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27-638: In early 1941, the Soviet Union issued a requirement for a new high-altitude fighter aircraft to counter enemy high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 86 . However, it was not until late 1942 that a contract for two prototypes was placed with the Mikoyan and Gurevich OKB , which began work on Samolet A (Aircraft A). Samolet A, designated I-220 by the People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry (NKAP),

54-419: A spy plane ) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography ), signals intelligence , as well as measurement and signature intelligence . Modern technology has also enabled some aircraft and UAVs to carry out real-time surveillance in addition to general intelligence gathering . Before

81-681: A revised oil system. The AM-42 was developed by the design bureau of Factory No. 24 now called the Salyut factory in Moscow. The first examples were produced in November 1942 and passed its 50-hour Factory tests in January 1943. In September 1943 the AM-42 began State tests but these were unfinished due to piston damage while testing. A strengthened version of the AM-42 completed its State tests in spring 1944. The AM-42

108-551: A slightly increased tailplane span. Power was provided by a 1,104 kW (1,480 hp) Mikulin AM-39 engine, though the first prototype was originally powered by a 1,104 kW (1,480 hp) Mikulin AM-38F driving a three-bladed AV-5A propeller. The aircraft featured conventional landing gear with inward-retracting main gear and a retractable tailwheel. Fuel was provided by six self-sealing tanks made of rubberized fabric with two in

135-789: The RB-47 , RB-57 , Boeing RC-135 and the Ryan Model 147 drones . Since the Cold War much of the strategic reconnaissance aircraft role has passed over to satellites , and the tactical role to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This has been proven in successful uses by the United States in Desert Storm operations. [REDACTED] Media related to Reconnaissance aircraft at Wikimedia Commons Mikulin AM-42 The Mikulin AM-42

162-587: The 20th century, machines for powered and controllable flight were not available to military forces, but some attempts were made to use lighter than air craft. During the Napoleonic Wars and Franco-Prussian War , balloons were used for aerial reconnaissance by the French. In World War I , aircraft were deployed during early phases of battle in reconnaissance roles as 'eyes of the army ' to aid ground forces. Aerial reconnaissance from this time through 1945

189-429: The aircraft suffered an engine failure. Meanwhile, the first prototype was fitted with an AM-39 engine. Flight testing with the new engine was conducted between January and August 1944. Flight testing of the improved I-221 began on 2 December 1943, with Yakimov at the controls on its first flight, and ended when the aircraft was damaged beyond repair in a belly landing . The similar I-222 rolled out on 23 April 1944 and

216-572: The aircraft to have favorable performance, save for the low-altitude rating for the AM-38F engine. The second prototype, powered by the AM-39 engine and fitted with all four cannons, each with 100 rounds, was rolled out in July 1943. Factory flight testing of the second prototype was conducted between July and August 1943 before being handed over to the Soviet Air Forces (VVS). The VVS conducted further flight testing between 14 and 24 July 1944, ending when

243-658: The development of devices such as radar , military forces relied on reconnaissance aircraft for visual observation and scouting of enemy movement. An example is the PBY Catalina maritime patrol flying boat used by the Allies in World War II : a flight of U.S. Navy Catalinas spotted part of the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle of Midway . Prior to

270-400: The fuselage and four in the wings. The cockpit seated a single pilot under a sliding canopy and was designed to eventually be pressurized, though a pressurization system was never fitted. Armament was to be four ShVAK autocannons , each with 150 rounds, with two located above the engine and two beside the crankcase. Only the two cannons above the engine were fitted on the first prototype, though

297-408: The lower gun ports were not faired over. With overflights of Ju 86R reconnaissance aircraft still being a problem in the summer of 1942, work began on an I-220 variant with improved performance in the stratosphere. Designated I-221, or Samolet 2A, the aircraft had a redesigned wing with an increased span and a NACA-234 airfoil. The outer wings and rear fuselage were of all-metal construction. Power

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324-541: The next two days it had completed 15 flights before suffering an engine failure which resulted in the loss of the aircraft. The second I-225 had a brief flight test period beginning on 14 March 1945, during which it proved to be the second-fastest Soviet piston-engined fighter, second only to the VK-108 -powered Yakovlev Yak-3 . Data from General characteristics Performance Armament Reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially,

351-555: The pressure bulkhead. The sliding canopy was reinforced with a heavy metal frame which reduced visibility, and fuel capacity was reduced by removing the fuselage tanks. Armament was the same as on the I-221, but with ammunition reduced to 80 rounds per gun. The I-224, or Samolet 4A, was similar to the I-222, but with several changes including moving the TK-300B turbo-supercharger to the right side and

378-500: The pressurized cockpit changed to welded aluminum alloy construction instead of wood. The aircraft was powered by a 1,052 kW (1,411 hp) Mikulin AM-39B engine driving a four-bladed AV-9L-22B propeller, and the intercooler air duct was made deeper. Fuel capacity was increased, as was ammunition with 100 rounds per cannon. The final development of Samolet A was the I-225, or Samolet 5A,

405-690: The visual range of the ship's lookouts, and could spot the fall of shot during long range artillery engagements. Observation seaplanes were replaced by helicopters after World War II. After World War II and during the Cold War the United States developed several dedicated reconnaissance aircraft designs, including the U-2 and SR-71 , to monitor the nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union . Other types of reconnaissance aircraft were built for specialized roles in signals intelligence and electronic monitoring, such as

432-424: The wing. The outer wings and rear fuselage reverted to wooden construction, with the rear fuselage also being slightly lowered to improve rear visibility. Like the I-221, the I-222's cockpit was pressurized and air conditioned. Unlike the I-221, however, it was fitted with a bulletproof windscreen and bulletproof glass behind the pilot's head, all 64 mm (2.5 in) thick, and 8 or 9 mm armor plates were added to

459-661: Was a 1940s Soviet aircraft piston engine designed by Alexander Mikulin . Representing a high-output version of the AM-38F , the AM-42 was used in the Ilyushin Il-1 fighter, and the Il-8 and Il-10 ground attack aircraft. The AM-42 was a low-altitude engine for attack aircraft that evolved from the earlier AM-38F. Compared to the AM-38F it had a reduced compression ratio, increased supercharging, strengthened and counterbalanced crankshaft, strengthened connecting rods, strengthened pistons and

486-527: Was also armored with a 64 mm (2.5 in) thick bulletproof windscreen, a rear glass slab of the same thickness, and a seat with 9 mm (0.35 in) armor plating. Originally, only a single I-225 was ordered, though a second prototype was later ordered with a 1,228 kW (1,647 hp) AM-42FB engine. The first I-220 prototype was rolled out at Khodynka in June 1943. The aircraft made its first flight in July 1943 piloted by A. P. Yakimov. Test pilots found

513-454: Was based on the original I-220, though unlike the previous variants it was not intended for high-altitude fighting. Powered by a 1,750 hp (1,300 kW) Mikulin AM-42B engine driving a three-bladed AV-5A-22V propeller, and the underside of the cowling was deeper. The wings and pressurized cockpit were of all-metal construction, and the cockpit had improved instruments and controls. The cockpit

540-407: Was first flown with its original three-bladed propeller on 7 May of that year by test pilot A. I. Zhukov. Shortly after testing began, the three-bladed propeller was replaced by a four-bladed unit. During testing the I-222 was found to have the best high-altitude performance of all Samolet A variants, as well as the best service ceiling of any Allied piston-engined fighter, though at low altitudes it

567-554: Was mostly carried out by adapted versions of standard fighters and bombers equipped with film cameras . Photography became the primary and best-known method of intelligence collection for reconnaissance aircraft by the end of World War II . World War I also saw use of floatplanes to locate enemy warships. After the battle of Jutland demonstrated the limitations of seaplane tenders , provisions were made for capital ships to carry, launch, and recover observation seaplanes . These seaplanes could scout for enemy warships beyond

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594-457: Was of an entirely new design of primarily shpon ( wood veneer ) construction with a steel-tube truss engine mount and a light-alloy tail. The wing's airfoil was of a CAHI laminar-flow type, and the wing was fitted with leading-edge slat and split flaps . All air inlets were located in the leading edge of the wing near the wing roots. The tail was of a similar design to that of the I-230 but with

621-516: Was produced in large numbers between 1944–1948 and an improved 400 hour service life version was produced from 1951–1954. The majority of engines were produced at Factory No. 24 which was evacuated to Kuybyshev at the end of 1941. 10,232 engines were built by the time it was phased out of production in the USSR in 1954. In addition to being produced in the USSR it was also produced in Czechoslovakia as

648-509: Was provided by a 1,251 kW (1,678 hp) Mikulin AM-39A turbo-supercharged engine driving a three-bladed propeller. The number of turbo-superchargers fitted to their aircraft is unclear, with some published descriptions of the I-221 stating that there were two TK-2B turbo-superchargers while the MiG OKB design drawing showed only a single TK-2B unit mounted on the right side of the cowling. The I-221

675-468: Was similar to the I-221, but was powered by a 1,104 kW (1,480 hp) Mikulin AM-39B-1 engine with a single TK-300B turbo-supercharger on the left side of the cowling. The engine originally drove a three-bladed AV-5A propeller, but this was later replaced by a four-bladed AV-9L-26 unit. An intercooler for the turbo-supercharger was housed in a deep air duct underneath the fuselage near the leading edge of

702-617: Was slower than the other Samolet A versions. The VVS assigned the designation MiG-7 for the production version of the I-222, but by 1944 the need for a high-altitude fighter was no longer urgent and no production aircraft were ordered. The I-224 was rolled out in September 1944 and flight testing began on 20 October with Yakimov at the controls. The aircraft was lost when the supercharger disintegrated, leading to an engine fire which caused Yakimov to bail out. The I-225 made its first flight on 21 July 1944, once again with Yakimov piloting, and over

729-470: Was the first MiG aircraft to feature a pressurized cockpit, which was air conditioned with cooling provided by a heat exchanger housed in an air duct underneath the fuselage. Fuel capacity was increased from that of the I-220, but by how much is unknown. he upper pair of ShVAK cannons were deleted on the I-221, leaving only the two cannons mounted beside the engine with 150 rounds each. The I-222, or Samolet 3A,

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