Why did most Soviet-era fighter jets have the engine air intake in the nose?

Question

The majority of Soviet fighter jets, from the MiG-9 on, had the jet engine air intake positioned in the nose of the aircraft. Almost no fighter jets developed in other countries had this. Why the difference?

In: 6

Answer 1

Unlike most western designers, the Soviets didn’t try to package a radar in the nose of their aircraft until much later. Without the need to stuff a large sensor array in the front, the nose intake is more efficient/aerodynamic than other designs, anything sticking out beyond the fuselage creates additional drag and problems.