Mikoyan MiG - 3 Original design of the Mig - 1 , a fast interceptor which only 100 were produced to be very difficult to maneuver , the Mig - 3 has remedied some of the problems , entering service in 1941 , staying in operation by the end of the conflict with 3322 produced . Very easy to repair , was an excellent high - altitude interceptor , despite having been a model for ground attack , not very successful due to the engine , designed for operation at high altitudes . Development . Mikoyan and Gurevich made a number of modifications to the design of the MiG - 1 after tests in the wind tunnel T - 1 Central Air and Hydrodynamic Institute ( TsAGI ) . All changes were made within the manufacturing plant . These changes included : The first aircraft to see these changes , was the I - 200 No . 04 , which was the fourth prototype of the I - 200 , which was completed by converting the MiG - 1 . which flew for the first time in late October 1940 . Following the success of its first flight , became the Soviet Air Force for its official test . During testing , the NKAP ( Ministry of the Aviation Industry People ) announced that three factories , would build the MiG - 3 , which required a total of 3 , 600 aircraft built 1941 . Operational History . The first MiG - 3 series , left the production line December 20 of 1940 . In March 1941 , 10 of these devices out of the factories each day . At the time of Operation Barbarossa , Had produced more than 1 , 200 MiG - 3 . During initial tests , the plane was found below the MiG - 1 due to increased weight and higher fuel consumption as they had warned Mikoyan and Gurevich from the factory number 24 , but the fuel consumption is actually found suitable when it detected a fault in the altitude correction . However , this was not the last edition that saw the MiG - 3 for its deployment . Some MiG - 3 produced , they found unacceptable behavior at altitude , due to fuel pressure and oil . We also found that some drivers were trying to fly the MiG - 3 as if the former fighters ( especially the Polikarpov I - 15 , I - 153 and I - 16 . ) Introduced new fuel pumps and oil , and training was attempted to familiarize pilots with the MiG - 3 . In the next two years , the MiG - 3 , underwent some further changes , including increasing their cannons and machine guns . Due to the conditions of battle against German forces , the MiG - 3 was forced to fight at low altitude , even in ground attack roles , although in this paper , much less met him , so he left to play . Death for the MiG - 3 came with the cessation of production of engines AM - 35A as Mikulin focused on the new AM - 38 produced for the Ilyushin Il - 2 " Shturmovik " . Functions continued to be used for reconnaissance , where its service ceiling , 40 , 000 feet near its high speed and altitude , made him suitable for this role . Despite the limitations of the MiG - 3 Alexander ' Sasha ' Pokryshkin , Was the second fighter ace with 59 victories Soviet aviation officials reported , many of which were at the controls of a MiG - 3 . Variants . During the remainder of the war , Mikoyan and Gurevich continued to develop the MiG - 3 as high - altitude interceptor , as originally had been designed , prototypes and other larger and more powerful , designated with the names I - 220 until I - 225 ( Some sources , incorrectly assigned the designation MiG - 7 to one of these aircraft . ) . " Meanwhile , the war against Germany , showed that the time of the game powered by piston engines , had come to an end , so no order for production order came to take There were some attempts engined plane with AM - 37 . This unit was designated as MiG - 7But with the cessation of production of these engines , the project was canceled . Since spring 1942 the MiG - 3 was displaced from the front , the air defense squadrons , some of whom flew with them the rest of the war .