TS-11 Iskra bis BR 200- the strike Spark

WalletWorrier · December 1, 2024, 3:03pm

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Overview
The TS-11 Iskra (spark) bis is a Polish jet trainer/light multirole aircraft. Poland’s first indigenous jet aircraft, it was developed from 1957, first flew in 1960, and entered service in 1964. The Iskra bis BR 200 was a single-seat dedicated strike aircraft developed in 1972. A single Iskra B airframe, s/n 0823, was modified to produce the BR 200. The BR 200 was intended to replace the Lim-6 strike aircraft in Polish service and plans were made for a pre-production batch of five aircraft, but the availability of the far superior Su-20 (an export model of the Su-17) resulted in the program’s cancellation.

History

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Development
Poland’s first jets were a trio of Yak-17s and 11 Yak-17UTI trainers purchased in 1950. As the Siły Powietrzne (Air Force, from here on abbreviated SP) acquired more jet aircraft (Yak-23s in 1951, production of MiG-15s in 1952) the need for a new basic jet trainer arose. In 1956, project requirements for the new TS-11 (named for lead designer Tadeusz Sołtyk) were laid out- the aircraft was to be of all-metal construction with a low, straight, thin wing, a top speed of Mach 0.8 and a conventional tandem cockpit layout with the student in the front and the instructor behind. The TS-11 was to be armed with a 23mm cannon for gunnery training or to allow the aircraft to operate as a fighter should global war break out.
A full-scale wooden mockup was built in late 1957. This was followed by a static test airframe in March 1959 and three proper flying prototypes from December 1959, all mounting the British Viper 8, acquired from Yugoslavia. The TS-11 made it first flight on 5th February 1960, being publicly debuted on 11th September 1960 in Łódź. The three prototypes underwent extensive testing late 1960 through 1961, proving easy to fly, agile, stable, reliable, and simple to maintain- in short, exactly what you’d want in a training aircraft.

Competition
So in August 1961 when the TS-11 was put up against the Soviet Yak-30 in a competition to become the standard jet trainer for Soviet allies, it dominated, outperforming the Yak in essentially every metric. This would be a massive deal for the Polish aviation industry.
However, there was a third contestant in the competition- the Czech L-29 Delfín. The L-29 was very similar to the TS-11 and nearly matched it in performance, all at a lower cost than the Polish aircraft. Because of this, the L-29 was selected as the standard primary jet trainer, and it and the subsequent L-39 were used by all close Soviet allies- except Poland, who continued forward with the TS-11.

Iskra A Into Service
Production of the TS-11 Iskra bis A began in 1964. Production aircraft were fitted with the HO-10, a copy of the Viper 8 with slight improvements that boosted its continuous power to 7.84kN. The first batch of 10 aircraft were handed over for trials in 1964. This was followed by two batches of 22 each in 1964 and 1965 respectively. Finally, in 1967, the last batch of 15 Iskra bis As (powered by the improved SO-1 as mentioned in the intro) entered production.
These aircraft had relatively uneventful service lives in SP service. The Iskra A was the least reliable of the family due to the HO-10, but still had a low accident rate.
The Iskra bis A achieved a series of four closed-circuit speed records for an aircraft in the 3000kg class.

Upping the Standard- the Iskra B
During this period the idea of a trainer/light attack aircraft was becoming very popular. Such an aircraft would provide increased strength in the event of war while being cheaper than separate trainer and light strike aircraft. Additionally, combat-capable trainers made training more realistic, allowing live-fire of actual weapons in service instead of simply simulators.
To this end the TS-11 Iskra bis B was developed with four underwing hardpoints for carrying ordinance, for training or combat. This aircraft had the SO-1 engine initially, later replaced by the more reliable but equally powerful SO-3. The Iskra bis B entered service in 1968, gradually replacing the Iskra As.

A Brief Tangent- the Lims
Like most Soviet allies, Poland operated massive numbers of MiG-15/17 aircraft. In Poland, these aircraft were license-produced as the Lim-1 (MiG-15), Lim-2 (MiG-15bis), Lim-5 (MiG-17F), and Lim-5P (MiG-17PF). These were very modern fighter aircraft (for their time) making the Polish Air Force one of the best equipped in the world. However, for strike aircraft, Poland was still operating WWII-era IL-10s, extremely outdated compared to NATO aircraft and insufficient for modern conflict. So in 1957 development began on converting the Lim-5 into a strike aircraft. The Lim-5 would be fitted with thicker reinforced wings, additional conformal fuel tanks, and provision for RATO boosters, extending range and allowing for a considerable suspended armament. This aircraft was designated the Lim-5M and entered service in 1960. This aircraft performed well but due to its increased weight and drag had lower flight performance than the Lim-5.
This resulted in new specifications for an aircraft with the strike capabilities of the Lim-5M but flight performance of the Lim-5, to be designated the Lim-6. This aircraft was based on the Lim-5M but with redesigned wings, blown flaps, and an all-flying tail. 40 unarmed pre-production aircraft were produced, but the aircraft was found to be unstable and unreliable and the Lim-6 did not enter service. A simpler solution was instead pursued, designated the Lim-6bis. This bis model was simply a Lim-5M with the fuel tanks removed and wing reverted to that of the Lim-5, essentially just a Lim-5 with additional hardpoints. 70 new aircraft were produced and the Lim-6s were converted to bis standard.
Finally from 1971 a number of Lim-5Ps being phased out of service were converted to Lim-6bis standard and designated the Lim-6M. The Lim-5M/6 series served as the primary strike aircraft in Polish service through the 60s and early 70s and was also exported to the GDR, with 30 German Lim-5s converted to Lim-6bis standard.

Back to the Spark- the Iskra BR 200
By early 70s the Lim-6bis was showing its age, and the airframes in service were reaching the end of their lives. So work began on a replacement vehicle, based on the tried and tested TS-11. The new aircraft was given the designation TS-11 Iskra BR 200 and was primarily based on the TS-11 Iskra bis B. It featured an upgraded prototype of the SO-3 used on the Iskra B, this being the SO-3B that would later power the Iskra Ds. It mounted a trio of AFA-39 cameras, these later being used on the C and DF. Finally, the most significant difference between the B and BR was in the cockpit. The rear cockpit was removed and replaced with a fuel tank.
The single prototype of the BR 200 was produced in 1972 by converting an Iskra B, s/n 08-23. The aircraft was used for evaluation and found to be a satisfactory replacement for the Lim-6 and a pre-production batch of five additional aircraft was planned. While slower than the Lim-6 the BR 200 was more stable and had better visibility, allowing it to perform better. However, the BR 200 was not the only proposed replacement for the Lim-6. That same year, the Su-20 was offered to Poland as a replacement for several vehicles- the Su-7 in the nuclear strike role, the IL-28 in the tactical bombing role, various aircraft in the photrecon role, and the Lim-6 in the strike role. The Su-20, an export version of the Su-17M, had excellent performance for its time- it was fast, had a high payload, was reliable and cheap to operate, and had advanced variable-sweep wings. The Su-20 simply offered a value and versatility that could not be passed up on, and in 1974 Poland ordered 27 Su-20s, followed by 20 and 100 of the improved Su-22U3MK and Su-22M4 in 1983. The single BR 200 prototype would be retired to the Lubuskie Military Museum where it sits today.

Specifications

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Airframe
Length: 11.25m
Span: 10.60m
Height: 3.50m
Empty Mass: 2,560kg
Loaded mass: 3,734kg
Wing Area: 17.50m^2
Crew: 1

Propulsion
1x SO-3B turbojet
Max thrust: 10.56kN
Internal Fuel: 1,400L across 5 self-sealing tanks

Flight Performance
Max Speed: 780km/h (Mach 0.64)
Climb Rate: 19.1m/s

Armament
1x NS-23 23mm cannon
23x115mm
115 rounds
600 RPM
720m/s

or, interchangeably (can be swapped out in <30 minutes)

1x NR-23
23x115mm
150 rounds
900 RPM
720m/s

I’d have the NS-23 stock and NR-23 as a Rank I/II modification

Underwing hardpoints x4:
1x OFAB-100 100kg bomb
1x Mars-2 launcher (4x S-5)
1x Mars-4 launcher (8x S-5)
1x Zeus-1 gun pod
Pretty much every source mentions the Zeus-1 gunpod. However, the only information on the pod is that it has a calibre of 7.62mm.

Systems
RW-UM radar altimeter
Engine fire suppression system
KAP-3 ejection seat

The TS-11 Iskra BR 200 in-game

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The BR 200 is rather special among the TS-11 family. It is the only single-seater and the only dedicated combat model (not counting recon). As such I have put it in the strike/heavy fighter line, bridging wartime aircraft and the Lim-6 series (which ironically it was designed to replace) rather than alongside the rest of the TS-11s in the western aircraft line. Performance-wise, it is very comparable to the other SO-3B/W-powered TS-11s and would serve as a decent fighter and a good CAS aircraft.

Pros:

Agile
Decently fast
Moderately powerful engine
Decent rocket load for CAS
Slightly larger fuel load than other models

Cons:

Mediocre climb rate
Limited armament- NR-23 is an effective cannon but only a single cannon is rather poor
Insufficient suspended armament for base bombing

Placement in a hypothetical Polish air tree

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