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The Yakovlev Yak-40 (;
NATO reporting name NATO uses a system of code names, called reporting names, to denote military aircraft and other equipment used by post-Soviet states, former Warsaw Pact countries, China, and other countries. The system assists military communications by providi ...
: Codling) is a
regional jet A regional jet (RJ) is a jet airliner, jet-powered regional airliner usually defined by having fewer than 100 seats. The first aircraft considered part of this category was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by Douglas DC-9, BAC O ...
designed in
Soviet Union 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 ...
by
Yakovlev The Joint-stock company, JSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau () is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak). Its head office is in Aeroport District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow. It is a subsidiary of Yakovle ...
. The
trijet A trijet is a jet aircraft powered by three jet engines. In general, passenger airline trijets are considered to be second-generation jet airliners, due to their innovative engine locations, in addition to the advancement of turbofan technology. ...
's maiden flight was in 1966, and it was in production from 1967 to 1981. It was introduced to service in 1968, with export models following in 1970.


Development

By the early 1960s, Soviet international and internal trunk routes were served by
Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...
, the state airline, using jet or
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
powered airliners, but their local services, many of which operated from grass airfields, were served by obsolete piston-engine aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-12, Il-14 and
Lisunov Li-2 The Lisunov Li-2 (NATO reporting name: Cab), originally designated PS-84, was a license-built Soviet-version of the Douglas DC-3. It was produced by Factory #84 in Khimki, Moscow-Khimki and, after the factory's evacuation in 1941, at the Tash ...
.Stroud 1968, p. 269–270. Aeroflot wanted to replace these elderly airliners with a turbine-powered aircraft, with the
Yakovlev The Joint-stock company, JSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau () is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak). Its head office is in Aeroport District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow. It is a subsidiary of Yakovle ...
design bureau being assigned to design it. High speed was not required, but it would have to be able to operate safely and reliably out of poorly equipped airports with short (less than 700 m or 2,300 ft) unpaved runways in poor weather.Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 185. Yakovlev studied both turboprop and jet-powered designs to meet the requirement, including
Vertical Take-Off and Landing A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wing ...
designs with
lift jet A lift jet is a lightweight jet engine installed only for upward thrust.{{cite book , url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgeaerospa0000guns/page/346/mode/2up , isbn=978-0-521-84140-5 , title=The Cambridge aerospace dictionary , date=2004 , ...
s in the fuselage or in wing-mounted pods, but eventually they settled on a straight-winged tri-jet carrying 20 to 25 passengers. The engines were to be the new AI-25
turbofan A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the add ...
being developed by Ivchenko at
Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia, formerly known as Aleksandrovsk or Oleksandrivsk until 1921, is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia ...
in Ukraine.Gunston and Gordon 1997, pp. 185–186.


Design

The Yak-40 is a low-winged cantilever
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
with unswept wings, a large
T-tail A T-tail is an empennage wikt:configuration, configuration in which the tailplane of an aircraft is mounted to the top of the vertical stabilizer, fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs fr ...
and a retractable
tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...
. The passenger cabin is ahead of the wing, with the short rear fuselage carrying the three turbofan engines, with two engines mounted on short pylons on the side of the fuselage and a third engine in the rear fuselage, with air fed from a dorsal air-intake by an "S-duct", as is an
auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...
, fitted to allow engine start-up without ground support on primitive airfields.Stroud 1968, p. 270–272.Gordon Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 303 The three AI-25 engines are two-shaft engines rated at 14.7 kN (3,300 lbf). The engines have no jetpipes, and initially no thrust reversers.Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 187. The pressurized fuselage has a diameter of 2.4 metres (94 in). Pilot and co-pilot sit side by side in the aircraft's flight deck, while the passenger cabin has a standard layout seating 24 to 27 passengers three-abreast, although 32 passengers can be carried by switching to four-abreast seating. Passengers enter the aircraft via a set of ventral
airstair An airstair is a set of steps built into an aircraft so that passengers may board and alight the aircraft. The stairs are often built into a clamshell-style door on the aircraft. Airstairs eliminate the need for passengers to use a Ground s ...
s in the rear fuselage.Stroud 1968, pp. 272–273. The wing is fitted with large trailing-edge slotted flaps, but has no other high-lift devices, relying on the aircraft's low wing loading to give the required short-field take-off and landing performance. The wings join at the aircraft centerline, with the main spar running from wingtip to wingtip. The wings house integral fuel tanks with a capacity of 3,800 litres (1,000 US gal; 840 imp gal). The aircraft has a large fin, which is swept back at an angle of 50 degrees to move the tailplane rearwards to compensate for the short rear fuselage. The horizontal tailplane itself is unswept.Gunston and Gordon 1997, pp. 186–187. The Yak-40 was the first Soviet-built airliner designed to Western airworthiness requirements.


Operational history

The first of five prototypes made its maiden flight on 21 October 1966, with production being launched at the Saratov Aviation Plant in 1967 and Soviet type certification granted in 1968. The type carried out its first passenger service for Aeroflot on 30 September 1968. In 1970, the type would experience its first fatal accident and
hull loss A hull loss is an aviation accident that damages the aircraft beyond economic repair, resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations where the aircraft is missing, the search for its wreckage is terminated, or the wreckage is ...
with the crash of Aeroflot Flight Sh-4. In the 1972 version, a tailspin was removed. In 1974, new version was introduced, with non-stop flight distance increased. Also, the forward door on the right side of the fuselage changed its place – it was located together with the sixth window. In 1975, the last upgrade of Yak-40 took place – the number of cabin windows on the right side changed from nine to eight. By the time production ended in November 1981, the factory at Saratov had produced 1,011 or 1,013 aircraft. By 1993 Yak-40s operated by Aeroflot had carried 354 million passengers.Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 189. As well as being the backbone of Aeroflot's local operations, flying to 276 domestic destinations in 1980, the Yak-40 was also an export success. In addition to this, Yak-40 became the first Russian/Soviet aircraft to get flying certificates from Italy and West Germany. It was demonstrated in 75 countries of the world, including the US, where orders for the Yak-40 were made. A total of 130 were exported to
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. As of July 2021, a Yak-40 has begun testing with an electric propeller engine in the nose of the aircraft.


Variants

''Data from'':- OKB Yakovlev * Yak-40 – The first production model. * Yak-40-25 Military conversion with the nose of a
MiG-25 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, it is a ...
R and SRS-4A
Elint Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...
installation. * Yak-40 Akva (Aqua) – Military conversion with nose probe, pylon-mounted sensors, a fuselage dispenser and underwing active jammer pods. * Yak-40D (Dal'niy – long-distance) – with non-stop flight distance enlarged. * Yak-40EC – Export version. * Yak-40 Fobos (Phobos) – Military conversion with two dorsal viewing domes and a removable window on each side. * Yak-40K – cargo / convertible / combi version with a large freight door. Produced in 1975–81. * Yak-40 Kalibrovshchik – Military
Elint Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...
conversion with a "farm" of blade, dipole and planar antennas. * Yak-40L – Proposed version with two Lycoming LF507-1N turbofans, a joint program between Skorost and
Textron Textron Inc. is an American industrial Conglomerate (company), conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Kautex, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft and Cessna b ...
(now Allied-Signal) Lycoming. The original design would have had a slightly swept wing. * Yak-40 Liros – Military conversion with nose probe carrying air-data sensors. * Yak-40M – Proposed 40-seat stretched passenger version. * Yak-40 M-602 – Flying testbed with a Czechoslovak M 602 turboprop installed in the nose. * Yak-40 Meteo – Military conversion with multipole dipole antennas and fuselage dispenser. * Yak-40P – Yak-40L with large nacelles projecting ahead of the wings. * Yak-40REO – Military conversion with large ventral canoe for IR linescan. Lateral observation blister on right side. * Yak-40 Shtorm – Military conversion with multiple probes and sensors on the forward sidewalls. * Yak-40TL – Proposed upgraded version, to be powered by three Lycoming LF 507 turbofan engines. * Yak-40V – Export version powered by three AI-25T turbofan engines. * Yak-40MS – Experimental upgrade with two
Honeywell TFE731 The Garrett TFE731 (now Honeywell TFE731) is a family of geared turbofan engines commonly used on business jet aircraft. Garrett AiResearch originally designed and built the engine, which due to mergers was later produced by AlliedSignal and no ...
-5 turbofan engines by SibNIA. * STR-40DT – A proposed twin-engine composite-wing derivative along the line of TVS-2DTS, also being developed by SibNIA. Endorsed, but not supported by
Yakovlev The Joint-stock company, JSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau () is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer (design office prefix Yak). Its head office is in Aeroport District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow. It is a subsidiary of Yakovle ...
.


Operators


Civilian operators

As of July 2019, a total of 22 out of 1011 Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft remained in service with civil operators. The airworthiness of several Yak-40 of smaller Russian and Central Asian charter airlines is uncertain, as is the whereabouts of one Air Libya Tibesti aircraft after the civil war. Most aircraft in service today have been reconfigured for VIP-charter services, with fewer than ten remaining in scheduled passenger service. Known operators are:


Military operators

As of November 2012 no more than 17 Yak-40 remain in military service (possibly fewer, with the unclear situation in Syria). Known operators are:


Accidents and incidents


Specifications (Yak-40)


See also


References


Bibliography

* * Gordon, Yefim, Dmitry Komissarov and Sergey Komissarov. ''OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft''. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2005. . * Gunston, Bill. ''The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995''. London:Osprey, 1995. . * Gunston, Bill and Yefim Gordon. ''Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924''. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1997. . * Hatch, Paul F. "World's Air Forces 1987". ''Flight International''.Vol. 132, No. 4090, 28 November 1987, pp. 36–106. * Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". ''Flight International''. Vol. 190, No. 5566, 6–12 December 2016, pp. 22–53. . * Ottenhof, Guus; Hillman, Peter and Jessup, Stuart. Soviet Transports. Aviation Hobby World. 1996. . * Stroud, John. ''Soviet Transport Aircraft since 1945''. London:Putnam, 1968. . * Thisdell, Dan and Seymour, Chris. "World Airliner Census". ''
Flight International ''Flight International'', formerly ''Flight'', is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", i ...
'', Vol. 196, No. 5694, 30 July–5 August 2019. . pp. 24–47. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77''. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. .


External links


List of all Yak-40 aircraft used by Polish Air Force




* * * {{Yakovlev aircraft 1960s Soviet airliners Yak-040 Trijets T-tail aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1966 Low-wing aircraft Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear