The Yakovlev Yak-26, OKB designation Yak-123, was a
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
tactical supersonic
bomber aircraft
A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes
air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles.
There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strategic bombing is d ...
flown at the
Tushino air show
In the life of Soviet Union, air shows were a highly regarded type of parade, almost always of military nature. They happened on various occasions and anniversaries, in many locations across the country. A notable air show was the Tushino Air Show ...
on 24 June
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
. The model did not enter service.
Design and development
The Yak-123-1 prototype was developed from the subsonic
Yak-25
The Yakovlev Yak-25 ( NATO designation Flashlight-A/Mandrake) is a swept wing, turbojet-powered interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft built by Yakovlev and used by the Soviet Union.
Design and development
The Yak-25 originated from a need f ...
, and in parallel with the
Yak-27
The Yakovlev Yak-27 (NATO reporting name "Flashlight-C") is a family of Soviet supersonic aircraft developed in 1958 from the Yak-121 prototype. The most built variant was the tactical reconnaissance Yak-27R (NATO reporting name "Mangrove").
De ...
aircraft family, with the main goal of operating at supersonic speed. Although the Yak-123 kept the Yak-25's layout, it had a more streamlined and longer fuselage with a glazed nose for a navigator-bombardier, replacing the Yak-25's
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of "radar" and "dome") is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weathe ...
. The engines were upgraded to the much more powerful RD-9AK afterburning turbojets and the wings modified. The
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 Alexander Nudelman, A.E. Nudelman's OKB-16 to replace the earlier Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 and e ...
cannon was replaced with two
NR-23
The Nudelman-Richter NR-23 is a Soviet autocannon widely used in military aircraft of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. It was designed by A. E. Nudelman and A. A. Richter to replace the wartime Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 and Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 ...
23 mm guns. The next prototype, designated Yak-26-3, had a tail
barbette
Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships.
In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...
with two more such guns, but it was removed altogether after testing. An internal weapons bay was added for of bombs, including the nuclear
RDS-4 ''Tatyana''. Additional bombs could be carried on underwing pylons. Engines were upgraded to RD-9F.
Although these designs showed potential for a supersonic bomber, they did not feature a radar, limiting their usefulness, and suffered from insufficient stability at high velocities, being prone to
aileron reversals. This led to a refinement of the design, resulting in the preproduction-series Yak-26.
[Goebel, Greg]
"The Yakovlev Yak-25 & Yak-28."
AirVectors.
Although flown at the
Tushino air show
In the life of Soviet Union, air shows were a highly regarded type of parade, almost always of military nature. They happened on various occasions and anniversaries, in many locations across the country. A notable air show was the Tushino Air Show ...
on 24 June 1956, only ten were produced, and the type did not enter service.
Operators
;
*
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...
Specifications (Yak-26)
See also
References
External links
Yak-26 at Ugolok Neba(in Russian)
Yak-26 from Legion.wplus.net
{{Yakovlev aircraft
1950s Soviet bomber aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Twinjets
Aircraft first flown in 1956
Yak-26
The Yakovlev Yak-26, OKB designation Yak-123, was a Soviet tactical supersonic bomber aircraft flown at the Tushino air show on 24 June 1956. The model did not enter service.
Design and development
The Yak-123-1 prototype was developed from t ...
Aircraft with retractable bicycle landing gear