The Yakovlev Yak-3 (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Яковлев Як-3) was a single-engine, single-seat

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

fighter. Robust and easy to maintain, it was much liked by both pilots and ground crew.Glancey 2006, p. 180. One of the smallest and lightest combat fighters fielded by any combatant during the war, its high power-to-weight ratio gave it excellent performance and it proved to be a formidable dogfighter.

Origins

The origins of the Yak-3 went back to 1941 when the I-30 prototype was offered along with the I-26 (

Yak-1 The Yakovlev Yak-1 (russian: Яковлев Як-1) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The Yak-1 was a single-seat monoplane with a composite structure and wooden wings; production began in early 1940.Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, ...

) as an alternative design. The I-30, powered by a

Klimov M-105 The Klimov M-105 was a V12 liquid-cooled piston aircraft engine used by Soviet aircraft during World War II.Gunston 1989, p. 90 Development The M-105, designed in 1940, drew heavily on Klimov's experience with the Hispano-Suiza 12Y ( license-bu ...

P engine, was of all-metal construction, using a wing with dihedral on the outer panels. Like the early Yak-1, it had a ShVAK cannon firing through the hollow-driveshaft nose spinner as a ''motornaya pushka'' (моторная пушка - Literally: 'Motor Cannon'), twin synchronized ShKAS machine guns in cowling mounts and a ShVAK cannon in each wing. During the Battle of Stalingrad,

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

fighters exhibited significant speed, climb rate, and armament advantages over those of the VVS. The Yak-1 then in service was understood to be in urgent need of a modernization were it to fight on equal footing against the latest models of German fighters, as well as better energy retention and higher firepower. Then, in 1943, a group of designers headed by

Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev (russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Я́ковлев; 22 August 1989) was a Soviet aeronautical engineer. He designed the Yakovlev military aircraft and founded the Yakovlev Design Bureau. Yakovlev ...

designed the Yak-3, a further development of the proven Yak-1 aimed at improving survivability, flight characteristics and firepower, which required a lower weight, a higher-power engine and therefore, faster speed.

Design and development

The first of two prototypes had a slatted wing to improve handling and short-field performance while the second prototype had a wooden wing without slats in order to simplify production and save

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

. The second prototype crashed during flight tests and was written off. Although there were plans to put the Yak-3 into production, the scarcity of aviation aluminium and the pressure of the Nazi invasion led to work on the first Yak-3 being abandoned in late 1941. In between 1942 and 1943,

Yakovlev The Joint-stock company, JSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau (russian: ОАО Опытно-конструкторское бюро им. А.С. Яковлева) is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak). Its head offi ...

built the Yak-1M, a prototype that would ultimately lead to the Yak-3, coupled with the VK-105PF2, the latest iteration of the VK-105 engine family, where "P" indicated support for a ''motornaya pushka'' - an autocannon that fires between the engine banks, through the hollow propeller shaft - mounting. It incorporated a wing of similar design but with smaller surface area (), and had further aerodynamic refinements, like the new placement of the oil radiator, from the chin to the wing roots (one of the visual differences with the Yak-1, -7, -9). A second Yak-1M (originally meant as a "backup") prototype was constructed later that year, differing from the first aircraft in that it had plywood instead of fabric covering of the rear fuselage, mastless radio antenna, reflector gunsight and improved armour and

engine cooling Internal combustion engine cooling uses either air or liquid to remove the waste heat from an internal combustion engine. For small or special purpose engines, cooling using air from the atmosphere makes for a lightweight and relatively simple sys ...

. After the VK-105PF2 engine received a boost from a manifold pressure of 1050 mmHg to 1100 mmHg, additional tests were needed to determine how it impacted the flight characteristics of the Yak-3. State trials revealed that this boost reduced the time needed to reach by 0.1 seconds, the takeoff run by , altitude gain in a combat loop by , and speed below by . The chief

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

for the project

Petr Mikhailovich Stefanovskiy Pyotr Mikhailovich Stefanovsky (russian: Пётр Михайлович Стефановский; 2 January 1903 — 23 February 1976) was a Soviet test pilot. During the Second World War, he was in charge of forming special fighter squadrons comp ...

was so impressed with the new aircraft that he recommended that it should completely replace the

and

Yak-7 The Yakovlev Yak-7 (russian: Яковлев Як-7) was developed from the earlier Yak-1 fighter, initially as a trainer but converted into a fighter. As both a fighter and later reverting to its original training role, the Yak-7 proved to be a ...

with only the

Yak-9 The Yakovlev Yak-9 (russian: Яковлев Як-9) is a single-engine, single-seat multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union and its allies during World War II and the early Cold War. It was a development of the robust and succ ...

retained in production for further work with the

Klimov VK-107 The Klimov VK-107 was a V-12 liquid-cooled piston aircraft engine used by Soviet aircraft during World War II. Development The VK-107 was developed from the M-105 and VK-106. To achieve a greater power output, each cylinder now had four valves ...

engine. The new fighter, designated the Yak-3, entered service in 1944, later than the

despite the lower designation number, and by mid-1946 4,848 had been built.Glancey 2006, p. 179. The designation Yak-3 was also used for other Yakovlev projects – a proposed but never built, heavy twin-engine fighter and the

Yakovlev Yak-7 The Yakovlev Yak-7 (russian: Яковлев Як-7) was developed from the earlier Yak-1 fighter, initially as a trainer but converted into a fighter. As both a fighter and later reverting to its original training role, the Yak-7 proved to be a ...

A. The first 197 Yak-3 were lightly armed with a single ''motornaya pushka''-mount ShVAK cannon and one UBS synchronized

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

, with subsequent aircraft receiving a second UBS for a weight of fire of per second using high-explosive ammunition. All armament was installed close to the axis of the aircraft with a cannon mounted in the engine "vee" firing through the propeller boss, synchronised machine guns in the fuselage, helping accuracy and leaving wings unloaded.

Operational history

Lighter and smaller than the

but powered by the same engine, the Yak-3 was a forgiving, easy-to-handle aircraft loved by both novice and experienced pilots. It was robust, easy to maintain and a highly successful dog-fighter. It was used mostly as a tactical fighter, flying low over battlefields and engaging in dogfights below . The new aircraft began to reach frontline units during summer 1944. Yak-3 service tests were conducted by 91st IAP of the

2nd Air Army The 2nd Air Army (; 2 VA) was an air army of the Red Army Air Force (Soviet Air Force) during the Second World War. Formed in May 1942, the army fought in the Battle of Stalingrad and was one of the major Soviet air formations in the Battle of ...

, commanded by Lt Colonel Kovalyov, in June–July 1944. The regiment had the task of gaining air superiority. During 431 sorties, 20 ''Luftwaffe'' fighters and three Junkers Ju 87s were shot down while Soviet losses amounted to two Yak-3s shot down.Gordon 2008, p. 188. A large dogfight developed on 16 June 1944, when 18 Yak-3s clashed with 24 German aircraft. Soviet Yak-3 fighters shot down 15 German aircraft for the loss of one Yak destroyed and one damaged. The following day, ''Luftwaffe'' activity over that section of the front had virtually ceased. On 17 July 1944, eight Yaks attacked a formation of 60 German aircraft, including escorting fighters. In the ensuing dogfight, the Luftwaffe lost three Ju 87s and four Bf 109Gs, for no loss.Morgan 1999, p. 52. The ''Luftwaffe'' issued an order to "avoid combat below five thousand metres with Yakovlev fighters lacking an oil cooler intake beneath the nose!" ''Luftwaffe'' fighters in combat with the Yak-3 tried to use surprise tactics, attacking from above.Gunston 1980, p. 203. Unresolved wartime problems with the Yak-3 included plywood surfaces delaminating when the aircraft pulled out of a high-speed dive, short-range and poor engine reliability. The pneumatic system for actuating

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

, flaps and brakes, typical for all

fighters of the time, was troublesome. Though less reliable than hydraulic or electrical alternatives, the pneumatic system was preferred owing to the weight saving. In 1944, the Normandie-Niemen Group re-equipped with the Yak-3, scoring the last 99 of their 273 air victories against the ''Luftwaffe''. Total Yak-3 losses in combat were 210, 60 in 1944 and 150 in 1945.Bergström 2008, p. 132.

Variants

; Yak-3: main production version ; Yak-3 (VK-107A):

A engine with and 2 × Berezin B-20 cannons with 120 rpg. After several mixed-construction prototypes, 48 all-metal production aircraft were built in 1945–1946 during and after WW2. Despite excellent performance ( at ), it saw only limited squadron service with the 897th IAP. Though the problems with the VK-107 overheating were eventually mitigated, it was decided to leave the engine for the better-suited

. ; Yak-3 (VK-108): Yak-3 (VK-107A) modified with VK-108 engine with , and armed a single

Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 The NS-23 was a aircraft cannon designed by A. E. Nudelman, A. Suranov, G. Zhirnykh, V. Nemenov, S. Lunin, and M. Bundin during World War II as a replacement for the Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 cannon. It entered service in 1944. The NS-23 round was d ...

cannon with 60 rounds of ammunition. The aircraft reached at in testing but suffered from significant engine overheating. Another Yak-3 with 2 × Berezin B-20 cannons was also fitted with the engine with similar results. ; Yak-3K: Armed with a

Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 The Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 was an enlarged version of the Soviet Union, Soviet Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 aircraft autocannon. It was evaluated for service on 44 Yakovlev Yak-9K aircraft during World War II, but proved to stress the airframes too much ...

cannon, only a few built because Yak-9K was a better match for the weapon ; Yak-3P: Production started after war armed with 3 × Berezin B-20 cannon with 120 rounds for the middle cannon and 130 rpg for the side weapons. A total of 596 being built, none of them took part in combat. The three-cannon armament with full ammunition load was actually lighter than that of a standard Yak-3, and the one-second burst mass of was greater than that of most contemporary fighters. ; Yak-3PD: high-altitude interceptor with

Klimov VK-105 The Klimov M-105 was a V12 engine, V12 Liquid-cooled engine, liquid-cooled piston aircraft engine used by Soviet Union, Soviet aircraft during World War II.Gunston 1989, p. 90 Development The M-105, designed in 1940, drew heavily on Klimov, Klimo ...

PD engine and a single

cannon with 60 rounds of ammunition, reached in testing but did not enter production due to unreliability of the engine. ; Yak-3RD (Yak-3D): experimental aircraft with an auxiliary Glushko RD-1 liquid-fuel rocket engine with of thrust in the modified tail, armed with a single

cannon with 60 rounds of ammunition. On 11 May 1945, the aircraft reached at . During the 16 August test flight, the aircraft crashed for unknown reasons, killing the test pilot V.L. Rastorguev. Like all mixed powerplant aircraft of the time, the project was abandoned in favor of

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...

engines. ; Yak-3T: tank destroyer version armed with 1 ×

Nudelman N-37 The Nudelman N-37 was a 37 mm (1.46 in) aircraft autocannon used by the Soviet Union. It was designed during World War II by V. Ya. Nemenov of A.E. Nudelman's OKB-16 to replace the earlier Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 and entered service in ...

cannon with 25 rounds and 2 × Berezin B-20S cannons with 100 rpg. Cockpit was moved back to compensate for the heavier nose. Engine modifications required to accept the weapons resulted in serious overheating problems which were never fixed and the aircraft did not advance beyond the prototype stage. ; Yak-3T-57: single Yak-3T with a OKB-16-57 cannon ; Yak-3TK: powered by a VK-107A engine, and fitted with an exhaust turbocharger. ; Yak-3U: Yak-3 fitted with

Shvetsov ASh-82 The Shvetsov ASh-82 (M-82) is a Soviet 14-cylinder, two-row, air-cooled radial aircraft engine developed from the Shvetsov M-62. The M-62 was the result of development of the M-25, which was a licensed version of the Wright R-1820 Cyclone. De ...

FN radial engine with in an attempt to increase performance while avoiding the overheating problems of VK-107 and VK-108. Wingspan increased by , wings moved forward, cockpit raised by . Armament of 2 × Berezin B-20 cannons with 120 rpg. The prototype reached at and while successful did not enter production because it was completed after the war. ; Yak-3UTI: two-seat conversion trainer based on Yak-3U powered by

Shvetsov ASh-21 The Shvetsov ASh-21 is a seven-cylinder single-row air-cooled radial aero engine. Design and development The ASh-21 is basically a single-row version of the Shvetsov ASh-82. The ASh-21 also incorporates a number of parts from the ASh-62 rad ...

radial piston engine. The aircraft became the prototype for the

Yak-11 The Yakovlev Yak-11 (russian: Яковлев Як-11; NATO reporting name: "Moose") is a trainer aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force and other Soviet-influenced air forces from 1947 until 1962. Design and development The Yakovlev design bureau ...

Operators

;: Normandie-Niemen squadron ;: Air Force of the Polish Army ;:

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

SFR Yugoslav Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ� ...

111th Fighter Aviation Regiment 111th may refer to: *111th Delaware General Assembly, a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government *111th Engineer Brigade (United States), a combat engineer brigade of the United States Army *111th Field Artillery Regiment (United S ...

(1944–48) * 113th Fighter Aviation Regiment (1945–48) *

112th Fighter Aviation Regiment Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''E ...

(1945–48) * 254th Fighter Aviation Regiment (1944–48) *

83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment The 83rd Fighter Aviation Regiment (''Serbo-Croatian: / 83. ловачки авијацијски пук'') was an aviation regiment established in 1944 as 1st Yugoslav Fighter Regiment (''Serbo-Croatian: / 1. југословенски вазд� ...

(1948–52) *

116th Fighter Aviation Regiment The 116th Fighter Aviation Regiment ( sh, 116. lovački puk, ) was a unit originally established in 1944 as the 113th Fighter Aviation Regiment (, ). It was formed from Yugoslav partisan aviators, trained and equipped by the Soviet Air Force. His ...

(1948–52) * 185th Mixed Aviation Regiment (1949–52) * 198th Fighter Aviation Regiment (1949–52) * 204th Fighter Aviation Regiment (1949–50)

Modern production Yak fighters

From 1991 to 2002 there were 21

Yak-3, Yak-7 and Yak-9 aircraft produced in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

using the original plans and dies. These aircraft are powered by the American Allison V-1710 or the

Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp is an American air-cooled radial aircraft engine. It displaces and its bore and stroke are both . The design traces its history to 1929 experiments at Pratt & Whitney on twin-row designs. Production bega ...

engine in place of the Klimov V-12s used during the war. Several of these aircraft are airworthy, mostly based in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

with others in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Others have been converted to "Yak-3U" status from original Yak-11 trainers for private owners and museums. Flying a modified modern production Yak-3UPW powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2000 engine,

William Whiteside William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

set an official international speed record for piston-engined aircraft in the under- category on 10 October 2011, reaching over a course at the

Bonneville Salt Flats The Bonneville Salt Flats are a densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah. A remnant of the Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, it is the largest of many salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake. It is public land managed by the Bur ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

in the

, greatly exceeding the previous record of set in 2002 by Jim Wright. The following day, Whiteside used the same aircraft to set an unofficial speed record for aircraft in the category of over the same 3-km (1.863-mile) course.Wilkinson, Stephan, "Yak Sets Speed Record," ''Aviation History'', March 2012, p. 10.

Specifications (Yak-3)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bergström, Christer. ''Bagration to Berlin: The final Air Battle in the East 1944–45''. Hersham UK, Classic Publications, 2008. . * Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. ''Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft''. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. . * Glancey, Jonathan. ''Spitfire: The Illustrated Biography''. London: Atlantic Books, 2006. . * Gordon, Yefim. ''Soviet Airpower in World War II''. Hinckley UK: Midland / Ian Allan Publishing, 2008. . * Gordon, Yefim and Dmitri Khazanov. ''Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume I: Single-Engined Fighters''. Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 1998. . * Green, William. ''Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume III: Fighters''. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (seventh impression 1973). . * Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. ''WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Soviet Air Force Fighters, Part 2''. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1978. . * Gunston, Bill. ''Aircraft of World War Two''. London: Octopus Books Limited, 1980. . * Kopenhagen, W., ed. ''Das große Flugzeug-Typenbuch'' (in German). Stuggart, Germany: Transpress, 1987. . * Liss, Witold. ''The Yak 9 Series (Aircraft in Profile number 185)''. Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967. * Matricardi, Paolo. ''Aerei Militari: caccia e ricognitori''. (in Italian) Milano: Mondadori Electa S.p.A., 2006. NO ISBN. * Mellinger, George. ''Yakovlev Aces of World War 2''. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2005. . * Morgan, Hugh. ''Gli assi Sovietici della Seconda guerra mondiale''. Edizioni del Prado/Osprey Aviation, 1999. . * Morgan, Hugh. ''Soviet Aces of World War 2''. London: Reed International Books Ltd., 1997. . * Шавров В.Б. ''История конструкций самолетов в СССР 1938-1950 гг. (3 изд.)''. Kniga: Машиностроение, 1994 (Shavrov, V.B. ''Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938-1950 gg.,3rd ed. (History of Aircraft Design in USSR: 1938-1950)''. Kniga, Russia: Mashinostroenie, 1994. . * Stapfer, Hans-Heiri. ''Yak Fighters in Action (Aircraft number 78)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1986. . * Степанец А.Т. ''Истребители ЯК периода Великой Отечественной войны''. Kniga: Машиностроение, 1992. (Stepanets, A.T. ''Istrebiteli Yak perioda Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny (Yak Fighters of the Great Patriotic War)''. Kniga, Russia: Mashinostroenie, 1992. . * Якубович, Н.В. ''Як-3. Истребитель «Победа»''. Москва: ВЭРО Пресс, Яуза, ЭКСМО, 2011. Yakubovich, N.V. ''Yak-3. Istrebitel’ “Pobeda”'' (''Yak-3. Fighter “Victory”''). Moscow, Russia: VERO Press, Yauza, EKSMO, 2011. .

External links

Yak-3

Interview with Yak-3 WWII pilot

Last remaining Normandie Niemen Yakovlev 3 on static display at Le Bourget Air and Space Museum/Musée de l’air et de l’espace
{{WWIIUSSRAF Yakovlev Yak-03 World War II Soviet fighter aircraft Yak-003 Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1941