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Hello everyone! Today I would like to suggest the Polish Lim-6bis!
The aircraft is a specialized Polish Fighter-Attack aircraft derived from the Lim-5, which is a Polish License-made MiG-17F. The aircraft featured a distinct integrated braking parachute for short runway operations as well as an additional hardpoint mounted near the fuselage for more ground attack options. The aircraft capable of equipping mars-2 rocket pods as well as standard dumb bombs. The vehicle is armed with a single 37mm and two 23mm cannons as well as being powered by the Lis-5 Turbojet engine (License Klimov VK-1F).
For its in-game performance, it would be extremely similar to other afterburning MiG-17Fs which we have in the game, but with the addition of an extra hardpoint under the fuselage and a brake parachute for faster landings. As such it can be put at around Rank VI with a BR of ~8.7 - 9.0, considering it’s not a massive upgrade compared to its contemporaries.
How to differentiate it compared to other Lim-5/6?
the easiest way to tell the difference is primarily in the brake parachute, as only 3 airframes has them (Lim-6, Lim-6bis, Lim-6bisR). The Lim-6 prototype has a similar wing design to the Lim-5M, with a different & thicker wing section near the aircraft’s fuselage. The lim-6bisR meanwhile has a camera mount underneath the hull.
Comparison between Lim-6 (11), Lim-6bis (12), & Lim-6BisR (13)
A. Background
Details
The story of the Polish-made MiGs began in the early 50s when Poland sought to produce the MiG-15 under license. This would result in the Lim-1 followed by the improved Lim-2 (MiG-15bis). These aircraft would serve as the backbone of the Polish Air Force.
The First Polish-made Jet Fighter, the Lim-1 (License-made MiG-15)
By 1956, production had shifted to the Lim-5, a licensed version of the afterburning MiG-17F. While it was a decent fighter, the Polish Military identified a need for a more specialized close-in support aircraft capable of operating from rough airfields. This leads into the “CM” program. They tested many innovations such as a doubled nose wheel for softer ground, braking parachute, and capabilities of using RATO.
These experiments would eventually lead into the Lim-5M, which featured a unique “fairing tanks” at the wing roots to house the double wheels as well as extra fuel. However the Lim-5M suffered from aerodynamic & handling issues. As such a further development was attempted, which resulted in the Lim-6. This version added “blown flaps”, but the system still proved unreliable and even caused dangerous trim changes during flight.
Ultimately, the designers found success by going away from the over-engineered features, such as abandoning the doubled wheels and blown flaps, but keeping the brake parachute & additional hardpoints. The variant is called the Lim-6bis. It was reliable & effective for its role, which resulted in the older Lim-5 airframes to also receive this new standard.
The Lim-6bis is a specialized Fighter-Attack aircraft. It can be differentiated with the standard Lim-5 by several key differences, namely the addition of an SH-19 braking parachute situated at the base of the vertical stabilizer. This system allows the aircraft to land with a significantly shorter runways by deploying a 12 m^2 canopy when touching down. The aircraft also has a single-nosewheel landing gear configuration after the failed double wheel experiments of the previous models were removed. The aircraft is powered by the Lis-5 Turbojet engine, which is a license-made variant of the Klimov VK-1F.
Another change is in regards to the aircraft’s hardpoint, since it obtained two more near the fuselage. These pylons were added to be able to carry Mars-2 rocket pods, with each pod capable of holding 16 unguided S-5 rockets. In terms of armaments, it retain the single 37mm N-37D cannon and the two NR-23 cannons. These weapons were managed by the pilot using a modified ASP-4NM (Krokus) Gyro Sight. While originally designed to work with the SRD-1M radar rangefinder, many of these attack versions had the radar removed, requiring the pilot to input the range manually.
Polish Lim-6bis
By February of 1964, 70 Lim-6bis were built, as well as the older Lim-5M & Lim-6 were rebuilt into the Lim-6bis standard. Some of them were changed into the Lim-6bisR (Lim-6R) recon variant with an AFA-39 camera under the fuselage. As the older Lim-5P became obsolete, since 1971 they too were rebuilt to the Lim-6bis standard. They were classified as the Lim-6M. The radar was removed, leaving the bulge around the front intake. They were also equipped with the additional pylons, but not with the braking parachute. Additionally some units were modified to the Lim-6MR variant. These Lim-6s were the largest quantity of Attack aircraft used by the Polish Air Force until the 1980s, with the last unit being withdrawn from service in 1992. These Lim-5/6s were exported to East Germany (GDR), Egypt, as well as Indonesia. Additionally some of the GDR aircrafts were sold to Guinea-Bissau, with them serving until 2011.
MiG-17F of the Força Aérea da Guiné-Bissau
B. Specifications
Details
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Weight
- Empty : 4,335 kg
- take-off : 5,550 kg
- Maximum : 6,500 kg
- Wing Span : 9.63 m
- Wing Area : 22.59 m^2
- Height : 3.8 m
- Length : 11.1 m
- Crew : 1
- Engine: Lis-5 Afterburning turbojet engine (License-made Klimov VK-1F)
- Weight: 4,271 kg
- Max Speed : 1,150 km/h
ARMAMENT
- Primary Guns
- 1x 37mm N-37D Cannon
- 2x 23mm NR-23 Cannons
- 780 kg max of suspended ordinance on 4x pylons
- 2x Mars-2 rocket pods on inner pylons
- 16x S-5 rockets per pod
- (S-5/S-5M/S-5K)
- 16x S-5 rockets per pod
- drop tanks
- 2x 50kg, 100kg or 250kg bombs on outer pylons
- Inner pylons can carry bombs but only up to 140kg of load
- 2x Mars-2 rocket pods on inner pylons
C. More Images
Details
VIDEOS
IMAGES
Image of the Lim-6bis Brake Parachute
Image of a bomb mounted on the inner hardpoint
Image of the Mars-15 Rocket pod
Lim-6bis, 1J-0432
Lim-6bis, 1F-0101
D. Sources
Details
- Butowski, P., & Holyś, W. (1987). Samolot myśliwsko-szturmowy Lim-6bis (Typy Broni i Uzbrojenia No. 117). Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej.
- https://mapsairmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Lim-6bis.pdf
- samolotypolskie.pl - Lim-5 / PZL Lim-6
- Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Lotniska Wojskowego Świdwin - PZL Lim-6
- WSK-Mielec Lim-6bis : WSK-Mielec / PZL Mielec
- PZL-Mielec Lim-6 - Wikipedia
- Lim-6 – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia
Thank you for reading! Any suggestions or corrections would be highly appreciated!