Yakovlev Yak-43
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The Yakovlev Yak-141 (;
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 ...
"Freestyle"), also known as the Yak-41, is a Soviet
supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL)
fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...
designed 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 ...
. Intended as a replacement for the
Yak-38 The Yakovlev Yak-38 (; NATO reporting name: "Forger") was Soviet Naval Aviation's only operational VTOL strike fighter aircraft in addition to being its first operational carrier-based fixed-wing aircraft. It was developed specifically for, and ...
, it was designed as a supersonic fleet defence fighter capable of STOVL/VTOL operating from Soviet carriers. Four prototypes were built before the project's cancellation.


Design and development

Known internally as "Product 48", the Yak-41 was intended to replace the Yak-38 in service with the Soviet Navy. It went through significant design evolution. Configurations studied by Yakovlev included a twin-engine configuration, which was rejected due to asymmetric thrust issues in the event of an engine failure during landing, and a single-engined configuration, with lift jets to allow for vertical takeoff and landing, was selected. The engines were controlled digitally; manuverability during the hover was provided by reaction control jets, using excess airflow from the engines, located at the wingtips and under the nose. The pressurised cockpit was fitted with an automatic
ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an exp ...
; the automatic functionality would be armed when the engine duct was rotated past 30° when at an airspeed of less than . The prototypes had a cockpit arrangement similar to that of the Yak-38M; the production aircraft were planned to be fitted with an entirely new digital system including a helmet-mounted sight. The aircraft's landing gear was of the tricycle type; the nosewheel retracted to the rear, the main wheels retracting forwards. The wing was mounted high on the fuselage, and was foldable to allow for compact storage on board
aircraft carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the capital ship of a fl ...
. The main engine was a Tumansky R-79V-300, while the lift jets were a pair of Rybinsk (RKBM) RD-41s, installed at an angle of 85° in the forwards fuselage behind the cockpit. Four prototypes were built; the first was a static-test article, the second a nonflying testbed, while the third and fourth prototypes would be used for flight testing


Operational history

The first flight took place on in 9 March 1987 at Zhukovsky; the aircraft first undertook hovering flight on 29 December 1989, with the first full transition from vertical to horizontal flight taking place on 13 June 1990. Trials on the mockup aircraft carrier deck at
Saky Saky ( Ukrainian and ; ) is a city in Crimea. Although it is the administrative centre of the Saky Raion, it does not belong to the raion (district), serving instead as the center and the only locality of Saky Municipality. Population: Histor ...
began in April 1991. Results of the testing were considered satisfactory, with the aircraft's combat maneuverability regarded as excellent. Twelve world records were set during flight testing; as the aircraft's designation of Yak-41 was considered classified, the records were declared as having been set by the "Yak-141". The first landing aboard the Russian aircraft carrier took place on 26 September 1991, using the second (first flying) prototype; the other flying prototype landed aboard an hour later. Eight flights from the ship were completed before 5 October, when following a hard landing a fuel tank ruptured, the aircraft catching fire and the pilot ejecting. The aircraft was later repaired for display. Later in October 1991 the program was suspended due to a lack of funds. With the fall of the Soviet Union,
Lockheed Aircraft Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Mar ...
entered a partnership with Yakovlev in 1991 for further development of the aircraft, now officially redesignated Yak-141; the partnership would not be announced by Yakovlev until 6 September 1992 and not confirmed by Lockheed until June 1994. The remaining intact protoype was displayed at the
Farnborough Airshow The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...
in 1992. It was announced that the joint venture would result in the construction of three additional prototypes and an additional static test aircraft, one a two-seat trainer version, and all with an increase in their gross weight, however no additional aircraft were ever built.


Variants

;Yak-41 :The two flying prototypes and ground test article. ;Yak-41M :Proposed production aircraft with large LERXs (leading-edge root extensions) and other improvements, particularly in the avionic suite. ;Yak-43 (Izdeliye 201) :A proposed development of the Yak-41M 'Freehand' equipped with
Kuznetsov Kuznetsov, Kuznyetsov, Kuznetsoff, or Kouznetsov (masculine, ) or Kuznetsova (feminine, ) is the third most common Russian surname, an equivalent of the English "Smith" (derived from a Russian word ''kuznets'' that means ''blacksmith''). Men * Al ...
NK-321 engines. ;Yak-141 :Designation originally applied to a single Yak-41 for disinformation and propaganda purposes when registering records with the FAI (
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...
) and later for promotional purposes by Yakovlev.


Operators

; *
Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
**
Soviet Naval Aviation Soviet Naval Aviation (AV-MF, ) was the naval aviation arm of the Soviet Navy. Origins The first naval aviation units in Russia were formed in 1912–1914 as a part of the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet. During World War I, the hydro ...


Surviving aircraft

* Yak-41M (s/n 48-2, call sign "75") is on display at the
Central Air Force Museum The Central Air Force Museum () is an aviation museum in Monino, Moscow Oblast, Russia. A branch of the Central Armed Forces Museum, it is one of the world's largest aviation museums, and the largest for Soviet aircraft, with a collection includi ...
at
Monino Monino () is an urban locality (a work settlement) in Shchyolkovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of Moscow. Population: History Monino was founded in the Muninskaya Wasteland () on August 23, 1792. The name "Monino" or "M ...
. The aircraft is displayed in its 1992 livery with olive/grey camouflage markings. * Yak-41M (s/n 48-3, call sign "77") is on display at the Yakovlev OKB Museum. The aircraft is displayed in its 1992 livery with olive/grey camouflage markings and "141" painted in white in place of the former call sign.


Specifications (Yak-141)


See also


References


External links


Walkaround Yak-41 from Monino Museum (Russia)


at AeroFlight * {{Authority control Abandoned military aircraft projects of the Soviet Union Carrier-based aircraft 1980s Soviet fighter aircraft Twin-boom aircraft
Yak-141 The Yakovlev Yak-141 (; NATO reporting name "Freestyle"), also known as the Yak-41, is a Soviet supersonic vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL) fighter aircraft designed by Yakovlev. Intended as a replacement for the Yak-38, it was designed as a su ...
Lift jet Aircraft with auxiliary jet engines Single-engined jet aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1987 Fourth-generation jet fighters Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear