in 18 squadrons of 12 aircraft each plus trainers and spares.
-===Republica Innominada===
-As part of the “reparations and combat aid” allocated to the Republica Innominada’s forces in the south and east, the Menghean government sold 108 combat-ready DS-2Ds, plus 12 trainers and spares in August 2015. All of these sales came from its own existing aircraft being passed out of service or stored for scrapping at a later date. At least one of these was lost to ground fire from insurgents since then.
-==Specifications (DS-2B)==
-===General Characteristics===
-[[File:Feidou_FD-2.png|500px|thumb|right|Three-view diagram of the DS-2B.]]
-*'''Crew''': 1
-*'''Length''': 15.95 meters (excluding nose probe)
-*'''Wingspan''': 9.86 meters
-*'''Height''': 5.09 meters (on the ground, gear out)
-*'''Wing Area''': 26.01 square meters
-*'''Empty Weight''': 5,640 kg (12,430 lbs)
-*'''Loaded Weight''': 8,770 kg (19,330 lbs)
-*'''Maximum Takeoff Weight''': 9,870 kg (21,760 lbs)
-*'''Powerplant''': 1x Ts-133 turbojet
-*'''Dry Thrust''': 36.2 kN (8,138 lbs-force)
-*'''Thrust with Afterburner''': 58.8 kN (13,150 lbs-force)
-*'''Fuel Capacity''': 2,140 kg (4,720 lbs)
-===Performance===
-*'''Maximum Speed''': Mach 1.95 (2,300 km/h) at altitude
-*'''Combat Radius''': 600 km with 500-kg payload
-*'''Service Ceiling''': 19,000 meters
-*'''Rate of Climb''': 205 meters per second
-*'''Wing Loading''': 379.7 kg/m2
-*'''Thrust-to-Weight Ratio''': 0.68
-===Armament===
-*'''Guns''': 2x FZP-30 autocannon in wing roots
-*'''Payload''': 750 kg on 7 external hardpoints
 [[Category:Menghe]]

Daesŭngri DS-2: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 00:26, 10 April 2019

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Specifications (DS-2N)

Navigation menu

Daesŭngri DS-2: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 00:26, 10 April 2019

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Specifications (DS-2N)

Navigation menu

Search