Influenced by flight tests with a Heinkel He 118 in 1938, the Japanese navy decided that future carrier based aircraft should be much cleaner aerodynamically. A 13 Shi (1938) specification was issued to the Yokosuka naval air arsenal for a carrier-based dive bomber of exceptionally high performance. It had to operate from small carriers and carry a 250 kg (551 lb) bombload for 800 nautical miles (1481 km) and reach 280 knots (519 km/h).
Designed as a fast carrier-based attack bomber and powered by an imported Daimler-Benz DB 600G engine, the D4Y1 was first flown in December 1941.
Achieving excellent performance despite having only a 960 hp DB 600G, the D4Y1-C reconnaissance aircraft were ordered into production at Aichi’s Nagoya plant, the first of 660 aircraft being completed in the late spring of 1942.
It was not until March 1942 that the first production D4Y1 Model 11 emerged from the Aichi factory at Nagoya (the Allies later thought this an Aichi design). Powered by the 1200 hp, Aichi AE1A Atsuta 12 inverted V 12 (licence built modified DB 601A) the aircraft had such speed and range it was ordered as the D4Y1 C reconnaissance aircraft, with rear fuselage camera(s) and underwing drop tanks, and the C model remained in use until Japan’s final surrender. Work continued to perfect the basic D4Y1 and eventually it entered service in March 1943. The first service aircraft were lost when the Soryu was sunk at Midway. The Model 21 was generally similiar. Many D4Y1s were completed as dive-bombers, and 174 Suiseis of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Koku Sentais were embarked in nine carriers before the Battle of the Philippine Sea. However, they were intercepted by American carriers, and suffered heavy casualties without achieving any success.
Production amounted to 660 by Aichi, with the Japanese name Suisei (Comet) and the Allied code name ‘Judy’, but in the first big action at the Marianas ‘turkey shoot’ they suffered severe casualties at the hands of US Navy fighters and failed to sink any major warships. Their chief faults were complete absence of armour or self sealing tanks and the armament of two fixed 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 97 machine guns in the nose and a 7.92 nun (0.312 in) Type 1 aimed by the radio operator/navigator/gunner in the rear seat. Normal bombload was 310 kg (683 lb), but for short ranges 560 kg (1234 lb) could be accommodated.
Like many of the best Japanese aircraft of the Second World War, the D4Y had the misfortune to enter service just as the era of Japanese superiority was coming abruptly to an end. The fleet carriers were fairly soon all sent to the bottom of the Pacific, and most of the total of 2038 of all versions of D4Y operated from escort carriers and shore bases, often in roles quite different from those for which the type was designed. The first new sub type, other than the C, was the D4Y2 (Model 22), which had the 1400 hp Atsuta 32 engine, and the fin and rudder were modified and increased in area, and, in the main D4Y2a variant, a 13mm (0.51 in) Type 2 gun in the rear cockpit. Entering service just in time for the Leyte Gulf and Philippines battles in October 1944, the new model was coolly received, because it still had neither armour nor tank protection. Aichi built 326, plus about 100 by Dai Juichi Kaigun Kokusho (Hiro Naval Air Arsenal), but they were shot out of the sky and soon appeared as kamikaze suicide attackers, usually with an 800 kg (1764 lb) bombload, carried externally.
D4Y3
From the start the liquid cooled engine had been unpopular, owing to its difficult main¬tenance and poor reliability. The general feeling about the trim Suisei had been that there was not much wrong with it that proper protection and a radial engine would not cure, and in the winter of 1943/4 the Aichi team schemed an installation for the 14 ¬cylinder two row Mitsubishi Mk8P Kinsei 62.
The D4Y3 prototype, flown in May 1944, showed acceptable handling qualities and almost identical performance to the earlier models, with marginally lower speed but longer range and improved takeoff and climb capability. Production was authorized at once, and both Aichi and Hiro arsenal deli¬vered a total of about 350 in all. These still did not have any protection for crew or fuel, and only the later D4Y3a had a 13 mm (0.51in) rear gun. Most had provision for catapulting but as there were virtually no carriers, the majority were also equipped to have three RATO rockets clipped below the rear fuselage to assist takeoff from island airstrips.
The last sub type was the D4Y4, a pur¬pose designed kamikaze aircraft. A single-¬seater, it carried an 800 kg (1764 lb) bomb or explosive charge (made from a mine or tor¬pedo) semi externally. 296 were deli¬vered by Aichi in 1945.
The proposed D4Y5, with 1825¬hp NK9C Homare engine and proper armour and protected tanks, did not fly. The D4Y2 was later converted to a night fighter.
A total of 2,319 D4Ys was completed. Aichi handled most of the payroll and 500 were completed by Hiro Arsenal.
In the first year of the war some types were given more than one code name due to inaccurate descriptions. ‘Dot’ was assigned to a carrier dive bomber, later also assigned the name ‘Judy’. ‘Dot’ was dropped in favour of the more accepted ‘Judy’.
D4Y2 Engine: 1 x Aichi AE1P Atsuta, 1050kW Max take-off weight: 3840 kg / 8466 lb Empty weight: 2640 kg / 5820 lb Wingspan: 11.5 m / 38 ft 9 in Length: 10.2 m / 33 ft 6 in Height: 3.75 m / 12 ft 4 in Wing area: 22.8 sq.m / 245.42 sq ft Max. speed: 575 km/h / 357 mph Cruise speed: 425 km/h / 264 mph Ceiling: 10700 m / 35100 ft Range: 3600 km / 2237 miles Crew: 2 Armament: 7.92 or 13mm machine-guns Bombload: 1 x 500-kg, 2 x 30-kg
D4Y3 Engine: Mitsubishi Kinsi 62, 1560 hp Span: 11.5 m (37ft 8.75in) Length: 10.22 m (33 ft 6.5 in) Height: 10 ft 9.5 in Empty weight: 5514 lb Gross weight. 4657 kg (10267 lb) Maximum speed: 575 km/h (357 mph) at 19,360 ft Service ceilig: 34,450 ft Max range: 944 miles Armament: 1 x 7.9mm mg, 2 x 7.7mm mg Bombload: 1650 lb Crew: 2
Roberto Bartini had designed and built the Stal-7 airliner whilst he was the chief designer at the ZOK NII GVF (Russian: Zavod Opytno Konstrooktorskoye Naoochno-Issledovatel’skiy Institoot Grazdahnskovo Vozdooshnovo Flota — “Factory for Special Construction at the Scientific Test Institute for the Civil Air Fleet”). The performance of the Stal-7 was extremely good, particularly in respect to its payload; at gross overload weight over 56% of the total weight was payload. During flight trials with maximum all-up weight the prototype crashed on take-off in early 1938, resulting in the arrest of Bartini and his imprisonment in a Siberian Gulag in February 1938. The Stal-7 lay unrepaired until Vladimir Yermolaev was appointed as chief designer at OKB-240 after Bartini’s arrest, with the task of transforming the Stal-7 design into a long-range bomber, a task made easier since Bartini had reserved space for a bomb bay in the fuselage. After repair the Stal-7 carried on with the flight-test programme, including a record-breaking non-stop flight on 28 August 1939 when it flew Moscow—Sverdlovsk—Sevastopol—Moscow; a distance of 5,086 km (3,160 mi) at an average speed of 405 km/h (252 mph).
Preliminary design of the DB-240 (Russian: dahl’niy bombardirovschik—”long-range bomber”), as the bomber version was designated, was complete by the beginning of 1939 and the construction of two prototypes began the following July. The DB-240 retained little apart from the general layout of the Stal-7 as the structure was almost completely redesigned. An all-metal mid-wing monoplane of inverted gull-wing configuration and with a twin fin-and-rudder tail unit, the Yer-2 had tail-wheel landing gear, the main units retracting into the nacelles of its two M-105 engines; accommodation was provided for a crew of four. The pilot’s cockpit was offset to port to improve his downward view and the navigator/bomb aimer sat in the extensively glazed nose with a 7.62-millimeter (0.300 in) ShKAS machine gun, the radio operator sat below and to starboard of the pilot and the dorsal gunner in a partially retractable turret with one 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) Berezin UBT machine gun. Another ShKAS was fitted in a ventral hatch. Up to 2,000 kg (4,409 lb) of bombs could be carried in the bomb bay and two 500-kilogram (1,102 lb) bombs could be carried externally. Up to 4,600 kg (10,141 lb) of fuel could be carried. The DB-240 had been designed to use the experimental Klimov M-106 V12 engines, but the less-powerful Klimov M-105 engine had to be substituted because the M-106 was not available.
The DB-240 prototype flew for the first time on 14 May 1940 and began its State acceptance tests on 27 September 1940. The weaker engines prevented the DB-240 from reaching its designed performance. It could only attain 445 km/h (277 mph) at 4,250 m (13,944 ft) instead of the expected 500 km/h (311 mph) at 6,000 meters (19,685 ft). Its defensive armament was deemed inadequate and other problems included an excessively long take-off run and engine defects. However, these did not offset its virtues of a heavy bomb load and long-range (4,100 kilometers (2,548 mi) carrying 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs). It was ordered into production at Factory No. 18, in Voronezh, as the Yermolayev Yer-2.
A second prototype followed in September, by which time preparations for mass production at Voronezh were in hand. Manufacture began in March 1941, with approximately 50 aircraft delivered by 22 June 1941. These aircraft were about 5–8 km/h (3.1–5.0 mph) slower than the prototype and their normal weight increased 1,220 kg (2,690 lb) to 12,520 kg (27,602 lb). Production was terminated in August to allow the factory to concentrate on the higher-priority Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. By July 1941, 128 examples of the DB-240 had been delivered under the designation Yermolayev Yer-2
A Yer-2 was modified with experimental Mikulin AM-37 engines, a reinforced undercarriage, armored seats for the navigator and gunner, and 12.7 mm UBT machine guns in place of its original ShKAS weapons. It first flew in July 1941 and was able to reach 505 km/h (314 mph) at 6,000 m (19,685 ft), but the range was reduced to (3,500 km (2,175 mi) carrying 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs. One significant problem with this version was the excessive take-off roll which hindered operations from grass airstrips. The engine was unreliable, however, and had cooling problems that the Mikulin OKB did not have the resources to resolve so it was cancelled in October when the factory was forced to evacuate from Moscow by the German advance.
The Charomskiy M-40F Diesel engine was also evaluated in a Yer-2 in 1941. This engine, like all Diesels, offered a greatly reduced fuel consumption compared to a standard gasoline-powered engine, but at a great penalty in weight. These engines increased the gross take-off weight to 13,500 kg (29,762 lb) which required the undercarriage to be reinforced and the wing area increased to keep the same wing loading. The M-40F-powered aircraft reached a maximum speed of 430 km/h (267 mph) at 6,050 m (19,849 ft). However, the M-40 was not yet ready for service use and the project was cancelled.
The cockpit was modified to accommodate two pilots side-by-side and the wing and tailplane areas were increased. The 12.7 mm UBT machine gun in the dorsal turret was replaced by a 20-millimeter (0.79 in) ShVAK cannon and the nose and ventral ShKAS machine guns were exchanged for 12.7 mm UBT machine guns. Up to 5,460 kg (12,037 lb) of fuel could be carried. The Yer-2/ACh-30B was placed into production at Factory No. 39 in Irkutsk at the end of 1943 and the first production aircraft was submitted to its State acceptance trials the following month. Some excess aircraft were converted as Yer-2ON VIP transports.
The Yer-2 was not in squadron service when Germany invaded on 22 June 1941, but the 420th and 421st Long-Range Bomber Regiments (Russian: Dahl’niy Bombardirovchnyy Aviapolk—DBAP) were formed shortly afterwards. However neither regiment flew any operational missions until later in the summer. On the evening of 10 August Yer-2s of the 420th DBAP, accompanied by Petlyakov Pe-8s of the 432nd DBAP, attempted to bomb Berlin from Pushkino Airfield near Leningrad. The airfield was too short to accommodate a fully loaded Yer-2, but three bombers did manage to take-off regardless. Two managed to bomb Berlin, or its outskirts, but only one successfully returned; the other was shot down by ‘friendly’ Polikarpov I-16s when it reentered Soviet airspace and the third aircraft went missing. Three crews from the 420th DBAP bombed Königsberg during the nights of 28–29 August and 30 August–1 September from Ramenskoye Airport, southeast of Moscow.
Yer-2 2M-105
On 1 October 1941 sixty-three Yer-2s were in service, but only thirty-four were operational. The 420th DBAP had flown 154 sorties by the beginning of November (6 in August, 81 in September, 67 in October) and had lost thirty of its forty aircraft. Over half of these (nineteen) were due to non-combat losses. Losses were extremely high over the autumn and winter as they were inappropriately committed against German tactical front-line targets during the Battle of Moscow at low altitudes and only twelve were in service on 18 March 1942. On 4 August 1942 the 747th DBAP had only ten Yer-2s on hand and it was briefly committed during the Battle of Stalingrad. The survivors were flown, in ever dwindling numbers, until August 1943 when the last few aircraft were transferred to schools by the 2nd Guards DBAP and the 747th DBAP.
The Yer-2 was placed back into production at the end of 1943, but none of the new bombers had been issued to combat units by 1 June 1944. However forty-two were in service on 1 January 1945 and one hundred and one on 10 May 1945 after the war ended. The first combat mission undertaken by Yer-2s after they returned to production was a raid on Königsberg on 7 April 1945 by the 327th and 329th Bomber Aviation Regiments (Russian: Bombardirovchnyy Aviatsionyy Polk). It remained in service with Long-Range Aviation units until replaced by four-engined bombers like the Tupolev Tu-4 in the late 1940s.
A Yer-20N special-purpose long-range transport version, which carried 18 passengers, was developed from the bomber.
DB-240 Two prototypes of the Yer-2 series with two 1,050 hp M-105 engines.
Yer-2 Production version with two M-105 engines, 128 built.
Yer-2/AM-37 One aircraft re-engined with two prototype 1,380 hp Mikulin AM-37 engines, the fastest of all Yer-2s.
Yer-2/M-40F The first diesel-powered Yer-2, with modified wings. One converted with two 1,500 hp Charomskiy M-40F diesel engines.
Yer-2/ACh-30B Production model of the diesel-engined version. Performance was excellent despite the poor reliability and rough running of the Charomskiy ACh-30B diesel engines. Range increased 1,500 km (930 mi) from the version with M-105 engines.
Yer-2ON (Russian: Osobogo Naznachyeniya–Special Assignment) Two aircraft from the Yer-2/ACh-30B production line were modified with a 12-seat VIP cabin, military equipment removed and long-range fuel tanks in the bomb-bay. A third aircraft was converted from a Yer-2 (1941 production) and used for shuttle flights between Irkutsk and Moscow.
Yer-2N (Russian: Nositel—Carrier) One aircraft was modified as an engine test-bed for captured Argus As 014 pulse jet engines.
Yer-2/MB-100 One production aircraft used as a test-bed for the 2,200 horsepower (1,600 kW) Dobrotvorskii MB-100 engine in 1945.
Yer-4 The final iteration of the Yer-2 series was a 1941 production aircraft re-engined with ACh-30BF engines and redesignated as the Yer-4. It had a slightly larger wingspan, increased take-off weight and improved armament. The prototype was tested in December 1943, but did not enter production.
Operators:
Soviet Union
VVS (Russian: Voyenno-Vozdooshnyye Seely—Soviet Air Forces)
ADD (Russian: Aviahtsiya Dahl’nevo Deystviya—Long Range Aviation) 420th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 748th Long-Range Bomber Aviation
Regiment 421st Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 747th Long-Range Bomber Aviation
Yer-2 Engine: 2 x M-105, 770kW Max take-off weight: 11300-13700 kg / 24912 – 30203 lb Max. speed: 445 km/h / 277 mph Cruise speed: 380 km/h / 236 mph Ceiling: 7500 m / 24600 ft Range w/max.fuel: 3000-4500 km / 1864 – 2796 miles Armament: 1 x 20mm machine-guns, 2 x 12.7mm machine-guns Bombload: 1000-5000kg Crew: 4
Yer-2/ACh-30B Engines: 2 × Charomskiy ACh-30B V12 diesel engines, 1,118 kW (1,500 hp) each Wingspan: 23 m (75 ft 5.5 in) Wing area: 79 sq.m (850 sq.ft) Length: 16.42 m (53 ft 10½ in) Height: 4.82 m (15 ft 10 in) Empty weight: 10,455 kg (23,049 lb) Gross weight: 18,580 kg (40,961 lb) Maximum speed: 420 km/h (261 mph) Range: 5,500 km (3,418 miles) Service ceiling: 7,200 m (23,620 ft) Crew: 4 Armament: 1 x 12.7 mm UBT machine-gun in nose flexible mount. 1 x 12.7 mm UBT machine-gun in ventral flexible mount. 1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon in a TUM-5 dorsal turret. Up to 5,000 kg (11,023 lb) of bombs in the internal bomb-bay.
Flown in prototype form in 1971, the Yak-38 was developed under the design leadership of S Mordovin for the primary tasks of fleet air defence against shadowing maritime surveillance aircraft, reconnaissance and anti-ship strike. Power plant combined a Yu Gusev-developed Tumansky R-27V thrust-vectoring turbojet with two Rybinsk (Koliesov) RD-36-35 vertical-lift turbojets designed by a team led by A Dynkin. Hydraulic drives synchronised by a transverse shaft rotated the thrust-vectoring nozzles aft of the wing, their output in vertical take-off and landing operations being balanced during hover and transition by the paired lift engines mounted in tandem immediately aft of the cockpit and inclined forward 13 degrees from the vertical.
Shipboard trials with the Yak-38 began aboard the Moskva half-deck anti-submarine cruiser in 1972, and, in the following year, the decision was taken to build a pre-series of Yak-38 fighters for service evaluation, the first two of these landing aboard the carrier-cruiser Kiev in 1975. An evaluation squadron comprising 12 single-seat Yak-38s and two two-seat Yak-36Us embarked aboard the Kiev in the summer of 1976, the aircraft being confined to vertical take-off with conversion following at 5-6m above the deck. During 1976, production was initiated of a much improved version of the basic design as the Yak-38.
Yak-38 aboard Kiev
Externally similar to the Yak-36M, apart from substantial strakes either side of the intake for the lift engines, the Yak-38 possessed a full weapons system and an automatic control system permitting a short roll leading into vertical take-off as distinct from an orthodox short take-off benefiting from wing-induced lift. Although intended only for vertical take-offs and landings, the ‘Forger’ had double-slotted flaps and a braking parachute. The Yak-38 entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1978, and, during 1980, was evaluated under operational conditions in Afghanistan. Progressive development resulted in the Yak-38M, which, with 1000kg more engine thrust, a steerable nosewheel and provision for paired 600-litre underwing auxiliary tanks, entered production in succession to the Yak-38. The Yak-38M had a 6940kg R-27V-300 thrust-vectoring turbojet and two vertical-lift RD-38 turbojets each rated at 3250kg. Two wing stations immediately inboard of vertically-folding panels provided for two gun pods each containing a twin-barrel 23mm GSh-23 cannon, rocket packs or bombs weighing up to 500kg each, two R-60 IR-homing AAMs or short-range ASMs. The tuitional version, the Yak-38UM, had vertically-staggered tandem seats, a plug being inserted in the aft fuselage to compensate for a lengthened nose. Each of the four Soviet Navy Kiev-class carrier cruisers received a 14-aircraft squadron of Yak-38s or -38Ms (each including two two-seaters), and production was completed by 1987 with a total of 231 Yak-38s (all versions) built. The ‘Forger’ had a system to automaticaliy eject the pilot if the engine stopped while the thrust was angled below the horizontal. On one occasion this occurred in full view of a British carrier, who rescued the pilot. Production of the Yak-38 Forger subsonic V/Stol shipborne fighter continued in 1987, to equip four Kiev-Class aircraft carriers. Each vessel carries 12 Forger As and two two-seat Forger Bs, which lack the ranging radar of the single-seat aircraft. Some 70 Yak-38s had been built by mid-1986. Photographs of Forger As executing rolling take-offs from the deck of a carrier appeared in 1984, ending all speculation that the aircraft was only capable of Vtol operations. Short take-off techniques will improve the Forger’s payload/range performance. The Yak-38 has no internal armament, but carries gun and rocket pods on four underwing hardpoints to a maximum load of approximately 3,600kg.
Yak-38 aboard Minsk
Yak-38 Forger A Engine: 1 x Lyuika AL-21F, 8160 kg / 17,989 lb thrust Lift engines: 2 x Koliesov ZM, 3750 kg / 7870 lb thrust Installed thrust (dry): 80 kN Span: 7.32 m / 24 ft 8.25 in Length: 15.50 m / 50 ft 10.5 in Height: 4.37 m / 14 ft 4 in Wing area: 18.50 sq.m / 199.14 sq ft Empty wt: 7385 kg / 16,281 lb MTOW VTOL: 11,700 kg / 25,794 lb MTOL STOL: 13,000 kg / 28,660 lb Warload: 1350 kg Max speed: Mach 0.95 / 1110 kph / 627 mph Initial ROC: 4500 m / min Ceiling: 12,000 m / 39,370 ft T/O run: VTOL Ldg run: VTOL Range: 740 km / 460 mi Combat radius: 370 km Fuel internal: 2900 lt Air refuel: No Hard points: 4 Bombload: 3600 kg / 7937 lb Seats: 1
Yak-38M Max take-off weight: 11700 kg / 25794 lb Wingspan: 7.32 m / 24 ft 0 in Length: 15.5 m / 51 ft 10 in Height: 4.37 m / 14 ft 4 in Wing area: 18.50 sq.m / 199.13 sq ft Max. speed: 1010 km/h / 628 mph
A light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft (NATO code name ‘Brewer’), and all weather fighter (NATO code name ‘Firebar’) and trainer (NATO code name ‘Maestro’). The Yakolev Yak-28P Firebar was a two-seater transonic all-weather twin-jet interceptor with a maximum speed of Mach 1.1 at 35,000 feet and a service ceiling of 55,000 feet. The Yak-28 first flew on 5 March 1958.
Possessing no more than a configurational similarity to preceding twin-engined Yakolev combat aircraft, the Yak-129 multi-role aircraft was first flown on 5 March 1958 in tactical attack bomber form. Powered by two Tumansky R-11AF-300 turbojets each rated at 5750kg with afterburning and 3880kg maximum military power, the Yak-129 had a shoulder-mounted wing swept back 63 degrees inboard of the engine nacelles and 44 degrees outboard. Although of zero-track arrangement as on the Yak-25 and -27, the undercarriage of the Yak-129 consisted of long-base twin-wheel units sharing aircraft weight almost equally.
Assigned the service designation Yak-28 and first shown publicly during the 1961 Aviation Day Display in Moscow, the first series version of the aircraft was the Yak-28B with an RBR-3 radar bombing system. This was followed by the Yak-28I and -28L tactical attack aircraft, differing in avionic equipment, which were joined under test during 1960 by the Yak-28P dedicated all-weather interceptor fighter. This featured tandem cockpits for the two crew members and was intended for low- and medium-altitude operation with an Orel-D radar and one beam-riding and one radar-homing R-30 (K-8M) AAM. The Yak-28P entered IA-PVO service during the winter of 1961-62.
The Yak 28 series, comprising the Brewer bomber in addition to the Firebar intercepter, was substantially larger and more powerful than its predecessor. Area ruling was adopted for the fuselage and the wing, of increased area, carried 50 degrees of sweepback on the inboard leading edge. Firebar is powered by a pair of Tumansky R 11 turbojets, the power of which has progressively been uprated since the aircraft entered service. Late production versions are powered by variants rated at an estimated 4600 kg (10140 lb) of dry thrust each, or 6200 kg (13670 lb) with afterburning.
The major differences from the Brewer, which was developed in parallel, lay in the forward fuselage. A radome replaced Brewer’s glazed nose, and the windscreen of the two crew cockpit was, along with the forward undercarriage leg, mounted some 76.2 cm (2.5 ft) further forward in the intercepter version. The internal weapons bay fitted to Brewer was deleted from the intercepter, and Firebar’s lengthened fuselage was later also adopted for the strike variant. A longer and more pointed radome was fitted to later production Firebars. Firebar is fitted with an X band Skip Spin search and fire control radar operated by the rear crew member.
Standard armament comprises four AA 3 Anab air to air missiles, two of which use infrared guidance while the other pair employ semi active radar homing. A Yak 28P has been displayed with one Anab and one AA 2 Atoll under each wing, but this is thought to have been only an experimental installation. Firebar had by 1978 been mainly replaced by the Flagon E variant of the Sukhoi Su 15.
Brewer
Progressive upgrading resulted in R-11AF-2-300 engines uprated to 3950kg and 6120kg with afterburning, and enclosed by forward-lengthened nacelles, a longer, sharply-pointed radome housing an upgraded radar and affording lower supersonic drag and reduced erosion, and an additional stores station beneath each wing permitting two short-range dogfight IR missiles to be carried. With all these changes incorporated the designation was changed to Yak-28PM. With further upgrading, the fighter was evaluated as the Yak-28PD, but this suffered high-speed aileron reversal during trials, and by the time that this problem had been overcome production of the Yak-28P was phasing out, terminating in 1967 with limited production of the Yak-28PP electronic warfare version. Production of the fighter totalled 437 aircraft.
Yak-28P Span: 12.5 m (41 ft) Length: 22 m (72 ft 2.25 in) Gross weight: 18500 kg (40785 lb) Maximum speed: Mach 1.15 (all figures estimated)
Yak-28PM Max take-off weight: 15700 kg / 34613 lb Wingspan: 11.64 m / 38 ft 2 in Length: 20.65 m / 68 ft 9 in Max. speed: 1890 km/h / 1174 mph Ceiling: 16000 m / 52500 ft Range: 2630 km / 1634 miles
In 1955, the Yakolev OKB flew the prototype of a light tactical bomber, the Yak-26, which, evolved from the Yak-25, embodied aerodynamic refinement and was powered by two Tumansky RD-9AK turbojets each rated at 3250kg with afterburning. During test, the Yak-26 achieved 1235km/h at 3000m, or Mach = 1.05, but suffered from serious instability at high attack angles, development consequently being discontinued in favour of a tandem two-seat all-weather fighter, the Yak-27, as a potential successor to the Yak-25. Similarly powered to the Yak-26 and flown in 1956, the Yak-27 featured extended wing root leading edges increasing sweepback inboard of the engine nacelles to 62 degrees, and a sharply pointed nose radome to reduce drag and lessen rain erosion. Armament remained paired 37mm N-37L cannon, but provision was made to supplement this with two RS-2U beam-riding AAMs. Parallel development was undertaken of a tactical reconnaissance aircraft, the Yak-27R, which accommodated the navigator in a pointed, glazed nose. Recurrence of the instability problems that had afflicted the Yak-26 led to major redesign of the wing, broader-chord outer panels being introduced and the tips were extended beyond the outriggers which were enclosed by streamlined under-wing blisters. The Yak 27P was dubbed Flashlight C on its appearance at the Tushino Soviet Aviation Day in 1956.
Series production of the Yak-27 fighter was not undertaken – although 180 examples of the Yak-27R were built – but a single-seat mixed-power development, the Yak-27V, underwent extensive evaluation. Intended as a high-altitude interceptor and first flown in May 1957, the Yak-27V was powered by two RD-9Ye turbojets with an afterburning thrust of 3800kg each and a tail-mounted Dushkin S-155 bi-fuel rocket motor of 1300kg. Basic armament remained two 37mm cannon. The Yak-27V attained zoom altitudes of up to 25000m during a test programme that continued for two years, but the disbandment of the Dushkin OKB and a loss of interest in rocket propulsion resulted in termination of the programme.
Max take-off weight: 11340 kg / 25001 lb Wingspan: 11.90 m / 39 ft 1 in Length: 16.76 m / 55 ft 0 in Height: 4.05 m / 13 ft 3 in Max. speed: 1150 km/h / 715 mph Ceiling: 15250 m / 50050 ft Range: 3000 km / 1864 miles
In 1955, the Yakolev OKB flew the prototype of a light tactical bomber, the Yak-26, which, evolved from the Yak-25, embodied aerodynamic refinement and was powered by two Tumansky RD-9AK turbojets each rated at 3250kg with afterburning. During test, the Yak-26 achieved 1235km/h at 3000m, or Mach = 1.05, but suffered from serious instability at high attack angles, development consequently being discontinued in favour of a tandem two-seat all-weather fighter, the Yak-27
In the summer of 1951, the NKAP issued a requirement for an all-weather interceptor fighter possessing sufficient internal fuel capacity to mount standing patrols of up to 2.5 hours duration and capable of accommodating a large, new radar. This supplanted an earlier requirement to which the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-320 and Lavochkin La-200 had been evolved. The new radar, known as the Sokol (Falcon), had a 80cm diameter dish, three different scan modes and an installed mass weight of almost 500kg. To meet this new requirement, the Lavochkin and Yakolev OKBs respectively developed the La-200B and Yak-120. The latter, an all-metal stressed-skin tandem two-seater, was powered by a pair of small-diameter Mikulin AM-5A turbojets each rated at 2200kg / 4850-lb and hung beneath a wing swept back 45 degrees at quarter chord and carrying some 3 degrees of anhedral, and mounted in full-mid position. The undercarriage was of zero-track type, with wingtip-housed outrigger stabilisers, and armament comprised two 37mm N-37L cannon with their barrels accommodated in external fairings beneath the fuselage.
From 1957 the Mikulin AM 5 turbojets were replaced in the definitive Yak 25F by Tumansky RD 9s of 2600 kg (5730 lb) thrust, increasing the maximum speed.
The first of three Yak-120 prototypes was flown on 19 June 1952, State acceptance testing paralleling construction of a pre-series of 20 aircraft for avionics development and, commencing late 1953, service evaluation. With ballast equivalent in weight to the Sokol radar – which did not attain service status until late 1955 – the Yak-120 had a loaded weight of 9220kg, series production commencing late 1953 as the Yak-25 with RD-9 turbojets each rated at 2630kg. Confusing repetition of the “Yak-25” designation resulted from its initial use as an OKB appellation and subsequent use by the NKAP as an official and sequential designation, the previous Yakolev service fighter having been the Yak-23. The Yak-25 was assigned primarily to defence sectors in the Far North of the USSR, production being completed in 1958 after the delivery of 480 aircraft and service phase-out taking place in the mid ‘sixties.
The production programme took the type right through toward the end of the 1960s in role-differentiated models designated Yak-25, Yak-26 and Yak-27 with swept wings and on the Yak-25RD high-altitude reconnaisance version with straight wings.
The intercepter was codenamed Flashlight-A by NATO’s Air Standards Coordinating Committee, Flashlight B being a reconnaissance variant developed concurrently for service with the Soviet air force’s frontal aviation or tactical air arm.
A tactical reconnaissance derivative with the navigator accommodated in a glazed nose was built in 1953 as the Yak-125, but was not produced in series owing to prior adoption of the IL-28R. Other derivatives of the basic design were the Yak-25L ejection-seat test bed with individual cockpits, and the Yak-25RV long-range high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft.
The Yak 25R carried the second crew member in a pointed glazed nose instead of behind the pilot, and armament was reduced from the intercepter’s pair of 37 mm (1.46 in) NR 37 cannon to a single 23 mm (0.90 in) weapon in the right-hand side of the forward fuselage.
Engines: 2 x Klimov VK-5, 8820 lb thrust Max take-off weight: 10900 kg / 24031 lb Wingspan: 11.00 m / 36 ft 1 in Length: 15.67 m / 51 ft 5 in Height: 4.32 m / 14 ft 2 in Wing area: 28.94 sq.m / 311.51 sq ft Max speed: 1090 km/h / 677 mph Cruise speed: 820 km/h / 510 mph Ceiling: 13900 m / 45600 ft Range: 2730 km / 1696 miles Armament: 2 x 37m cannon
Soviet rotorcraft development was suspended during World War 2, and it was not until late summer 1952 that the USSR made its first major effort to close the design gap between itself and the USA in regard to large transport helicopters. In response to order of Stalin at a Kremlin meeting autumn 1951, two basic projects were selected, the first, for a 12-passenger machine of single main rotor configuration, being assigned to the Mil design bureau. The second, entrusted to the bureau headed by Aleksandir S. Yakolev, was for a twin-engined, tandem-rotor machine capable of seating 24 passengers. Prototype flights of both types were required to take place within one year.
Mil had already prepared suitable design, and Yak gained permission to use essentially same main rotor and drive from similar engine, merely doubling up to use two engine rotor systems at ends of boxcar fuselage. Yak assembled a large team including Erlikh, veteran helicopter man N.Skrzhinskii, P.D.Samsonov (famed flying-boat designer who had long managed Yak prototype dept), L.Shekhter, L.S.Vil’dgrub and many other well-known engineers. The plan was to build four four Yak-24, already called LV (Letayushchii Vagon, flying wagon), two for static and resonance test and two for flight. Yakolev was promised “unlimited support” for the rush programme.
A S Yakolev has described how, in autumn 1951, he and other designers were called to the Kremlin and told by Stalin to create two helicopters, one to carry a useful load of 1,200kg or twelve armed infantry and the other just twice as much, prototypes to be ready in one year. It was to be a ‘crash programme’, with ‘unlimited support’ from the national research institutes. Nobody was eager, but eventually Mikhail L Mil agreed to tackle the smaller machine and Yakolev the larger, Yakolev having the idea of simply using tandem rotors based on those of the Mil’ design.
Designing the Yak-24 started in December 1951. Though the first prototype was built extremely quickly, this programme was to prove more protracted than any previous endeavour by the OKB. Including later versions the chief engineers comprised I A Erlikh (the original leader) and P P Brylin, Yu I Orlov, V P Lashkov, G I Rumyantsev and G I Ogarkov.
Mil, with CIAM, CAHI and other organizations, including Shvetsov’s engine KB, developed the rotor and its drive system. The engine was the ASh-82V, a special helicopter version of the fourteen-cylinder radial used in some Yak fighter prototypes. Rated at l,430hp, and with 1,700hp available for takeoff, it was developed with a cooling fan and centrifugal clutch and cleared to operate in any attitude. It was decided to install the front engine between the cockpit and cabin at an angle of 60deg to drive the gearbox under the front rotor. The rear engine was installed in the normal attitude in the base of an enormous rear fin which formed the pylon for the rear rotor, driving through a 90deg bevel gearbox.
The rotors had fully articulated hubs made of D16 and steel, with drag and flapping hinges and friction dampers. In fact, the rotor was not identical to that of the Mi-4, and indeed later Mil enlarged his rotor by using Yakolev’s longer blades. The four blades were tapered, with NACA-230 profile, based on a 30KhGSA spar with ply ribs and skin covered in varnished fabric, with tracking adjusted by a tab on the trailing edge near the tip. The fabric was replaced by a steel rotor with a metal skin on the production models. The rotors turned at 178 rpm in opposite directions, the rear rotor being a mirror image of the front rotor which it over-sailed. The gearboxes were linked by a torque shaft so that flight could just be maintained on one engine. Each engine was geared to drive one or both rotors. Unfortunately this arrangement, although intended as a precaution against failure of either engine, created the problem of ‘sympathetic’ vibration. From the outset, vibration hampered the Yak-24’s development.
The boxcar fuselage was based on a truss of welded KhGS A tube, originally fabric-covered, then skinned with unstressed Dl panels covering the engine bays, rotor pylons and fin, and by fabric elsewhere. Each engine was housed in a fire-resistant bay with large apartures for cooling air, those for the rear engine being forward-facing open inlets beside the fin leading edge. Each engine had its own fuel tank. At the front was the fully glazed cockpit for two pilots and a radio operator/engineer, with a sliding door on each side and a rear door to the engine compartment, through which a narrow passage led to the main cabin. Aluminium plank cargo floor with full-section access via rear ramp/door; passenger door forward on left side.
Rear rotor mounted on top of vertical fin (TE curved to right to give side-thrust to left in flight) with drive from engine installed in normal horizontal attitude at base of fin, with open cooling-air inlets each side of fin and clearance under engine for vehicles and other cargo on ramp. High-speed connecting shaft to front rotor, mirror-image with rotation anti-clockwise seen from above, driven by engine at 60° angle between cockpit and cabin. Nose cockpit for two pilots, radio-operator and engineer, entirely glazed with aft-sliding door each side and sliding door(s) at rear giving restricted access past engine to main compartment. This measured 10m long, the cross section being 2m square with intended accommodation for up to 40 troops on canvas wall seats or light vehicles or 4t cargo, with crane operation using central hook on underside of fuselage. There were six windows on each side, one being in a door, and at the back was a full-width ramp door through which shallow loads such as a GAZ-69 ‘Jeep’ could be moved under the rear engine on to the floor of aluminium planks. Four similar levered-suspension wheel landing gears, each normally castoring +/-30 deg, on rigid welded steel-tube outriggers. The track was 5m.
Two flying prototypes completed, and two others were built for static and dynamic testing. While numerous establishments tested complete engine/rotor rigs, blade fatigue and truss structure of fuselage, first flight article readied spring 1952 and began 300 hr endurance test with wheels tied down. Vibration in evidence from start, and usually severe. With greater experience OKB might have recognised a fundamental N1 main-rotor mode and altered critical dimension. As it was, at 178th hour, rear engine tore free from fatigued mounts, machine being destroyed by fire. Second flying article, ie, 4th airframe, finally began tethered flight piloted by Sergei Brovtsev and Yegor Milyutchyev 3 July 1952. Hops at partial power were followed by full-power flights, when vibration reared its head dangerously. Five months by every available expert found no cure; then Yakolev personally ordered 0.5m cut off each main-rotor blade, reducing diameter from 21m to 20m. This effected immediate great improvement. No.4 aircraft delivered for NII test Oct 1953, but destroyed when tethers snapped during ground running. OKB delivered improved aircraft with numerous mods including modified tail with no fins but braced tailplanes with dihedral 45°. This finally passed NII April 1955 and production began at GAZ in Leningrad. With official tests completed on later prototypes, production began in April 1955, and only four months later evaluation aircraft were demonstrated at Tushino airport during the Soviet Aviation Day display. The first four pre-series Yak-24 (visibly not all identical) flew at Tushino, Aug 1955.
Final development work on the aircraft was extremely long and complex and full-scale production for the armed forces began in 1955, about 30 months behind schedule.
Series version had strengthened floor with tracks for vehicles, tie-down rings, attachments for pillars carrying 18 stretchers, full radio and night equipment and facilities for field servicing. Normal max load 20 armed troops or 3t.
The early Yak-24’s featured a Vee tailplane, but later production examples had rectangular endplate fins on a horizontal tailplane, and both have been seen with and without a narrow auxiliary rudder.
Production was ordered at a Leningrad factory, where thirty-five were built for the VVS in 1956-58. These were painted in dark green camouflage, and except for the first few had larger tailplanes with dihedral reduced to 20deg carrying large endplate fins set at an angle of 3deg 30′ to give the required thrust to the left in cruising flight, the tail end no longer being curved to the right. They had full equipment for loading and securing vehicles and other cargo up to a maximum of 3,000kg. Canvas wall seats were provided for twenty troops, with racks for weapons and equipment, with pillar sockets for eighteen stretchers accompanied by an attendant. A three-tonne load could also be slung from a central hook, but on 17 December 1955 Milyutichev carried an overload of four tonnes to 2,092m. On the same day G A Tinyakov set a second world record in the same prototype by taking 2,000kg to 5,032m.
At an air display in Moscow in July 1956 the Yak 24 made its first appearance.
Yak-24U (Uluchshennyi, improved) flew Dec 1957 with numerous mods resulting from prolonged research. Rotor blade length unchanged but diameter restored by adding long tubular tie at root. Side-thrust at tail reduced by canting axes of rotors 2°30′ (front to right,, rear to left), so curved rear of fin removed. Fuselage frame strengthened, metal skinned throughout and cabin increased in width 0.4m. Flight-control system fitted with two-axis autostab and autopilot of limited authority, developed within OKB. External slung load attached to winch in roof of cabin with large door in floor. Rear landing gear oleos changed in rate to eliminate last vestiges of ground resonance, and other minor changes including revised fuel system.
In production GAZ-33 early 1959, though halted at No 40. This variant could at last lift 40 troops or 3.5t and at least some production machines had tailplane dihedral 0°.
In January 1958 a complete three-axis autostabilization system was cleared for service and retrofitted to each helicopter. This dramatically improved stability and control, making hands off hovering possible. The USAF called this helicopter ‘Type 38’, later replaced by the ASCC name ‘Horse’.
Initial Yak-24 production was undertaken on behalf of the Aviatsya Vozdushno-Desantnich Voisk (Aviation of the Airborne Troops), in which configuration the aircraft could accommodate up to 40 fully-equipped troops according to range. Other typical loads of the “Letayuchiy Vagon” (Flying Wagon), as it was quickly dubbed, include 18 casualty litters, 2 anti-tank guns, 2 GAZ-69 command vehicles or 3 M-20 staff cars. In 1958 the Yak-24U became the standard military model, with all-metal rotor blades and fuselage skin, the revised tail configuration already mentioned, and the rotors restored to the original 21.00m diameter.
Yak-24U This Uluchskennyi (improved) helicopter was completed in December 1957, and tested from January 1958. The rotor blade spars were connected to the hub by oval-section steel tie rods at the root, restoring rotor diameter to the original design value. The axes of the rotors were canted 2deg 30′, the front hub tilted to the right and the rear to the left, so that the entire tail could be redesigned for minimum drag without the need to generate side thrust. Avionics included a two-axis autostabilization system and limited-authority autopilot developed mainly within the OKB. The fuselage truss was strengthened and increased in width by 0.4m and made slightly higher, and metal-skinned throughout. The external slung load rating was increased to 3,500kg, and the cable passed through a large floor hatch to a winch in the roof of the cabin. The rear landing oleos were modified to eliminate any tendency to resonance (now a better understood phenomenon), and later the fuel system was improved and the capacity significantly increased. This prototype could carry thirty-seven armed troops, but its main use was as a crane, putting roof trusses on the Pushkin (Ekaterinskii) palace and carrying gas pipes from Serpukhov to Leningrad over impassable marsh.
One example built by 1960 of Yak-24A (designation from Aeroliniya, airline) similar to late Yak-24U with horizontal tailplane and latest avionics but with comfortable civil interior for 30 passenger seated 2+1. Continious glazing down sides of fuselage, compartment for 300kg baggage and the rear freight door eliminated. Appeared in Aeroflot markings though never in service. The passenger door on the left was fitted with fold-down steps, and the cabin was fitted with larger windows.
Aeroflot (the Russian state airline) evaluated the Yak-24A commercial version, but turned it down. The Yak-24A can also be operated as a freighter or flying crane, being able to lift an external sling load of 5000kg. It also rejected the 1960 Yak-24K deluxe short fuselage version for 8-9 passengers. The fuselage was shortened, fitted with even bigger windows, improved soundproofing and heating and an electrically-operated airstairs, and luxuriously furnished for nine passengers. The Yak-24P for 39 passengers, with two 1500shp Isotov turbines mounted above the cabin was never built.
The Yak-24UB, flown in December 1957, included many design improvements and was placed in production from 1959, about 50 being delivered; this version could carry 40 fully equipped troops or up to 3500kg of cargo.
This type resulted from an October 1946 requirement, and as one of the bureau’s first all-metal stressed-skin designs was based on a “stepped” fuselage with the RD-500 engine (in essence a British unit, the Rolls-Royce Derwent V centrifugal-flow turbojet, built in the USSR) located in the forward fuselage and ex¬hausting below the fuselage in line with the cockpit and trailing edges of the unswept wing. This kept the engine installation as short as possible, and so avoided the efficiency losses associated with a long jetpipe. The Yak-23 possessed wing and horizontal tail surfaces similar to those of the Yak-19, and was intended to fulfil a requirement for a lightweight day interceptor capable of operating from existing fields. The first of three prototypes of the Yak-23, which were of all-metal stressed-skin construction and powered by imported Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojets, was flown on 17 June 1947. Seen as something of a back-up for the very much more advanced Nene-engined fighters with wing sweep-back then under development, the Yak-23 proved itself an outstandingly agile warplane. NATO code name Flora. Manufacturer’s trials were completed on 12 September 1947. State Acceptance testing had been successfully completed before the year’s end and series production began in the late spring of 1948. The series Yak-23 was powered by a Soviet copy of the Derwent known as the RD-500 – a designation derived from GAZ-500, the factory in which the engine was produced – and rated at 1590kg. Its armament consisted of two 23mm NS-23 (later NR-23) cannon. Deliveries to the V-VS began early in 1949, by which time the first production examples of the MiG-15 had already flown. In consequence, only two V-VS regiments reportedly re-equipped (from the Yak-17) with the Yak-23, which was quickly released for export. Twelve were delivered to Czechoslovakia during 1950 (and there assigned the designation S101) and the supply of some 95 to Poland began late that year, while, in 1951, 12 each were delivered to Romania and Bulgaria. Both Czechoslovakia and Poland were to have licence-built the Yak-23 but, in the event, manufactured the MiG-15, and Soviet production of the Yakolev type terminated in 1950 with 310 built.
One example was converted by the OKB as a tandem two-seat conversion trainer (Yak-23UTI), this first being flown in the spring of 1949. One Yak-23 was rebuilt as a tandem two-seater in Romania, but the type had given place to the MiG-15 in all Warsaw Pact air forces by the mid ’50s.
Bulgarian Yak-23
Principal versions – Yak-23 (basic fighter model) and Yak-23UTI (two seat conversion trainer whose production is unconfirmed). Principal users – Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, USSR, and possibly other Warsaw Pact countries.
Engine: one 3,505-lb (1,590-kg) thrust RD-500 turbojet Wing span 28 ft 7.75 in (8.37 m) Length 26 ft 7.75 in (8.12 m) Wing area 145.32 sq ft (13.50 sq.m) Height: 10.827 ft / 3.31 m Empty weight 4,409 lb (2,000 kg) Maximum take-off weight 7,460 lb (3,384 kg) Maximum speed 606 mph (975 kph) Initial climb rate 9,252 ft (2,820 m) per minute Service ceiling 48,555 ft (14,800 m) Range 746 miles (1,200 km) Armament: two 23-mm cannon Bombload two 132-lb (60-kg) Crew: 1
Development of the Yakolev Yak-18 by Aleksandr Sergei Yakolev started during the Second World War. During the closing stages of the War, the Yak-18 tandem two-seat primary trainer appeared, entering service with Soviet training elements in 1946. Since the Yak-18 has been progressively developed and has remained in continuous production for over forty years.
The initial Yak-18 tandem two-seat version was powered by the 160 hp M-11 engine in a “helmeted” cowling and tailwheel landing gear.
The Yak-18U featured a tricycle landing gear (the main units which retracted forward) and a lengthened front fuselage.
The Yak-18A was a development of the Yak-18U with a 260 hp AI-14R (later 300 hp AI-14RF) engine, NACA-type cowling, enlarged canopy, and dorsal fin extension.
The Yak-18P single seat development of the -18A was built in two versions. One with the cockpit aft of the wing and forward retracting main wheels. The other with the cockpit over the wing and inward retracting main wheels. There was a fuel system for 5 minutes of inverted flight and longer span ailerons.
The Yak-18PM single seat aerobatic version was produced for the 1966 World Aerobatic Championships was powered by an AI-14RF engine and featured reduced dihedral, and the cockpit further aft than the -18P.
Yak-18PM
The Yak-18PS was similar to the -18PM but with tailwheel landing gear.
Evolved from Yak-18, the Yak-18T has an extensively redesigned cabin, a new fuselage centre section, and a new wing centre section and an increased wing span. The aircraft was designed by the Yakolev Design Bureauas as a multi-role light transport aircraft. The Yak-18T was noticed first in 1967 and over 200 aircraft were built. Production initially ceased in 1989, but was resumed by the Smolensk Aircraft Factory in 1993. While primarily used for training Aeroflot pilots, the Yak-18T was widely used for more generalised flight training, air ambulance and light transport. The Yak-18T is equipped with a 269kW / 300 hp Ivchenko Vedeneyev AI-14RF nine cylinder, air-cooled engine. The 400 hp Vedeneyev M-14P 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine can also be fitted.
Yak-18T
NATO code name ‘Max’, both the 18PM and 18PC had 300 hp Ivchenko AI14RF engines. The Yakolev Yak-18T is aerobatic-capable, with an inward retractable tricycle landing gear.
Yak-18 Engine: M-11FR, 160 hp / 118kW Max take-off weight: 1112 kg / 2452 lb Empty weight: 810 kg / 1786 lb Wingspan: 10.6 m / 35 ft 9 in Length: 8.0 m / 26 ft 3 in Height: 2.2 m / 7 ft 3 in Wing area: 17.0 sq.m / 182.99 sq ft Max. speed: 248 km/h / 154 mph Ceiling: 4000 m / 13100 ft Range: 1015 km / 631 miles Crew: 2
Yak-18U Seats: 2
Yak-18A Engine: 260 hp AI-14R Seats: 2
Yak-18A Engine: 300 hp AI-14RF Seats: 2
Yak-18P Seats: 1
Yak-18PM Engine: Ivchenko AI-14RF, 300 hp Wingspan: 34 ft 9.25 in / 10.60 m Length: 27 ft 4.75 in / 8.35 m MTOW: 2425 lb / 1100 kg Max level speed: 173 kt / 199 mph / 320 kph ROC SL: 970 fpm / 600 m/min Range max fuel: 217 nm / 250 mi / 400 km Seats: 1
All Aero 