Songrim SR-3

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Songrim SR-3
Songrim SR-3 color.png
Three single-seat variants of the SR-3. The SR-3D1 is externally identical to the SR-3D.
Role Attack aircraft
National origin DPRM
Manufacturer Songrim Aviation Design Bureau
Introduction 1970
Primary user Menghean Army
Produced 1969-1990
Number built 865
Developed from Orlov Or-7

The Songrim SR-3 (Formal designation: 송림 3호 공격기 / 松林三號攻擊機, Songrim Sam-ho Gonggyŏkgi, "Songrim No.3 Attack Plane;" Short designation 송림-3 Songrim-Sam "Songrim-3") is a supersonic ground attack plane produced in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe. A direct copy of the Letnian Or-7, it was the first combat aircraft manufactured by the newly reorganized Songrim Aviation Design Bureau.

Design and development

The Songrim SR-3 grew out of Menghe's perceived need for a fighter-bomber in the late 1960s. The DS-1 had a ground-attack variant, but its small payload (500 kg) and lack of dedicated ground-attack avionics made it a rather ineffective option. Early in development, there were some plans to give the DS-2 ground-attack capabilities, but the Daesŭngri design team insisted on minimizing weight to improve dogfight performance, even to the point of eliminating hardpoints on early production aircraft.

Work on a parallel, dedicated fighter-bomber began in 1966, under the oversight of the Songrim Aviation Design Bureau. After compiling a few initial design sketches, the Songrim team decided to pursue a license-production agreement for the Letnian Orlov Or-7, which met all of the Army's performance requirements and was relatively easy to produce. In contrast to the DS-2, which was substantially modified from the Ye-2 on which it was based, the SR-3 was an almost exact replica of the Or-7BM, save for the language on the instruments. The first production airframes left the assembly line in 1969, and production would continue until 1990.

In terms of basic configuration, the SR-3 bore a strong resemblance to the DS-2. It had a single-engine fuselage with a circular cross-section, a conical nose intake, and steeply swept wings with cannons in the wing roots. The main difference was size: the SR-3 was three and a half meters longer and had an empty weight more than twice as high. This also gave it a higher usable payload, though its limited fuel space meant that at least two hardpoints had to be fitted with drop tanks on most missions, and the placement of its landing gear only left space for two hardpoints per wing.

Songrim SR-3D

SR-3D1 taxiing at an airport in Daristan Semi-Autonomous Province.

In 1981, Songrim began deliveries of the SR-3D, a heavily modified variant featuring a completely redesigned forward airframe. Western intelligence sources initially believed the SR-3D to be an entirely new aircraft, and some believed it to be the SR-6, a separate ground attack aircraft known to be under development at Songrim.

Most distinctly on the SR-3D, the ram intake characteristic of previous Menghean fighter aircraft was replaced with a large, angled conical nose containing ground-attack avionics. From early, grainy photographs, Western analysts at first speculated that this might contain a ground-search, terrain-following, or even air-to-air radar. In fact, it only held a closed-circuit television sighting system with a laser designator, copied from the "Kayra-23" suite on the Letnian Mikoyan MiG-27. Thus, while it lacked true all-weather capability, it was the first Menghean aircraft able to use laser-guided bombs and anti-tank missiles. It could also carry two YGG-1 or YGG-2 air-to-air missiles for self-defense.

To make room for the SR-3D's enlarged nose, the air intakes were moved to the sides. The bottom of the fuselage was also extended slightly downward behind the intakes, partly to maintain area ruling, and the new space was used to enlarge the internal fuel tanks, increasing sortie range. Likewise, the "spine" behind the cockpit was enlarged, and the external fuel lines were moved inside it, as were other electronics. Four under-fuselage hardpoints were installed in place of the original two, and with the help of a new engine variant, payload increased to 3,500 kg. Two new hardpoints were added, extending forward from the leading edge of the wing ahead of the landing gear stowage positions. To reduce weight and simplify maintenance, the design used fixed intake ramps instead of variable ones; the loss in performance at high altitudes was considered acceptable for a low-level ground-attack aircraft.

Other changes to the airframe were intended to improve survivability. The rebuilt cockpit featured an aluminum "bathtub" intended to protect the pilot from ground fire and shrapnel, and to provide some measure of protection for the engine. Some control systems were also duplicated. Owing to its single-engine design, however, the SR-3 remained vulnerable to critical damage.

Production of SR-3D airframes stopped in 1990, in part because Daesŭngri's DS-5N and DS-5M were considered more flexible ground-attack aircraft. Total production of the type amounted to 279 units, including trainers. During the early 2000s, many of these survivors were refitted with more modern avionics, including better targeting equipment, improved ECM defenses, and a new ejector seat. Refitted planes bear the designations SR-3D1 (single-seat) and SR-3DSs1 (tandem).

Full list of variants

  • SR-3G: Direct copy of the Or-7BM.
  • SR-3N: Improved variant with more powerful turbojet and increased payload. External "pipes" faired over with blisters. Could use laser-guided air-to-ground munitions with the help of a targeting pod on one hardpoint.
  • SR-3NSs: Training variant of the SR-3N with a tandem cockpit. The rear cockpit cut into the space available for fuel, so range was reduced.
  • SR-3D: Major upgrade variant with pointed nose containing avionics and targeting equipment; air intakes moved to the sides. Gun armament was retained, and extra protection was added to the cockpit.
  • SR-3D1: SR-3D upgraded with more advanced avionics and targeting equipment in the late 1990s. The changes included the installation of an AN/APG-67 radar in the nose, allowing terrain-following and ground-mapping capabilities. Unlike the similar DS-5D1 conversion, this retains a built-in laser and electro-optical sight underneath the nose.
  • SR-3DSs: Tandem-seat trainer variant of the SR-3D.
  • SR-3DSs1: SR-3DSs with SR-3D1 changes applied.
  • SR-3YGG: Prototype interceptor variant. It mainly served as a testbed for high-altitude engines. Three built.

Operational history

The SR-3 was exported to a number of post-colonial states during the 1970s and early 1980s, and it repeatedly saw combat overseas. SR-3Gs flown by Menghean pilots in Dzhungestan during its civil war gained valuable combat experience in low-intensity missions, which contributed to changes made in the "N" and "D" variants.

Experience in Dzhungestan and elsewhere revealed that the SR-3 retained the OR-7's surprising durability. Planes of all variants repeatedly returned from sorties with serious damage from ground fire, and they were able to operate from short and unpaved airstrips, especially with the help of their braking chutes and mud-ski landing gear attachments.

Throughout the 1980s, Songrim's SR-3D was produced alongside Daesŭngri's DS-5N, a ground-attack variant of the Daesŭngri DS-5 fighter. Despite their differences in layout, the two planes' characteristics were broadly similar, and in many respects the DS-5N was superior. Nevertheless, Songrim lobbied fiercely for continued production of the DS-3D, and the two were produced alongside one another until 1990.

SR-3Ds flown by Menghean pilots saw combat in both the Ummayan Civil War and the Innominadan Crisis. Though newer strike aircraft and multiroles were available by this time, the DS-3D's low stall speed and limited payload led Army Aviation to use it as a dedicated CAS platform, usually equipped with 80mm rocket pods or anti-tank missiles or using its twin 30mm guns. In these medium-intensity conflicts, ground forces praised the SR-3D's regular presence and ability to deliver direct fire overhead. Army commanders, however, found the plane's vulnerability to SAM fire unacceptable. As of 2019, some dedicated close-air-support squadrons still fly the SR-3D, but it is being replaced by the more flexible DS-9 multirole.

The Menghean Ministry of National Defense reports that in 2019 Menghe had 132 SR-3s in service, divided between 113 SR-3D single-seat and 19 SR-3DSs twin-seat versions. Lost SR-3D and DSs airframes totaled 12 due to peacetime accidents and 21 during combat operations, with most of the combat losses sustained during the Innominadan Crisis.

Operators

  •  Argentstan: 36 SR-3D1s transferred from Menghean service in 2019.
  •  Menghe: About 140 SR-3D1s still in service, awaiting replacement by the DS-10. All "G" and "N" variants have been retired.
  •  Qusayn: 42 SR-3Gs purchased in 1974.

Specifications (SR-3D)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 17.8 m (58.4 ft)
  • Wingspan: 9.31 m (30.6 ft)
  • Height: 4.99 m (16.3 ft)
  • Wing area: 34 m2 (366 ft2)
  • Empty weight: 9,120 kg (20,100 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 14,550 kg (32,080 lb)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 18,076 kg (39,850 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Gokchŏn Gi-9 afterburning turbojet
    • Dry thrust: 75.9 kN (17,060 lbf)
    • Thrust with afterburner: 105.1 kN (23,600 lbf)

Performance

Armament

  • Hardpoints: 8 hardpoints with a capacity of 3,500 kg
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