Best Single Seat Fighter for a Soviet Aircraft Carrier 1940-45?

[Admiral Beez]

If the Soviet Union had completed an aircraft carrier in 1940, or perhaps they bought and completed Graf Zeppelin, etc.... let's not debate the feasibility of the ship.... what fighter aircraft would it embark?

My guess is Lend Lease aircraft from the US, as AIUI, Soviet single engined fighters of WW2 made the Spitfire look like a long ranged bird. Per wiki...

MiG-3 - 510 miles
Lavochkin La-5 - 475 miles
Yakovlev Yak-3 - 405 miles

 

[tyrodtom]

Where is this aircraft carrier going to operate ?
The Black Sea ? The Baltic Sea ?
You'd need to know that before you could decide on the aircraft.
Range requirments, and operating conditions would need to be understood before you could decide on a aircraft.

 

[Kevin J]

Where is this aircraft carrier going to operate ?
The Black Sea ? The Baltic Sea ?
You'd need to know that before you could decide on the aircraft.
Range requirments, and operating conditions would need to be understood before you could decide on a aircraft.

The only place you could operate safely would be in the Arctic, but for how many months of the year?

 

[swampyankee]

The only place you could operate safely would be in the Arctic, but for how many months of the year?

Soviet Navy 's Pacific Fleet?

 

[Kevin J]

Soviet Navy 's Pacific Fleet?

They were penned in by the Japanese who had the Kurile Isles and half of Sakhalin, which the USSR took off them in August 1945.

 

[Shortround6]

All of the russian planes were accidents waiting to happen.

Mig 3 has a high landing speed, a vicious stall and a very poor view over the nose.

The La-5 and Yak series (the Yak-3 is rather late in timing) have few issues, one of which is less than robust landing gear. The LA-5 also has a wing loading about 20% higher than an F4F-4.
Pick your Yak but remember that the Yak-3 used a smaller wing than the other Yaks, perhaps not an advantage in a carrier fighter?

 

[Tkdog]

Protecting the convoys, or trying to, would I suppose be the best use. So any lend lease carrier fighter at all and Swordfish if the mission is driving off search planes and U Boats dog fighters are not needed.

 

[Dimlee]

There was interesting (for its time) alt historical book "Variant Bis" written in the early 2000s by Sergei Anisimov.
Germany is defeated in 1944 and then something like Operation Unthinkable starts. Soviet CV accompanied by BB and a cruiser is sent to Atlantic... As I recall, the air wing was represented by the navalised versions of Yak-9D and Yak-3 and Su-6 (transformed into the dive bomber).

 

[swampyankee]

Protecting the convoys, or trying to, would I suppose be the best use. So any lend lease carrier fighter at all and Swordfish if the mission is driving off search planes and U Boats dog fighters are not needed.

I don't think the Swordfish could "drive off search planes"; it's too slow and too lightly armed. A Fulmar or Firefly could attack submarines and maritime aircraft.

 

[Tkdog]

It was an "and". A few of any naval fighter. The rest of the space for something that can harass submarines and cause concern for enemy surface raiders as well. Swordfish is a good choice for that, especially where there should be minimal risk of enemy fighters.

 

[jetcal1]

Where is this aircraft carrier going to operate ?
The Black Sea ? The Baltic Sea ?
You'd need to know that before you could decide on the aircraft.
Range requirements, and operating conditions would need to be understood before you could decide on a aircraft.

Not to rain your parade, the whole point of a CV is to go where it's needed. We launched in sub-zero temps while supporting Marine exercises at Bodø and a few months later were operating in the Persian Gulf in Mid-August. In seven years at sea, the only time I remember ops canx were due to fog and a few for sea-state with the -18's. (I'm sure we had to have canx for the Grummans, but I don't remember any.)

 

[tyrodtom]

Not to rain your parade, the whole point of a CV is to go where it's needed. We launched in sub-zero temps while supporting Marine exercises at Bodø and a few months later were operating in the Persian Gulf in Mid-August. In seven years at sea, the only time I remember ops canx were due to fog and a few for sea-state with the -18's. (I'm sure we had to have canx for the Grummans, but I don't remember any.)

Are you comparing the Soviet Navy with no operational experience in carrier aviation in any kind of weather at the time (1940) with a modern US Navy that had how many decades of experience in all kinds of weather ?

 

[Kevin J]

There was interesting (for its time) alt historical book "Variant Bis" written in the early 2000s by Sergei Anisimov.
Germany is defeated in 1944 and then something like Operation Unthinkable starts. Soviet CV accompanied by BB and a cruiser is sent to Atlantic... As I recall, the air wing was represented by the navalised versions of Yak-9D and Yak-3 and Su-6 (transformed into the dive bomber).

Clearly fiction then.

 

[fubar57]

As would be the entire thread

 

[Dimlee]

Clearly fiction then.

Of course. But the author consulted with many aviation afficionados, so his choice was more or less reasonable.

 

[jetcal1]

Are you comparing the Soviet Navy with no operational experience in carrier aviation in any kind of weather at the time (1940) with a modern US Navy that had how many decades of experience in all kinds of weather ?

Kinda' but only to make the point.
I'll happily compare the operating environment of the USN, Royal Navy, or the IJN during WWII as well and still be on point. The ship and it's aircraft must be capable of operating in severe hot or cold weather during the same deployment.

 

[Kevin J]

Kinda' but only to make the point.
I'll happily compare the operating environment of the USN, Royal Navy, or the IJN during WWII as well and still be on point. The ship and it's aircraft must be capable of operating in severe hot or cold weather.

So the Yak fighters would be no good as they're made of wood. Have you seen the test crash of a Sea Mosquito into the barrier. It literally disintegrated.

 

[jetcal1]

So the Yak fighters would be no good as they're made of wood. Have you seen the test crash of a Sea Mosquito into the barrier. It literally disintegrated.

That would have hurt the Hornet and Sea Vampire (Wood nose as well.) I'd also suspect some of the "metalite"components on Vought products wouldn't have faired to well either.

 

[GrauGeist]

As would be the entire thread

Stop trolling!!

 

[Admiral Beez]

Can Russia land a Japanese carrier in the reparations instead of an old British battleship? Can any be salvaged?

Kasagi for example survived to be photographed below on 2 November 1945.

Also Japanese aircraft carrier Katsuragi - Wikipedia

Of course they already have Graf Zeppelin, but that's a non starter, IMO. IMO the Germans should have bought a new carrier from a Japanese yard in the 1930s.