Vefim Gordon and Dmitriy Khazanov

Vakovlev's
.Piston-Engined
Fighters

Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Khazanov

Original translation by Sergey Komissarov

Midland Publishing
Yakovlev's Piston-Engined Fighters
© 2002 Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Khazanov Contents
ISBN 1 85780 140 7
© 2002 Midland Publishing
Design concept and layout
Introduction 3
by Polygon Press Ltd. (Moscow,Russia)
Published by Midland Publishing Colour artwork © Sergey Yershov
1. The Yak-1 - Yakovlev's First Fighter ..... 5
4 Watling Drive, Hinckley, LE10 3EY, England Line drawings © Aleksey Alyoshin
Tel: 01455254490 Fax: 01455254495 2. The Yak-7 - The First Derivative. . .. 41
E-mail: midlandbooks@compuserve.com This book is illustrated with photos 3. The Yak-9 - The Private of the Skies .... 61
from the archives of Yefim Gordon,
4. The Yak-3 - The Last of the Line. . 103
Midland Publishing is an imprint of the A. S.Yakovlev Design Bureau and
Ian Allan Publishing Ltd the Russian Aviation Research Trust 5. Yaks Abroad. . 129
Data tables. . . . . . . . .. . . . 135
Worldwide distribution (except North America): Printed in England by
Colour drawings. . . . . . . .. .. . ... 137
Midland Counties Publications Ian Allan Printing Ltd
4 Watling Drive, Hinckley, LE10 3EY, England Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Road,
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Title page: A mid-production Yak-1 flown by M. V. Avdeyev (Hero of the Soviet Union), then a squadron commander with the 8th Fighter Regiment of the Black
Sea Fleet Air Arm. He went on to become CO of the 6th Guards Fighter Regiment.
Below: Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Arm pilots L. P. Savkin and I. P. Koocherov sit in their Yak-1 bs on quick-reaction alert.

___ -L
i
Introduction

Just like in other countries, development of for his M-105 engine a layout permitting the a talented designer but also a production
aviation in the Soviet Union did not proceed at installation of a cannon that would require no process organiser well versed in the capabi-
an even pace. Years and even decades of synchronisation; it could be fired irrespective lities and problems of the Soviet aircraft
calm, evolutionary development were at of the engine's rpm. industry. All the Yaks proved to be cheap and
times superseded by a revolutionary rush for- The aircraft, as well as the subsequent well adapted to quantity production; they
ward. The latter was usually understood to types and versions created in the course of could easily be manufactured by unskilled
imply aviation's transition to a qualitatively the war years, was of mixed construction, fea- labour and did not require the use of strategic
new level. Thus, the advent of monoplanes turing a tubular truss fuselage with plywood materials which might be scarce. They could
supplanting biplanes, and the emergence of and fabric skinning, the welded engine mount also be flown by pilots of very modest skills
jet-powered aircraft were accompanied by a being an integral part of the fuselage; mated who had undergone hasty training during the
radical improvement of flight performance, in to it were wooden wings which initially were harsh war years.
particular, by a dramatic increase of maxi- built in one piece. The monoplane fighter had In comparison with the sophisticated all-
mum speed. many features that were novel for its time - for metal Mustangs with their excellent aerody-
j In late 1930s and early 1940s Soviet avia- example, the armament comprising cannons namics and monobloc wings, the multi-role
tion was undoubtedly passing through a peri- and machine-guns, cantilever tail surfaces, a Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs, the Yaks
od of sweeping changes. Realising that the retractable undercarriage, a variable-pitch were less resistant to combat damage. But
Soviet Union was qualitatively lagging behind propeller etc. At the same time, even at the they proved to be very amenable exactly for
the countries holding the leading positions in moment of its emergence this kind of airframe the type of war that came to be waged at the
world aircraft and aero engine construction, could not be considered either advanced or Soviet front when the main efforts of aviation
the Soviet government demanded that air- innovative. Nevertheless, these aircraft had a were devoted to support of ground troops
craft of considerably improved performance happy fate, as it turned out. and aerial combat usually took place at low
be urgently developed and placed in series In the course of their quantity production and medium altitudes.
production. Such aircraft were created within the Yaks underwent continuous aerodynamic This accounts for the fact that series pro-
the shortest time possible. Vladimir refinement; steps were taken to improve the duction of Yakovlev fighters undertaken by six
Mikha"ilovich Petlyakov's bombers, Sergey view from the cockpit; new, more deadly factories (not counting two machines assem-
Vladimirovich II'yushin's attack aircraft, fight- weapons were introduced. Not so successful bled by a seventh factory) totalled 35,737
ers created by Semyon Alekseyevich La- was the work on the installation of more pow- machines of different models; of these, 449
vochkin and Aleksandr Sergeyevich Yakovlev erful engines, and in production one had, for were built during the first half of 1941 and
were produced in numbers running into thou- the most part, to make do with this or that ver- 1,927 machines were completed after the end
sands, featuring dozens, if not hundreds, of sion of the baseline M-1 05 production engine. of the war in Europe.
different versions. It was these machines that Austere equipment, especially measured by
made up the bulk of the Red Army Air Force the standard of Western countries, was char-
inventory in the period between 1941 and acteristic of virtually all Yakovlev fighters; this Left: Vladimir P. Yatsenko's 1-28 experimental
1
1945. applied primarily to gunsights, radio equip- fighter during State acceptance trials at Nil WS.
Chief Designer A. S. Yakovlev created the ment and mechanisms intended to reduce
Right: Appropriately serialled 21 Red, Mikhail M.
prototype of his Yak-1 fighter in close co- the pilot's workload in flight. Pashinin's 1-21 fighter prototype is seen here
operation with aero-engine designer Vladimir In designing and developing his aircraft during manufacturer's flight tests. These two
Yakovlevich Klimov who consciously chose Aleksandr S. Yakovlev proved to be not only aircraft were unlucky competitors of the 1-26.

3
Above: The first prototype Mikoyan/Gurevich 1-200 (the future MiG-1 interceptor) wore a red lightning flash on the fuselage and had an enclosed cockpit.
Below: The unpainted third prototype 1-200. Like the other two, it was devoid of national insignia; note the open cockpit.

o.

Above: The cherry-red and highly-polished Lavochkin/Gorboonov/Goodkov 1-301, the first prototype of the LaGG-3.

4
 Chapter 1

j The Yak·1
Vakovlev's First Fighter
1-26 Prototype Fighters
The 1-26 aircraft (the I stood for istrebitel' - all employees of the design bureau were fully forward fuselage housing the engine had
fighter) occupies a special place in Aleksandr aware of its importance. After all, the success duralumin skinning, while the aft fuselage had
S. Yakovlev's creative activities as a designer. or failure of the 'firstling' would seriously affect a fabric skin supported by a lining consisting
The military customers had good reasons to the destinies of the other machines. Yet the of light planks. The wings featuring a Clark-YH
voice many complaints and criticisms con- 1-26 was born in greater pains than its stable- airfoil section were a one-piece unit, with no
cerning this machine, especially in 1940- mates. This was quite natural; after all, the provision for detaching the outer panels, and
1942. Nevertheless, this fighter had a happy badly needed experience in matters pertain- were of wooden construction. Duralumin was
fate. It was put into large-scale production ing to the construction of a modern high- used in the construction of the tail unit, aile-
and became the progenitor of a family of pis- speed fighter was being acquired in the rons (which had fabric skinning) and flaps.
ton-engined fighters (the Yak-7, Yak-9 and process of the design work. Many parts and units featured a basically
Yak-3) that achieved worldwide renown. Yakovlev appointed K. Sinel'shchikov, a new design and had experimental status.
While retaining the baseline type's general young engineer, as chief project engineer for These included the future fighter's 'heart' -
appearance, it included no less than 60 pro- the 1-26. Under his direction design work on the engine. It was envisaged that that the pro-
totype and series-produced versions. the new machine started in May 1939; nearly totype would be powered by the M-106 high-
By the beginning of 1939 Yakovlev's team eight months later, the prototype was com- altitude engine of increased output; this
had accumulated considerable experience. pleted and rolled out of the Experimental would enable the 1-26 to attain a maximum
Six years earlier he had been granted pro- Plant's assembly shop. This time frame could speed of 620 km/h (385 mph) at altitude, the
duction facilities in Moscow; gradually they not be considered overly prolonged, bearing landing speed being 120 km/h (74.6 mph).
were built up into the Experimental Plant No. in mind the fact thatthe production facility was The service ceiling was estimated at 11 ,000 to
115. It was at this plant that Yakovlev had built a converted factory that had previously man- 12,000 m (36,080 to 39,360 ft), and it was
his trainer monoplanes: the AIR-9, -10, -12, ufactured beds; in mid-1939 only 44 machine-
-15, -16, -18, -14, and -20 which could be tools were available for the work on the
classed as high-speed aircraft by the stan- fighter. By the beginning of 1939 the Design
dards of those days. The latter two types were Bureau had 45 engineers and 152 workers on
built in large numbers and designated UT-1 its payroll.
and UT-2 respectively. One more aircraft, the The fighter that emerged served as the
twin-engined AIR-17 trainer, was scheduled prototype for all the numerous subsequent
for series production under the designation versions which basically repeated the original
UT-3. Finally, before starting design work on type. In its layout the 1-26 was a single-seat
fighters, the Yakovlev team had created the mixed-construction monoplane. The fuselage
tWin-engined 'Aircraft No. 22' (later known as featured a welded steel-tube framework. The
the BB-22, Yak-2 and Yak-4) which was
regarded by the authorities as a successor to
the obsolete Tupolev SB (ANT-40) bomber.
Yakovlev's work on the design of a high-
speed fighter had a special feature about it:
=
the machine was proposed in several ver-
sions. While other design teams submitted
one project each, Yakovlev presented four
projects at once. These were the 1-26 front-
line (tactical) fighter for low and medium alti-
tudes; the 1-27 (alias UTI-26) fighter trainer for
conversion training; the 1-28 (Yak-5) high-alti-
tude fighter for air defence; and the 1-30 (alias
1-26U) multi-cannon fighter.
In contrast to other design bureaux, the
Yakovlev team submitted neither a prelimi-
nary design (PD) project nor a mock-up of the
future machine. Already at that time the Chief
Designer had connections in high places
which enabled him to skip such 'formalities'.
The work on the 1-26 proceeded at a Top: A model of the 1-26 in the TsAGI wind tunnel; note the wool tufts.
quicker pace compared to other projects, and Above: The ill-fated 1-26-1, the first prototype of the Yak-1. Note the red stripes on the propeller blades.

5
Above: the 1-26-1 on wheels at a later stage of the manufacturer's flight tests. The fighter was painted cherry-red overall, except for the red and white striped
rudder which was a trademark feature of Yakovlev aircraft in the pre-war years.

The first prototype had a rather pointed fin top and a boxy fairing atop the engine cowling housing the carburettor air intake.

6
expected that the fighter's manoeuvrability
and climb rate would be outstanding for its
time. Installation of the supercharged M-105
engine on the second prototype was expect-
ed to enhance the fighter's high-altitude per-
formance.
However, these plans proved to be a
product of wishful thinking - even the base-
line M-105 engine (from which the M-1 06 was
to be developed) existed only in prototype
form by the time when construction of the 1-26
prototype began. It should be noted that the
engine developed under the direction of
Vladimir Va. Klimov was specially designed in
such a way as to permit the installation of a
cannon between the cylinder banks. The bar-
rel of the 20-mm (.78 calibre) Shpital'nyy/
Vladimirov ShVAK cannon passed through
the propeller hub, obviating the need for syn-
chronisation and permitting the cannon to fire
irrespective of the engine's and propeller's
rpm. The cannon was supplemented by four
synchronised 7.62-mm (.30 calibre) Shpi-
Above and below: The wreckage of the 1-26-1 after the crash in Moscow's Bol'shaya Maslovka Street on
tal'nyy/Komarnitskiy ShKAS machine-guns 27th April 1940. Yulian Piontkovskiy, Yakovlev's first chief test pilot, lost his life in the crash.
arranged in pairs above and beneath the
engine.
One might say the machine was built
'from scratch', with no prior fighter design
experience to fall back on. As a result, the
real fully-equipped airframe weighed 2,600
kg (5,733 Ib) instead of the 2,300 kg (5,071
Ib) estimated by the designers. To make the
first flight possible, the fuel tanks of the 1-26
were only partially filled and the cannon and
machine-guns were not provided with
ammunition. Yakovlev kept the promise he
had given to Stalin; the 1-26 was ready to fly
by the beginning of 1940. On 13th January
the Design Bureau's chief test pilot Yulian
Piontkovskiy took the machine, which was
fitted with a ski undercarriage for the occa-
sion, into the air. This is how Yakovlev
describes the historic moment: 'The blades
of the spinning propeller merged into a sin-
gle silver disc, and a cloud of dust rose
behind the machine, indicating that the pilot
had given the engine full throttle; the aircraft
began its run. Finally, the fighter made a
thunderous low pass over our heads and face and his eyes shining with laughter that At the same time the 1-26 suffered from
climbed steeply. everything was OK. ' a number of teething troubles caused by
Everybody heaved a sigh of relief. Pio- Piontkovskiy indeed had a high opinion deficiencies both in design and production
ntkovskiy is confidently making a second cir- of the fighter. However, concluding his standards. It took a long time before the oil
cuit of the airfield. Everything is proceeding report, he noted that the oil temperature had overheating observed in the first flight could
smoothly so far. The machine loses altitude started to rise immediately after take-off; this be eliminated. After each flight the aircraft
and comes in for landing. The pilot performs alarmed him, compelling him to make an came back with traces of oil leaks on the
a confident gliding manoeuvre, the aircraft urgent landing. side and lower panels of the engine cowl-
touches down in the centre of the airfield The first series of flights showed that the ing. Changes were repeatedly introduced
and, after a short landing run, taxies to the machine was responsive, with low control into the oil system but failed to produce a
hangar. Everybody, irrespective of rank and forces, making the handling of the aircraft radical improvement. After a flight of only
age, headed for the aircraft; the pilot was easy and simple. Its maximum speed at two or three minutes at full throttle the pilot
helped out of the cockpit and jubilantly 5,000 m (16,400 ft) was 580 km/h (360 mph), had to abort the mission. The engine was
thrown several times into the air. Even before which came close to the estimated figure. replaced five times, the propeller had to be
Piontkovskiy had a chance to utter a word, I Only 5.2 minutes were needed to climb to changed even more frequently. Very soon
understood from the satisfied look on his this altitude. the VISh-52 variable-pitch propeller (vint

7
 ;

Above and below: the identically finished 1-26-2, the second prototype, during manufacturer's flight tests. Outwardly it differed from the 1-26-1 in lacking the
oblong carburettor air intake fairing and having a more rounded fin top.

8
 It

Above and below: The 1-26-2 following modifications intended to cure the engine overheating problem encountered in early test flights. The enlarged undernose
oil cooler and recontoured water radiator bath are well visible.

9
 By the time when the 1-26-1 crashed, the
second prototype designated 1-26-2 had
already been completed. Its structure was
strengthened; in particular, the wing leading
edges were reinforced and the plywood skin
was made thicker.
In his efforts to provide better cooling for
the engine, the Designer had to relinquish
the aerodynamically favourable position of
the oil cooler. It was moved from its original
location under the cylinder banks (ie,
between the mainwheel wells) to a place
under the engine sump (ie, under the
extreme nose), which entailed an increase in
the machine's drag. While the work on the
machine was proceeding, the Government
issued a directive stipulating that the M-107
engine - the most powerful of the liquid-
cooled engines then available - be installed
in the 1-26. But it could not be implemented
at the time because even the forerunner of
Above: The M-105 engine of the 1-26-2 with all cowling panels removed. The cowling design provided
good access to the engine. this engine, the M-105, was still beset by
teething troubles. (It may be noted at this
stage that more or less normal operation of
the M-107 engine (which was renamed VK-
107 by that time in honour of its designer
Vladimir Klimov) on the Yak-9U fighter was
achieved only after the end of the war.
The VISh-61 P propeller which had been
selected to suit the M-105 engine during the
first flights was also installed on the second
prototype. Changes were introduced into the
armament of the 1- 26-2: of the four machine-
guns only the upper pair was retained, chiefly
for CG reasons. The angle at which the air-
craft sat on the ground was insufficient, and
the aircraft tended to be 'nose-heavy' during
landing runs, which incurred considerable
danger of nosing over; the omission of the
lower machine-guns was expected to allevi-
ate this problem. With the alterations listed
above, the 1-26-2 acquired the features that
were characteristic for the subsequent proto-
type and production versions.
Manufacturer's trials of the 1-26-2 were
The tail unit and aft fuselage of the second prototype.
brief. As early as 1st June 1940 it was submit-
ted to Nil WS (Naoochno-issledovate/'skiy
izmenyayemovo shahga), which turned out aircraft made a flip roll, entering a spin, and institoot Voyenno-vozdooshnykh sil - the Air
to be ill-suited for the type, gave place to crashed in Bol'shaya Maslovka Street in Force Research Institute) for State tests. This
the more suitable VISh-61 P. downtown Moscow near the Design was preceded in May by a Government direc-
It transpired that many elements of the Bureau's premises. Pilot Yulian Piontkov- tive requiring the 1-26 to be put into large-
aircraft's structure were not strong enough. skiy was killed. Until then he had saved the scale production in Leningrad, Moscow and
In particular, static tests revealed that the Yakovlev fighter prototype fifteen times Saratov. This was an unprecedented event:
wing leading edges disintegrated when the thanks to his swift and faultless judgement the aircraft still had many defects to be eradi-
load reached two-thirds of the calculated in critical situations. Piontkovskiy was suc- cated, military engineers and pilots were only
maximum figure. Undercarriage retraction ceeded by Sergey Korzin'shchikov as pro- just beginning their part of the testing, and yet
was problematic and the wheels were not ject test pilot. large-scale series production was already
securely held by the locks, whether it be in The commission investigating the causes envisaged. Presumably this was not due solely
the extended or in the retracted position. of the crash surmised that in the process of to A. Yakovlev's abilities in 'promoting' his
Apparently it was the defects of the moving performing a roll the mainwheels had become progeny (in April 1940, in addition to his pre-
elements of the undercarriage and the insuf- unlocked spontaneously, the abrupt load vious posts, he was appointed Vice People's
ficient structural strength that caused the causing a failure of the wing structure which Commissar of Aircraft Industry with responsi-
machine to crash on 27th April 1940. When was not strong enough. This reasoning bility for prototype aircraft construction). More
performing its 43rd flight at low altitude, the sounds convincing to this day. probably, the top echelon of the People's

10
Commissariat (Aleksey I. Shakhoorin, Pyotr
V. Dement'yev and Pavel Voronin) became
aware of the new fighter's potential and took
the calculated risk in order to save time
because the Second World War was already
raging in Europe.
State trials of short duration conducted
under the direction of engineer N. Maksimov
brought no surprises. The machine demon-
strated very high performance. Thus, the
maxlmum speed attained at sea level was 490
km/h (305 mph), and at 4,800 m (15,744 ft),
which was the second rated altitude, it
reached 585.5 km/h (363.9 mph). The service
ceiling was 10,200 m (33,456 ft), and a climb
to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) took six minutes flat.
The aircraft's structural strength remained
insufficient, and it was tested at an all-up
weight of 2,700 kg (5,954 Ib) which was 100
kg (220 Ib) lighter than the fully-equipped ver-
sion. Despite this, the danger of the aircraft Above: The 1-26-2 during State acceptance trials at
disintegrating was still present, and this had NIIWS.

to be taken into account. A temporary ban

had to be placed on most aerobatic manoeu-
vres. Due to G load limitations, test pilots
Pyotr M. Stefanovskiy and A. Nikolayev per-
formed a full-circle turn at the altitude of 1,000
m (3,280 ft) in 24 seconds (they figuratively
described it as a 'pancake turn', since they Right: The windshield and reflector gunsight of the
avoided banking the machine). Coolant and 1-26-2.
oil overheating forced the pilots to reduce the
engine's rpm during climb. The State trials craft's flight and tactical performance and experienced pilots converting from the 1-16
revealed 123 defects of varying seriousness that a radio was not required for this. In the did not require any familiarisation flights on
(unfortunately, about the same number of end, the commission ruled that the equip- the UTI-26 'sparka' (the two-seat trainer ver-
defects was found in the other prototype fight- ment suite of production fighters should be sion of the fighter). Although some defects
ers - the 1-301 and 1-200 - which entered revised. Another point of doubt was the use were noted, the impression was that the 1-26
large-scale production before the war). Thus, of one-piece wings by Yakovlev. The was simple, docile in handling and that the
the 1-26 failed to pass the State trials. Howev- absence of outer wing panel joints offered a machine had a bright future in store. In mock
er, note was taken of the fact that the new weight reduction, but obviously it greatly combat sessions the new machine displayed
fighter had proved to be about 100 km/h (62 hampered transportation and repairs of the complete ascendancy over Nikolai N. Polikar-
mph) faster than the 1-16 - the most numerous fighter in field conditions. pov's machines (the 1-15bis and 1-16).
fighter in service at that time, and the 1-26 was The aircraft was immediately put into Yakovlev's aircraft was service-tested in the
even easier to fly than Polikarpov's fighter. series production at Plant No. 301 in Moscow. 11th lAP not only in daytime but at night as
This promised great advantages. In the summer of 1940 eighteen machines well. And, although the machines were not fit-
When results of the testing of Yakovlev's were manufactured there for the purpose of ted with landing lights (a serious drawback for
first progeny were discussed by representa- service trials, using 1-26-1 drawings. Changes night flights), the pilots made trouble-free
tives of the People's Commissariat of Aircraft had to be introduced into the new fighter's landings with the landing strip lit by a projec-
Industry and the Air Force, two issues came units and systems in the process of construc- tor installed on the airfield.
to dominate the discussion. Firstly, the fight- tion. Thus, the design of the oil tank and its A flight of five service-test batch 1-26s took
er was not equipped with a generator and a placement had to be changed three times, the part in the traditional parade in Moscow on
rate-of-climb indicator. The bulky PAN-23 shape of exhaust stubs was changed twice ... 7th November 1940, flying over Red Square,
telescopic sight fitted originally was re- Yet the numerous faults in the design of the much to the admiration of the assembled
placed by a ring-and-bead sight; this finally engine, undercarriage and equipment were public. Due attention was also paid to a com-
brought home the awareness of how primi- compounded by production defects. Service ment made by test pilot A. Yakimov who, act-
tive the aircraft's equipment was. The aircraft trials of the machine were conducted at ing under order from People's Commissar of
did not even have a communications radio Kubinka airfield near Moscow under the direc- Defence Kliment Yeo Voroshilov (succeeded
receiver. This was a cause of concern for the tion of engineer K. Chasovikov. Pilots of the by that time by Timoshenko), checked the
leaders of Nil VVS; Aleksandr Filin, chief of 11th lAP (istrebitel'nw aviatsionnw polk - new fighter's performance. He said, 'This is
the Institute and an experienced engineer, Fighter Air Regiment) who were the first in the not a combat aircraft but rather a kind of a
noted quite rightly that a transmitter/receiver Air Force to convert to the new fighter could lightplane - so simple and docile is it in flight.'
had to be installed even on prototype exam- begin flights only after the wing leading edges But in the course of a prolonged operational
ples of fighters. The Chief Designer object- were reinforced. service defects came to light which could not
ed, however, being of the opinion that the The pilots took a liking to the machines have been revealed during expeditious State
purpose of testing was to evaluate the air- and flew them confidently. It transpired that trials. It was necessary to urgently reinforce

11
Above and below: Two more views of the 1-26-2 during State acceptance trials. Note the radio set aft of the seat headrest, the lack of the gunsight and the
characteristic hexagonal concrete slabs of the Nil WS hardstand at Shcholkovo airfield.

12
the undercarriage wheels and eliminate the designation Yak-1 reflecting the name of its Production flaws were gradually ironed
jamming of the sliding cockpit hood in a dive Chief Designer. out; still, one could not claim that the machine
and the tendency of the tailwheel to collapse According to the Government's plans, the was above criticism. Critical remarks accom-
on landing. two abovementioned plants, supplemented panied all the tests of production machines at
In the meantime, the third prototype - the by Plant No. 126 in Komsomol'sk-on-Amur the beginning of 1941. Among the defects
1-26-3 - was ready for State trials. On this which also joined in the Yak-1 programme, noted were oil leaks through piping joints,
machine the Design Bureau staff and the were to deliver 220 machines by the end of uneven fuel consumption from the port and
Chief Designer managed to eradicate many that year. However, the latter enterprise, starboard fuel tanks, and water and oil over-
of the defects noted earlier. In particular, they being overburdened with work on the heating.
succeeded in bringing the airframe strength Il'yushin DB-3f bomber, was unable to start At that time almost all design changes
to the required level. This enabled the fighter production of the fighter. Besides, Aircraft were accompanied by an increase in weight.
to attain in a dive an indicated airspeed of 635 Plants Nos. 301 and 292 suffered from a The Yak-1 c/n 04-06 (ie, fourth aircraft in Batch
km/h (395 mph), which had been considered chronic shortage of propellers, engines, radi- 6) tested in February-March 1941 weighed as
dangerous earlier, and perform aerobatics at ators and other units, which hampered the much as 2,858 kg (6,302Ib). Many defects of
maximum permissible G loads. The anticipat- expansion of production. the aircraft were eradicated: the main gear
ed good manoeuvrability of the fighter was Launching Yak-1 production in Saratov doors were strengthened, the carburettor air
corroborated: a full-circle turn at the altitude was also accompanied by a multitude of inlet was redesigned, the wing root fairings
of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) could be performed in 20 problems. In accordance with the rules adopt- and the numerous hatch covers became
to 21 seconds and the fighter gained 800 to ed in the Soviet Union at that time the plants more tight-fitting. The oil cooler was made
1,000 m (2,624 to 3,280 ft) in a climbing turn engaged in aircraft production used the loft- less protrUding, which helped make the air-
from that altitude. floor-and-template method. It consisted in craft more streamlined. Analysis of the mate-
The improvements had to be paid for: the providing the plant with big plywood sheets rials of numerous tests indicates that the
all-up weight rose by 100 kg (220 lb). It was upon which full-size layouts of the main units following performance figures obtained dur-
expected that the front-line fighter would and parts of the futu re machine were marked. ing tests were typical for the Yak-1 in 1941:
become still heavier after the installation of the Templates were made by copying the out- speed at sea level, 480 km/h (298 mph);
necessary equipment, in particular, the radio lines on the loft-floor panels; they were used speed at the second rated altitude of 4,950 m
set. However, this did not adversely affect the for manufacturing the jigs and tools and, later, (16,236 ft), 577.5 km/h (358.9 mph). Time to
I-26's easy handling. In October-November the parts themselves. When alterations were 5,000 m (16,400 ft) was now 5.7 minutes. The
1940 Nil WS test pilots P. M. Stefanovskiy, introduced into the drawings, this necessitat- aircraft performed a full-circle turn at the alti-
A. Koobyshkin, A. Proshakov, K. Groozdev ed changes in the whole production process. tude of 1,000 m (3,280 ft) within 20 to 21 sec-
and A. Nikolayev checked the machine's As witnessed by reports ofthe Design Bureau, onds. The fighter's landing speed was 137
behaviour in different flight modes. The work the Chief Designer approved 7,460 (!) changes km/h (85 mph), and cruising range reached
was conducted under the direction of leading in the drawings of its first fighter in the period 700 km (435 miles).
engineer A. Stepanets who subsequently between June and December 1940 alone. Preparation for - and participation in - the
headed most of the teams engaged in testing Besides, for a long time the Plant's workers May Day parade of 1941 became a crucial test
Yakovlev fighters and did much for improving could not master the welding of the fuselage for the newly produced machines; 40 Yak-1 s
the quality of prototype and production truss and the woodworking jobs associated were assigned for this mission. The pilots of
machines. At the beginning of December a with wing construction; lack of experience the previously mentioned 11 th lAP, which was
report was signed, stating that the 1-26-3 had and breaches of production procedures led part of Moscow's anti-aircraft defences, per-
passed the trials with satisfactory results. to a large amount of defective products. formed 162 missions in all. There were no
However, defects noted during testing were Despite this, on 3rd October 1940 Plant 292 fatal crashes or serious accidents with the
still numerous. The main defects included test pilot Colonel P. Shootov took the first pro- Yaks, but all sorts of technical failures ran into
imperfections in the design of the fighter's duction Yak-1 into the air. dozens. Especially disturbing were the cases
undercarriage, pneumatic system and power- In the period between the end of 1940 and of disruption of the fuel system's filler tubes-
plant (oil overheating and unstable running of early 1941, series production was marked by the risk of a fire was great.
the engine at cruising rpm) and the absence a gradual build-up of the monthly output, From mid-May onwards the 11 th lAP was
of the necessary special equipment (radio although the tempo ofthis build-up was not as fully equipped with 62 Yak-1 s (that was the
set, landing light, onboard generator etc.). high as the top management of the aircraft regular complement at that time); the pilots of
industry might wish. The plan for 1940 was this regiment had made a worthy contribution
The war is imminent not fulfilled. By the end of 1940 military repre- to eradicating the defects of the first produc-
Series production of the fighter got under way sentatives had taken delivery of 48 Yak-1 s in tion Yaks. Before the war this regiment
in the late autumn of 1940. In addition to the Moscow and 16 in Saratov. While in Decem- became a sort of Academy for the flying per-
small Plant No. 301 in Moscow which had ber 1940 one aircraft per day was rolled out sonnel and ground crews of other units; flight
already gained some experience in the con- (and not always accepted by the Air Force and squadron commanders from these units
struction of Yakovlev aircraft, production of because of defects), in April of the following received their training there.
the machine was started at Plant No. 292 (for- year this figure rose to two per day, reaching Based in the vicinity of Baku, the 45th
mer 'Saracombine' plant producing agricul- three per day before the outbreak of the war, lAP commanded by Major I. Dzoosov
tural machinery) in Saratov. It discontinued despite the cessation of Yak-1 production at became the second regiment in the Air
work on the 1-28 fighter designed by Vladimir Plant No. 301 since April. Production costs Force to convert to Yakovlev's fighter. 78
P. Yatsenko (not to be confused with per one Yakovlev fighter made up 158,000 Yaks were sent to the Transcaucasian
Yakovlev's aircraft bearing the same designa- roubles in 1941, while those of one Bf 109F region in April 1941, which made it possible
tion!) and switched over completely to mas- were 103,000 Reichsmark (the labour costs of not only to equip the said unit to full
tering production of the promising 1-26; in one Soviet machine were approximately 50% strength, but also to establish a training cen-
December 1940 the latter was allocated the lower than those of the German machine). tre for the Transcaucasian area.

13
 Small numbers of production Yak-1 s sup-
plemented the inventory of other units literally
a few days before the outbreak of the war. The
main part of flyable Yaks were stationed in the
Moscow area, but 105 fighters of this type
succeeded in reaching the five western mili-
tary districts situated along the border. Only
the pilots of the 20th lAP based at Sambor
(Kiev Special Military District) had enough
time for gaining a modicum of mastery over
the new fighter - 70 pilots learned to fly the
fighter in visual meteorological conditions,
and seven pilots mastered flying in the night-
time and in clouds.

Service introduction of the Yak-1

As a result of delays with deliveries of new
Yaks to Air Force service units in the western
borderside military districts, in June 1941 t,he
Above and below: The fifth production 1-26 (c/n 0105) manufactured by the Moscow aircraft factory No. majority of these new machines was flown
301 and delivered to Nil WS. The aircraft did not exactly conform to the manufacturing drawings.
only by some of the commanders of regi-
ments and smaller units. Just about one
month more, and the process of conversion,
at least the initial one, would have been com-
pleted. Among those who fully mastered the
new fighter was Major B. Soorin, Commander
of the 123rd lAP. On 22nd June, repulsing the
air raids of the German aviation against the
headquarters of the 4th Army in Kobrin, the
regiment commander took his machine to the
air four times, claiming the destruction of
three enemy aircraft, but was killed in action
in the evening of that day.
The pilots of the Naval Air Arm (AVMF -
Aviahtsiya Voyenno-morskovo flota) also
converted to the Yak-1. In the Black Sea Fleet
air arm it was Lieutenant Yu. Shitov from the
9th lAP who was to gain the first victory while
flying this fighter type, shooting down a
Romanian reconnaissance aircraft. By the
outbreak of the war his unit (commanded by
Major K. Malinov) was presumably the
biggest in the Black Sea Fleet air arm, with
nearly 90 combat aircraft on strength, includ-
ing three Yak-1 s. Subsequently the comple-
ment of the 9th regiment was curtailed, while
the number of Yaks in it rose steadily.
Most of the Yaks which opposed the inva-
sion of the Luftwaffe at the borders of the Sovi-
et Union met a tragic fate. But, as a matter of
fact, all types of fighters, bombers and attack
aircraft suffered enormous losses. However,
unlike the 1-16s and the SB bombers, the Yaks
of the 91 st and 123rd lAPs suffered losses
mainly on the ground not only during the first
day of the war but until the end of June; if they
had a choice, Soviet pilots preferred to fly
their missions on older types which they had
thoroughly mastered.
After just a few days of combat no Yaks
remained in the inventory of the Air Force of
the Western and South-Western fronts. Pilots
of the 20th lAP gained fame in fierce combat
Above: The second production 1-26, c/n 0102, after suffering a landing accident on 9th October 1940 when against German airmen at the South-Western
the undercarriage collapsed after touchdown.

14
 Front. During three days alone (10th to 12th
June), while committed to action at distant
approaches to Kiev, the unit increased its
score by 26 downed enemy aircraft. In those
days many aces from JG3 and I/JG53 meet-
ing their Soviet adversaries over Zhitomir,
Berdichev and Fastovo, had a chance to
gauge the strong and weak points of the new
Soviet machine. Despite the fact that 38 Yaks
were repaired and sent into battle again, only
six of the 63 machines of this type remained
on strength with the 20th lAP by 27th July; of
these, only two were flyable while the others
required 'treatment'.
The only replenishment of the Soviet
Frontal aviation at that time was represented
by five Yak-1 s which arrived (together with 29
MiG-3s) at Idritsa airfield on the northern flank
of the Western front, being a part of a group
of test pilots led by Lieutenant-Colonel P. Ste-
fanovskiy. On 10th July Lieutenant V. Kozhev-
nikov, piloting a Yak, scored his first victory;
while on a mission in a group, he shot down a
Henschel Hs 126 artillery spotter. Shortly
thereafter the unit, also known as the 402th
lAP, was transferred to the 57th Air Division
and continued to fight against the enemy at
the North-Western Front.
On this strategic direction the new Yak-1 s
were concentrated mainly in the 158th lAP.
Initially the regiment was based near Pskov,
later it joined Leningrad's air defence units.
Among its pilots mention must be made of
.-
A. Chirkov who shot down an enemy aircraft
on 23rd June 1941 (this was the first victory in
the skies of Leningrad). Initially Chirkov flew
the 1-16; later he successfully converted to the
Yak-1, increasing his score to seven enemy
aircraft in mid-August. It was his initiative to
1
conduct air combat by a pair (instead of a
flight of three aircraft, as had been the usual
practice in the Soviet Air Force).
In the late summer and in the autumn
Yakovlev's fighters shouldered their main bur-
den in Moscow area. As of 10th July 1941, 133
Yak-1 s made up approXimately one sixth of
the fighter aviation element which defended
the capital in the ranks of the units of the 6-th
IAK (istrebitel'nw aviatsionnw korpoos -
Fighter Air Corps) of Air Defence. Their high
level of combat readiness is borne out by the Yak·1s in the final assembly shop of the Saratov aircraft factory No. 292.
fact that only nine fighters were in disrepair.
The Yaks could also boast the Air Corps' first The outbreak of the war posed an acute the airmen to the front again. For this purpose
victory: on 2nd July 1941 Lieutenant S. problem - it was necessary to organise a Reserve Air Regiments, or ZAPs (zapasnoy
Goshko of the 11th lAP chased an enemy steady conversion of the flying personnel to aviatsionnw polk) were set up. One of the first
reconnaissance aircraft. When the Yak's new aircraft types, including the Yak-1 . Quite reserve units, the 8th ZAP, which specialised
armament jammed, the pilot rammed the obviously, the conversion centres that had in the conversion training to the Yak-1, was
enemy aircraft in the vicinity of Velikiye Looki been set up at production factories and in the deployed in Bagai-Baranovka near Saratov at
and landed his aircraft safely. The German 11 th lAP were already unable to cope with the the beginning of July 1941.
Heinkel's crew, which was killed in the attack, needs of the Red Army's Air Force. Most of the The story of the 273rd lAP can be consid-
included a military journalist who had flying personnel and ground crews who had ered typical. In mid-JUly the unit's CO, Cap-
embarked on collecting materials about the lost their aircraft during the first days of com- tain I. Suvorov, and another five pilots arrived
'devastating blows inflicted by Luftwaffe pilots bat were sent to the rear. There it was neces- in Oryol where the 6th ZAP was based. The
on Russian cities'. sary to quickly work up a unit for dispatching regiment was tasked with achieving opera-

15
 this direction. On 27th September Lieutenant
L. Ufimtsev rammed a Heinkel He 111 over
the town of Romny and was killed in the act.
The combat effectiveness of the Yak-1
would have been higher, had it not been for
some annoying defects of the machine.
When the 158th lAP, before its transfer to the
rear from the already besieged Leningrad,
handed its surviving Yak-1 s over to the 123rd
lAP (commanded by Major B. Romanov), it
transpired that the number of aircraft in dis-
repair was twice as big as the number of
those in good order. The latter unit had not
had time to complete conversion to the new
machine before the war and continued the
conversion training in July. Judging by com-
ments from the flying personnel and ground
crews, preparing the machines for flight was
a complicated and time-consuming task.
Many troubles stemmed from the M-105P
engines. They were more reliable than the
Yak·1 fuselages on the conveyor belt assembly line AM-35As installed in the MiG-3 fighters, but
there were cases of magneto and speed
tional status in the shortest time possible and fatal accident. Such incidents happened governor failures and cases when oil was
mastering the Yak-1 fighter. Twenty pilots again in the period between 28th July and 3rd ejected through the output shaft of the
from the 49th and 163rd lAPs and another March 1941, when this unit was on duty in the reduction gearbox. Metal chips accumulated
seven from the ZAP were placed under Air Defence system of the town of Oryol. in the oil cooler of one of the engines during
Suvorov's command; all of them had previ- German bombers usually made their sor- the second sortie; the engine jammed and
ously flown the 1-16, and none of them had ties over the Soviet rear areas at night and the the pilot had to seek a place for an urgent
any idea of Yakovlev's machine. regiment had no pilots that had received forced landing in order to avoid more serious
The entire conversion process took 11 instrument flying training. Attempts to inter- consequences.
days, during which 32 pilots logged almost cept enemy reconnaissance aircraft in day- On the eve of the German offensive
128 flying hours. On 27th July the pilots time proved unsuccessful, too. From 3rd against Moscow the Yak-1 s made up 10% of
passed an 'exam' designed to check their August onwards the 273rd lAP started the fighters in the front-line aviation. Gradually,
knowledge of the materiel and of the basic defending the city of Toola where important as the airframe's and engine's defects were
piloting techniques; the commanders evalu- Soviet arsenals were situated. As for the regi- eradicated and teething troubles were cured,
ated the accomplishments of most pilots as ment's first victory, it was gained in the skies it became clear that the Yak-1 had greater
'good'. Apparently the demands towards the of the South-Western front to which a number chances of success in combat against Ger-
pilots were not very stringent, since the con- of Air Regiments were transferred from other man fighters compared to other aircraft of the
version to the Yak-1 in the 273rd lAP was sectors and from the rear at the end of August Red Army's Air Force. Here is the appraisal
accompanied by one fatal crash and one non- due to a worsening of the tactical situation at given to it at that time by Luftwaffe experts:
The Yak-1 fighter is presumably the best Sovi-
et fighter. It had a better speed and rate of
climb compared to the MiG-3 and came close
to the performance of the Bf 109F, but was
inferior to the latter in speed. It was apprecia-
bly more difficult to hit the Yak-1 from behind
than the MiG-3. It retained a good rate of climb
up to 6,000 m (19,680 tt), but its manoeuvra-
bility fell off at that altitude. For this reason the
pilots dived from high altitudes to lower ones
where they accepted combat. '
The abovementioned 20th lAP actively
joined battle within the Air Force of the
Bryansk front, where Guderian's 2nd Tank
Group was waging an offensive intended to
by-pass Moscow. The regiment was based at
Karachayevo airfield together with the 4th lAP
which had the MiG-3s on strength. One of the
pilots of the latter unit, G. Zimin (later award-
ed the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and
promoted to Air Marshal) wrote that, after hav-
ing seen the Yak-1 for the first time and hav-
This view of Yak-1 fuselages undergoing assembly clearly shows the engine bearer design. ing sat in its cockpit, he felt 'a well-meaning

16
envy towards the neighbours'. Both regiments
made part of the 11 th Composite Air Division
(SAD - smeshannaya aviatsionnaya divee-
ziya) led by General G. Kravchenko - a Sovi-
et ace who had gained fame during the
hostilities at Khaikhin-Gol (the Nomonhan
incident) in Mongolia. The command took
every effort to ensure that the pilots could
make full use of the Yak-1 's combat potential,
and results were not slow in coming. In Sep-
tember, in one of the night sorties alone, Cap-
tain G. Konev succeeded in shooting down
two Junkers bombers.
A high level of flying skills and bravery
were characteristic for Captain K. Titenkov, a
squadron commander from the 11 th lAP.
After the first German air raid had been
repulsed in the evening of 21 st July 1941, he
was recommended for decoration with the
Order of Lenin; the text of the recommenda- Yak-1 s nearing completion.
tion contained the phrase: 'He is capable of
flying new types of aircraft both in day- and into service at different times; of these, 80 The first improvements
nighttime. 'This fact was very important at that were subsequently transferred together with of the basic type
time because experienced fighter pilots capa- their units to other fronts, primarily to the There was no shortage of defects and com-
ble of flying night missions could be counted Leningrad area, where a very complicated sit- plaints. They were not so dangerous in flight
on the fingers of one hand. And Titenkov did uation arose in the autumn of 1941. Of the as was the case with the first MiG-3s, and did
not merely fly sorties; he downed an He 111 remaining 70 Yaks, 42 were lost in aerial com- not cause such a serious deterioration of per-
in his Yak-1 during his very first encounter bat, 14 machines fell victim to anti-aircraft fire, formance as in the case of the LaGG-3, but
with the enemy. Two days later the brave pilot and seven Yak-1 s were written off as non- they did cause quite a few vexations.
destroyed a Ju 88. combat losses (one crashed on take-off, The moving elements of the undercar-
Sadly, the combat career of this outstand- another due to pilot error during landing riage remained unsatisfactory, as before.
ing airman did not last long. By 10th October approach and five more were lost due to Bumps and jerks occurred during retrac-
1941 when Titenkov was killed in the crash of engine failures). Worthy of note is the fact that tion; sometimes the undercarriage legs got
his Yak-1 (c/n 2525) in adverse weather con- 89% of losses are combat losses. (In com- stuck in an intermediate position and
ditions, he had scored four personal victories parison, it may be pointed out that under sim- would not retract fully. Besides, not infre-
and two shared 'kills' in 172 combat sorties. ilar circumstances 74 MiG-3s out of the 209 quently the undercarriage collapsed dur-
This success is all the more impressive since that remained in the PVO system were lost in ing landing; as for the tailwheel, its failures
five of the six claimed victories are confirmed aerial combat and 37 MiGs had to be written were caused mainly by the insufficient cas-
by German documents. It has been estab- off as a result of various accidents; combat toring angle.
lished on the basis of materials from Bundes- losses accounted for only 67% of the overall The armament of the Yak-1 also provided
archiv that the Soviet pilot shot down the attrition.) its share of troubles. Many pilots considered
following aircraft: an He 111 P from 4/KG55
(c/n unknown, tactical code G1 +BM) on the
night of 22nd July, Ju 880-1 WNr. 1253 from
4(F)/14 on 24th July, He 111 P-3 WNr. 3183
from Wekusta 26 on 20th August, Bf 1100-1
WNr. 3810 from 2(F)/122 on 24th September
and Bf 11 OE-2 WNr. 4513 from 4/ZG 26 on 7th
October. At that time the Yaks had neither
communications equipment nor navigation
aids, which only accentuates Titenkov's out-
standing skills. The Yaks still had no landing
light either.
Half a year's experience of operational
service made it possible to arrive at some
conclusions. Let us look at the documents of
the 6th lAP of the PVO (Protivovozdooshnaya
oborona - Air Defence). On the eve of the
New Year of 1942 the regiment's command
undertook a thorough analysis of the combat
experience, evaluating the advantages and
disadvantages ofthe new fighter. According
to the report submitted by Chief of Staff
Colonel Komarov, 150 Yak-1 s were phased The final assembly shop of plant No. 292 in 1943. The aircraft were towed through the shop, tail first, by
means of a special floor-mounted conveyor; the numbers denote the assembly stations.

17
 it to be inadequate and prone to jamming.
The cockpit got excessively hot, and oil leak-
ing from the breather sprayed on the cockpit
windshield, which hampered the piloting - the
fighter had to be flown with the sliding canopy
hood in the open position.
As early as the summer of 1941 the M-1 05P
engine installed in the Yaks began to be
supplanted by its improved version - the
M-1 05PA. The latter had reinforced crankcase
and connecting rods and was provided with a
floatless carburettor which enabled the pilot
to perform inverted flight for some time and
enter a dive with negative g-Ioads. There were
also other changes. However, not all defects
(in particular, the spill of oil from the breather)
could be eliminated.
Despite serious problems which accom-
panied Yakovlev's fighters at that time, during
the first month of the war the Soviet govern-
ment adopted several important decisions
calling for the expansion of the series manu-
facture of the Yaks. Thus, on 24th June Plant
No. 292 was prescribed to deliver 1,350 com-
bat machines to the front instead of 1,100 , as
stipulated earlier. It was envisaged that pro-
duction of the Yak-1 should be mastered at
aircraft factories in Leningrad (Plant No. 47)
and Engels (Plant No. 492). Besides, in the
summer of 1941 the People's Commissar of
Aircraft Industry approved a programme of
Yak production at the new Aircraft Plant No.
Above: This view gives an idea of the scale of Yak-1 production in Saratov. Note that the improved Yak-1 b
448 in Tbilisi and its branch in Kutaisi (Plant
'bubbletop' version had superseded the original 'razorback' version of the Yak-1 by 1943. No. 131). However, the harsh wartime condi-

Still minus propeller, one of the first production Yak-1 b's is pushed out into the open at aircraft factory No. 292.

18
tions prevented these plans from being imple-
mented.
Meanwhile, the staff of the Yakovlev OKB
(opytno-konstrooktorskoye byuro - design
bureau) and of Plant No. 292 in Saratov did
not halt their efforts aimed at improving the
fighter's airframe. In November 1941 a Yak-
1, cln 2029, successfully passed tests at Nil
VVS. It featured a number of design improve-
ments. These included a supplementary
hydraulic power cylinder which ensured
smooth and bump-free retraction and exten-
sion of the undercarriage, and a simplified
non-retractable tailwheel. A new easily
detachable propeller spinner was intro-
duced, as were a trim tab on the rudder, a
landing light, and a radio, the installation of
which was accompanied by shielding and
electrical bonding of the engine and the air-
frame. A special breather vent tank was
added to eliminate the tell-tale oil spill prob-
lem. Above and below: Yak-1 '16 White' (c/n 0406) during checkout trials at Nil WS. Such trials were held from
time to time to make sure that production aircraft conformed to the Air Force's specifications.
Besides, the reliability of the armament
was improved. Unfortunately, this was
accompanied by an increase of the all-up
weight to 2,934 kg (6,469 Ib) and some dete-
rioration of performance. Maximum horizontal
speed was 468 kmlh (291 mph) at sea level
and 560 kmlh (348 mph) at 4,800 m (15,744
ft), that is to say, it proved to be 12 to 17 kmlh
(7.4 to 10.6 mph) less than that of the early
Yak-1 s. The time required to reach 5,000 m
(16,400 ft) rose to 6.8 minutes, ie, an increase
of more than one minute. The manoeuvrabili-
ty of the machine remained good - the time of
performing a full-circle turn at low altitude was
19 to 20 seconds. In the course of a combat
turn the fighter gained some 900 m (2,952 ft).
The introduction of engine boost at take-off
made it possible to reduce the landing run by
5% and compensate for the Yak's increased
take-off weight.
The abovementioned Yak-1 cln 2029
became the first example of this type to be
fitted with a communications radio at the
production plant. Approximately. 1,000
machines built earlier did not have even the
simplest radio receiver. Subsequently, in
the course of several months radio equip-
ment was installed in one Yak-1 out of every
ten. This was due to the Chief Designer's
firm conviction that, as long as the quality of
radio communication was still unsatisfac-
tory, the radio did nothing but add extra
weight to the airframe.
Even prior to that, in October-November
1941, the Yaks were provided with rocket
armament. Here note must be made of the ini-
tiative displayed by Major A. Negoda, com-
mander of the 562nd lAP. He performed four
to five sorties after one refuelling, strafing the
enemy's forward lines with the new 82-mm
RS-82 rockets (RS - raketnyy snaryad, rocket
projectile). This was possible because the for- An early-production Yak·1 built by plant No. 292; note the characteristic shape of the upper main gear
door segments.

19
 ward line of defence passed about 10 km (6
miles) from the regiment's airfield in Khimki
near Moscow. The German anti-aircraft
defences were hard put to it to repulse effec-
tively the attacks of Soviet fighters which
made a surprise appearance at extremely low
altitudes.
By that time the 562nd lAP had accumu-
lated appreciable combat experience. The
regiment's pilots downed eight enemy
machines in aerial combat and destroyed one
German aircraft on the ground during strafing
sorties. The Soviet losses comprised 13
machines that were shot down or damaged,
nine pilots were killed in action. Two Yaks
made forced landings, but eight machines
(including those from other regiments) were
Above and below: Yak-1 '30 White' (c/n 0218) which was modified according to the decision of a joint repaired by the technical personnel.
NKAP and Air Force commission. The crudely hand-painted tail number was obviously temporary.
In all, 195 Yaks were fitted with rocket
armament at the Plant by the end of 1941;
another 953 fighters were retrofitted with this
armament by the late spring of the following
year. The installation of six RS-82 projectiles
on the machine found a positive response
from the flying personnel; as a result, rocket
armament began to be fitted to the fighters
directly at the front. Although the external
stores increased the all-up weight by 65 kg
(143 Ib) and decreased the maximum speed
by some 30 km/h (18mph), firing these pro-
jectiles against aerial targets (especially dur-
ing head-on attacks) produced a strong
psychological effect on the enemy. In the
event of a direct hit (which happened
extremely rarely) the enemy aircraft simply
disintegrated in the air.

Yak-1 cln 0105 in a rather unusual (and well-weathered) camouflage.

20
 In the course of combat it became clear
that there was really no need to score a direct
hit by all means. The projectiles were provid-
ed with fuses for self-destruction, and explo-
sions at close range inflicted serious splinter
damage on enemy machines. Even German
bombers, despite their high survivability,
were often unable to continue their mission
after being damaged by splinters. However,
the absence of a guidance system in the RS
projectiles and imperfections in their design
led to a great dispersal of the rockets and the
probability of hitting a manoeuvring air target
remained low.
At the end of the autumn the task of
preparing a 'winterised' version of the Yak-1
came to the fore. It was a standard fighter in
which the wheel landing gear was replaced
by a retractable ski undercarriage. In addi-
tion, heating was provided for some units of
Above and below: Soon after production entry the fixed rear portion of the canopy was redesigned, the
the powerplant (piping, radiators, oil tanks, result looking rather like the LaGG-3 or the North American P-51A/B Mustang. The shape of the upper
breather tank etc.); a system for diluting oil main gear doors was also changed at this stage. Here, Yak-1 cln 1569 is seen during trials.
with gasoline was installed; the water radia-
tor was filled with antifreeze solution; a thick
cushioned cover was placed on the engine
cowling to prevent the engine from getting
overcooled when the aircraft was parked on
the airfield, especially during a frosty night.
To make the aircraft less noticeable against
the snowy background, a coat of washable
white paint made of a chalk and glue solu-
tion was applied over the summer camou-
flage. In the winter version the Yak-1
became 70 to 80 kg (154 to 176 Ib) heavier
and 30 to 40 km/h (18.7 to 24.9 mph) slow-
er at all altitudes.
The Yaks were operated intensively from
snow-covered field airstrips without clearing
away the snow. No other new fighter type was
so extensively used on a ski undercarriage.
Up to 25th February 1942, 830 Yak-1 s were
built in this version. One of the reasons for this
was that ski undercarriage simplified landings
on uneven airfields covered with a thick layer
of snow. A fighter fitted with skis was more
stable during the landing run and did not
bounce. A strip of only 250 m (820 ft) was
needed for take-off, and the landing run, with
the use of brakes and landing flaps, was only
275 m (902 ft). The angle at which the aircraft
sat on the ground was' considerably
increased, which reduced the danger of a
nose-over in the case of a sharp decrease in
speed.
However, intensive operation of the Yak-1
on skis during the winter of 1941-1942
revealed that the undersurface of the skis
was not sufficiently abrasion-resistant; it
endured 80 take-offs and landings at the
most. Pilots of the 236th lAP noted that the
skis of a parked fighter got stuck, as if by
suction, to the surface and the aircraft could
be moved only after it had been swung at the
wingtips and the tail by the ground crew. This winter-camouflaged mid-production Yak-1 was damaged by German fighters and made a belly
landing. The engine has snapped off on impact and the aircraft looks like a write-off.

21
 final assembly in the course of three days
instead of seven.
Concentration of efforts on the series pro-
duction of the relatively well-developed Yak-1
fighter left no choice but to finally give up the
plans for switching over to manufacturing the
improved Yak-3 (1-30). The government direc-
tives on launching series production of the
Yak-1 in Tbilisi and Kutaisi likewise failed to be
implemented. All the work on this fighter was
concentrated in Saratov.
At first no steps were taken to organise a
sufficiently stringent control over the fighter's
all-up weight. Almost all changes introduced
into the design led to an increase of the air-
frame weight. From early August 1941, how-
ever, this drawback was partially remedied.
Above and below: On 31st October 1940 the engine of this brand-new Moscow-built Yak-1 (a very early-
production aircraft still called 1-26, cln 0209) cut at the altitude of 5 m (16 ft) during a test flight. Test pilot
Thanks to Yakovlev's initiative, designers and
Maj. S. G. Plygoonov managed a forced landing during which the port mainwheel strut collapsed. production engineers began to receive remu-
neration literally for every gram of weight that
was saved. In mid-August 1941, starting with
the 29th production batch, the weight was
brought down to 2,917 kg/6,432 Ib (without
external stores and radio) which became
characteristic for the Yak-1.
The first six months of the war showed that
the Yak-1 was the most satisfactory among
the fighter types that had been put into series
production before the war. However, Yak-1 s
did not occupy a notable place numerically
among other fighters. On the eve of the Sovi-
et counteroffensive near Moscow, on 5th
December 1941, the service units of the Red
Army Air Force had only 83 Yak-1 s on
strength (about 8% of all fighters), and of
these only 47 were considered serviceable.
This can be explained in part by the wide use
of machines of obsolete types and by serious
difficulties in replenishing the heavy losses
sustained during the first six months of the
war.

Production fighters at the front

At the beginning of 1942 the Yak-1 was the
best Soviet fighter as regards overall perfor-
mance. New fighter units were being trained
at an accelerated tempo in the rear. In Janu-
ary six Air Regiments equipped with Yakov-
lev's fighters could be simultaneously sent to
the front for the first time, which constituted a
sizeable contribution to enhancing the com-
bat capabilities of the Soviet aviation. Two
regiments were sent to reinforce the 146th
and 47th Air Divisions. These were, respec-
Another close call for the same factory test pilot S. G. Pygoonov. This Yak-1 (1-26, cln 0107) suffered a tively, the 20th lAP (commanded by Major
landing gear collapse during the take-off run on 14th September 1940. A. Starikov; the unit was retrained for combat
on the Yak-1 for the third time already) and the
Efforts to provide Plant No. 292 'Sara- fighters were delivered per day in June, at 236th lAP commanded by Major Antonov,
combine' with high-productivity jigs and the end of October 1941 the daily output who had passed conversion training for the
tools and introduction of continuous flow- reached eight machines. The time required second time in a ZAP. In the course of the
line assembly of the aircraft and its parts had for the manufacture of some assemblies was counteroffensive conducted by Soviet troops
their effect: even before the outbreak of the considerably reduced. For example, the near Moscow, the former of the mentioned
war the production of combat machines assembly of the fuselage was effected in the units supported the troops of the 50th Army
acquired a regular tempo. Whereas four course of nine days instead of 14, and the providing cover for airfields in the area of

22
Kaluga from which the 4th Airborne Corps
began its assault operations, and the latter
successfully conducted operational activities
in co-operation with the troops of the 20th
Army when penetrating the enemy defences
at the Lama River.
The number of pilots mastering the new
machine grew steadily. While only 156 pilots
could fly the Yak-1 by 22nd June, by 1st Feb-
ruary 1942 their number increased to 637.
Gradually pilots flying the Yak-1 came to par-
ticipate in combat on all fronts, with the excep-
tion of the Karelian front. A certain decline in
the activity of Luftwaffe fighters enabled the
Soviet airmen to feel confident of their own
capabilities. Front-line conferences were held
in a number of units for the purpose of
exchanging combat experience, selecting the
optimum operational tactics and assessing Above and below: Yak-1 cln 3055 equipped with retractable skis and six RO-82 launch rails for 82-mm RS-
the quality of the materiel. 82 unguided rockets. Note that the front portions of the skis are carefUlly streamlined.
Thus, pilots of the Air Force of the Kalinin
front analysed the special features of winter
operation of the Yak-1 s. Airmen of the 237th
lAP had a good opinion of the machine, yet
they also noted some drawbacks, most of
which were associated with the undercarriage
design. When airborne, the undercarriage
legs were not always securely held by their
uplocks, especially during violent manoeu-
vres; cracks appeared in the front portions of
the skis after 20 to 30 landings, and the under-
carriage breaker struts failed in the event of
landing with a high sink rate. The regiment's
ground crews called attention to the difficult
access to units of the powerplant during an
engine change and the persistent spraying of
oil on the cockpit windshield because of the
insufficient sealing of the reduction gear out-
put shaft.
In the meantime, optimistic reports came
from the South-Western Front: the 296th lAP
commanded by Major N. Baranov, which was
the only Air Regiment in the Air Force of the
Front at that time to be equipped with the
Yak-1 s, attained exceptionally successful
j
results in combat. According to operational
reports, on 9th March 1942 seven Yaks led by
Captain B. Yeryomin successfully fought a
battle against 25 German aircraft, among
which there were 12 Bf 109Es with bombs
intended for an attack mission. The attack
undertaken by 'Stalin's falcons' was swift and
sudden. Very good use was made of rocket
projectiles carried under the wings - they
wreaked havoc among the German pilots,
preventing them from dumping their bomb
load in time. The six Bf 109Fs that were on the Above: Head-on view of the same aircraft, showing to good effect the RS-82 installation. The rockets were
scene were of little help, since they had failed used with good results not only against ground targets but against enemy bomber formations as well.
to notice the attacking Soviet fighters. 'As a
result, five Bf 109s were shot down together It proved impossible to find confirmation of Committee, and instructions were issued to
with two Ju88s. The most striking thing about considerable losses of the German aviation in give a wide coverage in the newspapers to the
it is the fact that our airmen suffered no losses' their documents referring to 9th March. Nev- Soviet airmen's feat. At the initiative of A.
- said the concluding lines of the Soviet ertheless, the successful use of Soviet fighters Yakovlev, newspapers mentioned for the first
report. came under discussion in the State Defence time the type of the aircraft that had taken part

23
 established on the basis of the Air Force of the
Western front had 36 Yak-1 s in good condi-
tion and 9 machines in disrepair at its disposal.
In addition to the already mentioned regi-
ments, fighters of this type were also on the
strength of the 32nd, 66th, 516th lAPs and
other units. At that time the units were weak-
ened by prolonged combat activities; as a
rule, they had five to eight Yak-1 s instead of
the full complement of 20 machines.
At the end of the spring of 1942 a number
of new Air Regiments was converted to the
Yaks. One of them was the 1st Guards Red
Banner lAP (the former 29th lAP). This unit
was considered to be one of the most famous
in the Soviet Union.
Above: A Yak-1 with special skis onto which the fighter was rolled for take-off from snow-covered airfields.
Over the years, pilots of nationwide fame-
These 'overshoes' fell away when the aircraft lifted off, to be used by the next aircraft.
Valeriy Chkalov, Sergei Gritsevets, Anatoliy
Serov and others - had served in the 1st Sovi-
et fighter squadron (?) which later formed the
basis of the 29th lAP. The regiment distin-
guished itself in combat against the Luftwaffe
while still flying 1-16s; later it fought on Hawk-
er Hurricanes. In May 1942 a group of pilots
led by their commander, Lieutenant-Colonel
A. Yoodakov, flew their mounts to an airfield
in the rear, where they immediately set about
familiarising themselves with Yakovlev's
firstling. The airmen were elated over the
machine; a short while later seven fighters
demonstrated complex group aerobatics
over the airfield.
The most famous Soviet fighter-pilot Alek-
sandr I. Pokryshkin flew combat sorties on a
Yak-1 from mid-May till 9th August 1942 (at
that time he was Senior Lieutenant with the
Above and below: A production 'razorback' Yak-1 with aerodynamic refinements based on TsAGI 16th Guards lAP). This unit received well-
recommendations. Note the modified rear portion of the canopy and the faired engine exhaust stubs.
used and fairly battered Yak-1 s from other
regiments fighting at neighbouring sections
of the front; this was probably the reason for
the very reserved comments from the pilots.
Previously, Pokryshkin had thoroughly stud-
ied the MiG-3 and actually taken a liking to it;
yet he noted that the Yak-1 was easier to fly
and more forgiving and had more potent
armament. Thanks to these advantages the
famous ace achieved eight victories during a
period of incessant air battles that lasted for
almost three months, when he downed three
Bf 109s, three Ju 88s and two Bf 11 Os.
The 16th Guards lAP fought at the south-
ern flank of the Soviet-German front. In the
late spring the German aviation (especially
fighters) considerably stepped up its activi-
ties there, and the Soviet airmen we're in a
in the battle: 'Yakovlev-1'; that was done with Army Command - B. Yeryomin later noted - tough situation. Yak fighters took part in com-
a view to promoting public acquaintance with Hence the swift and broad response.' All the bat in the areas of the Kuban' and Don rivers,
the aviation materiel. Earlier, combat aircraft participants of the air battle were awarded and in the Crimea. Thus, airmen of the 45th
were referred to figuratively: 'our steel birds', Orders of the Red Banner, and the Pravda lAP making part of the 3rd Special Air Group
'Stalin's falcons' or 'hawks with Red Stars'. newspaper published their photos. commanded by Colonel I. Dzoosov fbught
'At that time confidence in the capabilities In the spring of 1942 the Soviet Govern- especially hard' combats repelling the
of our armament was very much needed by ment took the decision to begin setting up enemy's onslaught on Sevastopol'. Accord-
everyone - from a worker at an aircraft factory new formations - Air Armies (VA - vozdoosh- ing to official information, in June 1942
and a pilot to the General Designer and the naya armiya). By 10th May 1942 the 1st VA Soviet airmen made 186 combat sorties and

24
achieved 22 victories, even though the
enemy enjoyed air superiority (according to
information from German sources, six or
seven 'kills' of German aircraft can be con-
firmed; according to Soviet sources, own
losses amounted to eight Yak-1 s and two
pilots lost). Lieutenant N. Lavitskiy achieved
special success, with seven 'kills' to his credit.
When Wehrmacht troops stormed the blaz-
ing city of Sevastopol', eleven Yak-1 s of the
45th and 247th lAPs left the Crimea on the
night of 1st July, landing safely on airfields in
the Krasnodar Area.
The retreat of the Soviet troops in the
south was accompanied by the loss of a
considerable amount of materiel. As noted
earlier, the Yak-1 fighters posed problems in
Above: A pilot poses in the cockpit of his Yak-1, 2 White. Note that the lower segments of the main gear
maintenance and transportation because of
doors have been removed to stop them from being fouled by mud during operations from muddy airstrips
their one-piece wing structure. Nevertheless, in the spring and winter.
there were cases when Soviet military per-
sonnel displayed exceptional perseverance
and sense of duty trying to preserve the
materiel.
Thus, technician Mal'tsev from the 220th
lAD (istrebite/'naya aviatsionnaya diveeziya -
Fighter Air Division) received an order to
evacuate a machine belonging to Lieutenant
A. Vitkovskiy from the place of a forced land-
ing. The fighter had landed near the front-line
in swampy terrain and needed repairs in fac-
tory conditions. Enlisting the help of the local
population to make a road of brushwood,
Mal'tsev loaded the fighter onto the platform
of a truck and took it to aircraft repair shops in
Uriupinsk. However, enemy troops were
approaching that place, too. The Yak-1 had to
be transported further east, camouflage
being required to protect it from enemy air
strikes. Mal'tsev managed to ferry the fighter
Above: This Yak-1 b, 17 Red, was flown by Yves Bizien of the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment. It bears the
over the Don river on a raft; his adventures
inscription 'To the defenders of the Stalingrad Front from the collective farm workers of the Krasnoyarsk
lasted for more than a week. District of the Saratov Region', meaning it was paid for by fund-raising. The upper propeller blade appears
to be damaged.
New versions
The staff of the Design Bureau and Chief
Designer Alexander Yakovlev continued to
seek possibilities of improving their machine.
Their fighter was still inferior to its main oppo-
nent in air combat - the German Bf 109F. The
task became all the more urgent when the
Soviet intelligence reported that that the F-2
version had been supplanted on the produc-
tion line by the F-4 version featuring an engine
of greater output and better altitude perfor-
mance and improved armour protection and
armament (in actual fact, the first Bf 109F-4s
went into action at the Eastern front for the first
time in August of 1941). According to G. Bark-
horn, a German ace, 'Friedrich the fourth' (as
the Bf 109F-4 was popularly known in the Luft-
waffe) marked a peak in the development of
the Messerschmitt machine as far as control-
lability and agility were concerned. The new
model further increased the advantages of
the German machine over the Yak-1 with Above: Capt. P. I. Pavlov of the 21 st lAP (Red Banner Baltic Fleet air arm) taxies out for take-off in his
'razorback' Yak-1 after the alert has been sounded, 1942.

25
 substituting the M-1 05PA for the M-1 05P had
not added a single extra horsepower to the
machine. Its designers were well aware of the
fact that introduction of a new engine was an
unrealistic option at that time. Therefore the
idea cropped up of uprating the available
engine.
The story of how the boosted version of
the M-1 05PA came into being is very unusual.
In April 1942 a mixed team comprising
specialists from the engine factory and Nil
WS and led by Military Engineer (3rd rank)
B. Nikitin, was sent on a mission to the 236th
lAP of the Air Force of the Western Front
(commander Major P. Antonets). At its own
initiative the team made arrangements for
seven Yak-1 s with the M-105PA engines to
be subjected to trial operation with the
Above and below: Yak-1 c/n 3560 was converted into the eta/on (production standard-setter) for 1942 with boost pressure increased from 910 mm Hg to
a teardrop canopy and cut-down fuselage spine. Note the moulded frameless windshield; the aircraft had 1,050 mm Hg.
a Yak-? oil cooler, as it had been planned to install an M-105PF engine which was ultimately never fitted. This resulted in a considerable improve-
ment of performance. The pilots of the regi-
ment willingly flew the modified aircraft. The
Air Force was faced with the prospect of
immediately enhancing the combat capabili-
ties of all Yak-1 fighters then in service by sim-
ple and expeditious means. Introduction of
the increased boost pressure, as it seemed
initially, did not require any modification of the
M-105PA engine and could be effected in
front-line units by their own technical staff
without impairing the employment of the air-
craft in combat operations.
However, operational use of boosted
engines brought some unpleasant surprises.
It turned out that in summer weather the
fighter could fly with the radiator shutter fully
closed (to achieve maximum speed) for no
more than two minutes, after which the
temperature of water and oil rose above the
permissible limits. For the same reason it
proved impossible to perform a continuous
climb with the boosted engine. It was nec-
essary to level off several times in order to
bring the temperature condition of the
engine back to normal. The increase of the
water and oil temperature was further aggra-
vated because the radiator core tubes
became clogged with oil which was spilled
from the breather or leaked from engine pip-
ing joints.
All this came to the knowledge of the
authorities. The Commander of the Air Force
issued an order requiring two of the seven
modified Yaks to be transferred to Nil WS for
research purposes. The test results were as
The Yak-1 eta/on for 1943 during checkout trials at Nil WS. follows: with the engine running at the same
nominal revs and under other conditions
regard to rate of climb and other performance the Yaks if they wished it and break off the identical to those of the usual Yaks, the
characteristics, -while retaining a parity in engagement, should the situation turn to their increased supercharging pressure enabled
manoeuvrability. The Bf 109F-4 retained also disadvantage. the 'new' fighter to attain a maximum horizon-
the superiority in speed. The latter point While the German machines were pro- tal speed that was approximately 20 to 25
proved to be very important; the German gressively fitted with engines of steadily ris- km/h (12.4 to 15.5 mph) higher at altitudes
pilots had the ability to impose a dogfight on ing power, in the case of the Yak-1 from sea level to 3,500 m (11,480 ft). Time to

26
l 5,000 m (16,400 ft) was reduced by one
minute, and the time needed for a banking
turn at 1,000 m (3,280 ft) by one second.
Take-off performance was also improved. At
the same time water and oil in the boosted
engine got overheated. To keep their temper-
ature within acceptable limits, the engine revs
had to be reduced from the nominal 2,700
rpm to 2,400 - 2,500 rpm, which, in effect, nul-
lified all the advantages afforded by increas-
ing the boost pressure.
On the basis of the results of these tests
the People's Commissariat of Aircraft Industry
tasked Chief Designer A. S. Yakovlev with
redesigning the engine cooling system and
taking measures to prevent oil spill from the
breather, as well as introducing engine seals.
Above and below: Saratov-built 'bubbletop' Yak-1 cln 04111 during tests at Nil WS. The aircraft wears
Also, the engines themselves were to be per-
winter camouflage, though this is not very obvious because the machine is covered all over in soot and oil
fected. The main improvements that were to from the engine!
be effected by engine constructors included
reinforcement of the crankcase and piston
pins and increasing the diameter of borings in
the carburettor nozzles.
The production version of the boosted
engine was assigned the designation M-
105PF. Its readjustment, as compared to the
M-105PA, entailed not only an increase of
power but also a decrease of altitude perfor-
mance. Thus, the output at the first rated alti-
tude became 1,260 hp at 700 m (2,296 ft)
instead of 1,100 hp at 2,000 m (6,560 ft), with-
out taking into account the dynamic pressure,
and at the second rated altitude the power
rose from 1,050 hp at 4,000 m (13,120 ft) to
1,180 hp at 2700 m (8,856 ft). At altitudes in
excess of 4,000 m (13,120 ft) the characteris-
tics of boosted and unboosted engines
proved to be identical.
In June 1942 a Yak-1 (c/n 15-69) with a
boosted M-105PF engine and increased oil both fighters fought on equal terms; in effect, Yak-l fighter (modified)
cooler area passed tests at Nil VVS. Despite aerial combat became restricted to head- Another direction of work in the Yakovlev OKB
the modified oil cooler, the temperature con- on attacks. It was to the Yak's advantage (Design Bureau) was concerned with improv-
dition of the powerplant deteriorated. At a if its 'adversary' could be lured to higher ing the vision, armour protection and arma-
take-off weight of 2,917 kg (typical for a Yak- altitudes. Already at 5,000 m (16,400 ft) the ment of the production Yak-1 . To achieve this,
1 without a radio), the fighter attained 510 Yak-1 came to possess greater manoeuvra- considerable alterations, based on the avail-
kmlh (317 mph) at sea level and 571 kmlh bility and its pilot could impose his will on the able experience, were incorporated in one
(355 mph) at the second rated altitude of enemy. example of the fighter in June 1942. The fol-
3,650 m (11,972 ft); it needed 6.4 minutes to It must be taken into account, though, that lowing design features were adopted.
climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft), performed a full- when the Bf 109F was evaluated at Nil WS To improve rearward vision the upper
circle turn at low altitude in 19 to 20 seconds the supercharger system of the Daimler-Benz fuselage decking behind the cockpit was cut
and gained 980 m when climbing in a combat DB 601 N engine did not ensure the mainte- down and the cockpit canopy was given a
turn. However, to ensure normal operation of nance of a constant degree of supercharging. streamlined teardrop shape. The moulded
the aircraft the engine revs at low altitude had On the other hand, when the German engines visor gave place to a visor formed by optically
to be limited to 2,550 rpm. functioned normally, the Messerschmittfighter, flat glazing panels which lessened the distor-
It proved possible to reduce the Bf 109F's possessing better engine performance at tion of objects observed by the pilot.
ascendancy at low altitude, as demonstrated high altitude, was not inferior, but, on the To enhance the protection of the pilot's
by mock combat between the Yak-1 M-105PF contrary, considerably superior to the Yak-1 head, a bulletproof windscreen and a rear bul-
and the Bf 109F, conducted at Nil WS for M-105PF at 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and higher. letproof glass panel were installed. The pilot
training and test purposes. At 1,000 m (3,280 ft) Besides, Nil WS had tested the Bf 109F-2, was also protected by an armoured headrest
the Bf 109F had a marginal advantage in while, as noted earlier, it was the Bf 109F-4 and armoured armrest.
vertical and horizontal manoeuvrability. The with the more powerful DB 601 E engine that Changes in the armament consisted in
German fighter succeeded in getting on the had become Germany's main fighter type by replacing two 7.62-mm ShKAS machine-guns
tail of its 'adversary', but only after four or the summer of 1942. The Yak-1 M-1 05PF was by one 12.7-mm UBS machine-gun (also syn-
five turns. At the altitude of 3,000 m (9,840 ft) markedly inferior to it on many counts. chronised), while the 20-mm ShVAK cannon

27
 was retained. The OPB-1 telescopic gunsight 176th lAP of the 283rd lAD at the Stalingrad
was replaced by a ring-and-bead W-1 sight; Front. During this time 58 new fighters flew up
this was done in response to insistent to 700 combat sorties, performing 38 dog-
demands from front-line units dissatisfied with fights and shooting down 25 enemy aircraft,
the poor quality of the telescopic gunsight. as claimed by the units, for the loss of six Yak-
Additionally, the modified fighter featured 1bs. The new fire control system and the
alterations to the control stick which was cockpit hood with improved view to aft were
made similar to that of the German Bf 109. appreciated by the flying personnel and were
The stick had push-buttons for actuating the recommended for introduction on all fighters.
armament; this permitted the pilots to fire their The airmen also approved the other changes
weapons without diverting attention from effected by the Design Bureau.
piloting during violent combat manoeuvres.
On 1st July 1942 A. Yakovlev reported to the The lightened version of the fighter
Government that the work on modifying the The Bf 109 retained its main advantage over
Yak-1 had been completed. The fighter was the Yak-1 - superior vertical manoeuvrability
immediately submitted for State trials. Nil VVS which was due to lower power loading. The
test pilots A. Proshakov, P. M. Stefanovskiy, Soviet designers sought to strip the enemy
A. G. Kochetkov, L. M. Koovshinov and of this advantage by further lightening the
V. Khomyakov assessed the new features as Yak-1.
excellent. The report on the results of the In March 1942, in response to the Chief
State trials said that 'the forward view and vis- Designer's instructions, the OKB staff intend-
ibility to the sides and rearwards through the ed to achieve a radical lightening of the air-
bUlletproof glass and the transparent aft part frame. This work had experimental status at
of the canopy are good and can be regarded the time. Ten airframes were completed as
as the best compared to al/ Soviet fighters'. It interceptors. The list of measures aimed at
was recommended that these alterations be reducing the all-up weight comprised 25
incorporated in production machines and the items. The most important of these included
aircraft tested be regarded as an eta/on (pro- deletion of the ShKAS machine-guns with
duction standard-setter). their ammunition supply, deletion of on~ of
Top: This photo illustrates the standard shape of
Time was needed to implement in pro- the two compressed air bottles and dispens-
the oil cooler bath and supercharger air intake. duction the improvements described above. ing with the use of self-sealing coat on fuel
Centre: The oil cooler and supercharger intake Only in September 1942 did Plant No. 292 tanks.
modified in accordance with TsAGI recommen- begin to build the modified Yak-1 s. This air- The weight saving achieved totalled 162
dations make an interesting comparison.
craft with the UBS-12.7 machine-gun and kg (357 Ib). One of the fighters was flight-test-
Above: The fifth version of the oil cooler bath
developed by TsAGI. improved-vision cockpit canopy was some- ed by the OKB's chief test pilot Pavel Fedrovi
Below and bottom: Yak-1 cln 1047 was lightened times called Yak-1b (with a lower-case 'b'), who spoke highly of the aircraft. All ten light-
and equipped with an all-round vision teardrop especially in the documents of front-line units ened Yak-1 s were delivered to the12th
canopy.
(It should be noted that, in contrast to other Guards lAP of the 6th IAK of the Moscow air
Yak models, the versions of the Yak-1 were defence system and were used as intercep-
not assigned official suffix letters). Right from tors.
the start they were powered by M-105PF The OKB reverted to this experience in
engines. By the end of 1942 the number of September 1942. Twenty lightened Yak-1 s
machines of this version reached 959 out of were manufactured specially for the Stalin-
that year's total production of the Yak-1 grad Front. At an all-up weight of 2,780 kg
(3,474). (6,130 Ib) these machines were marginally
In the period of December 1942 - January faster than the usual Yaks. Importantly, verti-
1943 the Yak-1 b aircraft were passing opera- cal manoeuvrability was appreciably
tional service tests in the 32nd Guards lAP of improved. The lightened Yak-1 s formed a part
the 210th lAD at the Kalinin Front and in the of the complement of the 512nd lAP (com-
manded by Hero of the Soviet Union, lieu-
tenant-Colonel N. Gerasimov) and the 520th
lAP (commanded by Major S. Cheerva).
Experience gained in air battles showed
that, when piloted by well-trained airmen,
these aircraft were quite a match for the
Bf 109F-4 and Bf 109G-2 at low and medium
altitudes. While a standard production Yak-1
required on average 26 sorties per one Ger-
man aircraft shot down, the lightened version
scored one 'kill' in 18 (according to Soviet
reports). The latter version also boasted lower
own losses. Lightened Yaks caught up with
the Bf 109s during climb, but it was in the
banking turns that they were particularly

28

/
l
I superior to the adversary. Deletion of the
machine-guns did not seriously diminish the
effectiveness of attacks because German air-
craft, especially bombers, were destroyed pri-
marily by cannon fire.
512th lAP pilots I. Motornyy and V. Maka-
rov, who were sent by their command to the
Saratov Plant to take delivery of the first light-
ened Yak-1 s for their unit, engaged in a
dogfight during their ferrying flight, claiming
two Bf 1D9G-2s shot down. After landing at a
field airstrip on the bank of the Volga River,
they said: 'On the lightened Yak we shall
down any Messerschmitt in a vertical
manoeuvre'.
The results of the work on lightening the
Yak-1 were subsequently used by the
Yakovlev OKB in the development of other
fighters, especially the Yak-3. But at that time,
in September 1942, it was decided to refrain
from committing the lightened Yak-1 to large-
scale production. While the reduced weight of
fire was not of crucial importance for experi-
enced fighter pilots, the Soviet top command
considered it too heavy a price for ordinary
airmen and the lightened version of the Yak-1
was not built in quantity by Plant No. 292.

The fighter-bomber version

of the Yak-1
In May 1942 the Yak-1 was once more sub-
jected to alterations. In keeping with a Gov-
ernment decision, rocket projectiles carried
under the wings were dispensed with in order
to regain the speed that was so necessary in Pre-flight maintenance of a ski-equipped Yak-1.
combat against the Messerschmitts. At the
same time, it was decided that the Yaks be With the bombs the aircraft could be used ous, reaching 30 km/h (18.6 mph). The Yak-1
used in a new capacity - the fighter-bomber as a high-speed fighter-bomber, and without became heavy and sluggish in handling. After
role. For this purpose two bomb racks with bombs - as a tactical fighter. Installation of the bombs had been dropped the perfor-
sway braces and shackles were mounted bomb racks and attachment of bombs mance improved, but, since the bomb racks
under the wings. Each of them could carry increased the all-up weight and spoiled the still were there, it remained lower than without
one 25 to 1DD-kg (55 to 22D-lb) bomb. A lever aerodynamics of the machine, adversely this equipment.
installed in the cockpit enabled the pilot to affecting its performance and handling quali- In the opinion of the Air Force command,
drop this deadly load. ties. The speed reduction was especially seri- installation of bomb armament on the Yak-1

Yak-1 s in standard dark green/black camouflage at a frontline airfield. The second aircraft in the row has had its lower main gear door segments removed.

29
 was unwarranted because it had been effect-
ed without due regard to the real capabilities
of the M-105PA engine, the power of which
was clearly inadequate for this task. Also, the
pilots of front-line units were dissatisfied with
the bomb racks; they often said they were
carting around a useless load. As the best
type of Soviet fighter aircraft at that time, the
Yak-1 was intended primarily for the intercep-
tion of enemy attack aircraft and for aerial
combat, not for bombardment and attack
missions. Nevertheless, bomb racks on pro-
duction machines were retained until the end
of series production.

Bitter fighting at the fronts in

the second half of 1942
Let us mentally return again to the Eastern
front. The main events of the summer of 1942
took place over its southern sector where the
Germans flung new air groups and
Geschwader into the fray. Again, as had been
the case in the summer of 1941 , the Luftwaffe
firmly maintained air superiority. All types of
Soviet aircraft suffered heavy losses under
these circumstances. To ease the situation of
the Red Army troops in that area, the Soviet
command launched a number of counter-
offensives on other fronts.
One of the toughest battles raged from
30th July 1942 onwards in the sky and ol'l the
ground near the town of Rzhev. The Soviet
aviation committed considerable forces to
activities in that area. Among the 489 fighters
that went into action over the Western front,
there were 72 Yak-1 s (44 of them in service-
able condition) in the 1st Air Army and 13 Yak-
1s (nine of them operational) in the units of
army aviation. At first 'Stalin's falcons' had
luck on their side, but then Luftwaffe aces, first
of all those of JG51 'Molders', succeeded in
Above: Lidia Litvyak, a famous female fighter pilot, poses on the wing of her Yak-1. She gained ace status, taking over the initiative.
shooting down 12 enemy aircraft, before being killed in action near Oryol on 1st September 1943.
Soviet commanders of ground troops
repeatedly voiced their criticism towards air-
men. The latter appeared over the heads of
Soviet soldiers and commanders for only a
few minutes, responded poorly to commands
from the ground, and allowed German attack
aircraft to bomb important targets near the
front and in the rear of the Red Army with vir-
tual impunity.
Colonel L. Kooldin, deputy commander
of an Air Army, took to the air in a Yak-1 with
a view to assessing the situation personally,
but he was shot down and killed in a dog-
fight. In all, during August of 1942 the avia-
tion of the Western and Karelian Fronts (the
latter was providing cover for the offensive
against Rzhev from the north) lost 61 Yak-1
(one loss for only 19 combat sorties); of
these, 37 fighters of this type were lost in air
battles.
The situation was not better in the south
Above: Technicians push a late-production Yak-1 into a sheltered position after a sortie. where the airmen of the 8th Air Army, com-

30
1
\
mitted to action on the South-Western Front,
had to stand the most severe test. German
technicians painting new bars on the vertical
tails of their Messerschmitt fighters to mark
the 'kills' had every reason to feel satisfied.
Soviet documents confirm that hardly a day
passed without heavy losses. Thus, the 8th
Army lost 5 Yak-1 s on each of the three days -
8th, 10th and 13th August, and on 12th
August seven Yakovlev fighters were shot
down.
In the 273th lAP, out of the 15 Yak-1 s that
were on strength by the beginning of August,
and the 19 machines that came as a replen-
ishment, 14 fighters had to be written off for
various reasons in the course of a month; in
the 515th lAP 27 Yaks out of 37 were lost dur-
ing the same period. Some air regiments,
such as the 211th lAP, lost their operational
capability in the course of three days at the
Above: Several female pilots fought in the 586th lAP. Here, left to right: G. Boordina, T. Pamyatnykh, V.
front and had to be sent to the rear for reor-
Khomiakova and V. Lisitsina discuss a dogfight performed (obviously successfully) by Khomiakova.
ganisation. Below: The aviatrices pore over a map of the battle area, planning the next mission.
This calls for some comment. In 1974,
many years after the victorious end of the war,
Yakovlev published his book, originally called
Notes of an Aircraft Designer, in a new edition
called A Life's Goal. The book is written in a
vivid and colourful manner and makes good
reading, but not infrequently it gives a biased
presentation of important elements in the his-
tory of Soviet aviation. Thus, the Chief Design-
er speaks much about successes, but says
nothing about the failures - his own and those
of his colleagues. Nevertheless, he feels com-
pelled to dwell on the heavy losses in battles
over Stalingrad. One of the chapters of the
book is eloquently called The Yaks bum.
Presumably the heavy losses sustained
by the Soviet aviation are mainly associated
not with the shortcomings of this or that air-
craft (for example, the Yaks) but with the poor
training standard of the average Soviet pilot
and the small number of flying hours accu-
mulated by him before being sent to the front.
In the summer of 1942 a flying school cadet
was transferred to a ZAP (Reserve Air Regi-
ment) after logging 70 to 80 hours on trainers
and having barely mastered the essential
piloting techniques; there he was given the
opportunity to perform 15 to 20 flights, which
was by no means enough for mastering a
fighter, even such a simple one as the Yak-1 .
When the Soviet pilot arrived at the front he
immediately became a potential prey for Ger-
man aces who had performed hundreds of
combat sorties.
Sure enough, there were also Soviet
pilots who were very well trained and who
proved to be a real danger for the enemy.
Thus, on 6th August Lieutenant (Senior
Grade) Mikhail Baranov from the 183rd lAP,
expertly conducted aerial combat against a
group of enemy aircraft while providing cover
for a group of Soviet attack aircraft. He dam- A Yak-1 b pilot receives his Communist Party membership certificate after proving his worth in combat.

31
 aged a Ju 87, compelling it to make a forced
landing in the territory held by Soviet troops,
and downed two Sf 109s, one of which was
destroyed by ramming. After this the brave
pilot parachuted to safety in a sector held by
Soviet marines. Baranov's score rose to 18
personal and six shared 'kills'. At that time no
other pilot could equal Mikhail's effectiveness
in combat; in a few days he was awarded the
Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union.
However, most of the Soviet pilots were
young, with no combat experience, and could
not successfully oppose the German aces.
The top command of the Red Army Air Force
sought to remedy the situation by sharply
increasing the production of combat materiel
and expediting the training of a growing num-
ber of new combat pilots for the front. In the
autumn of 1942 when the Soviet forces were
Above: A still from a Soviet documentary film showing a Yak-1 b (foreground) and a late-model Yak-9 (note hard put to it, the workers of Plant No. 292,
the aft-positioned cockpit) in flight; such pictures are quite rare. unwilling to disrupt the steady production
tempo, would no longer seek shelter when
the air raid alarm was sounded as German
bombers approached Saratov. In the autumn
of 1942 the further simplification of production
process and curtailment of the use of materi-
als that were costly or in short supply, made it
possible to reduce labour costs of the manu-
facture of one Yak-1 2.2 times compared to
mid-1941. At that time the Soviet fighter was
three to four times cheaper than its main
opponent, the Bf 109G-2. '
Israel Levin, Director of the Saratov Air-
craft Plant, recalls that on 2nd September
1942 he received a Government telegram
with instructions from the Supreme Com-
mand requiring him to send all the aircraft pro-
duced to the Stalingrad Front. On 6th
September he received a telephone call from
Stalin who, concluding the conversation,
Above: French pilots fought alongside Soviet airmen, and the French 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment said: 'The situation in the Stalingrad area is
gained fame. Here, the unit's pilots discuss a mission with a Soviet colleague. very difficult. Fighters are badly needed. Take
measures to increase the production'.
Workers and engineers spent 24 hours a
day in the workshops of Plant No. 292, and
they succeeded in overfulfilling the strenuous
plan of fighter production. 336 Yaks were
completed in September 1942 (compared to
168 machines a year before); in the following
month this number reached 338. The con-
stant replenishment of the Soviet Air forma-
tion by new aircraft contributed to changing
the situation at the front - first of all on the
banks of the Volga where, without any exag-
geration, the outcome of the war was being
determined during those months.
A successful counteroffensive launched
by the Soviet troops on 19th November 1942
made it possible to achieve a radical change
in the situation in the Stalingrad area. The
weakening of the Luftwaffe and the need to
spend much effort on delivering supplies to
the encircled 6th Army commanded by Field-
The Yak-1 s of the Normandie-Niemen regiment sported tricolour spinners and a French roundel Marshal von Paulus permitted the Red Army
superimposed on a white lightning flash. This one is pictured at Monastyrshchina in October 1943.
~

32
Air Force to win and firmly maintain air supe-
riority.
Soviet airmen demonstrated many an
example of successful actions in which they
made use of new combat tactics. Thus, on
28th November 1942 three Yak-1 s from the
293rd lAP met four Ju 52/3m transports while
flying an interception mission after being
summoned by the command post of the
287th lAD in the area of the Srednyaya Akhtu-
ba River (Middle Akhtuba, one of the Volga's
tributaries). The Ju 52s, loaded with food-
stuffs, were on their way to the encircled
troops, but they lost their bearings, and all of
them were shot down in the course of several
minutes.
One more case of the enemy aircraft los-
]{{lllllllilltl'(({)'t! CilIa fUllfllJ(lO(l{OlO
ing their way took place at the end of Decem-
ber. Twenty Junkers transports escorted by
¢/JOl'illlll (Jill f~lJtJ(ro1tt·tti()(t ..
Messerschmitt fighters made their appear-
ance directly over the Bolshiye Chapoorniki 'lfl{(OlOIJCICO(() '~tlll()llll fClI), '
airfield where considerable forces of the Soviet
Above: A lot of combat aircraft were paid for by public donations. This one was paid for by collective farm
aviation were based. But the waves of the
workers of the Lysaya Gora ('Bald Mountain') District of the Saratov Region.
transport aircraft were passing at such low
altitude that the fighter flights on quick-reac-
tion alert could not take to the air to intercept
them. At that time a group of fighters from the
201 st lAD was returning to base after a 'hunt-
and-kill' mission against targets of opportunity.
Instead of landing, four Yak-1 s led by lieu-
tenant (Senior Grade) L. Dyoma immediately
engaged the enemy. Bursts of cannon and
heavy machine-gun fire hit the enemy aircraft
one by one. The Soviet fighters turned away
from the Junkers transports at absolutely
minimum distances, sometimes passing
between the wings and stabilisers of the
enemy machines. The combat lasted no more
than twenty minutes, in the course of which
the enemy lost 15 aircraft, and two damaged
Ju 52/3ms made forced landings on the Soviet
airfield.
Above: This Yak·1 was donated to Maj. Shishkin (HSU) by the 'Signal of the Revolution' collective farm
located in the Voroshilov District of the Saratov Region.
Improved version of the Yak-1 fighter
The work on perfecting the fighter went on
incessantly right from the start of the series
production. Improvement of the aircraft's
aerodynamics, along with measures
designed to reduce the all-up weight, was one
of the main areas of the OKB's activities dur-
ing the whole period of the series production
of the Yak-1. This work was conducted in con-
formity with plans and, as a rule, at the OKB's
own initiative. But sometimes exigencies of
life compelled the Design Bureau to resort to
urgent measures.
One of such time intervals when the work
acquired the character of a crash programme
was the period of autumn and winter of 1942.
A dire situation arose during the air battle over
Stalingrad; it was caused, in particular, by the
advent of new German fighters - Bf 109G-2s
fitted with engines of greater power and bet-
ter altitude performance which gave them Pilots discuss a successful mission beside another donated aircraft fighting on the Stalingrad Front.

33
 the Yakovlev OKB had thoroughly refined
the airframe to adapt it to the installation of
the M-106. Many novel features were incor-
porated in the structure with a view to
improving the aerodynamics and reducing
the weight. Thus, the wings had metal spars,
the lightened tail unit also acquired a metal
framework. Two fuel tanks holding 400 lit.
(88 Imp gal) were installed in the outer sec-
tions of the wings; two circular-shaped oil
coolers patterned on those of the 1-26-1 were
installed in the wing centre section. The lat-
est achievements of aviation science, in par-
ticular, recommendations from TsAGI
(Tsentrahl'nyy aero- i ghidrodinamicheskiy
institoot - the Central Aero- and Hydrody-
namics Institute) were used in selecting the
Above: Yak-1 c/n 3299 served as the prototype for the M-106P engine installation.
shape of the oil coolers.
In its armament and equipment the exper-
imental fighter differed little from its produc-
tion stablemates. It also featured a similar
engine cowling design.
The M-1 06-1 sk was a modified version of
the M-106 that had been recommended for
installation on fighters as far back as the
beginning of j 941. At that time the engine was
supposed to develop 1,350 hp for take-off, to
have the same rating at 2,000 m (6,560 ft) and
deliver 1,250 hp at 4,000 m (13,120 ft). Now,
the engine was redesigned under the direc-
tion of Vladimir Va. Klimov: it was made
lighter; reliability was increased by installing a
single-speed supercharger designed by V.
Dollezhal'. An increased boost pressure
(1,175 mm Hg instead of 91 0 mm Hg in the M-
105) ensured greater power output; it was
Production Yak-1 s powered by the M-106P engine were outwardly identical to their M-10S-powered approximately 150 to 200 hp greater than that
brethren of the M-1 05PA and 'PF at altitudes of 4,000
m (13,120 tt) and higher.
considerable ascendancy in air combat. On sea level and 590 km/h (367 mph) at 3,750 m Importantly, the M-106 differed from its
13th October 1942 Chief of the Main Direc- (12,300 ft), ie, be 15 to 20 km/h (8.9 to 12.4 predecessor in having a lower compression
torate of the People's Commissariat of Aircraft mph) faster compared to the actual perfor- rate, a greater output of the main oil pump,
Industry S. Shish kin submitted to People's mance of Yak-1 fighters at the end of that year. a stronger crankshaft etc. Yet, the dry
Commissar A. Shakhoorin a report on the The work conducted under Yakovlev's direct weight of the M-106 remained virtually the
evaluation of the German fighters based on control comprised the following: completely same as that of the M-105PF; this obviated
comments from the fronts. The document sealed bulkheads were installed in the fuse- the need for calculating anew the aircraft's
noted that the Bf 109G-2 possessed only mar- lage; the tailwheel was made retractable once CG position.
ginally greater speed compared to Soviet again; the engine cowling and the wing root Thus, the main advantage of the M-106
fighters but enjoyed a considerable advan- fairings were redesigned in accordance with over the M-105PF lay in its ability to deliver
tage in rate of climb and, consequently, in the the recommendations of theoretical aerody- greater power while retaining the same
vertical manoeuvre. namics; a debris guard wire mesh screen weight and overall dimensions. Another
The leaders of the country demanded that installed in the water radiator intake was delet- advantage was associated with the charac-
performance of Soviet fighters be enhanced. ed; the exhaust stubs were fitted with fairings ter of variations in the power output depend-
This applied, above all, to the Yak-1 fighter. It and the shape of the stubs was altered so that ing on the altitude. The M-105 had a
was envisaged that the work would be con- they provided a measure of additional thrust; two-speed supercharger, and the need to
centrated on improving aerodynamics and the shape of the water radiator and oil cooler switch the speeds entailed a fall in the power
installing the more powerful M-106 engine ducts was altered; finally, the aircraft's overall output at 1,800 to 2,000 m (5,904 to 6,560 ft).
with a single-speed supercharger. sUrface finish was improved. German pilots flying the Bf 109 knew this
Aerodynamic improvements were effect- handicap of the Soviet engine and tried to
ed in accordance with the Government deci- The Yak-1 fighter with the impose combat on the Yakovlev fighters
sion adopted in December 1942. Under the M-106 engine exactly at these altitudes. The Messerschmitt
terms of this document, production Yak-1 s It was presumed that that the work on the fighters had turbo-couplings which switched
were to attain, at their maximum power rating, installation of a new, more powerful engine over automatically; thus, they suffered no
a speed not less than 525 km/h (326 mph) at promised still greater advantages. Besides, loss in speed. In the M-1 06 engine, thanks to

34
the single-speed supercharger, the power
output increased smoothly from sea level
to the rated altitude, and then decreased
depending on the changes in atmospheric
pressure.
Testing of the Yak-1 M-106 conducted in
January 1943 showed that the fighter pos-
sessed excellent performance. At the weight
of 2,757 kg (unprecedentedly low for aircraft
of this type) the fighter attained a speed of 557
km/h at sea level and 630 km/h at 3,400 m
(11 ,152 ft). The figt:uer needed only 4.5 min-
utes to climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft). It seemed
that a brilliant future was in store for the
machine. However, these hopes were shat-
A flight of Yak-1s of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet's 3rd GvlAP on quick-reaction alert.
tered. Pilot A. Kokin noted that the water radi-
ator and oil coolers on this aircraft ensured
adequate cooling of the engine at nominal Yakovlev's firstling soldiers on only 17 fighters were available in the 273rd
power only when the ambient temperature at until the end of the war lAD; the number of serviceable machines in
sea level was not higher than 15° C. Other- In the biggest air battles of 1943 the Yak-1 the regiments could be counted on the fin-
wise, the machine could not be flown at the fighter, alongside with its Yak-7B and Yak-9 gers of one hand.
nominal engine power rating. stablemates and the La-5 fighter, constituted The Soviet airmen were up against not
The testing was conducted by engineer the main types of front-line machines. Yak-1 s only all types of enemy aircraft, including the
K. Mkrtychan who had actively participated also made up a considerable part of the Soviet new Fw 190A-5 and Bf 109G-6 which were fit-
in the development of the prototype Yak-1 aviation reserves - the Air Corps of the ted with more powerful engines, heavier
M-106. Flight tests showed that the M-106 Supreme Command. Thus, the 3rd IAK (Fight- armament and increased armour protection,
engine had not been developed to the stan- er Air Corps) commanded by General Yev- but also the most skilled and experienced
dard required for normal operation: its run- geniy Va. Savitskiy played an important part in" crews of the Luftwaffe. But the German avia-
ning was accompanied by vibration, the springtime air battles in the Kuban' River tion maintained air superiority for only a few
detonation, emission of smoke and ejection area. The commander of the Air Corps, sub- days. Fresh units were committed to action in
of oil through joints. It became clear that the sequently promoted to Air Marshal and made the area and corrections were made to com-
aircraft could not stay airborne for a long twice Hero of the Soviet Union, recalled: bat tactics; this enabled the Soviet to check
time. 'Shortly before the transfer to the south I was the enemy's onslaught.
Almost contemporaneously with this summoned to Moscow where I received the Materials on the test results of Yak-1 c/n
work, engineers of L11 (Lyotno-issledo- combat assignment and was given the possi- 07127 (seventh aircraft in Batch 127), which
vatel'skiy institoot - Flight Research Insti- bility to choose the fighter type on which I could be considered typical for mid-1943,
tute) installed the M-106 on a production would like to join combat. I did not need time make it possible to assess the merits and
Yak-1. The speed went down by approxi- for reflection: I had long ago decided for my- shortcomings of the machine. First of all, lead-
mately 20 km/h (12.4 mph) as compared to self that the Yak-1 was what I needed.' In all, ing engineer M. Pronin noted that many pro-
the prototype fighter with the same engine, by 20th April there were nearly 200 Yakovlev posals aimed at perfecting the aerodynamics
and the time to 5,000 m (16,400) rose by 1.1 fighters of different models in the six regi- and armament and improving the handling
minute. However, engine operation proved ments that made up the Air Corps. qualities had been implemented in this
unsatisfactory on the L11-modified aircraft as The first blow dealt by the German avia- machine. At the weight of 2,884 kg (6,359 Ib),
well. tors in the course of the colossal battle at the a maximum speed of 521 km/h (324 mph)
Despite the setbacks, the Yak-1 M-106 Kursk Bulge was sustained by airmen of the was attained at sea level and 591 km/h (367
was ordered into series production. By 18th 2nd and 16th Air Armies. By 5th July 1943 mph) at the second rated altitude of 4,100 m
February 1943 the Saratov Plant manufac- these formations had 659 Yak-1 sand Yak- (13,448). The climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) took
tured 47 aircraft. The work on the M-1 06-pow- 7Bs in their inventory. Thus, the 1st Guards 5.5 minutes. These figures matched those
ered fighter was considered to be the most Fighter Air Division (lAD) commanded by stipulated by the Government directive.
important in the first quarter of that year. Of all Colonel Kroopenin had 54 Yak-7Bs at its dis- Some serious shortcomings were also
the machines completed, only 32 were offi- posal, and the 273rd lAD commanded by noted. Thus, there was a case when the Yak-
cially accepted by the military customer. In Colonel I. Fyodorov operated 81 Yaks of dif- 1's sliding cockpit canopy disintegrated after
spite of all the efforts, they could not be test- ferent types. The Yak-7B was the main type, being torn off in a dive to an indicated air-
ed during the winter, and subsequently, the while Yakovlev's 'firstling' was the mount of, speed of 660 km/h (410 mph). Fuel feed from
engines on the majority of these machines for example, Hero of the Soviet Union Captain the port and starboard fuel tanks remained
either were replaced by the M-1 05PF, or I. Zoodilov (Yak-1 c/n 17140), Lieutenant uneven. The range of two-way radio commu-
underwent readjustment. Several Yak-1 M- A. Borovykh from the 147th lAP (Yak-1 c/n nication with the ground was improved - it
106s were operated in the 148th lAP (com- 27141) who was later twice awarded the high- surpassed 50 km (31 miles) at 1,000 m (3,280 ft),
manded by Lieutenant-Colonel G. Zaitsev) est distinction of the country, and others. It but the level of noise still remained very high.
with the supercharging pressure decreased. was these formations that bore the brunt of Test pilots Yu. Antipov and V. Khomiakov
A basically sound concept ended in a failure the combat over the northern flank of the bat- noted that the bulletproof windshield was
in 1943, entailing a considerable loss of work tle and suffered the greatest losses. Suffice it not SUfficiently transparent and that oil was
time, equipment and materials. to say that by the morning of 7th July only 27 still leaking through the various seals of
Yak-1s remained in the 1st Guards lAD, and the engine crankshaft. Excessive effort was

35
 one aircraft was lost in every 83 sorties (the
total attrition of Yak-1 s caused by enemy
action amounted to 3,336 machines in the
period of 1941 to 1945).
The Yak-1 s soldiered on till the end of the
war in the Naval Aviation and in the PVO units.
Thus, various establishments in the rear, pri-
marily near Zhitomir, Kiev and Smolensk,
were protected by nearly 300 Yak-1 s in the
winter and spring of 1944, while by the middle
of the year this number was reduced to 272.
Among the machines assigned to this difficult
service there were some modified aircraft
which were fitted with radio compasses and
special equipment for night flights - 385 such
fighters were built in 1943-1944. Starting in
the second half of 1944, however, they were
Above and below: Two views of the 1-28 (Yak-5) fighter prototype. The fighter was powered by a
supercharged M-105PD engine, hence the enlarged chin-mounted oil cooler.
gradually supplanted in the PVO units by
Hawker Hurricanes, Curtiss P-40 Kittihawks
and Supermarine Spitfires.
Mention must be made of the fact that
Yak-1 s fought in the ranks of the French 'Nor-
mandie-Niemen' regiment which received 14
fighters of this type in March 1943. Before re-
equipping with Yak-9s in June of that year, the
unit destroyed nine German aircraft for the
loss of four Yak-1 s and four pilots. The Polish
1st Fighter Regiment 'Warszawa' (Warsaw)
had 34 Yak-1s on strength by July 1944, but
its participation in combat activities was limit-
ed: by the end of January 1945 only one Fw
189 was shot down, while six own machines
were lost due to various causes. Besides, the
Soviet 586th Air Regiment composed entirely
of woman pilots fought on Yak-1s from the
winter of 1942 onwards; initially it was
required for actuating the elevator and forced their way to Saratov through the air assigned to the air defence of Saratov. Now
ailerons, and pilots quickly got tired because defences and bombed the factory; consider- these pages of aviation history are well
of excessive heat in the cockpit. able workshop area was destroyed in the known.
Yakovlev continued the work on perfect- resulting fire. By 13th September of that year,
ing his 'firstling' till the end of series produc- at the cost of incredible efforts, the Plant's 1-28 (Yak-5) high-altitude
tion. For instance, excellent results were personnel succeeded in restoring the volume fighter prototype
obtained during checkout tests of Yak-1 cln of production completely to the pre-bom- Whereas previous prototype aircraft were cre-
46139 in May 1943. At an all-up weight of bardment level. Yet the number of the Yak-1 s ated for operation at low and medium alti-
2,864 kg (6,315 Ib) the aircraft attained a delivered to the Soviet Air Force was reduced tudes, the 1-28 - also known as 'aircraft 28',
speed of 539 km/h (335 mph) at ground level by at least 500 machines. 1-26V (vysotnw - high-altitude) and 1-28V -
and 605 km/h (376 mph) at the second rated By the time when production of the Yak-1 was intended for use by the PVO system. It
altitude of 4, 100 m (13,448 ft), a climb to 5,000 was finally discontinued in July 1944 in favour was the first time Chief Designer A. Yakovlev
m (16,400 ft) took 5.7 minutes, and the Yak-1 of the Yak-3, 8,666 production machines had embarked on the development of a high-alti-
gained 1,050 m (3,444 ft) during climb in a been assembled at aircraft factories. The final tude fighter.
combat turn. machine was officially accepted by military As distinct from other designers who
Apparently, this was the limit of what representatives in October of that year. Plant made use of high-altitude engines, Yakovlev
could be obtained from this type of fighter. In No. 292 in Saratov manufactured 192 batch- placed his bet on the use of the prototype M-
this form this aircraft could successfully es, while circumstances compelled Plant No. 105PD engine fitted with the E-100 super-
oppose all types of German production fight- 301 in Moscow to limit its production run to charger designed by V. Dollezhal'. The
ers at low and medium altitudes where most only six batches. supercharger's impeller drive was provided
of the dogfights took place. One must keep in Owing to lack of replenishment the num- with a hydraulic coupling which/made it pos-
mind the well-established production process ber of Yak-1 s in front-line units gradually sible to smoothly change the rpm as the flight
at Plant No. 292 and small deviations in the declined. Of the 5,810 fighters that were in altitude increased. A similar device was incor-
performance of different examples of produc- the inventory of active Air Armies by the porated in the Daimler-Benz DB 601 E engine
tion Yak-1 s at that time. beginning of 1945, 735 were of the Yak-1 which had been designed in Germany at that
The Plant functioned like well-adjusted type (76 of them in disrepair). They did not time. The German engine's second rated
clockwork. However, on the night to 24th stand idle: 79 machines of this type had altitude was 5,100 m (16,728 ft) versus the
June 1943 a group of German bombers been lost in combat by Victory Day; in 1945 M-105PD's 6,650 m (21,812 ft); on the other

36
hand, the DB 601 E had 10 to 15% higher
power ratings. But, most importantly, the
Daimler-Benz designers had created and fully
developed an automatic supercharger speed
control system, while in the Soviet engine the
impeller's rpm were controlled manually. This
caused much inconvenience for the pilot dur-
ing flight and prevented the engine power
from being fully used.
The prototype 1-28 was completed within
three months and made its first flight on 1st
December 1940 with P. Ya. Fedrovi at the
controls. The high-altitude fighter differed
structurally from the 1-26 in having the under-
carriage borrowed from the UTI-26 (Yak-7UTI)
and being provided with automatic slats of
considerable span. The wing span was
reduced from 10,0 m (32 ft 9.7 in) to 9.74 m The photos on this page depict the first prototype 1-30 (1-30-1). Note the four-section flaps visible in the
(31 ft 11.5 in), the wingtips being less rounded. centre photo; as was often the case with Yakovlev prototypes, the fighter was totally devoid of markings.
The design performance of the 1-28
included a speed of 515 km/h (320 mph) at
sea level and 650 km/h (404 mph) at the alti-
tude of 9,000 m (29,520 ft) with the engine
running in boosted mode; it was to climb to
5,000 m (16,400 ft) within 5.2 minutes and
reach a service ceiling of 12,000 m (39,360 ft).
Besides, since the power output changed
smoothly between the first and the second
supercharger speeds, the 1-28 was expected
to possess a significant advantage in speed
over the 1-26 and 1-301 fighters within the
range of altitudes between 3,500 to 4,000 m
(11,480 to 13,120 ft), because engines lack-
ing the hydraulic coupling were afflicted by
the so-called 'drops in power output'. Conse-
quently, there was every reason to hope that
that the 1-28 would also prove to be a good
tactical fighter.
However, the engine proved troublesome
from the outset. It emitted fumes, vibrated,
spluttered and ejected oil spills. The very first
flight ended in a forced landing. Attempts to
establish the I-28's actual performance char-
acteristics proved unsuccessful. The engine
underwent modifications and was tested in
February-March 1940, but this brought no
success to the aircraft (which in the meantime
was redesignated Yak-5, 1940 model). In the
first half of 1941 the OKB concentrated all its
efforts on the development of the Yak-1, patterned on that of the German Bf 109. The an undercarriage patterned on that of the Yak-
resuming work on high-altitude aircraft in I-30's wings had metal spars and featured 7, as well as slats of similar design to those of
1942 with the Yak-7 production fighter. detachable outer panels housing two addi- the Yak-5. This time the designers paid suffi-
tional ShVAK-20 cannons which fired out- cient attention to the machine's special equip-
1-30 (Yak-3 1941 model) side the propeller disc. The weapons' overall ment. Pilots assessed it as meeting the
fighter prototype weight of fire amounted to 4.28 kg/sec, specification requirements for a tactical fight-
The 1-30 aircraft was built as the last of the which was considerably superior to the fire- er. Reliable two-way radio communication be-
prototype machines; in consequence, it power of other Soviet front-line fighters and tween the aircraft and the ground was
incorporated all the experience accumulated was fully in accordance with the require- ensured within a range of 200 km thanks to
by the OKB. Small wonder that it possessed ments posed by military pilots. the extremely thorough electric bonding and
a large number of design improvements The engine mount featured breaks which shielding.
and operational advantages over its prede- simplified engine replacement in field condi- Piloted by Pavel Fedrovi, the 1-30 fighter
cessors. These included the use of easily tions. Also incorporated were some success- made its first flight on 12th April 1940, pow-
detachable propeller spinner, ejector ful design features evolved on previous ered by an M-105PD engine featuring the
exhaust stubs and a modified control stick aircraft, such as a forward shift of the CG and E-100 supercharger. Unfortunately the high-

37
 ·
A four-view drawing of a Yak-1b.

38
I

I
I

39
 took place during the first days of the war
when the renowned Soviet ace was leaving
for the front as the Commander of a fighter
regiment.
As early as 21 st April 1941 the Govern-
ment issued a decision requiring the Moscow
aircraft factory to halt the production of the
Yak-4 and switch to the 1-30 which was allo-
cated the designation Yak-3. By the time the
war broke out a number of incomplete air-
frames had been manufactured.
On 21 st April 1941 a decision was taken to
launch the production of the Yak-3, 1941
model (1-30), also in Saratov. Chief Designer
A S. Yakovlev had no doubts that the Yak-1
would be superseded by its more perfect sta-
blemate. At pre-war conferences, when faced
Above: Another view of the 1-30-1 with numerous complaints concerning the
Yak-1 (in particular, regarding the absence of
a radio), the Chief Designer invariably reacted
by saying that all the shortcomings would be
eliminated on the Yak-3 (1-30).
In the meantime, A Yakovlev's OKB con-
tinued the development of the prototype 1-30
- the Yak-3 'dooblyor' (second prototype)
was completed in May 1941. The cockpit lay-
out evolved on it was recommended as stan-
dard for all fighters of the Red Army Air Force.
Obviously envisioning large-scale produc-
tion, Yakovlev reverted to one-piece wooden
wings without slats. Powered by the M-
105PD, the 'dooblyor' was damaged in an
accident at LII and struck off charge.
Above and below: The second 1-30 prototype after a crash-landing. The aircraft was declared a write-off.
The work on the first prototype 1-30 was
not yet completed at the outbreak of the war.
One of the documents stated: 'The Yak-3 pow-
ered by the M-105P engine possesses potent
and well-developed armament; it is easy to fly
and can easily be mastered by war time medium-
skilled pilots. As such, it is recommended
for introduction into service with the Red Army
Air Force.'
Many members of the OKB staff believed
that the setback with the second prototype
would not affect the destiny of the new
promising aircraft. Still, production of the
Yak-3 (1-30) failed to materialise. At first its
phasing into production was postponed to
1942 and then the decision to launch series
altitude engine was not yet fully developed almost unchanged thanks to the possibility of production was cancelled altogether. This
before the war, and an engine of the old M- using wheel brakes effectively. The provision was due to various reasons, notably the
105P model had to be installed in the aircraft. of slats on the 1-30 brought down the fighter's scarcity of aluminium caused by the indus-
With this engine the aircraft passed State tri- minimum pre-stall speed and, in effect, pre- try's redeployment to the eastern regions of
als on 3rd July 1941 (pilot A. Nikolayev, engi- cluded the possibility of the aircraft entering a the USSR and by the loss of a number of
neer A Stepanets). At an all-up weight of spin even in the case of grave piloting errors. enterprises which remained on the territory
3;310 kg (7,299 Ib) it attained a maximum Increasing the fuel load from 305 to 383 occupied by the enemy. Furthermore, the
speed of 476 km/h (296 mph) at sea level and kg and introducing a service tank improved mass-produced Yak-1 had no special need
571 km/h (355 mph) at the second rated alti- the fuel feed system and enabled the fighter for slats, being sufficiently easy in handling
tude of 4,900 m (16,072 ft); time to 5,000 m to cover a maximum distance of 975 km (606 without them; and, lastly, the phasing of a
(16,400 ft) was 7.0 minutes and the service miles) in high-speed flight mode. Summing new aircraft into production would inevitably
ceiling was 9,000 m (29,520 ft). up his impressions, fighter pilot Stepan P. have entailed a reduction in the output of
The high gross weight caused an in- Sooproon, who had flown the fighter, told series-manufactured machines - something
crease of the landing speed to 142 km/h (88 AYakovlev: 'With such fighters we need not that was ill-affordable during the course ofthe
mph). However, the landing run remained fear any Messerschmitts!'. This conversation war.

40
 Chapter 2

The Yak·7
The First Derivative
Prototype UTI-26 fighter trainer
As noted earlier, the Vakovlev OKB, as distinct new in these complaints - they had already meant it was all too easy to apply excessive
from other design teams, prepared three been voiced with regard to the 1-26. elevator input; this made the use of the aircraft
more combat aircraft in parallel with the 1-26 However, the presence of such defects as a trainer very problematic.
fighter,. appeared inadmissible in a fighter trainer Nevertheless, on 25th September the mil-
The first of them was the machine desig- intended for primary training in flying schools itary customer recommended the UTI-26 into
nated UTI-26 (oochebno-trenirovochnyy or for taking ill-trained pilots of service units series production, since it was the only type
istrebitel' - fighter trainer), also referred to in on familiarisation flights. Besides, 11 th lAP available for transition to the 1-26, 1-200 and
various documents as the UTI-26-4, UTI-1, pilots who had flown the aircraft noted that in 1-301 fighters that were already in series pro-
UTI-27 and so on. The Design Bureau started certain flight modes, including landing, the duction. It was decided that the work on per-
work on this aircraft at the beginning of 1940. required deflection of the elevator from the fecting the aircraft would be continued on the
The Government authorised this work by neutral position was exceedingly small, which second prototype.
adopting an appropriate directive. It was pre-
sumed that the Vakovlev OKB was in a better
position to tackle this task than other design
teams, bearing in mind Vakovlev's rich expe-
rience in designing trainer aircraft. Further-
more, the assumption was that the new
aircraft would have substantial commonality
with the 1-26 prototype, which lessened the
risk of a failure: one could not jeopardise the
re-equipment of the Air Force units with new-
generation fighters.
That happened to be the case. Indeed,
the first UTI-26 was basically similar to the 1-26
fighter. It differed in having two cockpits (for
the trainee and the instructor) placed in tan-
dem under a common canopy and in featur-
ing dual controls. No intercom was fitted at
first, and the instructor could communicate
with the trainee by means of a rubber hose.
The provision of a second cockpit required
the wings of the UTI-26 to be moved some-
Above and below: The UTI-26-1, the first prototype of the future Yak-7 which was originally conceived as a
what aft. trainer but ultimately evolved into a real combat aircraft. The aircraft is shown here during manufacturer's
On 23rd July 1940 pilot Pavel Va. Fedrovi flight tests.
took the fighter trainer into the air. After a few
development flights the machine was submit-
ted for State trials. They were conducted by
engineer A. Stepanets and pilots Pyotr M. Ste-
fanovskiy and A. Koobyshkin in the period
from 28th August till 19th September.
On 30th August an incident occurred: the
undercarriage collapsed during taxying due to
faulty design. On the whole, most of the criti-
cism levelled at the UTI-26 were directed at
this element of the airframe. It was pointed out
that locks were unreliable, the wheels were not
strong enough to cater for the all-up weight,
and the mainwheel struts were set at an insuf-
ficient angle for preventing nosing-over; this,
in effect, precluded the use of wheel brakes
during the landing run, especially when the
instructor was not in the rear seat. All these
defects had to be rectified. There was nothing

41
The UTI-26-1 'unbuttoned' for maintenance during manufacturer's flight tests.

Known as the UTI-26-2, the second proto- it possible to increase the angle intended to which improved stability. This was confirmed
type differed from its predecessor primarily in prevent nose-overs. However, these mea- by test pilots who put the aircraft through an
having an altered ratio between the sizes of sures created new problems even as they intensive flight test programme right from the
the elevator and stabilizer, the total area of the eliminated old ones: the wheels' plane of rota- first days of 1941. Virtually all of them, includ-
horizontal tail remaining unchanged. It also tion noticeably deviated from the aircraft's ing Nil WS Chief A. Filin, got the opportunity
featured changers in the undercarriage direction of movement, thus creating an addi- to fly the new aircraft, performing at least 260
design; bigger wheels were fitted to match the tionalload on the undercarriage pivots. aerobatic manoeuvres in it. It makes sense to
machine's all-up weight, and the fulcrums of Certain alterations in the fighter's structur- cite here a report on the tests of the UTI-26-2:
the mainwheel struts were relocated, making al layout caused a forward shift of the CG, 'The aircraft possesses good controllability
and sufficient stability in piloting, has pleasant
handling qualities and performs aerobatic
manoeuvres easily. The visibility is quite satis-
factory, the presence of a canopy obviates the
need for using goggles. The aircraft enters a
spin only in the case of a considerable loss of
speed and recovers easily. It forgives even
grave piloting errors with no serious conse-
quences. The aircraft possesses a very broad
range of safe speeds. '
As for performance characteristics, they
were close to those of the 1-26. At a weight of
2,750 kg (6,064 Ib) the fighter trainer attained
a maximum speed of 500 km/h (296 mph) at
sea level and 586 km/h (364 mph) at 4,500 m
(14,760 ft). The aircraft climbed to 5,000 m
(16,400 ft) within 5.5 minutes. The machine
needed 310m (1,017 ft) for the take-off run
and as many as 750 m (2,460 ft) for the land-
ing run; the latter figure was due to insuffi-
ciently strong wheels making abrupt braking
dangerous. The landing speed was 125 km/h
(77,7 mph).

Production Yak-7UTI fighter trainer

On 4th March 1941, exactly one year after
the adoption of the directive calling for the
A rare top view of the UTI-26-1 during State acceptance trials. development of the machine, the UTI-26

42
was put into series production under the
designation Yak-7UTI at Plant No. 301
which, until then, had manufactured the
Yak-1 .. When manufacturing drawings
were transferred to the Plant, some
changes were introduced: since a fighter
trainer was supposed to perform take-offs
and landing without retracting the under-
carriage, the tailwheel was made non-
retractable; the engine speed was limited
to a figure that was substantially lower
than the nominal rpm; and only the port
ShKAS machine-gun was retained. The
all-up weight of production machines was
nearly 2,800 kg (6,174 Ib), and performance
was close to that of the production Yak-1 s
of the period.
On 18th May 1941 P. Ya. Fedrovi test-
flew the first production Yak-7UTI from the
Central Airfield in Moscow (the present Kho-
dynka). Deliveries of these aircraft to the Air
Force units commenced literally right before
the outbreak of the war, but the machines
were operated mainly in the regiments
deployed in western areas. These aircraft
played an important role in expediting the
conversion of Soviet pilots to the new-gener-
ation fighters.
Taking into account the operational expe-
rience with Yak trainers, in early August 1941
engineer Cherepov (an employee of Plant No.
301) came up with an important proposal:
motivated by the wish to simplify production
and thus increase the output, he suggested
that production Yak-7s be built with a fixed
undercarriage. In his opinion, this was fully in
conformity with the character of work per-
formed by the aircraft and their pilots. Right
away, in August, the suggestion was imple-
mented in series production.
On the 87 aircraft manufactured before
20th July that were operated by various Air
Force units, the most serious complaints con-
cerned the mainwheel leg pivots which failed
by the dozens. The parts were reinforced, but
even that did not immediately cure this annoy-
ing defect.

Yak-7R tactical reconnaissance

aircraft prototype
One of the first adaptations of the Yak-7UTI
was directed at adapting it for the tactical
reconnaissance role. Following instruc-
tions from Chief Designer Aleksandr S.
Yakovlev, two production aircraft were fit-
ted with an AFA-I aerial camera and an RSI-
4 radio set. To enable the latter to function,
shielding and electric bonding was per-
formed on the aircraft; the pilot's seat was
provided with an armoured back and
the canopy glazing was altered. The air-
craft was armed with an engine-mounted
20-mm ShVAK cannon. When the Yak-7R
([samolyot-] razvedchik - reconnaissance Four more views of the UTI·26·1 at Nil WS during State acceptance trials. These views show well the
clean lines of the aircraft, an impression enhanced by the extensively glazed canopy.

43
Above and below: A Batch 22 Yak-7B (c/n 2203) during checkout tests at Nil WS; note the one-piece main gear doors attached to the oleo struts that were
characteristic of late-production Yak-1 sand Yak-7s alike. The rear cockpit transparency has been deleted but the cockpit is still functional, allowing a passenger
(usually the aircraft's technician) to be carried in case of need.

44
aircraft) had been given an approval from
the Research Institute of Specialised Ser-
vices, a recommendation was issued to
build a small batch of such machines.

Yak-7 tactical fighter

In August 1941 another transformation of the
fighter trainer was effected under the direction
of leading engineer K. Sinel'shchikov at Plant
No. 301. This time it was converted into a 'real'
fighter. A standard production Yak-7UTI, cln
04-11, was taken off the assembly line and
subjected to the following alterations: an
armoured seat back was installed in the rear
cockpit, the gun camera was deleted, the fuel
tanks were provided with self-sealing coating
and an inert gas pressurization system
employing a bottle with carbon dioxide. The
fighter was armed with the engine-mounted
20-mm ShVAK cannon with 120 rounds and A lineup of Yak-7s at a tactical airfield. These fighters were paid for by donations from Young Communist
two synchronised 7.62-mm ShKAS machine- League members of Novosibirsk; hence each aircraft carries the legend 'Novosibirskiy komsomol'.
guns with a total of 1,500 rounds, as well as
six rails (three under each wing) for 82-mm ed repairs and made it possible to relatively the Yak-1 fighter. At an all-up weight of 2,960
(3.22-in.) RS-82 unguided rockets. The latter easily adapt the aircraft to a different engine. kg (6,527Ib), which was 160 kg (353 Ib) high-
were fired by means of electric bomb release The main undercarriage legs were set at a er than that of the Yak-7UTI, the Yak-7 fighter
mechanism placed in the pilot's cockpit. The higher angle intended to preclude nose- attained a maximum speed of 471 kmlh (293
canopy of the rear cockpit and the tailwheel overs, which lessened the danger of the mph) at sea level and 560 kmlh (348 mph) at
remained unchanged, so that the fighter vir- machine turning turtle after a resolute appli- 5,000 m (16,400 ft). The altitude of 5,000 m
tually did not differ in external appearance cation of wheel brakes. The second cockpit could be reached within 6.8 minutes. (All per-
from the two-seat Yak-7UT!. which was retained on the Yak-7 could be formance figures are quoted for the fighter
The designers reported the results of their used for carrying maintenance personnel and without external stores and with the cockpit
work to Yakovlev. The Chief Designer was cargoes during redeployment of air units, for hood closed). Manoeuvrability turned out to
sceptical about the idea, but then changed bringing pilots back from the places of forced be somewhat inferior to that of the Yak-1; 24
his mind and gave his approval. When he had landings or for installing a long-range fuel seconds were needed for a full-circle banking
informed the government that the conversion tank; almost all of these options were subse- turn at 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and the Yak-7 gained
trainer had been evolved into a fully capable quently implemented. The acceptance docu- 750 m (2,460 ft) during climb in a combat turn.
fighter, the work received support from the ment stated: These special features of the The handling qualities of the fighter were
People's Commissariat of Aircraft Industry. Yak-7 made it a promising machine and made highly assessed. Referring to the Yak-Ts
Two directives issued by the People's Com- it possible to develop a number of versions' spinning characteristics, A. Lazarev, a Plant
missariat in August stipulated that already (sic; the use of the past tense in the quotation No. 153 test pilot, noted that spin recovery
from 15th September onwards the Yak-7UTI is incongruous - translator's note). was 'exceedingly simple - no tricks, once the
was to be built 'to Yak-1 standard', referring to As for performance, the characteristics of rudder pedals and the control stick in the
the identical armament. Here a curious occur- the Yak-7 proved to be very similar to those of transverse plane have been put into the neu-
rence took place: errors slipped into the texts
of the directives. According to these texts,
Plant 301 in Moscow and then, after evacua-
tion, Plant 153 in Novosibirsk were to manu-
facture Yak-1 fighters! In actual fact the Yak-1
was never built there, but fighters manufac-
tured at these plants were entered into statis-
tical reports under this designation. In reality,
the collective of the Plant built 186 Yak-7s in
Moscow (51 of them with armament) and 21
in Novosibirsk (including 11 fighters).
Right from the outset favourable com-
ments came in concerning the Yak-7 fighter.
Thus, the document on the acceptance of the
aircraft by the Design bureau's technical com-
mission stated that the Yak-7 single-seat fight-
er was a better machine than the Yak-1. The
size of the undercarriage wheels was in full
conformity with the all-up weight which came
close to three tonnes (6,150 Ib). The detach-
able engine mount fitted to the Yak-7 facilitat- Another view of the same unit's Yak-7s as the crews go to the flight line, preparing for the day's work. Not
all of the fighters sported the red arrow near the engine exhaust stubs.

45
 and the equipment. The government tasked
A. S. Yakovlev with uniting everybody and
everything into a single enterprise before too
many cooks spoiled the broth.
'I imagined for a minute what could have
happened if, under the conditions of a capi-
talist society, the interests of four private firms
had clashed in a similar situation, - Yakovlev
recalled. - And here our system and our peo-
ple made it possible to solve an incredibly
complex organisational and technical task
within the shortest space of time. '
Simultaneously the Chief Designer suc-
ceeded in getting the united Plant relieved
of the LaGG-3 manufacture programme so
that all efforts could be concentrated on the
production of his Yak-7. Brigade engineer
Leshookov, a representative of the State
Defence Committee in Novosibirsk, advo-
cated a different point of view: first of ail, he
Yak-78 cln 2241 was another example subjected to checkout tests at Nil WS.
maintained, it was necessary to improve the
tral position, the aircraft instantly ceases rota- The work on fitting heavier armament to the Yak-7 fighter because the latter had no tan-
tion and enters a dive'. Yak-7 was under way - it envisaged the instal- gible advantages over the LaGG-3 as yet,
In September 1941 a Yak-7 armed with lation of two synchronised ShVAK cannon; and it would be advisable to manufacture
unguided rockets successfully passed trials. the evacuation prevented the completion of both types in parallel. However, Yakovlev
It transpired that, thanks to the fighter's this work. made use of his influence on Stalin to
good stability, projectile dispersal during During the late autumn of 1941 a very secure for himself the control over the entire
attacks against ground targets was some- strained situation arose in Novosibirsk. Plant Plant No. 153 which, after the evacuation,
what less than in the case of the LaGG-3 and No. 153 which had been built there before the became one of the biggest in the Soviet air-
the Yak-1, and the rocket hits were much war could not cope with the task of manufac- craft industry.
more closely grouped than in the case of the turing LaGG-3 fighters; as if that were not Yak-7 fighters saw combat employment
MiG-3. enough, after the transfer of the Yakovlev for the first time during the counteroffensive
In October 1941 all enterprises, including OKB to Siberia work started on setting up a started by Soviet troops near Moscow. In
Plant No. 301, had to be evacuated from second continuous flow assembly line there early December one of the squadrons of
Moscow, which was detrimental to the deliv- for the production of the Yak-7 fighter. At the the 172nd lAP equipped with Yak-7s (the
eries of aircraft to front-line units. In the mean- same time trains coming from the USSR's other two were equipped with LaGG-3s and
time, the work on perfecting the fighter western areas delivered personnel and equip- Yak-1s) escorted a group of 65th ShAP
continued unabated. Right before the transfer ment, barracks for housing the personnel and (Attack Air Regiment) lI'yushin 11-2 attack air-
to Novosibirsk designers succeeded in com- auxiliary premises were built. Four different craft and itself attacked enemy ground troops
pleting a 'winterised' example of the Yak-7 aircraft enterprises happened to be placed on in the area of Teriayeva Sloboda and Rooza
that was to serve as a standard for produc- the same territory. Each collective had its own when the Soviet troops were liberating the
tion; it incorporated features similar to those director and chief engineer, and they wished town of Volokolamsk. Only eight Yak-7s were
of the 'winterised' Yak-1 described in Chapter 1. to exercise control over their subordinates in the entire inventory of the Soviet aviation at
that time, three of them being fully opera-
tional.

Yak-7M fighter prototype

A very unusual modification of the Yak-7 was
effected in August 1941. It was undertaken
not in Moscow or in Novosibirsk, where the
Yak-7 was being manufactured at the time,
but in Saratov. A group ofYakovlev OKB engi-
neers was rendering assistance to Plant No.
292 in getting Yak-1 production under way.
Today it is difficult to say what prompted the
initiation of this work, but many elements that
had been evolved on the prototype 1-30 fight-
er were incorporated into the design of the
fighter trainer. As a result, a version emerged
which was designated Yak-7M (modifit-
seerovannw - modified).
The aircraft was stripped of all equipment
in the rear cockpit and of the sole ShKAS
. Another Yak-78 seen during checkout tests at Nil WS. Curiously, the aircraft wears summer camouflage, machine-gun which was replaced by three
even though the tests were held in winter.

46
20-mm ShVAK cannon. One of them was a
hub-mounted weapon, while the other two
were mounted in the wings outside the pro-
peller disc area and did not require synchro-
nisation. Thanks to this weapons fit the
Yak-7M was superior to all Soviet and Ger-
man fighters in weight of fire. The most seri-
ous alterations concerned the wings. Wing
span was marginally reduced from 10.0 m
(32 ft 10 in.) to 9.74 m (31 ft 11.5 in.), and the
wingtips were made more angular because
the leading edge housed slats of a fairly large
span. Installation of cannons and their ammu-
nition boxes necessitated a reduction of the
capacity of outer wing tanks. The wing struc-
ture was strengthened and the flaps area was
increased. To compensate for the forced Above: A rather rare shot of a Winter-camouflaged Yak-7B
reduction of fuel capacity, a supplementary
SO-litre (17.6 Imp gal) fuel tank was installed
behind the pilot's armoured seat back.
In October 1941 the Yak-7M was trans-
ferred for trials to Nil VVS; it immediately
attracted the attention of leading engineer
A. Stepanets and pilot V. Khomiakov who
headed the team engaged in testing Yakov-
lev fighters at the time. They noted that,
despite the all-up weight being increased to
3,160 kg (6,968 Ib), the handling of the
machine was appreciably simplified thanks
to the installation of slats. The danger of the
aircraft flipping into a spin due to pilot error
was virtually eliminated. Stability, especially
lateral stability, was improved. All this justi- Above: This Yak-7B is armed with six 82-mm RS-82 unguided rockets on underwing racks. The picture was
fied the conclusion that flight safety had taken during trials at the Soviet MoD's Artillery Weapons Proving Ground (NIPAV).
been considerably enhanced. The minimum
admissible speeds were reduced by 30 to
40 km/h (18.6 to 24.8 mph) as compared to
production Yak-1s and Yak-7s both when
performing different aerobatic manoeuvres
and during pancaking.
Test firing of the cannons revealed that
they functioned faultlessly in all flight modes.
Dispersal of the shells proved to be within
acceptable limits. For the purpose of aiming
the cannons were so adjusted that their fire
converged in one point at the distance of 400 m
(1,312 ft). After the necessary development
and test firing it became clear that the arma-
ment of the Yak-7M could be used very effec-
tively against both aerial and ground targets. Above: Close-up of the starboard triplet of RO-82 launch rails on the Yak-7B shown above.
In its overall performance the Yak-7M fighter Below: RS-82 rockets with their propeller-like fuse vanes under the wing of the Yak-7B.
was marginally inferior to the Yak-1 and Yak-7,
mainly because this particular machine had
been operated for a long time, had suffered a
minor accident and underwent the modifica-
tion simultaneously with the repairs that had
to be made to the fuselage and wings.
The Yak-7M fighter was recommended for
series production. However, this enticing pro-
posal made by Nil WS could not be put into
effect during the winter of 1941-1942 - the
new machine would have necessitated too
radical changes in the production process
that were not feasible at that time.

47
 In accordance with A. Yakovlev's direc-
tions leading engineers from different organi-
sations - A. Stepanets from Nil WS, P. Limar
from L11, K. Tarootin from Plant No. 153 -
joined forces to further develop the fighter as
a standard for series production. As a result,
with a wheeled undercarriage the fighter
attained 495 km/h (308 mph) at sea level and
571 km/h (355 mph) at 5,000 m (16,4000 ft),
climbing to this altitude within 6.4 minutes.
From the beginning of 1942 onwards the
fighter was series-produced in Novosibirsk
under the designation Yak-7A. Various
improvements were envisaged and intro-
duced into the design gradually, mainly in the
spring of that year. The principal improve-
ments included installation of a two-way radio
with aerial mast and wire aerial. A partially
retractable tailwheel was introduced and the
fixed strut joining the upper part of the tail skid
with the fuselage frame was replaced by a
pneumatic actuator for tailwheel retraction;
additional gear doors were introduced to
close the mainwheel wells completely when
the undercarriage was retracted. The sliding
hood of the rear cockpit was replaced by a
hinged plywood hood that swung open to
starboard; when closed, it ensured a smooth
transition between the canopy of the pilots
cockpit and the rear decking of the fuselage.
Ammo belt link collectors were installed
instead of link chutes; this made it possible to
eliminate the openings in the cowling and
Top and above: Because of the variance in weight and performance characteristics from batch to batch,
save the belt links for subsequent re-use. A
checkout tests had to be held rather frequently. Note the old-style black-outlined insignia on this Yak-lB.
lever controlling the engine boost was in-
stalled to shorten the take-off run. The inert
Yak-7A production fighter 5,000 m (16,400 ft). This altitude could be gas pressurization system for the fuel tanks
The Yak-7 underwent serious alterations in reached within 6.8 minutes. was altered and the instrument panel layout
1942. Whereas at the beginning of the year it When fitted with skis and sprayed with the was changed.
still retained all the features of its predecessor- winter chalk-based paint over the summer When all the changes had been incorpo-
the fighter trainer, at the end of the year it was camouflage, the Yak-7 lost some 30 to 40 rated, the Yak-7A proved to be one of the
transformed into one of the best fighters of its km/h (18.6 to 24.8 mph) in speed. Rate of fastest Soviet production fighters; even if it was
time. This was accompanied by an apprecia- climb, range and field performance also dete- somewhat inferior to the Yak-1 in manoeuvra-
ble increase in the number of machines man- riorated, while the landing run was reduced bility, the armament was equally capable.
ufactured. While the output of Yakovlev by approximately 150 m (492 ft) owing to the At the beginning of the summer of 1942
fighters totalled a mere six to seven machines considerable friction of the skis on the snow. several dozen Yak-7As were operated by the
during the winter months of 1942 (Plant No. The design of the skis proved to be suc- aviation of the Volkhov and the Western
153 was still continuing production and deliv- cessful. They were manufactured at Plant No. Fronts. Referring to the merits of the Yak-7A,
eries of the LaGG-3), the production tempo 153 entirely from auxiliary materials. The ski Lieutenant Filatov wrote in his letter
reached six to seven Yak-7s per day in August had a wooden construction and featured a addressed to Gheorgiy M. Malenkov, Secre-
of the same year. framework consisting of spars, transverse tary of the Central Committee of the Commu-
In early January 1942 a Yak-7, c/n 14-13, frames, lugs and a runner. Wide use was nist Party: 'The tactics employed by German
was transferred to Nil VVS for joint manufac- made of the Siberian larch which grew in the pilots in air combat are based on making use
turer's and State tests (its c/n - Batch 14, 13th forests of the Novosibirsk region. The frame- of their advantages in speed and rate of climb
aircraft in the batch - reveals that Plant No. work of the ski was supplemented by plywood - they try to force us to fight in the vertical
153 continued the sequence of batches initi- skinning, sheet aluminium being used for the plane. It is necessary by all means to increase
ated at Plant No. 301 after the amalgamation edging on the sides. Mounted on the upper the maximum speeds of our fighters. Besides,
of the two plants). The machine was test- side of the ski was the so-called 'cabane' with Yak-7 pilots have poor visibility to aft; it is nec-
flown with both wheel and ski undercarriage. 'paws' made from Cromansil alloy tubes. The essary to provide the fighter with a fully glazed
The tests revealed that the performance of the ski mounted on the non-retractable tail strut all-round vision canopy because the metal
machine was still marginally inferior to that of featured a similar design. To evaluate the framing reduces the observable zone by
the UTI-26. In the 'summer' version it attained operational qualities of the skis, test pilots about 30%. ,
a maximum speed of 476 km/h (296 mph) at made nearly three hundred successful land- The comments that came from the front
sea level, this figure rising to 550 km/h at ings; no anomalies were revealed. were predominantly favourable. Here is an

48
excerpt from a letter dated 13th July 1942 that
was sent to A. Yakovlev by Major A. Morozov,
commander of the 283rd lAP which had sev-
eral Yak-7As on strength:
'My wingman and I were conducting a
dogfight with eight Bf 109Fs. Despite his
numerical superiority, the enemy could do
nothing to us, because the Yak-7A enabled us
to perform all the manoeuvres at will, and the
vaunted fascist carrion vultures (that was a
common allusion to Luftwaffe aircraft among
Soviet people at the time - translator's note)
could not make a firing pass at us, no matter
how they tried ...
The pilots of my regiment who are flying
this aircraft have literally lost their hearts to it;
it's no use trying to lure them to some other
fighter type, and the pilots of the neighbouring
units look at us with envy. ,

Yak-7B production fighter

The letter to A. Yakovlev which had been
quoted above also noted some shortcomings
of the Yak-7, however. Among these Major
Morozov noted the fighter's inadequate arma-
ment, insufficient speed and 'rather weak' (ie,
not sufficiently powerful) engine.
It was these shortcomings that the team of
the Yakovlev OKB persistently sought to erad-
icate. Results of this work were embodied in
the M-1 05PA-powered Yak-7B which differed
from its predecessor in having heavier arma-
ment and some aerodynamic refinements.
Two normal-calibre machine-guns were Top and above: One of the first Yak-7Bs built by the Novosibirsk aircraft factory No. 153 seen at Nil WS
replaced by UBS-12.7 large-calibre machine- during additional State acceptance trials.

guns, while the engine-mounted 20-mm

ShVAK cannon was retained. Besides, in 1.35 times greater than that of the late-produc- received a reasonably positive evaluation, yet
overload configuration six RS-82 rockets or tion LaGG-3 and 3.5 times greater than that of its ailerons and tail surfaces were not quite so
two 25- to 100-kg (55- to 220-lb) bombs could the Bf 109F (as tested in the Soviet Union). effective as those of the Soviet fighter.
be carried underwing. The report on the results of the State trials Having compared the Yak-7B with indige-
TsAGI recommendations concerning of the Yak-7B noted: •... In comparison with nous and German fighters, as well as with
aerodynamic refinements were fully incorpo- the Yak-1 aircraft which has built up a good British and American fighters that were deliv-
rated in the Yak-7B. Besides, improvements service record at the front, the Yak-7B aircraft ered under the Lend-Lease arrangement, the
were effected to the carburettor air inlets with features a more perfected and promising institute arrived at the conclusion that this air-
a view to using the ram air pressure to a fuller design. During the period of its series manu- craft was among the best with regard to sta-
extent and achieving higher rated altitudes. facture the Yak-7 has been progressively bility and controllability. Upon completion of
The aircraft got a better surface finish, perfect- improved and fitted with new, more capable the State trials the State Committee of
ed radiator and oil cooler ducts were installed. armament and special equipment with no Defence adopted a decision requiring Plant
Despite the presence of an aerial mast adverse effect on its performance and combat No. 153 to switch its assembly line from pro-
with its aerial and the installation of new arma- capabilities. This positive phenomenon is due ducing the Yak-7A to the manufacture of the
ment, which spoiled the clean contours of the to the efficient handling of the questions of Yak-7B. Already in April 1942 the first produc-
upper part of the engine cowling, compounded providing the fighter with new armament and tion Yak-7B was completed in Novosibirsk.
by the increase of the all-up weight by nearly equipment and to the OKB's persistent work Contemporaneously, Plant No. 21 in
100 kg (220 Ib) over the Yak-7 and Yak-7A, the on improving the performance of production Gor'kiy and Plant No. 82 (which had returned
Yak-7B's performance proved to be some- aircraft. ' to Moscow from evacuation) began tooling
what higher than that of its predecessors. Excellent results were obtained during the up for the production of this fighter. Yakovlev
After the replacement of the 7.62-mm tests of the Yak-7B conducted by L11 for the had succeeded in 'squeezing'S. A. La-
ShKAS by the 12.7-mm UBS the Yak-7B's purpose of evaluating the balanced character vochkin and his LaGG-3 fighter out of the for-
weight of fire fully met the requirements of of controls in different flight modes. For exam- mer of the two factories (one of the biggest in
front-line units, and this fighter could be used ple, in the opinion of test pilots, the La-5 was the Soviet Union), but after the successful
more effectively than the Yak-1 and the Yak-7 inferior to the Yak fighter: the former pos- development of the promising La-5 powered
for engaging both air and ground targets. Its sessed insufficient directional stability, too by the M-82 air-cooled engine Lavochkin
salvo weight of 2.72 kg/sec was more than 1.5 'light' ailerons and, on the contrary, too high regained control over Plant No. 21; only five
times greater than the Yak-1 's and Yak-7A's, stick forces from the elevators. The Bf 109E Yak-7Bs assembled in Gor'kiy passed accep-

49
 tance and were delivered to front-line units.
As early as May 1942 the first three Yak-
7Bs were assembled at the Moscow plant
from shipsets delivered from Novosibirsk. By
the end of July of that year 27 fighters had
been built; 11 of them were pronounced com-
bat-ready and were promptly sent to front-line
units. They proved to be noticeably inferior in
quality to their stablemates from Novosibirsk.
Especially many complaints were voiced con-
cerning the production standard of the arma-
ment. Thus, Yak-7B cln 820307 (ie, Plant No.
82, Batch 3, 7th aircraft in the batch) which
was operated by the 4th lAP proved to have a
Above and below: This late-production Moscow-built Yak-7B, cln 4101, was modified with a cut-down rear malfunctioning ShVAK-20 cannon.
fuselage decking and bubble canopy. It is seen here during State acceptance trials. Series-produced aircraft from all factories
were immediately sent to the front. To
improve aerodynamics, the rocket armament
was deleted at the end of May 1942, but the
bomb racks were retained. The first phenom-
enon encountered in the front-line units of the
South-Western Front was an inadmissible for-
ward shift of the CG caused by the greater
weight of the armament. The use of wheel
brakes during landing became dangerous.
To prevent nosing-over, a supplementary 80-
litre (17.6 Imp gal) fuel tank was installed in
the rear cockpit from the end of May 1942.
Pilots often expressed their displeasure
with having this tank, which lacked self-seal-
ing into the bargain, behind their backs. Its
presence increased the all-up weight and led
to deterioration of flight performance, espe-
cially of the vertical manoeuvrability; besides,
it entailed an increased fire hazard. In conse-
quence, personnel of front-line units began
removing the supplementary tanks without
bothering about official approval.
Pilots of the 434th lAP were among the
first to receive the M-1 05PA-powered Yak-7B.
This unit enjoyed a special status because it
was subordinated not to the commander of
the 8th Air Army in whose sector it was oper-
ating, but to Chief Inspector of the Red Army
Air Force Colonel Vasiliy I. Stalin, the Leader's
son. The regiment commanded by Hero of
the Soviet Union Major I. Kleshchov had expe-
Above and below: Another modified 'bubbletop' Yak-7B. This aircraft differs from Yak-7B cln 4101 in
having a recontoured water radiator bath.
rienced and well-trained airmen in its ranks.
Surprisingly, the flying personnel included
four girls: K. Nechayeva, K. Blinova, A. Lebe-
deva, O. Shakhova. Already in the first battles
with the enemy they showed that they could
fight on a par with men.
Having started combat sorties on 13th
July, the regiment made 827 individual sorties
by 3rd August 1942 and shot down (accord-
ing to official Soviet information) 55 enemy
aircraft - more than what was scored by some
fighter air divisions during the same period -
for the loss of three Yak-7Bs and one pilot.
Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant V. Alkidov
was classed as missing in action for some
time. But fate was merciful to him: though
taken prisoner by the Germans, he managed

50
This rare picture shows a 'bubbletop' Yak-7B in the TsAGI wind tunnel during tests of the canopy jeUison system. Note that the engine is running and the wheels
have been removed in order to secure the aircraft in the tunnel.

to escape and return to his own forces. How- the Yak-7B aircraft (from the 22nd batch between 7th and 12th September for the loss
ever, as a consequence of the wounds he had onwards) in accordance with Yakovlev's of only nine machines.
sustained, he was unable to resume flying. instructions. They were aimed at improving The results scored by other regiments of
Comparative trials of the Yak-1 and the the aerodynamics and reducing the all-up the division proved to be more modest, with
Yak-7B were conducted in the 202nd lAD, but weight, mainly by lightening some elements higher losses of their own. Commander of
the pilots failed to reach a consensus: each of of the structure without compromising the the 288th lAD Lieutenant-Colonel Konoval-
the two machines had its adherents. Having strength and impairing the aircraft's opera- ov was of the opinion that the Yak fighters of
analysed the combat experience accumulat- tional qualities. his formation were inferior in performance to
ed in the 146th and 181th lAPs, Commander The main alterations included lightening German fighters. In his letter addressed to
of the 234th lAD Yaroslavtsev came to the of the fuselage framework, deletion of wiring Stalin he noted that it was impossible to
conclusion that the Yak-7B was superior to all to rocket projectile guide rails, a change in obtain under field conditions the character-
other types flown by Soviet pilots earlier. the incidence of propeller blades at low istics obtained during tests at Nil VVS, espe-
However, as he noted, 'the Yaks have an pitch. As a result, the M-105PF-powered cially the maximum speeds stated in test
excessively long landing run; the tighter is Yak-7B (Yak-7B M-1 05PF) proved to be 30 to reports. He asked that urgent measures be
'nose heavy' and, most importantly, it lacks 35 kg (66 to 72 Ib) lighter than its predeces- taken to ensure a real improvement of flight
some 30 to 50 kmlh [18.6 to 31 mph] to gain sor with the same armament and equipment. performance.
an advantage over the contemporary Bt 109F. ' Tests conducted on Yak-7B c/n 2241 at Nil A commission was immediately sent to
In the summer of 1942 an important direc- VVS showed that a maximum speed of 514 the division's regiments, establishing that the
tion of work on pertecting the Yak-7B lay in km/h (319 mph) was attained at sea level, potential of the fighters was indeed not used
uprating its engine. The Yakovlev OKB actively reaching 570 km/h (354 mph) at the second to the full at the front. For the purpose of con-
took part in experiments with increasing the rated altitude of 3,650 m (11,972 ft). The time venience the factors causing reduction of
boost pressure from barometric 910 to 950 need to climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) was 5.8 speeds were divided into two groups: those
mm, and then to 1,000 and 1,050 mm and minutes, and a banking turn could be per- depending on the pilot and those outside the
with determining the influence of the engine formed during 19 to 20 seconds. In a combat pilot's control. It transpired that many airmen
boost on the maximum speed and other per- turn beginning at 1,000 m (3,280 ft) the Yak- flew their fighters in combat with the canopy
formance of the aircraft. 7B gained 950 to 1,000 m (3,116 to 3,280 ft) hood open or even removed and with fully
The results of these experiments proved in altitude. In the opinion of Nil VVS experts, open radiator shutters; they piloted their
very promising; they formed the basis for the such performance characteristics enabled machines at substantially lower engine
adoption of a Government decision which the fighter to wage combat successfully with speeds relative to the maximum revs (2,700
tasked Vladimir Va. Klimov (chief designer of the Bf 109 at low and medium altitudes. rpm) and so forth. Naturally, as a result the
the M-105 engine) with transferring the In the summer of 1942, Yak-7B M-105PF fighters flew at speeds that were 40 to 50
engine from the normal to the boosted mode fighters fought intensive battles with the Luft- km/h (24.9 to 31 mph) slower than those indi-
within the shortest time possible. waffe units near Stalingrad. On 20th August a cated in the reports of military test pilots, and
To ensure reliable running in boosted whole air division - the 288th lAD - equipped could not perform vertical manoeuvres ener-
mode, the piston pins were reinforced and the with the last batches of Yakovlev's machines getically.
carburettor was readjusted. At that time the was committed to action. Making use of the One of the factors classed as being out-
production M-1 05PF engine had no other dif- Yak-7B's advantages, the 4th lAP staffed with side the pilot's control was the indifferent atti-
ferences from the M-1 05P A. the most experienced pilots, shot down tude of the tech staff to the condition of the
In addition to the engine modification, a (according to pilot reports) 29 German air- aircraft's external surtace. Technicians cut
number of other measures were effected on craft, mostly Bf 109s, in the course of six days various openings in the skinning of the engine

51
cowling instead of carefully sealing all air- possibilities were found for creating new proto- could be effected by front-line units in field
frame joints. Poorly fitting wheel well doors, type versions. One of the results of such work conditions in accordance with the technical
hatches and maintenance access covers (this was a reconnaissance fighter derived from manuals that went with the aircraft.
was especially often the case after repairs in the Yak-lB.
field conditions) led to a considerable in- As far back as August 1941 two prototype Yak-7-37 fighter
crease of drag and, in consequence, to a aircraft had been built at Plant No. 301 in The Yak-?-3? was an important derivative of
reduction of speed. Moscow on instructions from Chief Designer the Yak-?B M-105PA fighter, obtained by
Urgent work was undertaken on the A. Yakovlev. These were Yak-?s in a recon- replacing the standard 20-mm ShVAK can-
288th lAD so as to show the ground per- naissance version, equipped with AFA-IM aer- non with a 3?-mm cannon designed by
sonnel how the Yaks should be properly ial cameras and an RSI-4 radio. At that time Boris Shpital'nyy. Installation of this weapon
maintained. One of the aircraft that had they were not ordered into production had previously undergone development on
been repaired several times and had because of the acute need for the single-seat the LaGG-3.
logged no fewer that 60 hours was 'treated' Yak-? fighter. With a weight of fire reaching 4.15
by specialists who eliminated some obvi- The photo-reconnaissance version of the kg/sec (9.15Ib/sec), the Yak-?-3? packed a
ous causes for the reduction of speed. Yak-?B was essentially similar to the men- considerably greater punch than all other
After this the machine showed at the hands tioned Yak-? prototypes. It was intended for known fighters that were taking part in com-
of fighter pilot A. Zaitsev a speed of 495 conducting reconnaissance from altitudes bat activities.
km/h (308 mph) at sea level instead of 46? between 300 and 3,000 m (984 to 9,840 ft). A In connection with the installation of the
km/h (290 mph) before the improvements. sample of aerial photography equipment was new armament some changes had to be intro-
The results were on hand. But time was built at plant No. 82 in 1943; this plant also duced into the design of the Yak-? The cock-
required to make them available to all front- manufactured nearly three hundred Yak-?s pit was moved 400 mm (15.6 in) aft and the
line units. fitted with aerial cameras. rear cockpit was deleted in order to provide
Provision was made on the production accommodation for the cannon's breech in
Yak-7 tactical reconnaissance aircraft Yak-?B fighters for a place with appropriate fit- the engine bay and to preserve the CG within
During the period described here the tings for the installing the AFA-IM camera and acceptable limits. The size of the modified
Yakovlev OKB concentrated its attention on its mount. Therefore, conversion of the fighter fighter's tailwheel was increased. To reduce
perfecting the production machines. However, for photographic reconnaissance missions the danger of entering a spin at low speeds

Left: The Yak-7·37 was a derivative of the Yak·7B

armed with a 37·mm Shpital'nyy Sh·37 cannon
firing through the propeller hub. The long barrel of
the Sh·37 is noteworthy in this view.

Below left: The Yak·7·37 prototype was totally

devoid of insignia. Unusually, it had the
designation painted on the tail instead of the
construction number, as was customary on test
aircraft.

Below: The engine of the Yak·7·37 with the cowling

removed, showing the ammunition box of the Sh-37
cannon nestling between the cylinder banks.

52
and critical angles of attack, the Yak-7-37 was as Lavochkin fighters. However, when the much higher if it had been provided with auto-
fitted with slats. firm's chief test pilot Pavel Va. Fedrovi began matic, not manual, control of the turbocou-
Following brief trials conducted in April- flight tests of the new fighter, it became clear plings (ie, control of the supercharger's first
May 1942, the decision was taken to build a that the machine was a failure. stage speed).
small batch of Yak-7-37s, since the type was The M-82 engines that were available to The lack of automatic turbocoupling con-
of some interest for the Red Army's Air Force. the OKB were from the first batches; they had trol made operation of the aircraft more com-
In August 1942 a batch of 22 Yak-7-37s fea- many production flaws and, in consequence, plicated: the pilot was compelled to
turing no slats was built in Novosibirsk; these were plagued by malfunctions. Four engines constantly make corrections in the speed of
machines were sent for operational trials to had to be replaced successively on the air- the supercharger's impeller, which distracted
the 42nd lAP at the North-Western Front. craft during the tests. Still, it proved impossi- his attention from piloting the aircraft.
In 12 group air battles in which Yak-7-37s ble to ensure satisfactory engine operation at Besides, the pilot was physically unable
participated, ten enemy aircraft were shot the second supercharger speed. to maintain the nominal value of the super-
down at the cost of four own machines lost Besides, the expected speed increase charging pressure in accordance with the
and another three damaged. The MPSh-37 failed to materialise. Tests revealed that top change in the atmospheric pressure; as a
cannon (motornaya pushka Shpitahl'novo - speed at sea level was only 501 km/h (311 result, the aircraft's performance inevitably
Shpital'nyy engine-mounted cannon) proved mph), ie, much lower than the estimated fig- suffered.
to be a reliable weapon. A shell hitting an ure. This was mainly due to a discrepancy In October-November 1942 the Yak-7PD
enemy aircraft's fuel tanks caused an explo- between the propeller diameter and the was still used for development work on a
sion, and a hit in the wing would tear a hole engine power. The mainwheel legs were too device for automatically controlling the turbo-
measuring more than one square metre (10.6 short to allow a propeller of the required diam- couplil'lgs, but positive results could not be
sq ft). Scoring a hit with just one shell was eter (3.2 m/10 ft 6 in) to be installed, and the obtained at the time. The work on the M-
usually enough to destroy the enemy aircraft. fighter barely avoided scraping the surface of 105PD engine was continued at a later stage.
Fragmentation/incendiary or armour-pier- the airfield with the propeller blade tips when
cing/incendiary/tracer shells with an initial a propeller of 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) diameter was Yak-7V two-seat conversion
speed of 900 m/sec (2,950 ft/sec) made it installed. training fighter
possible to effectively engage not only aerial Development of the Yak-7 M-82 was dis- At the end of 1941 Plant No. 153 completely
targets but also ground targets (armoured continued in May 1942. switched to production of fighters, and soon
vehicles, light tanks) and even small ships. the resulting replenishment of the Red Army's
The tests were pronounced a success, and Yak-7PD high-altitude Air Force with first-class fighters had a notice-
Yakovlev decided to continue the work on fighter prototype able effect on its combat capabilities. Howev-
installing the 37-mm cannon between the Development of the Yak-7PD represented a er, the output of fighter trainers was halted
cylinder banks on a fighter of improved sequel to the work initiated in 1940 when the completely. It must be recalled that the Yak-
design. 1-28 (Yak-5) was designed. This time it was not 7UTI was the only such type in series produc-
a new-build prototype but rather a conversion tion since the beginning of the war. In the
Yak-7 M-82 fighter prototype of a production airframe which was mated to middle of 1942 the Yak-7UTls, produced in
The Yak-7 M-82 occupies a special place an experimental M-105PD engine. The latter small numbers, were already fairly worn out.
among among the purely experimental ver- featured the E-1 00 supercharger designed by Di recto rate of com battrai ning of th e Soviet Ai r
sions of the Yak fighter. It was one of the first V. Dollezhal'; the supercharger was devel- Force repeatedly urged upon the People's
programmes for perfecting the aircraft which oped at TslAM (Tsentrahl'nw institoot Commissar of the Aircraft Industry the need
was initiated as far back as August 1941. aviatsionnovo motorostroyeniya - the Central for creating an aircraft that would serve for
Yakovlev OKB documents show that the work Aero-Engine Institute). At the same time, in transition from the Polikarpov U-2 or the
on the installation of the Shvetsov-designed the late summer of 1942, the Yakovlev OKB fit- Yakovlev UT-2 to a real fighter.
M-82 nine-cylinder radial (which was very ted an airframe of the 22nd batch with an The Yak-7V (vyvoznoy; this adjective was
popular in the Soviet Union at the beginning improved carburettor air intake, concurrently the Soviet term for familiarisation trainers at
of the war) was undertaken largely for modifying the upper fuselage decking and the time) filled this role. Development of this
research purposes and was necessary for the cockpit canopy in a manner similar to the version was conducted at the end of 1941,
Yakovlev in the same degree as for other Yak-1 with improved visibility; a bulletproof making use of operational experience gained
designers (for example, Semyon A. Lav- windscreen and a rear bulletproof glass panel with the Yak-7UTI. As distinct from its prede-
ochkin, Artyom I. Mikoyan, Mikhail I. Goodkov were installed and some other alterations cessor, the undercarriage of the Yak-7V was
and others. This was due primarily to the fact introduced. To make the airframe as light- non-retractable; this lessened the wear and
that Yakovlev's designs were relatively light- weight as possible, the fighter's armament tear on the undercarriage and precluded the
weight and could also forthwith be success- was restricted to one 20-mm ShVAK cannon. possibility of the mainwheel legs collapsing
fully operated with the liquid-cooled M-105 Bearing in mind the low probability of a sec- because of malfunctions or the trainee's mis-
engines. ond firing pass against an aerial target at alti- takes. Now, in contrast to the 'combat' Yak-
When the design work on the Yak-7 M-82 tudes close to the practical ceiling, this 7s, the mainwheellegs were mounted strictly
commenced, the fighter was expected to pos- armament's weight of fire was clearly inade- vertically (when seen from the front, that is)
sess the following basic performance charac- quate, but a choice had to be made between and the wheel rotation planes were not cant-
teristics: a maximum speed at sea level of 515 the aircraft's high-altitude performance and ed outwards. This measure also simplified
km/h (320 mph) with the engine boosted; a the capabilities of its armament. The Yak- production of the machines. The Yak-7V was
speed of 615 km/h (382 mph) at the rated alti- 7PD's service ceiling reached 11,300 m stripped of all armament, hence the upper
tude of 6,400 m (20,990 ft); a climb time to (37,064 ft) and was superior to that of all Sovi- decking of the engine cowling had no recess-
5,000 m (16,400 ft) of 5.5 minutes. This per- et production fighters at the time (in 1942 the es for the machine-gun barrel. The Yak-7V
formance could enable the machine to com- MiG-3 was no longer in production). The flight proved to be a simple, reliable and rugged air-
pete comfortably with other Yakovlevs, as well performance of the Yak-7PD could have been craft; it could perform nearly all aerobatic

53
 manoeuvres. When the output of the Yak-7Vs
reached 510 machines by the end of 1943,
the command came to the conclusion that the
needs of the Air Force had been fully met. Fur-
ther production of machines of this type was
stopped; however, shortly before the termina-
tion of hostilities 87 Yak-7Bs were converted
into fighter trainers at the Air Force's repair
shops.

The Yak-7 is gradually supplanted

in service by the Yak-9
Work on perfecting the Yak-7B went on
unabated in the middle of the war. This was all
the more necessary since the Luftwaffe began
re-equipping with the Bf 109G-2, 'G-4 and 'G-
6 which offered improved performance. In the
Above and below: Two views of the Yak-7 M-82 prototype during manufacturer's flight tests. The bulky
winter of 1942-1943 it proved possible to
radial engine ruined the sleek lines of the fighter, giving it a rather tubby and overweight appearance.
achieve a better quality standard of series-
built machines. Tests of a Novosibirsk-built
Yak-7B from the 25th batch revealed that its
maximum speeds were 22 to 25 kmlh (13.7 to
15.5 mph) higher than those of machines
from the 22nd batch at all altitudes thanks to
a considerable improvement in production
methods achieved in December 1942. The
vertical manoeuvrability of combat machines
was also improved.
Outstanding results were achieved when
the OKB, L11 and Nil VVS jointly undertook an
improvement programme on Yak-7B cln
3101. The following improvements were
incorporated in this fighter: the radio antenna

The Yak·7 M·82 nearing completion at the Yakovlev OKS's experimental shop (plant No. 115).

54
 was stowed inside the fuselage and the aerial
mast was deleted; the leading edges of the
wings and tail surfaces were given a polish;
ejector exhaust stubs were installed in accor-
dance with TsAGI recommendations; all air-
frame joints were carefully sealed; wheel well
doors and maintenance access panels were
made more tightly fitting, and a fUlly retract-
able tailwheel was introduced.
Furthermore, numerous other measures
were taken, each of which afforded a speed
increment of one to two km/h (0.6 to 1.2 mph).
As a result, the fighter attained 547 km/h (340
mph) at sea level and 615 km/h (382 mph) at
4,000 m (13,120 ft); no other Yak fighter had
shown such high results before - or showed
them later, with the exception of the Yak-3 ver-
sions. The Bf 109 and the Fw 190 showed
lower speeds at low and medium altitudes.
The quality of Moscow-built fighters
proved to be much worse. They were 25 to 30
km/h (15.5 to 18.6 mph) slower than the
Novosibirsk-built machines, had high control Above: The Yak-7 M-82 with virtually every panel open for inspection. Note that the cowling design is
stick forces and were more sluggish when patterned on that of the Polikarpov 1-185 and Lavochkin La-7, with a large one-piece cowling panel on
performing different manoeuvres. When a each side rather than a two-piece folding panel as on the Polikarpov 1-180 and La-5.
Moscow-built Yak-7B (c/n 820936) had been
tested by Nil WS, the test report stated: 'It is
necessary to ask the People's Commissar of
Aircraft Industry Comrade Shakhoorin to
point out the inadmissibility of manufacturing
aircraft with low performance characteristics
and to demand that all the defects noted be
eliminated within the shortest tome possible.'
In the meantime, improvement of the
fighter's airframe continued - from the end of
1942 onwards the Yak-9 (the subject of the
next chapter) was series-produced on a mass
scale. However, production of the Yak-7B had
to be continued due to the shortage of dura-
The Yak-7PD was a high-altitude interceptor version with a turbocharged engine. These examples were
lumin from which the wing spars of the Yak-9
operated by one of the pva units defending Moscow.
were manufactured. In the meantime, some
features characteristic of the Yak-9's external defects that hampered the maintenance of stances. Hero of the Soviet Union F.
appearance were incorporated into the the fighters led to the conclusion: the results Arkhipenko, who had shot down 30 German
design of the Yak-7B. Thus, beginning with of the checkout tests were unsatisfactory. aircraft during the war, recalled:
the 40th batch of Plant No. 153 and the 12th In the late spring of 1943 dozens of Yak- 'In April 1943 we were moved to the town
batch of Plant No. 82, the upper decking of 7Bs were completely put out of action in the of Novokuznetsk (Penza Region) where the
the rear fuselage of the Yak-7B was cut down 7th Air Army which was operating at the Kare- 13th ZAP was deployed. Here replenishments
and a tear-drop canopy provided with an !ian Front. As it turned out, the large amount were being trained for front-line units;
emergency jettisoning system was fitted. of water resulting from the melting of snow on squadrons equipped with Yak-7Bs (we
When the 157th and the 728th lAPs had the airfields and freezing again at night led to dubbed them 'hunchbacks' for the character-
taken delivery of new Yak-7Bs (aircraft from the emergence of a mixture of dirt, ice and istic outline of their rear upper decking) were
batches 39 to 41 of Plant No. 153, in both water. This mixture clogged the Yaks' radia- formed and sent to the front.
'razorback' and 'bubbletop' versions, to use tors, which led to overheating of the engines, The Yak-7Bs were delivered in crates from
the analogy with the Republic P-47 Thunder- with frequent forced belly landings as a result. Novosibirsk to Novokuznetsk by rail, reassem-
bolt), the pilots noticed considerable discrep- Even more disturbing were the cases bled and test-flown. I tested approximately 20
ancies in the maximum speeds of different when the skinning of Yak fighters was torn off Yaks, one of which caught fire in mid-air, but I
machines. As it transpired, this was due to dif- in flight. Such facts had been noted earlier: managed to land on the airfield. Before that, in
ferences in the machines' production stan- four Yak-7Bs had crashed in the period another regiment, one of the fighters burst into
dard and to differences in the nominal power between June and October 1942. In the flames right after take-off and the pilot was
of their engines. Liberal oil spillage from spring of the following year the number of killed'.
breathers during flight at maximum speeds, accidents and incidents sharply increased In spite of the frequently voiced com-
uneven fuel consumption from the port and due to breaches of the prescribed techniques plaints concerning the Yaks, they were well
starboard groups of fuel tanks, insufficient of bonding the wing structure and to the use liked by pilots. There were many cases when
range of radio communication and various of substitutes of various chemical sub- these machines displayed high combat sur-

55
 vivability. For example, during the Belgorod
operation in July 1943 on one Yak-7B the spar
of the starboard wing was pierced by a shell
and a portion of the skin measuring one
square metre (10.6 sq ft) was torn off. On
another occasion a direct hit by two shells
destroyed 70% of the front spar flanges in the
most stressed part of the wing; on a third air-
craft the fabric skin of the fuselage was torn off
and the compressed air system was dam-
aged. All three aircraft belonging to the same
unit (the 483th lAP) returned to base and
made safe landings.
As the battles at the Kursk Bulge began,
the frontline aviation fighter element had
Above and below: The prototype of the Yak-7V conversion trainer (c/n 1570) on skis during winter trials. exactly 400 Yak-7Bs out of the 2,809 red-
The trainer could be distinguished from the combat versions by the glazed rear cockpit and the non-
starred fighters in its inventory. By compari-
retractable main gear struts with no doors.
son, it may be mentioned that by the
beginning of the counteroffensive near Stalin-
grad 351 out of the 1,646 fighters available
were of the Yak-7B type. At that time espe-
cially many machines of that type were
assigned to the Reserve Air Corps of the
Supreme Command - before the start of
wide-scale production of the Yak-9 and the
La-5, the Yak-7B was considered to be
among the best fighters of the Red Army Air
Force.
Plant No. 153 continued manufacturing
Yak-7Bs till the end of 1943, and Plant No. 83
did so till July 1944. At the end of 1943, after
having studied 13 machines produced in
Novosibirsk, a team of test pilots and engi-
neers from L11 stated that the all-up weights of
these machines were practically identical and
were of the order of 3,000 kg (6,615 Ib). Devi-
ations of up to 15 kg (33 Ib) from this figure
were due to the presence or absence of bul-
letproof windscreens and to insignificant dif-
ferences in production processes. The
maximum speeds of the Yak-7Bs showed
more marked differences, amounting some-
times to 20 km/h (12.4 mph); this was due pri-
marily to differences in the rated altitudes of
the engines installed. Efforts designed to
bring the quality of Moscow-produced fight-
ers to the required level proved unsuccessful-
Above: A production Yak-7V (c/n 0266) during checkout trials at Nil WS. on average, Yaks from Plant No. 82 were 30
Below: A winter-camouflaged Yak-7UTI trainer with retractable landing gear at a frontline airstrip. kg (66 Ib) heavier and 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
slower than sister aircraft manufactured by
Plant No. 153.
In all, the four production factories (Nos.
21,82,153 and 301) delivered 6,399 Yak-7s
of different versions to the Air Force; of these,
5,210 were Yak-7Bs powered by the'more
powerful M-1 05PF engines. Yak-7 production
at Plant No. 82 ended with the 28th batch,
while the 50th batch was the last at Plant No.
153. In the final batches of this type built in
Novosibirsk, several dozen in every batch
consisting of 100 machines were fitted with
direction finders, landing lights and undercar-
riage position indicators; they were produced
specially for service in the PVO units.

56
 262 Yak-7Bs remained on strength in the
36th, 106th, 126th and other Air Divisions of
the PVO system by the end of 1944; they con-
tinued to be operated fairly intensively. Thus,
on 20th December PVO fighters of the North-
ern Front made 23 individual sorties to disrupt
the work of German reconnaissance aircraft
that were taking aerial pictures of important
railroad stretches used for bringing supplies
to the troops of the Baltic and Belorussian
Fronts; 383th lAP pilots Gaznia and Rozh-
nenko intercepted a Ju 88 near Wysokie
Mazowieckie and shot it down. On 7th Janu-
ary 1945 the Yaks of the 126th Air Division
began redeployment to the cape of Kherso- Above: A summer-camouflaged Yak-7V on a snow-covered airfield. The aircraft was probably operated by
a reserve regiment or flying school far away from the frontlines.
nes near Yalta on the Crimea Peninsula where
preparations were made for the holding of a
conference of leaders of the three powers of
the anti-Hitler coalition - the USSR, the USA
and Great Britain.
The role played by the Yak-7 in the front-
line aviation at that time was somewhat more
modest. According to reports from different
Air Armies, by 1st January 1945 sixty-five
fighters of this type were engaged in opera-
tions against the Luftwaffe (60 combat-ready
machines at the Leningrad Front, 1st Baltic,
1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts) and
14 reconnaissance machines (all of them air-
worthy; of these, 13 at the 1st Baltic Front). By The cockpits of a Yak-7V or Yak-7UTI trainer.
the beginning of 1945 combat losses amount-
ed to 1,373 Yak-7s, about 1,500 machines effected on the fighter trainer to prevent a fire production Yak-7B; a seat for the test engineer
were written off as damaged or worn out, onboard, and vibrations caused frequent was fitted in the second cockpit. The tests were
while others continued their service in the leakage of fuel tanks. The flights had to be conducted at L11, starting on 24th March 1944;
units deployed in the rear and in training units. suspended for almost two years. on 15th May project test pilot Sergey N.
In the middle of the war information started Anokhin switched on the ramjets in flight forthe
Yak-7 propulsion testbeds with coming in about experiments with auxiliary pow- first time.
DM-4S boosters erplants conducted both by our allies and our The boosters guzzled up to 18 to 20 kg
One of the unusual tasks tackled by the adversaries. For example, the British performed (44 Ib) of gasoline per minute; therefore, the
Yakovlev OKB was the construction of a flying many experiments with shipborne aircraft, while auxiliary powerplant could be put into opera-
testbed intended for the flight development of the Germans made use of jettisonable solid-fuel tion only for shorts spells of time, for example,
the experimental DM-4S ramjet engines rocket boosters to assist the take-off of over- to break off an engagement or to chase the
designed by I. A. Merkoolov. The DM-4S had weight bombers from small field airstrips. adversary. The flights revealed that the
a diameter of 500 mm (1 ft 7.7 in.), measured In early 1944 certain alterations were intro- increase of maximum speed when the ramjets
2,300 mm (7 ft 6.5 in.) in length and weighed duced into the design of the DM-4S engine were switched off amounted to 53 km/h (32.9
45 kg (99 Ib); two such engines were sus- with a view to enhancing its reliability. The mph) versus 22 and 42 km/h (13.6 and 26.0
pended under the fighter's wings, one under engines were mounted under the wings of a mph) in the case of the 1-15bis and 1-153
each outer wing panel. They ran on gasoline
fed from the machine's standard fuel tanks.
The DM-4S engine was designed in 1941 ;
this was the version that was flight-tested on
the 1-15bis and 1-153 fighters before the war.
After a period of bench tests two such engines
manufactured at the beginning of 1942 were
mounted under the wings of a UTI-26 operat-
ed by the 12th Guards lAP. In the spring of
1942 the frontlines rolled back some distance
to the west from Moscow; this made it possi-
ble to perform test flights without the risk of
being intercepted by the Messerschmitts.
The testing proved abortive: installation of
the engines led to a significant forward shift of
the CG, entailing the risk of the aircraft nosing
over. Furthermore, no special measures were This Yak-7B was used as a testbed for the DM-4S ramjets (it is often called Yak-7PVRD).

57
 A four-view drawing of a Yak-7B fighter

58
 I
I

I
I
I
I

59
 the aft fuselage. The latter installation was
intended for brief use at take·off and for
imparting the maximum acceleration. The liq·
uid·fuel rocket engine used petrol as a fuel
and nitric acid as an oxidiser; this necessitat·
ed radical changes in the fuel system. Three
additional tanks (two for petrol and one for the
acid) were accommodated behind the cock-
pit. The project had a special feature - it dis-
pensed with the installation of a piston engine.
Design work on the Yak·7R was completed
on 27th August 1942. Many designers, includ-
ing Yakovlev, were aware of the potential
Above: A Yak·7B development aircraft with a pressurised cockpit; note the non-standard sliding canopy.
Below: Another Yak·7 equipped with a pressurised cockpit of a different design. Judging by the black-
advantages of the ramjets and liquid·fuel rock-
outlined insignia, this was an earlier version (compare with the white·outlined stars on the other Yak). et engines, but the enemy had forced its way
to Stalingrad and the main effort was concen·
trated on series production. Besides, the flights
of the rocket-powered BI fighter designed
under V. Bolkhovitinov's direction (accompa-
nied by several major accidents) showed that
no reliable jet or rocket engines suitable for
immediate installation in an aircraft were avail·
able in the USSR at the time. The experienced
gained in designing the Yak·7R was used later
for developing the Yak·3RD.
Subsequently the Yak·7 was probably
used more extensively than any other
Yakovlev fighters for numerous factory and
field modifications. The former are exempli·
fied by the development of the Yak-7L fighter
with a laminar·flow wing which afforded a
maximum speed increase of 15 to 20 km/h
respectively. However, owing to the consider- seconds, but it proved impossible to corrob· (9.3 to 12.4 mph) thanks to the use of low-
able additional drag ofthe wings and the mas· orate these estimates by real test results. drag airfoil sections, and of the Yak-7GK
sive hollow cylinders attached to them the net Nevertheless, several interceptor projects (ghermeficheskaya kabina - air·tight cockpit)
speed increase was only 19 km/h (11.8 mph). were evolved at the end of the war. One of with a bag·type pressurised cockpit.
These results were found to be disap- them, designated Yak-7R (reaktivnyy - jet· Among the latter versions was the Yak-7P
pointing. The work went on until the end of powered) envisaged an aircraft featuring a (pushechnyy - cannon·armed) featuring
1944. It encompassed the development of combined powerplant which comprised two heavier armament which was installed in the
boosted modes of ramjet operation, installa- Merkoolov DM-4S ramjets and one 0·1 A workshops of the 1st Air Army in July 1943
tion of the ramjets in an aerodynamically liquid-fuel rocket motor designed by L. S. and comprised two ShVAK synchronised
refined airframe, making the booster engines Dooshkin. cannon in the manner of the La·5 instead of
easily detachable etc. Calculations showed The DM·4S boosters were placed under the two UBS machine·guns; another version
that a maximum speed increase could be as the Wings in the same way as on the previous of the fighter was fitted with a special hook for
high as 100 km/h (62 mph) in the course of 10 model, and the D·1A was accommodated in towing assault gliders.

The Yak-7L development aircraft with laminar-flow wings, seen here in front of one of L11's hangars.

60
 Chapter 3

The Yak·9
The Private of the Skies

The Yak-9 aircraft that followed the Yak-1 mid-1944. In all, no fewer than 16,769 mental wings which differed greatly from all
and Yak-7 was the third basic type of the machines were built, including the 14,579 the wing types built earlier. The wings' frame-
Yakovlev fighter family associated with the manufactured before the end of the war. work was formed by two continuous full-span
period of the Great Patriotic War. Structurally duralumin spars joined together by six dura-
it was a further development of the Yak-7. Yak-7D and Yak-7D1 prototype fighters lumin ribs and two wooden ribs (the latter
Outwardly the Yak-9 differed little from its The Yak-9's predecessor was the Yak-7D. In were placed at wingtips). The framework was
predecessor, yet it featured a host of im- the late spring of 1942 A. S. Yakovlev tasked covered with skinning made of properly
provements. This was natural because the engineer N. K. Skrzhinskiy with developing a shaped bakelite plywood and veneer which
design of this aircraft embodied the great Yak-7 version intended for use as a long- was bonded to the structure. While retaining
experience of manufacture and combat range reconnaissance aircraft to suit the the same area of 17.15 sq m (184.6 sq ft), the
operation of the Yak-7 and was backed up needs of the Air Force's fighter element. Built wings had a shorter span - 9.74 m (31 ft 11 .46
by the possibility of a wider use of duralumin in May 1942, the aircraft made use of the fuse- in) instead of 10.0 m (32 ft 9.7 in) - and more
which no longer was so scarce in the Soviet lage of a production Yak-7V conversion train- angular tips introduced with a view to eventu-
Union as had been the case at the beginning er combined with elements of the Yak-7B. A ally fitting leading-edge slats at a later stage.
of the war. The use of metal made it possible novel feature of the design was the experi- Eight fuel tanks with a total capacity of 833
to reduce the airframe weight substantially.
This weight saving was used for increasing
the fuel capacity; alternatively, it could be
used for installing heavier armament or for
fitting various items of equipment.
Of all fighter types operated by the Red
Army Air Force, the Yak-9 was built in the
greatest numbers. In mid-1944 the aggregate
number of Yak-9s, Yak-9Ts and Yak-9Ds sur-
passed the number of fighters of other types
in the inventory of front-line units, and they
largely supplanted the Yak-1, Yak-7B and
LaGG-3, to say nothing of the MiG-3s (which
had been manufactured in 1941) and the
Polikarpov fighters built before the war.
The main special feature of the Yak-9 was
its ability to be modified into a great variety of
Above: The Yak-7D, the first step towards the Yak-9. It is seen here in single-seat configuration.
aircraft types intended for different duties and
operational uses. These included a front-line
fighter with normal and heavy armament; a
long-range escort fighter; a fighter-bomber; a
photo-reconnaissance fighter; a high-altitude
interceptor; a two-seat unarmed passenger
aircraft for special duties; and a two-seat con-
version training and familiarisation fighter.
This basic type had 22 (!) main variants,
including 15 production versions. The Yak-9
featured the installation of five different new
engines or engine versions; six variants with
regard to the number and capacity of fuel
tanks; seven variants of armament and two
variants of special equipment.
The Yak-9 was series-produced at three
major aircraft factories - Plant No. 82 in
Moscow (only the M-107A-powered version),
Plant No. 166 in Omsk and Plant No. 153 in
Novosibirsk. The production tempo at the lat-
ter enterprise reached 17 machines per day in The same aircraft in two-seat configuration.

61
 tractable in handling, displaying very good
manoeuvrability at low and medium altitudes.
In mock combat with the Bf 109F conducted
close to the ground the Yak-7DI gained an
extra 250 m (820 ft) of altitude in a combat turn
as compared to its opponent, fastening itself
on the Messerschmitt's tail after three to four
full-circle banking turns.
After a short stage of development work at
the factory the Yak-7DI successfully passed
State trials in August 1942. Leading engineer
A. Stepanets wrote in his report that '... thanks
to the possibility of being operated in various
versions and its excellent performance the
Yak-701 arguably ranks first among our coun-
try's production fighters'. It was recommend-
ed that the Yak-7DI be put into series
Above and below: The Yak-7Di featuring a cut-back rear fuselage decking and a bubble canopy was, in production as quickly as possible. The aircraft
effect, the prototype of the Yak-g. industry implemented this recommendation
without delay. In production the fighter was
allocated the designation Yak-9.

Yak-9 production fighter

Initially Plant No. 153 in Novosibirsk built the
fighter in the lightened Yak-7DI version, delet-
ing the two extra fuel tanks in the wing. The all-
up weight rose by 35 to 40 kg (77.2 to 88.2 Ib)
compared to the prototype, which was due to
the usually lower quality standard character-
istic for mass production, but production
machines suffered no deterioration in perfor-
mance. The tests of the first production Yak-
9s showed that the fighter had retained its
excellent agility which enabled it to outma-
noeuvre any adversary.
Plant No. 153 began manufacturing the
Yak-9 from October 1942, when the workers
litres (183.26 Imp gal) were neatly 'squeezed' An important novel feature employed on assembled the first 16 machines (together
into the wings; a further 92 litres (20.24 Imp the Yak-7D consisted in all four fuel tanks with 290 Yak-7Bs). Production was getting
gal) of fuel were housed in the fuselage. The being connected with a single service tank under way successfully - the military repre-
Yak-7D was unequalled in range and endu- via check valves; this ensured uniform and sentatives at the Plant accepted 15 Yak-9s.
rance, covering a distance of 2,285 km (1,420 complete consumption of fuel from the port Subsequently, however, serious difficulties
miles) in the course of six and a half hours. and starboard groups of tanks - something were encountered in the manufacture of the
In mid-June 1942, when Yak-7D develop- which had not been possible on the Yak-1 wings: of the 44 Yak-9s built in the course of
ment work was in full swing, A. S. Yakovlev and Yak-7. the two following months, only four machines
issued directions requiring the machine to be The designers envisaged the possibility of could be sent to the front-line units before the
reworked into a long-range fighter. The result the Yak-7DI being operated in two basic ver- end of the year.
was the Yak-7DI (dahl'niy istrebitef' - long- sions - the standard and the lightened one. In Three new production fighters were deliv-
range fighter). In fact, it was the fuselage of a the latter case a 200-kg (441-lb) weight saving ered to the 434th lAP in the middle of Novem-
production M-105PF-powered Yak-7B mated was achieved by reducing the amount of fuel ber 1942. The Yak-9s were committed to
to the experimental wings of the Yak-7D. But and oil carried. In standard configuration the combat actions for the first time during the
this time the wing housed only four self-seal- all-up weight reached 3,035 kg (6,692 Ib) and Soviet counteroffensive near Stalingrad in the
ing tanks with a total capacity of 673 litres (148 the Yak-7DI possessed basic performance second half of December 1942. Approximate-
Imp gal), or 500 kg (1,102Ib). characteristics similar to those of the produc- ly at the same time a flight of Yak-9s was
The Yak-7DI had its upper rear decking tion Yak-7B manufactured in the summer and assigned to the 1st Air Army of the Western
cut down and the cockpit canopy was given autumn of 1942, except that the range was Front, but inclement weather prevented the
a tear-drop shape. The starboard UBS appreciably greater. In this version the aircraft machines from being actively used before the
machine-gun was deleted for the sake of turned into a long-range fighter capable of end of the year.
further reducing airframe weight. This sub- lengthy patrolling, escorting bombers to the One machine (c/n 0118, ie, Batch 1, 18th
sequently became a 'trademark' recogni- full stretch of their combat radius and fulfilling aircraft in the batch) was transferred to Nil
tion feature of the 'nine' - the starboard other missions that required the machine to WS. The Yak-9 successfully passed tests
heavy machine-gun was not installed on stay airborne for a long time. In the lightened there during February and March 1943. At the
any of the Yak-9 versions powered by the version the all-up weight was only 2,835 kg weight of 2,870 kg the fighter attained the
M-1 05PF engine. (6,251 Ib), and the Yak-7DI became easy and speed of 520 kmlh (323 mph) at sea level and

62
599 km/h (372 mph) at the second rated alti-
tude of 4,300 m (14,104 ft). Only 5.1 minutes
were needed to climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft).
Other important performance characteristics
of the machine were equally impressive: it
had a service ceiling of 11,100 m (36,408 ft);
a full-circle banking turn at 1,000 m (3,280 ft)
took 16 to 17 seconds and the aircraft gained
1,120 m (3,674 ft) of altitude in a combat turn.
For the first time a Soviet production fighter
was virtually equal to the contemporary
Messerschmitts in vertical manoeuvrability
while being superior to them in ease of han-
dling and horizontal manoeuvrability. Impor-
tantly, the improvement of performance was
achieved without resorting to such radical
measures as installation of a new engine.
Interestingly, the testing of Yak-9 c/n 0118
was not confined to determining its basic per- Above and below: The fourth production Yak-9 (c/n 0104) during manufacturer's flight tests.
formance characteristics. Along with that,
tests were made to determine the airfield per-
formance, the range at different engine oper-
ation modes, the gliding characteristics and
even the engine's acceleration time in accor-
dance with procedures adopted in the USSR.
It was revealed that Yakovlev's new machine
took more time to accelerate from cruising
speed to a speed close to the maximum com-
pared to the Yak-1 and the Bf 109G-2; on the
other hand, it could be decelerated more
quickly.
At the beginning of 1943 assembly of the
Yak-9 was initiated at Plant No. 166 in Omsk
which had halted its work on the Tu-2
bomber. The fighters of the first batch had a
number of production defects, but already
from the second batch onwards the Plant's
personnel, assisted by engineers from the
Yakovlev OKB, achieved considerable suc- the Yakovlev OKB at the end of 1942; two of One of the first such versions was the M-106-
cess in improving the manufacturing quality. them subsequently became the mainstay ver- powered Yak-9 (Yak-9 M-1 06). Installation of
During tests conducted at L11 NKAP (Flight sions. They supplanted the Yak-9 (Without a the M-106 engine with a single-speed super-
Research Institute of the People's Commis- suffix letter, also known as 'the Yak-9 with two charger was effected in the same way as on
sariat of the Aircraft Industry) and completed fuel tanks and standard armament'), which by the similarly powered version of the Yak-1. The
in April 1943, Yak-9 c/n 1102014 (Product 11, that time had been built in numbers nearing machine was built as a dooblyor (literally,
Batch 2, 14th aircraft in the batch), weighing 500. 'understudy', or second prototype, in the
2,840 kg (5,822 Ib), attained a speed of 539 At the beginning of 1943 the Yak-9, like Soviet terminology of the time) of the Yak-7DI
km/h at sea level and 577 km/h at 3,810 m other Yakovlev-designed fighters, was by mid-November 1942; shortly thereafter
(12,497 ft); it climbed to 5,000 m (16,400 m) plagued by numerous cases of the wing skin Pavel Fedrovi performed the maiden flight.
within five minutes flat. Consequently, in most warping or even breaking away in flight, Prior to the installation of the new engine the
parameters this machine was on a par with which frequently led to tragic results. This was Yak-9 M-106 had passed operational tests,
similar machines built in Novosibirsk. mainly due to such reasons as breaches of performing more that 1,000 different aero-
In January and February 1943 Plant No. bonding techniques in the wing manufacture, batic figures and making 500 landings. Yet no
166 turned out 61 Yak-9s. A total of 135 such the use of substitutes of various chemical signs of permanent deformation were noted
machines were built in the first quarter of that substances (this refers primarily to the pro- on the fighter.
year, and the number of those accepted by duction of Plant No. 153) and considerable Tests of this aircraft at Nil WS showed
the military representatives was even higher fluctuations in the ambient temperature and that a speed of 602 km/h (374 mph) was
(140). Most of the 'nines' went to reserve reg- humidity within twenty-four hours. The skin- attained at 3,250 m (10,662 ft), accompanied
iments and training centres where these ning was successfully reinforced on most of by an improvement in rate of climb and take-
machines were assigned primarily to air for- the fighters by July of that year. off performance compared to the standard
mations of the Supreme Command's Yak-9. The Yak-9 M-106 demonstrated its
Reserve. Despite all the advantages of the M-106-powered Yak-9 prototype ascendancy in mock combat with the
Yak-9, series production of this type in its orig- Along with machines intended for large-scale Bf 109G-2/R6, an example of which had been
inal form did not last long. This was due to the production, the Yakovlev OKB built some captured near Stalingrad. Test pilots noted
emergence of three versions developed by experimental fighters based on the Yak-9. that the Yak fighter was much more respon-

63
 sive to the controls compared to the over-
weight Messerschmitt; in consequence, a
well-trained pilot on the Yak-9 had a better
chance of imposing his will on the adversary
in combat. The cockpit of the Soviet fighter
afforded a considerably better view, espec-
ially in the rear hemisphere. At the same time
the Yak-9 was clearly inferior to its oppo-
nent in firepower and performance at high
altitudes.
The Government demanded that the Yak-
9 M-106 be urgently put into large-scale pro-
duction. One of the telegrams sent to
Novosibirsk and addressed to director Lisit-
syn stated: 'You are supposed to regard
switching completely to the production of the
M-106P-powered Yak-9 fighters as your most
important task for the first quarter of 1943 and
to ensure the completion of 176 such
machines.' Huge resources were committed
Above and below: Yak-9 c/n 0118 at Nil VVS during State acceptance trials. Note the new three-tone grey for the implementation of this task. Still, the
camouflage, a departure from the dark green/black scheme used hitherto. immaturity of the M-1 06 engine prevented this
machine from being put into series produc-
tion in Novosibirsk, just like the Saratov facto-
ry had failed to master production of the Yak-1
M-106.

Yak-9T production fighter

It was the Yak-9T (tahnkovyy, tank-busting)
that became the first mass-produced version
of the Yak-9. It differed from the prototype and
the initial production Yak-9 in having the 20-
mm (0.78-in.) ShVAK cannon replaced by the
37-mm (1.45-in.) 11 P-37 cannon developed
by the OKB-16 design bureau (subsequently
it was redesignated NS-37). Design work on
this weapon was conducted in 1941-1942 by
a group of engineers under the direction of A.
Nudel'man and A. Sooranov. They continued
the work on the development of a large-cali-
bre aircraft cannon initiated by Yakov Taubin
and M. Baboorin. By the time when it attract-
ed A. Yakovlev's attention the 11 P-37 cannon
had successfully passed bench tests and a
trial installation on the LaGG-3 fighter. In
similar fashion to the LaGG-3, it was mounted
between the cylinder banks with the barrel
passing through the propeller hub; the can-
non was attached at two points: to the
engine and to the airframe. The barrel pro-
truded 160 mm (6.29 in) from the propeller
spinner, which led to an increase of the fight-
er's length from 8.50 m ( 27 ft 11 in) to 8.66 m
(28 ft 5 in).
The installation of a big and heavy 37-mm
cannon weighing 150 kg (331 lb) necessitat-
ed the introduction of a number of substantial
changes into the design of the Yak-9. The
fuselage structure was reinforced. To provide
space for the cannon breach and to keep the
CG within acceptable limits the cockpit was
moved 400 mm (1 ft 3.74 in) aft. This led to a
marginal improvement in rearward visibility
A Yak-9 fitted experimentally with an M-1 06-1 sk engine. This one appears to have the dark green/black and made the fighter more manoeuvrable.
camouflage scheme.

64
 The potent 37-mm cannon made it imper-
ative for the staff of the Novosibirsk plant to
raise the fighter's production standard. This
was a matter of prime concern because the N-
37's considerable recoil force (about 5,500
kg/12, 1271b) caused piping joints to leak and
some elements of the airframe structure to
develop fatigue cracks and fail.
The Yakovlev OKS built the Yak-9T proto-
type in January 1943; the aircraft passed spe-
cial tests at the Aviation Armament Firing
Range in February 1943 (L. Los' was the lead-
ing engineer) and flight testing at Nil WS in
March of that year, with A. Stepanets as lead-
ing engineer. With an all-up weight of 3,025 kg
(6,670 Ib) the Yak-9T attained a speed of 533 Above: The experimental Yak-9-37 armed with a 37-mm cannon firing through the propeller hub.
km/h (331 mph) at sea level and 597 km/h at Below: As this side view shows, the 37-mm cannon required the cockpit to be moved aft for CG reasons.
3,930 m. Manoeuvrability remained good, a These pictures were taken during the aircraft's State acceptance trials.
full-circle turn being performed within 18 to 19
seconds and 1,100 m (3,608 ft) of altitude
being gained during a combat turn. Immedi-
ately, in the same month of March, the Yak-9T
was put into series production. The Govern-
ment demanded that a fighter regiment be
fully equipped with the Yak-9T fighters by the
middle of March. In actual fact, three aircraft
were built by the end of March; another 75
machines with the heavy cannon rolled off the
assembly line in April. Shortly thereupon the
monthly output reached approximately one
hundred Yak-9Ts.
34 Yak-9Ts were used in combat evalua-
tion tests conducted at the Central Front in
the 16th Air Army in the period between 5th
July and 6th August 1943 during the battle of
Kursk. According to official Soviet informa-
tion, almost a half of the 110 enemy aircraft
destroyed there were shot down by Yak-9Ts
(the rest was accounted for by Yak-1 s, Yak-
7Bs and Yak-9s). Own losses amounted to 12
Yak-9Ts, or a third of all the Yak fighters lost.
On average, only 31 rounds of the NS-37 can-
non were needed for the destruction of one
enemy aircraft, while the corresponding fig-
ure for the 20-mm ShVAK cannon was 147
rounds.
The appearance of the Yak-9T at the front -:.~~::~
-
had a strong psychological effect on enemy
aircrews. Until then, for example, the highly Above and below: The prototype of the Yak-9T production-standard 'tank killer' version (c/n 0108) during
survivable and heavily armed Fw 190A had State acceptance trials. "
willingly undertaken head-on attacks against
Soviet fighters. When the Yak-9T came into
wide-spread use, the Fw 190As began to
avoid head-on attacks.
The installation of the 37-mm cannon
made it possible to substantially increase the
distance at which fire could be opened. This
proved very important because thereby the
probability of the pilot being hit by return fire
from the enemy bomber or reconnaissance
aircraft was reduced. The fighter pilots could
effectively use this weapon against twin-
engined aircraft at a distance of 500 to 600 m
(1,640 to 1,968 ft); in the case of enemy fight-

65
 ers being the target this distance did not
exceed 400 m (1,308 ft). But if the purpose
was to disrupt the enemy bombers' forma-
tion, it was possible to open fire at a distance
of 1,000 to 1,200 m (3,208 to 3,936 ft), provid-
ing the ammunition included fragmentation
shells with distance fuses. Effective use of the
Yak-9's heavy armament was severely ham-
pered by the imperfect design of gunsights
and the limited ammunition supply.
A pilot flying the Yak-9T was expected to
fire his weapon only after aiming it carefully,
and then only in short bursts of one or two
rounds, three at the most. Firing long bursts
meant spending ammunition to no avail (the
fighter had only 30 to 32 37-mm rounds on
board) because the strong recoil of the can-
non caused the fighter to drop its nose and
lose alignment with the target after a few
shots, and the pilot had to take aim anew.
Of course the stability of flight when firing
Above and below: The open upper cowling of the Yak-9T, showing the ammunition boxes and belt feed the N-37 depended on the speed offlight and
mechanisms of the NS-37 and 20-mm ShVAK cannons. on the length of the burst: the greater the
speed and the shorter the burst, the less was
the influence of the cannon on the direction of
flight. Lieutenant-Colonel Shinkarenko, Com-
mander of the 42nd lAP of the 240th Air Divi-
sion, noted that the Yak-9T was appreciably
more stable during firing than the LaGG-3-37
which had been flown by his unit earlier.
As deliveries to front-line units increased,
the Yak-9T came to be widely used and
earned high praise from the flying personnel.
As of 1st July 1943, only 14 machines out of
the 153 Yak-9s in the front-line aviation had
the 37-mm cannon, but shortly thereafter the
'tank-busting fighter' became one of the
main types in the fighter element of the Sovi-
et aviation - in all, 2,748 Yak-9T aircraft were
built before the end of the war. Expeditious
mastering of this machine in production and
operational use played an important part in
helping Soviet airmen win air superiority.
For example, in the autumn of 1943 the
Yak-9T was widely used during battles at the
Smolensk direction. Massed actions of Ger-
man aviation seriously hampered the efforts
of the Red Army striving to mount an offen-
sive at this direction; it was necessary to find
a method of resolutely counteracting the
enemy's big formations. The Soviet com-
manders were of the opinion that the Yak-
9Ts were best suited for this purpose: their
powerful armament could be put in action
from big distances, and the fighters ·them-
selves, thanks to their performance, needed
no protection against Messerschmitt and
Focke-Wulf fighters.
When tackling this task, Soviet comman-
ders and airmen encountered many difficul-
ties. The only radar station available in the
area often malfunctioned and could not
ensure a timely warning of approaching large
formations of enemy aircraft. Since German

66
fighters were constantly patrolling the air, 161284; the radio operator and the flight engi- Nil WS (pilot V. Golofastov, leading engineer
seeking targets of opportunity, it was neces- neer were killed and the bomb-aimer was seri- I. Rabkin). The tests showed that the Yak-90
sary to chart the flight route in broken lines, so ously wounded. The pilot managed to cross had the same maximum speed as the other
as to avoid being attacked by German the front-line and make a crash-landing in Yak-9s. However, the increase in all-up
'hunters' and to be able themselves to deal a German-held territory. After examining the weight to 3,117 kg (6,873 Ib) resulted in poor-
sudden blow. wrecked machine the Germans could not er manoeuvrability: the fighter needed 19 to
Thus, on 4th September four Yak-9Ts imagine that the aircraft had been destroyed 20 seconds to perform a banking turn and 6.1
from the 42nd lAP were conducting a search by shells from an aircraft cannon, not by anti- minutes to climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft); it
for enemy aircraft in the area of Smolensk ai rcraft fi re. gained 950 m (3,116 ft) in altitude during a
where they discovered a group of up to 20 He combat turn.
111 s heading for Oookhovshchina. Earlier, Yak-gO long-range fighter Like the Yak-9T, this aircraft was immedi-
Soviet airmen had closely watched the rou- Even more widespread was the Yak-90 ately placed into large-scale production. As
tines of the enemy aviation (aircraft from sev- (dahl'niy - long-range) - another version of had often been the case previously, the deci-
eral airfields taking off, gathering into a joint the production Yak-9 intended for large-scale sion to build the first one hundred long-range
formation and heading for the target). The production. This fighter featured as standard fighters was taken before the State trials had
group's leader, Lieutenant S. Brazhnets, the fuel system borrowed from the prototype even begun. All 100 Yak-90s were assembled
made a surprise attack and downed one Yak-701. The installation of four fuel tanks before the end of the spring of 1943, where-
Heinkel, dispersing the rest of the formation. holding a total of 650 litres (143 Imp gal)/480 upon the industry increased the output of
A bombing attack against Soviet troops was kg(1,058 Ib) instead of 440 Iitres (96.8 Imp such machines. It should be noted that, in its
thereby frustrated. gal)/320 kg (705 Ib) on previous Yak-9 ver- directive dated 18th February, the State
When dealing with the events of 4th Sep- sions necessitated an increase in the amount Defence Committee had demanded that all
tember, German sources paid the main atten- of engine oil to 48 kg (109Ib). fighters manufactured at Plant 153 be fitted
tion to the success of one of the best aces of The need for such a fighter arose in 1943 forthwith with four fuel tanks.
the Luftwaffe - Kapitan Walther Nowotny who when Soviet ground troops began to under- The first Yak-90s were assigned to the 20th
shot down a Yak near Oookhovshchina (this take deep penetration of enemy defences. and 18th Guards Fighter Air Regiments. Both
was his 189th victory). For this success the The rapid advance of the Red Army forma- units joined battle actively on 12th july, after
commander of I/JG54 was awarded the tions and the absence of prepared airfields the beginning of the counteroffensive of Soviet
Eichenlaub (oak leaves, a supplement to the ahead of them created the danger of the Sovi- troops against the German troops concentra-
Iron Cross). As for the engagement between et aviation losing contact with ground troops; tion near Oryol (during the air battles over the
the Soviet fighters and Heinkels, according to the latter complained about not getting suffi- Kursk Bulge). Low clouds and long spells of
the reports of German crews, the II/KG4 cient air cover. heavy rain hampered the operational activities
group was attacked by Soviet anti-aircraft The Yakovlev OKB built the Yak-90 proto- of aviation. When the clouds lifted somewhat,
artillery. 37-mm shells tore large holes in the type in January 1943; by the end of February the Yaks mainly participated in providing cover
fuselage and wings of He 111 H-16 WNr. 1943 the machine had passed State trials at for .attack aircraft. The fighters flew at altitudes

The prototype of the Yak-9-23 fighter armed with an engine-mounted 23-mm cannon. The aircraft type is painted on the tail in lieu of the construction number.

67
 aircraft in the batch) received the following
damage in the course of a combat engage-
ment with an Fw 190: a wing-root fuel tank
was pierced by a cannon shell, the engine
reduction gearbox casing was pierced by bul-
lets and the fuselage was damaged in sever-
al places. Nevertheless, the pilot succeeded
in bringing the machine back to base and
landing safely, which testified to the high sur-
vivability of the 'nine' in its 'four-fuel-tank' ver-
sion.
Combat experience showed that it was
inexpedient to use Yak-90s jointly with 'regu-
lar' Yak-9s for fulfilling the same missions in
fighter regiments where the vast majority of
aircraft had the standard two fuel tanks and
was unable of staying airborne for several
hours due to the limited amount of fuel. For
Above and below: Two Yak-9Ds pictured during checkout trials at Nil WS. Judging by the style of the instance, in the 303rd lAO the Yak-90s used
national insignia, the aircraft on the upper photo is a later example. up an average 270 litres (59,4 Imp gal) offuel,
or about 40% of the available amount, in each
sortie. The remaining fuel merely increased
the weight of the aircraft and made it more vul-
nerable compared to other Yaks.
On one occasion, when the service trials
had been completed, 18th Guards lAP CO
Lieutenant-Colonel A. Golubov came under
anti-aircraft fire during a reconnaissance sor-
tie on a Yak-90. Enemy shells hit the outer
wing fuel tank, and the aircraft burst into
flames. Seconds after the pilot bailed out at
low altitude, the burning fighter exploded. The
seriously wounded commander ended up in
hospital.
Experience gained during service trials led
to the conclusion that the Yak-90 would best
be used for fulfilling special duties which could
not be tackled by fighters carrying a limited
amount of fuel (the Yak-1, Yak-7B and La-5).
Yak-90s were widely used for escorting
bombers on missions deep into the enemy's
of 200 to 400 m (656 to 1,308 ft), and the pilots of the 18th Guards lAP together with the 'Nor- rear areas; they provided cover for the
often returned to base on machines riddled mandie-Niemen' squadron which was de- actions of tank and mechanised infantry
with bullets and shell fragments. ployed close at hand and also made up part groups making incursions into the enemy's
For example, in the period between 12th of the 303rd lAO. At the end of August the rear. They were also used for patrol flights of
and 27th July pilots of the 18th Guards lAP French unit operated six Yak-90s, three Yak- long duration. They proved useful in the
commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union 9s (With two fuel tanks) and 11 Yak-9Ts. The cases of an abrupt change in weather condi-
Lieutenant-Colonel A. Golubov made 503 sor- pilots of the 'Normandie-Niemen' squadron tions when returning to one's own airfield
ties (425 of them for the purpose of escorting disapproved of having 'excess' fuel on board; proved difficult and it was necessary to cover
Soviet attack aircraft) and waged 52 air battles at their own initiative they blanked off the a considerable distance in order to reach an
in which only four Yak-90s were lost. The fillers of outer wing fuel tanks, making it alternate airfield which, for example, was not
Soviet airmen claimed the destruction of 30 impossible to fill them with fuel, and made use blanked off by low clouds. Undoubtedly the
enemy ai rcraft; they got to know the strengths only of the inboard fuel tanks. Yak-90 would have been more useful, had it
and weaknesses of the new Yaks very well. In the course of service trials conducted in not been for the absence of navigation equip-
Therefore the command took a decision to the 18th Guards lAP, 58 flights were per- ment (in particular, the artificial horizon and
conduct service tests for the operational use formed on the three Yak-90s (each of them the direction finder) which limited the possi-
of the Yak-90 in this unit. with an average duration of an hour and a bility of operations in adverse weather condi-
Ouring operations over the Western Front quarter); the regiment's pilots conducted tions. The full use of the machine's potential
in August-September 1943 the regiment had, seven dogfights, claiming two Ju 87s, two was also hampered by the discrepancy
apart from three Yak-90s, 12 'regular' Yak-9s Fw 190s and one He 111 shot down. Of the between the aircraft's range in high-speed
on strength. All types of aircraft were uniformly three own machines one was shot down by flight mode (905 km/562 miles) and the range
distributed among the three squadrons and the enemy, another one was damaged and of two-way radio communication with the
flew roughly the same type of combat mis- sent for repairs. On 30th August 1943, Yak-90 ground (about 60 km/37.3 miles); in the
sions. Many a sortie was made by the airmen cln 0415317 (ie, Batch 4, Plant No. 153, 17th course of virtually the entire flight the pilot

68
could not receive assistance from a ground
air control station.
In combat with the German Fw 190A-4
and Bf 109G-6 fighters the Yak-90 had an
advantage in horizontal manoeuvrability at
altitudes up to 3,500 m (11,480 tt), especially
when some amount of fuel had been used up.
However, the Soviet fighter was inferior to
the enemy machines in speed, even at low
altitude.
Large-scale production of the Yak-90
began in the summer of 1943. While the work-
ers of Plant No. 153 conducted the assembly
of 'four-tank' Yak-90s on one continuous flow
line, the workers of another line built the two-
fuel-tank Yak-9T. By the end of 1943 the
Novosibirsk plant had built 706 long-range
machines. In Omsk, 463 'four-tank' machines
were built at Plant No.166; the plant started
providing the fighters with extended fuel
A production Yak-9 taxies out from an unpaved airfield in the second half of the war, kicking up a local
capacity from September of that year on.
dust storm.

M-105PF-powered Yak-9
at the fronts in 1944 speed at sea level being 526 km/h (327 mph) Red Army command on the eve of major offen-
At the end of 1943 the first machines of the 9th and 532 km/h (331 mph) respectively, and the sive operations.
batches of the Yak-90 and Yak-9T respectively speed at the second rated altitude being 577 In consequence, a modified Yak-90 (c/n
were tested at L11 NKAP. As might be expected, and 591 km/h (359 and 367 mph) respective- 08-05) was submitted to Nil WS for tests; it
the former type proved to be somewhat heav- ly. The rate of climb was virtually identical, the had an all-up weight of 3,117 kg (6,873Ib) and
ier when fully equipped, the all-up weight fighters climbing to 5,000 m (16,400 tt) in 5.6 featured improved aerodynamics in accor-
being 3,070 kg (6,769Ib) and 3,025 kg (6,670 Ib) and 5.5 minutes respectively. On the whole, dance with recommendations from TsAGI.
respectively; the Yak-90 was a little slower, the that kind of performance could not satisfy the The tests were conducted under the supervi-

A happy Soviet Air Force pilot wearing fur-lined boots - a necessity in the harsh climate of the northern regions - poses for the camera on the wing of his Yak-90.

69
 attacked and seriously damaged by a Soviet
Air Force Bell P-39 Airacobra in a 'friendly fire'
incident. Combat attrition in these fierce bat-
tles averaged one aircraft lost per 16 individ-
ual sorties. In its analysis of the air battle in the
Yassy area the Soviet command did not criti-
cise the performance characteristics of the
aircraft, but admitted the low average level of
training of the flying personnel and poor coor-
dination of actions of aircraft groups in the
course of a battle.
On the eve of the Soviet summer offensive
in Belorussia (Operation Bagration, named
after a famous Russian general who played a
major part in defeating Napoleon Bonaparte
in 1812) the Yak-9 fighters were assigned by
way of replenishment not only to regiments
and divisions, but also to Air Corps. For exam-
ple, two Fighter Air Corps from the reserve of
the Supreme Command were transferred to
Above and below: The prototype of the Yak-9TO which combined the Yak-9T's engine-mounted 37-mm
the 1st Air Army. By 20th June 1944 the 2nd
cannon (and hence the aft location of the cockpit) with the increased fuel tankage of the Yak-gO. It is seen
here during manufacturer's flight tests. IAK had 252 fighters in its inventory, including
81 Yak-9s; in the 3rd IAK the Yak-9s made up
116 of the total of 253 aircraft. From the first
days of the operation these formations played
an important role in ensuring complete air
superiority for the Red Army Air Force.
The combat activities of Soviet airmen
over Belorussia were conducted mainly in
small groups; in contrast to that, during the
L'vov offensive operation that started on 13th
July 1944 the Soviet Air Force resorted to
massed air strikes. The German opposition
there appeared to be stronger, and a number
of Yak-9-equipped air units and formations
were waging continuous battles. The intensi-
ty of the fighting can be illustrated by exam-
ples of the activities of the 611th lAP which
was part of the 8th ShAK (shtoormovoyaviat-
sionnyy korpoos - Attack Air Corps). On 16th
July Lieutenant Yu. Panin was seriously
wounded in a dogfight with a Bf 109 while
escorting a group of attack aircraft. His com-
sion of leading engineer I. Rabkin. Flights per- Yaks directly in front-line conditions 'piece- rades aided the profusely bleeding pilot in
formed by pilot V. Golofastov in January and meal', as it was usually termed. Thus, by 29th bringing the aircraft to the Ol'khovets airfield
February 1944 showed that the fighter had March 1944, the inventory of the 427th lAP and making a landing. Having lost much
become 20km/h (12.4 mph) faster thanks to was reduced to 19 Yak-1 s after combat activ- blood, Panin could not even climb out of the
the sealing of fuselage and engine cowling ities in the south of the Ukraine; at the begin- cockpit - he lost consciousness, dying in hos-
joints, the generally improved finish of the ning of April the regiment received 13 pital a few days later.
wing surface and some other measures. The Yak-90s as attrition replacements. The pilots On 18th July Lieutenant P. Mordovskiy
speed rose to 535 km/h (332 mph) at sea level had barely taken delivery of these aircraft at from the same unit made a landing on what
and to 591 km/h (367 mph) at 3,650 m (11,972 the airfield of Bel'tsy when, as a result of a raid might be termed the remnants of a Yak fighter:
ft), while other performance characteristics performed by a group of Focke-Wulf fighters, the fuselage framework was laid bare, large
remained virtually unchanged: time to 5,000 four machines were put out of action, includ- holes gaped in the stabilizer, and the port ele-
(16,400 ft) was 6.1 minutes, a banking turn ing two Yak-90s (c/ns 0454 and 0972) that vator had been stripped of its fabric' skin.
was performed within 19 to 20 seconds, the burned down. The remaining fighters partici- Additionally, a shell fragment punctured the
aircraft had a practical ceiling of 9,100 m pated actively in combat in the Yassy (Iasi) compressed air piping to the flap actuators
(29,848 ft) and a landing speed of 141 km/h area where in the late spring of 1944 the Ger- and wheel brakes; as a result, the Yak-9 made
(87.6 mph). man command undertook one of its last major a landing run of some 850 m (2,788 ft) and
In early 1944 the Soviet command gave counteroffensives supported by substantial overran the airstrip, stopping in a field of sun-
up the practice of sending front-line units to Luftwaffe forces. flowers. On the same day Lieutenant (Junior
the rear for reorganisation; therefore, the In the course of May 1944 combat loses Grade) I. Mamaikin attempted to bring his
majority of the Yak-9s of different models amounted to six Yak-9s, one of which (c/n damaged machine to base, but the fighter
were sent to replenish the losses of other 0981), piloted by Lieutenant Shokoorov, was went out of control not far from the Ol'khovets

70
airfield and crashed, killing the pilot.
In the period from 15th to 18th July 1944
the formations of the 2nd Air Army lost 16 of
their own fighters in combat with enemy fight-
ers in the area of L'vov; six fighters were lost
to flak and 39 failed to return to base for
unknown reasons. However, bearing in mind
the high intensity of the fighting and the great
number of combat engagements, on average
it was one irretrievable loss per approximate-
ly 100 individual sorties, which was a pretty
good result. 19 of the 61 fighters lost were
Yak-9s.
In the second half of 1944 increasingly
more often the Yak pilots had to deal not with
the late-model Messerschmitts to which they
had become accustomed, but with Focke-
Wulfs which were also used by the Germans
Above and below: The Yak-9M featured an aft-positioned cockpit la Yak-9T, even though it did not have
in the attack and fighter-bomber roles. Tests
the big cannon. This feature was introduced to ensure commonality between aircraft with different
of the Fw 190A conducted in the Soviet Union armament fits and simplify production at the Novosibirsk factory.
seemed to support the view that this fighter
was not a dangerous adversary for Yakovlev
and Lavochkin fighters in air combat because
of its overweight airframe. However, numer-
ous encounters with the type showed that
Soviet airmen could not get on the Fw 190's
tail in a dogfight; nor had the red-starred
machines an advantage in speed because
the Focke-Wulf was equipped with a
water/methanol injection system. On the
other hand, it was believed that the Fw 190
had considerably better diving characteristics
and gained speed quicker in a steep descent;
yet, if the Yak-9 managed to chase the oppo-
nent, the latter was considerably less efficient
in levelling off and the Soviet pilot had a good
chance of shooting the enemy down.
Unfortunately, at times Soviet airmen
fought not only against the Germans and their
allies, but also against the British and Ameri-
can aviation as well. Such 'friendly fire' inci-
dents occurred during the final stage of the
war due to cases of poor co-ordination of
actions. Thus, on 7th November 1944 a dozen
Lockheed P-38 Lightnings mistakenly strafed
the troops of the Soviet 37th Army in northern
Yugoslavia; the casualties included General
G. Kotov, commander of a Cavalry Corps. A
group of Yak-9s from the 866th lAP was sent
on an intercept mission; it was led by Captain
A. Koldoonov on a Yak-3.
The American pilots mistook the Yaks for
Sf 109Gs and engaged them. Before the
melee could be stopped, two Yak-9s and
three P-38s had been shot down; one more
Another Yak-9 with an aft-positioned cockpit pictured during checkout tests at Nil WS.
American machine and one more Soviet
machine were hit by anti-aircraft artillery, but
both pilots parachuted to safety. Investigating tail of the Yak-9s, while the latter enjoyed manufactured in that year, nearly 5,000 were
the incident, Commander of the 866th lAP superiority in vertical manoeuvring. sent to active Air Force units. During the same
Lieutenant-Colonel S. Koozin noted that, Numerous statistical reports dating back time 1,754 Yak-9s were written off for various
despite their bigger dimensions and substan- to 1944 make it possible to cite a few figures reasons. 141 Yak-9s were shot down in air-to-
tial wing loading, the Lightnings had better characterising the service rendered by differ- air combat, 94 fell prey to anti-aircraft fire, 787
horizontal manoeuvrability thanks to good ent versions of M-1 05PF-powered Yak-9 fight- failed to return from a combat sortie, 12 were
high-lift devices and could easily get on the ers. Of the 6,289 machines of this type destroyed on the ground, 454 were lost in

71
 sion they succeeded in eliminating almost all
the design and manufacturing defects which
had been noted in various documents of the
People's Commissariat of Aircraft Industry
and the Air Force stating the nature of com-
plaints, shortcomings, defects etc.
On this model a radical solution of the
wing strength problem was achieved. The
wings were strengthened by increasing the
skin thickness, using bakelite plywood,
increasing the area of bonding between the
skin and the wing framework etc. As a result,
the strength of the wings and fuselage was
brought up to the specified level. Additionally,
an automatic device for regulating the coolant
temperature was introduced and all machines
with even construction numbers were fitted
with direction finders.
As regards fuel amount and armament,
the Yak-9M differed little from the Yak-90,
Another view of the same Yak-9M as shown on the preceding page.
whereas the location of the cockpit was iden-
tical to that of the Yak-9T. Moving the cockpit
fatal and non-fatal crashes and 266 were worn the carburettor air intakes to ensure trouble- aft by 400 mm in comparison with the Yak-90
out completely. Thus, combat attrition of the free operation from unpaved airfields; had practically no adverse effect on forward
Yak-9 amounted to 1,034 machines (the total • from the 16th batch (June) onwards the visibility; at the same time it was very useful in
combat losses of Yaks of all basic types being wire braces in the fuselage framework were lessening the tendency to nose over. The
3,571 aircraft). It can be noted that relative altered, the wingtips were reshaped and the Yak-9M did not differ from the Yak-90 and the
attrition of the Yak-9s was approximately one design of the identification lights was Yak-9T with regard to piloting techniques and
loss per 150 individual combat sorties, which changed; basic performance characteristics. It may be
was lower than that of the more refined Yak- provision was made on several mentioned that this modification was effected
3s or La-7s - that was due to the latter two machines of the 17th batch (end of July) for directly at Plant No. 153 which was producing
types being used at those sectors of the front the installation of the RPK-10 direction finder the Yak-90 and Yak-9T. The designation Yak-
where the fighting was of greater intensity. (rahdiopolukompas), for which purpose a 9M was allocated to all Yak-9 aircraft from the
In the course of 1944 a number of sub- hatch with a plywood cover was made in the 25th batch onwards.
stantial design changes were incorporated upper fuselage decking; The ground personnel had their fair share
into the Yak-9 fighter on the production line. • from the 19th batch (September) of problems. Engineer N. Alimov from the
As an example, here are the upgrades effect- onwards a pneumatic engine starting system 288th Fighter Air Oivision recalled: 'Our regi-
ed on the Yak-9T: based on recommendations from L11 NKAP ments were eqUipped with the Yak-1, Yak-1 B,
• from the 11 th batch (February1944) was introduced; Yak-7B and various versions of the Yak-g.
onwards all machines were built with four • from the 20th batch (October) onwards These machines were basically similar and
tanks holding a total of 480 litres (105,6 Imp the Hucks starter dog intended for starting the the differences between them were of no spe-
gal). When the 37-mm Nudel'man/Sooranov engine by a truck-mounted starter was delet- cial significance for the pilots. As for the tech-
cannon was installed, the model was desig- ed and the spinner was give a more stream- nical personnel, the presence of different
nated Yak-9TO; lined shape. types in the same unit seriously hampered the
• from the 13th batch (the end of March) preparation of fighters for combat sorties.'
onwards a two-way radio was fitted to all fight- Yak-9M production fighter After all, interchangeability of the most essen-
ers, not to every second one as before; The Yak-9 powered by the VK-105PF engine tial units and parts could not be ensured even
• from the 14th batch (April) onwards a (as the M-1 05 was redesignated in the spring on machines manufactured at the same fac-
push-button control was introduced for the of 1944) was subjected to the most significant tory. Now, with the advent of the Yak-9M, a
radio transmitter. The switch was located on alterations during the manufacture of the 25th certain degree of unification with other
the throttle lever, enabling the pilot to easily batch. The new fighter emerged as an machines was achieved.
maintain two-way communication in the air upgrade of the Yak-90, from which it differed The first production Yak-9M underwent
while keeping his attention on flying the air- mainly in having a fuselage patterned on the State trials at Nil WS in Oecember 1944, with
craft (who said the HOTAS [hands on throttle Yak-9T, ie, the cockpit was moved 400 mrn V. Ivanov as project test pilot and engineer
and stick] concept was new?); (1 ft 4 in.) aft. This version designated Yak-9M G. Sedov in charge of the testing. At a weight
• from the second half of the 14th batch (modernizeerovannw - updated) was conve- of 3,095 kg (6,824 Ib) the fighter attained a
(May) onwards a weight installed in the aft nient in production, making it possible to speed of only 528 km/h (285.4 mph) at sea
fuselage was deleted (it had been introduced standardise the design of the fuselages and level and 573 km/h (356 mph) at 3,750 m
at an early stage for CG reasons) and the wing use them for manufacturing either the Yak-9T (12,300 ft). The rate of climb and manoeuvra-
design of the Yak-90 and the Yak-9T was or the Yak-90, depending on the need. bility characteristics proved to be similar to
standardised; Besides, on the Yak-9M the designers those of other Yak-9s with the same all-Up
• from the 15th batch (June) onwards an effected major changes and improvements weight. Such performance could not be
emergency canopy jettisoning feature was intended to enhance combat efficiency and considered satisfactory for the end of 1944.
introduced and dust filters were installed on make the fighter easier to operate. In this ver- Suffice it to say that the Yak-9M was some

72
50 km/h (31 mph) slower than a production Yak-9P and Yak-9TK in.) VolkovlYartsev VYa, the 37-mm (1.45-in.)
Yak-3; it was also inferior to contemporary fighter prototypes Nudel'man/Sooranov NS-37 or the 45-mm
Focke-Wulf and Messerschmitt fighters. The next area on which the Yakovlev OKB (1.78-in.) NS-45. The weight of fire in these
The Yak-9M was built in series at Plant No. concentrated was the Yak-9's armament cases was 1.997, 2.71,3.74 and 4.07 kg (4.4,
153 from May 1944 until June 1945, up to the which needed to be reinforced. On one air- 5.97,8.25 and 8.97Ib) respectively. To mount
moment when production of the Yak-9U pow- craft the designers installed a synchronised an alternative armament version, it was nec-
ered by the VK-1 07A engine got under way Shpital'nyy/Vladimirov ShVAK-20 (SP-20) essary merely to replace the attachment fit-
there. The production run totalled 4,239 air- cannon with 175 rounds instead of the stan- tings and ammunition feed devices suited to
craft. In October 1944, when VK-105PF-2 dard synchronised 12.7-mm UBS machine- other types of rounds. Importantly, replace-
engines (the -2 stands for 'boosted for the gun with 200 rounds. This did not entail any ment of the weapon could be effected in field
second time') with a take-off rating of 1,290 hp major modifications. conditions by the front-line units' personnel.
became available to Plant No. 153, Yak-9Ms The performance of the new fighter des- Pilot V. Khomiakov and armament engi-
began rolling off the production line with this ignated Yak-9P (pushechnw - cannon- neer A. Aronov who conducted the flight test-
more powerful engine. Until then, the entire armed) remained unchanged, while the ing of the Yak-9TK in October 1943 came to
output of the VK-1 05PF-2 had been reserved weight of fire increased by 25% as compared the conclusion that the all-up weight, CG posi-
for installation on the Yak-3. to the Yak-9. The aircraft was regarded tion, piloting techniques and performance
To get an idea of how the various Yak-9 favourably by the specialists of Nil WS. Firing depended wholly on the type of cannon arma-
versions, above all the Yak-9M, performed in the synchronised cannon, as well as the syn- ment installed.
actual service, one can cite the example of the chronised machine-gun, through the pro- When the ShVAK and VYa cannons were
8th IAK (Fighter Air Corps) commanded by peller disk was quite safe and the armament fired, their recoil had virtually no effect on the
General A. Osipenko. The fighter corps includ- functioned reliably in all flight modes, regard- machine's behaviour, even at low speed. Fir-
ed the 323rd Fighter Air Division, all the three less of the aircraft's attitude. Initially the Gov- ing the NS-37 had a more noticeable influ-
regiments of which (the 149th, 269th and ernment envisaged building 100 Yak-9Ps. In ence on piloting. At indicated airspeeds of
484th lAPs) fought only on the Yak-9s. In the fact, however, this model never entered pro- 300 to 350 km/h (186 to 218 mph) the Yak-
course of the first four months of 1945 the duction because of the decision to reinforce 9TK rocked violently and accurate sighting
abovesaid units performed 5,537 individual the armament of the Yak-9 by using cannons was possible only during the first shot. Finally,
sorties, providing close air support to ground of even greater calibre (for example, 37 and firing the NS-45 cannon proved possible only
troops and escorting attack aircraft and bombers 45mm). in single shots at speeds close to the maxi-
to targets near Gdynia, Danzig (Gdansk) and These efforts resulted in the emergence of mum.
Stettin (Szczecin). On average, the Yak-9s the Yak-9TK. It was intended specially for trial
stayed airborne for 55 minutes, spending less installation of different hub-mounted can- Yak-9K production fighter
than half the available amount of fuel. Combat nons. For the first time the possibility was pro- Versatile installations of cannon armament
attrition averaged one Yak-9 lost per every 131 vided to install alternative cannon types, found employment on the Yak-9 at a later
individual sorties; 42 fighters and 25 pilots depending on the demands of the Air Force: stage when the Yak-9U powered by the
were lost as a result of enemy opposition. the 20-mm (0.78-in.) ShVAK, the 23-mm (0.9- M-1 07A (VK-1 07A) engine was launched into

The Yak-9TK development aircraft which incorporated provisions for installing engine-mounted cannons of various calibres. Here it is seen with a 20-mm
cannon; this configuration was also known as the Yak-9T-20, hence the designation on the tail.

73
 ner, due to which the overall length ofthe Yak-
9K was 8.87 m (29 ft 1.21 in) as compared to
8.66 m (28 ft 4.94 in) of the Yak-9T and 8.50 m
(27 ft 10.64 in) of the usual Yak-9.
The NS-45 had a continuous belt feed,
like that of the NS-37. It had an ammunition
supply of 29 rounds, a counter in the pilot's
cockpit showing the number of the remaining
rounds. As regards the salvo weight, the Yak-
9K was superior to all Soviet fighters and the
majority of foreign fighters. Only such 'flying
artillery batteries' as the Fw 190A-6/R1 or the
Bf 109G-6/R6 boasted heavier armament. But
these two fighters had two or even four can-
nons mounted under the wings, which led to
a substantial deterioration of performance
and handling, while the Yak-9K was little dif-
ferent from basic versions of the Yak-9: its all-
up weight was only 3,028 kg (6,677 Ib).
Above and below: Yak-9T c/n 0121 was converted into the prototype of the Yak-9K armed with a 45-mm The Yak-9K was completed by the
NS-45 engine-mounted cannon. The large muzzle brake of the cannon was the chief recognition feature of Yakovlev OKB at the end of 1943; from the
this version. beginning of the following year it underwent
State trials at Nil WS. Building on the results
of these tests, a batch of 53 machines was
manufactured for the Air Force. Almost all of
them were assigned to the 3rd Fighter Air
Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General
Yevgeniy Va. Savitskiy. These powerful fight-
ers went into action for the first time in mid-
August 1944, when German bombers
(against which the Yak-9Ks were primarily
intended to be pitted) had virtually ceased
their activities on the Eastern front, their role
being taken over by fighter-bombers - Fw
190s and, less frequently, Bf 109s.
In consequence, a considerable percent-
age of the Yak-9K sorties was accounted for
by ground attack missions. One well-aimed
45-mm shell was usually enough to set a
truck, a wooden house, an enemy locomotive
and other similar targets ablaze. Major A.
Nikashin from the 812th lAP, a participant of
service trials, defined the tactics of combat-
ting enemy aircraft on the Yak-9K in the fol-
lowing way:
'Yak-9 fighters should be used in cooper-
ation with Yak-3 lightweight fighters (they will
be described in the next chapter - author's
note) making up a cover group. Tangling with
fighters is undesirable for the Yak-9Ks
because they are heavy and, owing to the
The Nudel'man/Sooranov NS-45 was a potent weapon, allowing the Yak-9K to be used effectively against insufficient engine power, have poor vertical
enemy tanks. component (ie, poor vertical manoeuvrability
- author). When bombers are encountered,
mass production. Nevertheless, at the end of barrel and the very small radial gap between the Yak-9K fighters should make a surprise
the war the NS-45 cannon attracted the atten- the cannon barrel and the hollow shaft of the attack from behind the clouds or out of the
tion of test pilots and engineers impressed by engine gearbox, the shaft's bore measuring sun, trying to disrupt their formation. It is expe-
its exceptional capabilities. The work on the merely 55 mm (2.16 in). dient to make the first attack from above at a
installation of this cannon on a fighter was The recoil power of the 45-mm cannon distance of 400 to 600 m (1,308 to 1,968 ft). If
continued on a machine which received the exceeded that of the 37-mm cannon by 40%; any part of a bomber is hit by one or two shells,
designation Yak-9K (kroopnokalibernyy - to reduce it, the barrel was fitted for the first this is enough for the bomber to be
large-calibre). In this machine the designers time with a big muzzle brake which absorbed destroyed. '
took into account the main peculiarity of the 85% of the recoil energy. The muzzle brake Pilots reported that the Yak's airframe
NS-45 cannon installation - the thin walls of its protruded noticeably from the propeller spin- could withstand a lot of punishment. One of

74
the Yak-9Ks was hit by numerous shells from
a 20-mm Oerlikon cannon; in addition, it lost
apiece of skinning measuring nearly a square
metre (some ten sq inches). Despite this seri-
ous damage, the Yak-9K covered a distance
of more than 100 km (62 miles) and safely
landed at its unit's airfield.
Alongside with the merits, some short-
comings of the Yak-9K were also noted. The
powerful recoil of the NS-45 cannon seriously
affected the aircraft's structure and caused
leakage of water and oil through various seals
and cracks in piping, radiators etc. The insuf-
ficient reliability of the cannon prevented the
Yak-9K from entering large-scale production.
Subsequently this work was continued with
the improved NUdel'man-designed N-45 can-
non - its development was carried out on the
Yak-gUo Above and below: A production Yak-9K. Note the badge of the 3rd lAP which operated this particular
aircraft (a winged sword piercing a swastika).
Yak-98 fighter-bomber
Limited production was undertaken of a ver-
sion designated Yak-9B (bombardirovshchik
- bomber). Bearing the factory designation
Yak-9L, it was a modified production Yak-90.
The modification consisted in fitting four
bomb bays behind the cockpit (in the space
previously occupied by the rear cockpit on
the Yak-7). The four bomb bays were
arranged in two pairs, one after the other, and
could house either four 100-kg (220-lb) FAB-
100 bombs or four cassettes with small PTAB-
2.5-1.5 anti-armour bomblets weighing about
2 kg (4,4 Ib) each. The cannon and machine-
gun armament was identical to that of the
Yak-90.
The addition of bomb bays made it possi-
ble to considerably extend the range of com-
bat missions performed by the 'nine'. Without
bombs the Yak-9B could be used as a tactical
fighter; with bombs it became a high-speed
fighter-bomber intended for pinpoint attacks
against well-protected targets.
For CG reasons and out of concern for the
longitudinal static stability the bomb load had
to be restricted to 200 kg (441 Ib). In this con-
figuration the all-up weight reached 3,356 kg
(7,400 Ib), and the aircraft could be flown by
pilots possessing satisfactory piloting skills.
A bomb load of 300 to 400 kg (661 to 882 Ib)
was considered to be an overload configura-
tion. Only highly-skillea pilots were permitted
to fly the Yak-9B with such a bomb load, and
then only in special circumstances.
The Yakovlev OKB managed to convert
the tactical fighter into a fighter-bomber fairly One of the prototypes of the Yak-9L fighter-bomber pictured during manufacturer's flight tests.
quickly - by March 1944 the Yak-9B was pre-
pared for flight testing and SUbsequent thor- After that, Plant No. 153 manufactured a Yak-90 and Yak-9M fighters. Already in the
ough evaluation. State trials were conducted batch of 109 Yak-9Bs. The aircraft were deliv- course of preparations for combat activities
in four stages and lasted throughout the sum- ered primarily to the 130th lAD commanded several serious incidents occurred in the
mer of 1944. The aircraft's stability and han- by Colonel F. Shinkarenko in the autumn of units, the aircraft catching fire in mid-air. It
dling characteristics were determined and 1944. Two of its regiments (the 168th and turned out that production defects in the man-
spinning trials were conducted during this 909th lAPs) were equipped with Yak-9Bs, ufacture of engine valve cotter pins led to the
period. while the newly formed 409th lAP received their failure due to engine vibration, the failure

75
 resulting in a fire. At that time workforce at air-
craft factories consisted largely of women and
teenagers who did not always observe the
stringent technical requirements.
The type was committed to action for the
first time on 22nd October 1944 when 53 Yak-
9Bs provided escort for attack aircraft of the
311th ShAP (shtoormovoy aviatseeonnw
polk - Attack Air Regiment) in the area of
Gumbinnen and themselves attacked the tar-
gets that were discovered. At the end of
December in the course of one sortie 120
Yaks from the 130th lAD took off on a mission;
they encountered no visible opposition, yet
two machines were downed and three
were damaged (including the aircraft piloted
by II'ya Shinkarenko, the Commander's
brother). Later it transpired that the small
Above: A Yak-9L at Nil WS during State acceptance trials.
PTAB bombs loaded into the bomb bays had
collided in the air after being dropped,
exploding under the aircraft. In the course of
combat activities up to 20th February 1945
the Yaks performed nearly 2,500 individual
sorties on attack and bombing missions.
According to information from Soviet
sources, they succeeded in destroying 29
tanks, 11 armoured personnel carriers, more
than 1,000 soft-skinned vehicles and many
enemy depots and trains.
Despite these impressive results, the Yak-
9B was adjudged as unsatisfactory on the
basis of the service tests. The absence of a
special sight for precision bombing prevent-
ed the Red Army Air Force from getting an effi-
cient fighter-bomber, and many pilots noted
that the bombed-up Yak-9B was difficult to fly.
Above: Another Yak-9L (c/n 0975), also photographed at Nil WS. Much vexation was caused by the bombs
refusing to leave the bomb bays when

A production Yak-9B. Outwardly the fighter-bomber version differed from the Yak-gO in having a lengthened and reshaped rear canopy section associated with
the provision of a bomb bay aft of the pilot'S seat.

76
Top and above: A 100-kg (220-lb) FAB-100 HE
bomb leaves the bomb bay of a Yak-9B. The open
bomb bay doors aft of the radiator bath are clearly
visible. Curiously, the tailwheel is extended in the
lower photo.

Right: Despite the relatively small size of the Yak-

9B's airframe, the capacity of its bomb bay was
surprisingly large, as shown by this photo. Here
the aircraft disgorges a load of 2-kg (4.4-lb) PTAB
shaped-charge armour-piercing bomblets. In
Soviet Air Force slang these munitions were
dubbed kapoostka (little cabbage) because the
smoke puffs created by them resembles a head of
cabbage when seen from the air.

77
 Top and above: A highly decorated example of the
Yak-9B undergoing evaluation with the 130th
Bomber Division. The aircraft wears the Guards
badge on the nose and a red lightning bolt along
the rudder trailing edge; the white fuselage band is
highly unusual.

Left: Loading the bombs into the Yak-9B was rather

tricky; the rear canopy section had to be detached
and the bombs hoisted into the sloping guide
tubes by means of a hand-driven winch.

78
Top: Self-inflicted injuries. This Yak-9B was
extensively damaged on the ground when its bomb
load detonated spontaneously, tearing open the
rear fuselage.

Above: The 45-mm cannon of the Yak-9K was a

deadly weapon. This photo shows the wreckage of
a German aircraft with a hole torn in the fuselage
side by a 45-mm shell.

Right: The Yak-9B's"bomb bay seen from above,

with two of the four FAB-100 bombs that could be
carried by the aircraft peeping through holes in the
upper stiffener of the bomb bay. Note the cables
controlling the bomb release mechanisms

79
 dropped in a shallow dive, as well as by diffi-
culties in loading the bombs on board the air-
craft. Besides, fighter pilots lacked precision
bombing skills, since they were not specially
trained for bombing missions.
Marshal A. Novikov, commander of the
Red Army's Air Force, considered" it neces-
sary to write when approving the report on the
service tests: 'The Yak-9B aircraft is suitable
only for very limited combat use; it is inexpe-
dient to issue it to front-line units. The flying
personnel flies this type of aircraft very reluc-
tantly. It is necessary to ask the designer to
improve the aircraft.' After this appraisal fur-
ther work on the machine was abandoned.

Yak-gOO long-range escort fighter

Yet another version of the Yak-9 was the Yak-
9DD (DD stands for dah/'nevo deystviya -
long-range, the factory designation being
Above and below: Yak-9 c/n 0989 was effectively the prototype of the Yak-900 long-range escort fighter. It Yak-9Yu). It embodied the concept initiated
is seen here at Nil VVS during State acceptance trials. by the Yak-70 - creating a fighter with still
greater range. The work was undertaken in
response to a requirement for a fighter with a
range exceeding 2,000 km (1,243 miles)
issued in 1944. The special feature of the Yak-
9DO was the wings which incorporated eight
metal fuel tanks and featured strengthened
ribs. The fuel amount totalling 845 litres (186
Imp gal)/630 kg (1,390 Ib) enabled the fighter
to cover a distance of 1,325 km (768 miles) in
high-speed flight mode and attain a range of
2,285 km (1,420 miles) in economic cruise.
The armament of the fighter was reduced
to a single 20-mm ShVAK cannon. The
Yakovlev OKB paid much attention to special
equipment: the aircraft was fitted with a gyro
horizon, the RPK-1 0 direction finder, an Amer-
ican SCR-274N radio set and oxygen bottles
of increased capacity. The new radio equip-
ment ensured reliable two-way communica-
tion at a distance of up to 150 km (93 miles)
with the aircraft flying at 1,000 m (3;280 ft) and
a reception range of 300 km (186 miles) at an
altitude of 7,000 m (22,960 ft).
Despite its higher all-up weight of 3,387
kg (7,468 Ib) accompanied by heavier han-
dling and some deterioration of manoeuvra-
bility, the Yak-900 could still be operated
from unprepared airfields. The long range
and endurance enabled the Yak-90D to be
used as escort fighter, as well as for perform-
ing independently special duties in the
enemy's rear.
The Yak-900 passed State trials and was
built in series from May 1944 onwards; a total
of 399 machines was delivered. Production
Yak-900s differed from the prototype mainly
in navigation equipment which had to be sim-
plified, imported equipment items being
replaced by locally-produced ones.
The first forty production Yak-900s
underwent service tests in the 386th lAP
A production Yak-900 undergoing State acceptance trials. The taller aerial mast aft of the cockpit and the (commanded by Major M. Zhoolin) in the
additional short aerial mast atop the fin were the main identification features of this version.

80
course of operations aimed at liquidating
enemy troop concentrations in East Prussia.
The Yak-9DDs were used mainly for escorting
Petlyakov Pe-2 and Tupolev Tu-2 bombers.
Providing cover to the latter proved to be a
fairly difficult task because the fast Tu-2s
could rival the Yak-9DDs in speed.
The high all-up weight, the considerable
spanwise distribution of the weight and the
inadequate engine output for this type of air-
craft were the main causes for the deteriora-
tion of the machine's performance, handling
and manoeuvrability characteristics. There-
fore the pilots were very reserved in their
appraisal of ttie Yak-9DD, dubbing it, rather
unkindly, a 'flying cistern'.
Maintenance of the overweight machine
proved fairly troublesome: there were such
nuisances as the short service life of wheel Above and below: Another production Yak-900 undergoing pre-delivery flight tests at the factory.
tyres and frequent failures of the tailwheel
fork. Uneven consumption of fuel caused air
ingestion in the carburettor, and there were
instances of the engines cutting in flight.
On the other hand, the Yak-9DD proved
its worth as a long-range fighter in August
1944, when a group of 12 aircraft of this type
commanded by Major I. Ovcharenko flew
non-stop from Bel'tsy in Moldavia to Bari,
Italy, in order to render assistance to the Peo-
ple's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, covering
a distance of 1,300 km (808 miles) without
external tanks. Accompanying the group as a
'pathfinder' aircraft was a Douglas A-20G
Boston bomber with a crew captained by
M. A. Nyukhtikov, an experienced Nil WS test
pilot. This successful long-distance flight and
the subsequent missions associated with
escorting Douglas C-47 transports to Yugo-
slav territory liberated by partisans demon-
strated the high operational and flying
qualities of the Yak-9DD. During the whole
period of their stay in Bari there was not a sin-
gle case of technical failures or malfunctions,
despite the fact that in the course of each sor-
tie (they numbered 155 in all) the aircraft had
to cross the Adriatic Sea twice, covering a dis-
tance of 400 to 600 km (249 to 373 miles) over
water, and make landings at small airstrips
high up in the mountains with strong side or
even tail winds.

Yak-gpO high-altitude fighter

The Yak-9PD signified the continuation of
work on a high-altitude fighter initiated by the
Yakovlev OKB with the 1-28 and Yak-7PD. The '29 White' was one of the five Yak-9PO interceptors powered by M-105PO engines.
OKB embarked on tbis work in November
1942, but, owing to delays with the delivery of underwent operational evaluation in the 12th ture. In particular, a continuous climb in opti-
M-105PD engines, the prototypes were not Guards lAP commanded by Major K. mum climb rate mode proved impossible: at
completed before April 1943. Structurally Marenkov which made part of the fighter ele- 7,000 m (22,960 ft) the temperatures of water
these were normal production Yak-9s with ment of Moscow's PVO system. By 25th June and oil exceeded the maximum values per-
minor changes effected by the OKB and with the high-altitude fighters had made 69 sorties; missible for this engine. In order to continue
the armament restricted to one 20-mm ShVAK in 39 of them the machines climbed to alti- flight it was necessary to level off from time to
cannon. tudes in excess of 10,000 m (32,800 ft). The time, allowing the engine to cool down. This
All five Yak-9PDs that had been built tests showed that the design was still imma- greatly reduced the fighter's real rate of climb.

81
 Left and below: Two more views of Yak-9PO '29
White', showing to advantage the non-standard
enlarged oil cooler and enlarged water radiator
changing the aircraft's appearance completely.
These features were brought about by the
installation of the supercharged engine which was
prone to overheating. The propeller spinner is not
cropped - the tip is simply painted white, as are the
wingtips and fin cap. Note also the moulded
windscreen and the non-standard presentation of
the national insignia (the outline is red instead of
red and white).

Bottom: this previously unpublished photo shows

Yak-9 cln 0401 during manufacturer's flight tests.

82
 The report stated that that the Yak-9PD's
operational evaluation results were unsatis-
factory. This was due to powerplant deficien-
cies, the insufficient service ceiling for this
class of aircraft (only 11 ,650m/38,220 ft) and
inadequate firepower.
It was high-altitude reconnaissance air-
craft, primarily the Junkers Ju 88R-1 equip-
ped with superchargers and a pressurised
cockpit, that were the main opponents of
Soviet fighters engaged in the air defence of
Moscow in the summer of 1943. These aircraft
repeatedly put in an appearance over the city.
For example, on 2nd June 1943 Lieutenant-
Colonel L. Sholokhov, an Air Corps piloting Above and below: This Yak-gpO was fitted experimentally with am M-106PV engine optimised for high-
altitude flight. Apart from the new powerplant, the aircraft had new wings of increased span and area.
skills inspector, scrambled from the capital's
Central airfield (Khodynka) to intercept an
unidentified aircraft. The Soviet pilot quickly
caught up with the adversary, while being
some 1,000 to 1,500 m (3,280 to 4,920 ft)
below the latter's altitude. He saw the yellow
outer wing panels and the dimly visible
Salkenkreuze painted on the wings of the
Junkers machine. Sholokhov was on the
point of opening fire when the oil pressure
dropped all of a sudden and the cockpit wind-
shield iced up. Having lost sight of the enemy,
the Soviet pilot gave up the chase and head-
ed for home. Other attempts to intercept the
Ju 88R-1 also proved abortive. On 23rd
August G. Gromadin, commander of Air
Defence troops of the Western Front, report-
ed to the Air Force command that no practical
solution had yet been found in the question of
creating a high-altitude fighter. before, the main means of raising the air- mental pressurised cockpit designed by A.
However, the Yakovlev OKS continued its craft's practical ceiling consisted in improving Shcherbakov was not ready for installation in
quest for the stratosphere, working in concert the powerplant's functioning at great alti- a fighter until May 1944, and even that proved
with L11 NKAP. One modified example of tudes, as well as a further lightening of the air- to be faulty, as revealed by subsequent testing.
the fighter was fitted with an experimental craft's.
M-1 05PD engine in which the gear ratio of the The new updated version of the fighter Yak-9R tactical
engine-driven centrifugal supercharger was was powered by the M-106PV engine which reconnaissance aircraft
increased from 8.48 to 9.72. Also, measures was fitted with a device for reducing the tem- The Yak-9 served as a basis for the develop-
were effected for raising the altitude efficiency perature of the air that had passed through ment of the Yak-9R reconnaissance fighter (R
of coolant, oil and fuel systems. The prototype the supercharger; this was achieved by inject- = razvedchik). This version was produced
Yak was provided with wings of greater area, ing a cooling mixture (50% alcohol and 50% both in the short range configuration based
the span being increased by one metre (3.28 ft). water). An additional pump in the fuel system on the 'two-tank' Yak-9 and in the long-range
This, coupled with an all-up weight reduced to ensured normal fuel feed at high altitude. configuration based on the Yak-9D. In the lat-
2,845 kg (5,479 Ib), created favourable pre- Numerous weight saving measures brought ter case the machine-gun and its ammunition
requisites for raising the aircraft's service ceil- the airframe weight down to 2,500 kg (5,512 supply were often deleted to reduce the all-up
ing. Ib), which was an unprecedentedly low figure weight. The photographic equipment com-
The aircraft attained an altitude of 12,500 for the Yak-9. prised AFA-IM or AFA-3S/50 cameras
m (41,000 ft); still, many of the preceding The cooling systems ensured the possi- installed behind the cockpit.
model's defects had not been rectified. Then bility of a continuous climb up to the service The fighters were often converted into
the designers re-engined the machine with ceiling of 13,500 m (45,280 ft) without inter- photographic reconnaissance machines
the prototype M-106PV (PV stands for mediate levelling off. The success of this work under field conditions, reflecting the need for
povyshennaya vysotnost' - enhanced high- made it possible to start manufacturing a relatively high-speed and manoeuvrable air-
altitude performance) which had the rated alti- series batch of 30 Yak-9 M-106PVs. However, craft for fulfilling such missions in the enemy's
tude increased from 8,500 to 9,500 m (27,880 there was no opportunity to check their oper- rear areas adjoining the front-line. Besides, 35
to 31,160 ft). On 16th October 1943 a Yak-9fit- ational qualities because no overflights of Yak-9Rs were built at Plant No. 166 in Omsk
ted with this engine reached an altitude of Moscow by German aircraft were noted in the in the summer of 1943. Some of them were
13,100 m (42,968 ft). summer of 1944. delivered to the 48th Guards Long-Range
In 1944 the Yakovlev OKB tried once more All high-altitude versions of the Yak-9 had Reconnaissance Air Regiment of the
to develop a high-altitude interceptor, this one drawback in common - it was the Supreme Command (led by Lieutenant-
attempt being the most successful so far. As absence of a pressurised cockpit. An experi- Colonel Sadov) for operational evaluation.

83
 developed a special air defence version
intended for operations at altitudes of 10,000
m (32,800 ft); it featured a more substantial
equipment fit, including a direction finder for
navigation. This work drew on the experience
gained in developing the Yak-1 and Yak-7B.
This version was also built in series.

Yak-9S
The Yak-9S emerged as one of the last ver-
sions developed in the process of updating
the armament of the M-105-powered Yak-9.
Along with installing the VK-105PF-2 engine
with additional boost and,introducing the new
VISh-105SV-01 propeller the blades of which
featured airfoil section at the root, Yakovlev
continued to develop promising new weapon
installations. The Yak-9S was armed with an
Above and below: The Yak 9S prototype during State acceptance trials at Nil WS. This was one of the last
engine-mounted 23-mm NS-23 cannon and
attempts to reinforce the fighter's armament without radical changes to the airframe and powerplant. two synchronised B-20S cannons in the front
upper decking.
This armament variant was considered to
be promising and met the Air Force require-
ments for 1945. Two examples of the aircraft
were completed literally on the eve of victory
over Nazi Germany; manufacturer's tests and
State trials conducted in the summer of 1945
confirmed the soundness of the Chief Design-
er's concept. The weight of fire, as measured
during the tests, was 4.23 kg (9,3 Ib), which
enabled the fighter to engage effectively both
aerial targets and soft-skinned ground tar-
gets. Yet, since the basic flying characteristics
of the Yak-9S were appreciably inferior to
those of the Yak-3 and La-7 fighters, it was not
put into series production. Yakovlev contin-
ued experimenting with this armament layout
on fighters powered by the VK-1 07A engine.

Yak-9V two-seat conversion

(familiarisation) trainer
The work on the development of a two-seat
conversion (familiarisation) trainer initiated
before the war on the UTI-26 was continued
on the Yak-9. In contrast to its predecessor,
the Yak-9V (thus designated by analogy with
the Yak-7V) had a retractable undercarriage
and the armament consisted of an engine-
mounted ShVAK-20 cannon. The new Yak
featured a more substantial complement of
equipment, which was important for the train-
ing of future pilots.
As distinct from the Yak-7V, the Yak-9V
was provided with an intercom, a two-way
radio which could be operated by the trainee
The prototype of the two-seat Yak-9V at Nil WS. The aircraft had no aerial mast fitted at this stage. and the instructor alike, an updated artificial
horizon and some other instruments. True,
On the whole, the results of the service tri- was particularly strong. After all, one airman the range of equipment was sufficient only for
als were positive, but they showed that the whose attention was occupied by flying the performing flights in daytime at altitudes up to
Yak-9Rs, despite their high speed and aircraft could not make as many observations 4,500 m (14,760 ft) because there was no pro-
manoeuvrability, could not supplant the as a well-trained crew comprising three per- vision for oxygen equipment. As regards the
Petlyakov Pe-2R aircraft in the reconnais- sons. basic flight performance, the Yak-9 was little
sance air units; they could only supplement In addition to the versions described different from the Yak-9M, which was a dis-
them when the enemy opposition in the air above, at the end of the war the Yakovlev OKB tinct advantage for the training of flying per-

84
sonne!. The Yak trainer entered production
after the end of the war. In all, 456 such
machines were built at Plant No. 153 and a
further 337 were converted from Yak-9Ms.

Yak-9 'Courier' liaison aircraft

This aircraft was intended for the transporta-
tion of one passenger over a considerable
distance under the conditions of a possible
enemy fighter opposition. Structurally it was a
Yak-9V fuselage mated to the wings of the
Yak-9DD; it was a prototype VIP transport air-
craft derived from production Yak-9 fighters.
Yakovlev appointed N. Avtsyn as leading
engineer for this aircraft. Under his direction a
certain amount of reworking was effected by
July 1944; it was restricted primarily to ensur-
Above: A production Yak-9V undergoing checkout tests; note the aerial mast installed on the starboard
ing a certain level of comfort for the pilot and side.
the passenger during flights of long duration.
Thus, the 'Courier' aircraft had comfortable
seats, both cockpits were provided with uri-
nals. The passenger's cockpit was stripped of
its second set of controls and the instrument
panel; instead, it was provided with cloth
upholstery, a false floor and pockets for maps
on the side walls. In other words, measures
were taken to ensure that the crew would feel
very comfortable in this case, as distinct from
the generally spartan style of crew accommo-
dation in Soviet military aircraft.
The aircraft was not built in series and no
documents were found testifying to its opera-
tional use.

Yak-9U production fighter

The Yakovlev OKS was well aware of the fact Above and below: Reminiscent of 'war weary' North American P-51Ds converted into squadron hacks, the
that the Yak-9's performance, despite all its Yak-9 'Courier' was a custom-built high-speed VIP transport with comfortable cockpits. Note the stripes
merits, was falling short of the demands that on the propeller blades, as applied to the 1-26 prototypes before the war.

85
 should be met by a fighter at the end of the
war. From the outset of series production the
Chief Designer endeavoured, as far as possi-
ble, to improve the design without introducing
basic changes into production techniques in
the manufacture of the Yak-9. It was with
these thoughts in their minds that the design-
ers embarked on the development of a new
production model for the following year in
November 1943.
This version of the Yak-9 marking the
peak of its development received the 'u' suf-
fix signifying 'ooloochshennw' (improved). It
embodied, first and foremost, the rich experi-
ence in the perfecting of aerodynamic design
that had been accumulated by the design
Above and below: 40 White was a stock Yak-90 converted into a trainer by a service unit. The rudder is staff. Furthermore, the effort was directed at
painted yellow.
reducing the all-up weight, making the aircraft
more reliable in operation and improving the
pilot's working conditions. Many of the novel
features were borrowed from the successful
Yak-1 M which is described later.
The following main differences from the
production Yak-9 can be noted. The wing
centre section was altered to house an oil
cooler in the same fashion as on the Yak-1 M.
The fabric skinning of the fuselage was
replaced by 2-mm (0.07-in) plywood; the
sealing of the fuselage was improved and the
aircraft was made more easily controllable
while on the ground;
The pilot's armoured seat back was cut
down, a bulletproof windshield and an aft bul-
letproof glass panel were installed, plus an
armoured headrest and armrest; all this pro-
vided excellent protection for the pilot in com-
bat. The engine's output at low altitudes was
increased by raising the boost pressure from
1,050 to 1,100 mm Hg. A further speed
increase was obtained thanks to installing a
propeller with blades featuring airfoil section
at the root.
New, capacious water and oil radiators
were installed on the Yak-9U; the carburettor
air intake design was changed in accordance
with recommendations from TsAGI. The self-
sealing coating of the fuel tanks was made
Above and below: The Yak-9U VK-105PF-2 prototype. The lack of the chin-mounted oil cooler (the oil variable in thickness so as to cater for both
coolers are housed in the wing roots) and the aft position of the water radiator gave the fighter a much survivability and weightsaving.
more 'racy' appearance. In A. S. Yakovlev's opinion, the optimum
armament complement should include an
engine-mounted 23-mm cannon and two
large-calibre 12.7-mm UBS machine-guns.
The only 23-mm cannon available in Novem-
ber 1943 was the VYa-23; accordingly, 'it was
installed between the cylinder banks. Installa-
tion of another cannon of the same calibre -
the lighter and quicker-firing NS-23 - was
effected by the OKB later on the Yak-9S fight-
er. Regrettably, this weapon came too late to
be fired in anger on the Yaks.
However, the VYa-23 was also a potent
and reliable weapon which had proved its
worth on the 11-2 attack aircraft. The high

86
muzzle velocity of its shells, coupled with their
high destructive power, perlTlitted the cannon
to be used not only in air combat but against
ground targets as well. The shells of the Wa
pierced 25-mm (0.98-in.) armour at up to 400
m (1,308 ft). Yet, despite all its merits, the Red
Army's Air Force found the Wa cannon to be
too heavy and insufficiently rapid-firing to be
used on fighter aircraft, and production was
restricted to a trials batch.
The designers paid much attention to
making the pilot's work as convenient as pos-
sible. Thus, control of the radio set was effect-
ed by push-buttons mounted on the throttle
lever. The placement of the equipment was
carefully chosen and came close to the con-
temporary standard. Outwardly the Yak-9U
differed from the Yak-1 M only in having short-
er main undercarriage legs with one-piece
gear doors.
Pilot V. Khomiakov who test-flew the air-
craft in January 1944 noted that, as regards
the piloting techniques, the Yak-9U did not
differ from production machines, retaining
good stability, light controls and pleasant
handling. The fighter's performance was
appreciably enhanced thanks to improved
aerodynamics and greater engine power.
Speed rose to 558 km/h (347 mph) at sea
level and 620 km/h (385 mph) at 3,850 m
(12,628 ft). The weight was reduced to 2,900
kg, which afforded an improvement in vertical
manoeuvrability - a climb to 5,000 m (16,400
ft) took only 4.8 minutes, ie, less than it took
the opposing Messerschmitt fighters. In a
climbing turn the Yak-9U gained 1,190 m
(3,903 ft) versus 1,200 m (3,936 ft) for the best
of the Bf 109's versions, the G-1 0, which tes-
tifies to the machines being roughly equal in
this respect.
The protocol on the results of the State tri-
als contained a recommendation to introduce
in production all the changes associated with
improving the fighter's aerodynamics and
lightening its structure (as described above).
Whereas the Yak-9U powered by the VK-
105PF-2 embodied an evolutionary line of
development, a 'revolutionary' trend was
associated with a sharp increase in the power
output of a liquid-cooled engine. Such an
engine existed in V. Klimov's OKB - it was the
VK-1 07 A. As early as at the end of 1942 this
engine had passed 50-hour bench running
tests, albeit with great difficulties.
The work on the VK-107 was arduous: a
number of new technological breakthroughs
had to be scored, and that was difficult to
achieve during the war years. The first flight-
cleared engine was installed in a Yak-7 in
December 1942. At the beginning of January
the machine received new wings with metal
spars and was renamed Yak-9. Manufactu-
rer's trials of the Yak-9 M-107 were conduct-
ed by P. Fedrovi. On 23rd February 1943 the This page: Another Yak-9U VK-105PF-2 prototype. This aircraft had a non-standard sharply raked
windshield fitted to reduce drag.

87
 well-known test pilot P. M. Stefanovskiy per-
formed the last flight at Chkalovskaya airfield

I
before handing the machine over for State tri-
als. That flight ended in an accident.
'Having climbed to a thousand metres
[3,280 ftl, I levelled off and flew some distance
in level flight over the airfield in the direction of
Shcholkovo to determine the maximum speed,
- Stefanovskiy was to recall later. - The
machine was surging forward at an increasing
speed. Glancing at the engine cowling I
noticed that smoke was pouring out of slits
between the cowling panels. Then a sheet of
flame burst out. The engine was on fire ... '
Attempting to land the burning machine,
the pilot was knocked unconscious by the
Above and below: The ill-starred Yak-9U VK-107A prototype. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair in a
forced landing on 23rd February 1943 when the engine caught fire in a test flight.
impact. As for the aircraft, the damage sus-
tained in the crash-landing was so heavy that
the fighter had to be written off.
Despite this setback, P. Fedrovi wrote to
People's Commissar of Aircraft Industry A.
Shakhoorin that the M-1 07A-powered Yak-9
was one of the best fighters at the moment
and that it could be compared only to Polikar-
pov's 1-185 prototype. The latter had roughly
the same speeds but possessed heavier han-
dling and poorer manoeuvrability due to
greater airframe weight. P. Fedrovi asked the
People's Commissar to issue an order requir-
ing M-1 07A engines to be installed on 10 to 15
production Yak-9 fighters for operational eval-
uation purposes. But the abovementioned

Yak-9U c/n 0312 illustrates the dorsal air intake just aft of the spinner, the one-piece moulded windscreen and the seven exhaust stubs on each side
characteristic of the VK-107A engine. The aircraft is seen here during checkout tests at Nil VVS.

88
accident and difficulties encountered in iron-
ing out the bugs of the powerplant delayed
the work by at least seven months.
In April 1943 eight Yak-9D airframes were
fitted with M-107 engines; attempts to eradi-
cate the engine troubles at the experimental
Plant proved unsuccessful, and four
machines were transferred to L11 NKAP for
development work. Test flights were resumed
in early August, leading to the conclusion that
the IT)ain reason for the unsatisfactory opera-
tion of the engine lay in the poor functioning
of its ignition system. Between 4th August and
21 st October L11 test pilots performed a total
of 64 flights and the technicians had to dis-
mantle five engines out of seven because of
serious defects. Engine No. 317-2 on one of
the Yaks burst into flames after only 28 hours
of running. Above and below: Yak-9U cln 25166021 was the first VK-1 07A-powered example built by factory No. 166 in
As noted earlier, many Soviet fighters Omsk. It is seen here during State acceptance trials.
were ordered into series production even
before the commencement of serious testing.
This was exactly the case with the M-1 07A-
powered Yak-9. The Government demanded
that L. Sokolov, Director of Plant No. 166,
should organise the manufacture of the new
machine from June 1943 onwards and deliver
25 Yak-9 M-107As to the military by August.
It was no accident that the Omsk Plant
was chosen to fulfil this complicated and
important task. In the opinion of Aleksandr
Yakovlev, it was easier to get production
underway in small workshops, provided that
production routines were put under control
and prescribed techniques strictly adhered
to, coupled with seconding experienced engi-
neers from the OKB to the Plant. It would be
easier to perfect the new machine under the
conditions of limited production. However,
this did not remove all the problems.
In the meantime, a new prototype was
built in December 1943. Originally it was to be
completed as a duplicate (dooblyor, or literal-
ly, 'understudy') of the Yak-9U VK-105PF-2
that had been transferred to Nil WS for test-
ing. Yakovlev decided to make use of the
experience gained with the new engine, albeit
a negative one, and of the positive results
shown by the latest machine. The fighter fea-
tured a modified engine mount, increased
area of the radiator cooling surfaces, and fuel
and oil tanks of greater capacity. As distinct
from the first Yak-9U prototype, the fighter
was armed with the standard engine-mount-
ed ShVAK-20 cannon. The all-up weight
increased due mainly to the massive engine, A standard production Yak-9U VK-107A pictured during checkout trials at Nil WS.
reaching 3,150 kg (6,946Ib).
In the course of State trials which the the State trials said: 'The Yak-9U powered level to 6,000 m [19,680 ft] '. However, it was
fighter passed in January-April 1944 (with by the VK-107A engine (that was the name also noted that it would be impossible to
A. Stepanets as the leading engineer and allocated to the engine in March 1944 in operate the fighter in the Air Force units
A. Proshakov as the test pilot) the aircraft honour of its designer Vladimir Klimov) is the unless the basic defects of the powerplant
attained a speed of 600 km/h (373 mph) at best among the known Soviet and foreign were rectified.
sea level and 700 km/h at 5,500 m (18,040 ft). fighters as regards basic performance char- With regard to piloting techniques, the
The report of the Nil VVS on the results of acteristics in the range of altitudes from sea Yak-9 VK-1 07A remained just as simple to fly

89
 level and 654 km/h (406 mph) at 5,150 m
(16,892 ft). A climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) took
5.2 minutes. Thus, the characteristics proved
to be sufficiently high, even though they fell
short of the expectations.
However, production machines were
plagued by the new engine's shortcomings of
to an even greater extent than the prototype.
The main bugs of the VK-1 07A were the oil
spill from the breather and the front sealing of
the hollow gearbox shaft, oil pressure drop-
ping below permissible values as the altitude
increased, vibration at low rpm etc.
The main defect of the powerplant at that
time undoubtedly consisted in the water and
oil temperature exceeding the specified lim-
its. This occurred with the engine running in
Above: One of the first production Yak-9U VK-107As. This aircraft is unusual in having the old-model
combat contingency mode (3,200 rpm) and,
angular windshield and lacking the protruding dorsal air intake. during hot summer months, also at nominal
revs (3,000 rpm).
During level flight at maximum speed the
oil temperature exceeded admissible values
even with the radiator shutters fully opened.
When gaining altitude in the optimum climb
rate mode, the pilot had to level off repeatedly
in order to bring the water and oil temperature
down. Airmen in service units discovered that
the operation of the aircraft was beset with
great difficulties. It was far from always that
the aircraft could demonstrate its perfor-
mance to advantage.
The 42nd Guards lAP commanded by
Major Va. Aleksandrovich was among the first
to receive the Yak-9U VK-1 07 A. Re-equip-
ment of the unit proved to be a protracted
Above: A crew chief waves out a pair of Yak-9Us about to depart on a combat sortie. The nearest aircraft is affair which lasted till 25th August 1944. This
equipped with a gun camera in front of the windshield. was due in part to the fact that the Yak-9Us
were powered by engines from the first batch-
es manufactured at the end of 1943 and the
beginning of 1944 - their cylinder banks often
malfunctioned due to gases bursting through
the seals. To boost the airmen's confidence in
the new materiel and provide a visual com-
parison of the manoeuvrability characteristics
of the Yak-9U and the Sf 109G-4, the com-
mand arranged a kind of a contest. Captain L.
M. Koovshinov, a test pilot from Nil WS,
arrived by air to a front-line airfield. It was he
who piloted the captured German machine.
Despite all Koovshinov's skill, his oppo-
nents in a mock combat - I. Gorboonov and
G. Pavlov (both Heroes of the Soviet Union)
from the 42nd Guards lAP - emerged victori-
ous from the single combat in vertical and
horizontal manoeuvring. The Yak-9U gained
A rare air-to-air shot of a pair of Yak-9Us equipped with gun cameras. Note the white fuselage band and 1,250 to 1,300 m (4,100 to 4,264 ft) of altitude
the numeral 5 on the rudder of the example serialled 9 Yellow. in a combat turn and always proved to be
positioned somewhat higher up than the
and easy to master for pilots of medium skill ing at full capacity. It was there that the first Sf 109G. These demonstration flights imbued
as the VK-1 05PF-powered Yaks. production Yak-9U was built. It was not quite the airmen of the entire regiment with confi-
Series production of the machine was so refined aerodynamically as the prototype. dence in the merits of the new aircraft.
started at three factories already in April 1944. At an all-up weight of 3,914 kg (8,630 Ib) and The new fighters came to be used on a re-
Plant No. 166, which by then had become one at maximum engine speed (3,200 rpm) the latively wide scale in the late summer of 1944.
of the most advanced enterprises, was work- fighter reached 562 km/h (349 mph) at sea The enemy's command took note of these air-

90
This page: An Omsk-built Yak-9UT (c/n 40166022)
seen during manufacturer's flight tests. The aircraft
looked like a cross between the Yak-9U and the
tank-busting Yak-9K. The muzzle brake of the 37-
mm engine-mounted cannon is well visible, as is
the dorsal carburettor air intake moved aft to a
position about halfway between the spinner and
the windscreen. Because of the Yak-9UT's strike
role a bUlletproof windshield was a must.

91
 embarked on the production of modern fight-
ers shortly before that. The airframes and
engines, though, were subjected to the nec-
essary improvements before the beginning of
the trials, the leading specialists from the
Yakovlev OKB lending a hand.
The important task of conducting the ser-
vice trials was entrusted to the airmen of the
163rd lAP in the 3rd Air Army (the regiment
was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
V. Ukhanov). The Yaks were opposed in air
combat chiefly by Fw 190As, 'Fs and 'Gs
which tried to prevent the Red Army from
destroying the German troops concentrations
in the Baltic area. In the course of the trials
which lasted nearly till the end of 1944, 398
individual Yak-9U sorties were put on record
Above: Another Yak-9UT undergoing tests at Nil WS. Curiously, this example has a moulded windshield
in documents; they were accompanied by
lacking the bulletproof windscreen. 299 dogfights. According to the regiment's
documents, the Soviet airmen scored 28 vic-
tories for the loss of two aircraft (it should be
noted, though, that the big losses mentioned
found no confirmation in Luftwaffe docu-
ments). As for the two Yak-9Us lost, in one of
the cases the pilot managed to fly back over
the front line in his damaged machine before
bailing out.
The Yak-9U demonstrated its complete
ascendancy in dogfights with various ver-
sions of the Fw 190, especially during combat
in the vertical plane. Lieutenant Petrov gained
a special distinction, scoring five 'kills'. lieu-
tenant Kapustin fought alone against two
Fw 190s and shot down both of them.
Commanders, pilots and ground crews of
the 163rd lAP spoke highly of both perfor-
mance and serviceability of the Yak-9U. They
noted that the aircraft could fairly easily be
mastered by young pilots and average-skilled
technicians. Maintenance of the aircraft
proved simple: preparation for a combat sor-
tie did not exceed thirty minutes.
On the down side, Major Mankevich, nav-
igator of the 163rd lAP who had taken part in
the service evaluation, noted: The spark
plugs of the VK-1 07A engine fail after every 10
to 12 hours of operation. After 10 to 15 hours
of operation the engines begin to emit smoke.
There are frequent cases of the throttle seiz-
ing. The throttle lever either goes into the
absolute minimum position, requiring the igni-
tion to be switched off, or gets stuck in a mid-
Centre and above: The Yak-9UV prototype built by plant No. 82 (c/n 0000) seen during State acceptance dle position, which is even more dangerous at
trials. like the Yak-9 'Courier', it is grey overall with a red stripe running the full length of the fuselage. take-off. '
The enemy, too, became painfully aware
craft and their high operational qualities. On mum speed be performed at not more than of the Yak-9Us capabilities. The pilot of a
the other hand, maintenance of the Yak-9U in 3,000 rpm. This entailed a marginal decrease Fieseler Fi 156C Storch liaison aircraft who
field conditions presented great difficulties. of speed and rate of climb but helped reduce lost his bearings and landed on a Soviet air-
Continuous efforts were needed to overcome the number of engine failures. field at Sedy in north-western Lithuania by
them and to do that at the least possible detri- In October 1944 the command of the Red mistake said during interrogation: 'Our com-
ment to the fighter's performance. Army's Air Force considered it possible to con- mand issued an order to avoid combat with
Thus, it was recommended that the use of duct a service evaluation of the Yak-9U. All 32 Yak fighters having no antenna mast!'.
the combat contingency rating be relin- machines were taken from the assembly line Walter Wolfrum, a German ace who had
quished and flights intended to reach maxi- of Plant No. 84 in Moscow which had flown the Bf 109G and scored 137 victories by

92
the end of the war (which says a lot for his flying Yak-9U versions with reinforced setter) for 1945. The main tasks facing the
experience), noted: The best fighters that I have armament Yakovlev OKB were to eliminate the main
encountered in combat were the American P-51 Like many other basic SUbtypes of the Yaks, defects of the Yak-9 VK-1 07A; to ensure a top
Mustang and the Russian Yak-9U. Both of these the Yak-9U served as a kind of proving speed of 600 km/h (373 mph) at sea level and
types were clearly superior in their performance ground for developing different armament 700 km/h (435 mph) at the second rated alti-
to all versions of the Bf 109, including the 'K. The options. In one machine provision was made tude with the engine at the maximum rating;
Mustangs had unrivalled altitude performance, for replacing the ShVAK-20 cannon in factory to ensure a climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) with-
while the Yak-9U was a record-holder in rate of conditions by more potent cannons - an in 4.1 minutes and a service ceiling of 11 ,000
climb and manoeuvrability'. NS-23, an N-37 or even an N-45; in the latter m (36,080 ft); to achieve a cruising range of
In addition to the abovementioned 42nd case one of the two synchronised weapons in 900 km (559 miles) and a range of 1,200 km
GvIA':' and 163rd lAP, a number of new units the front upper decking had to be deleted to (746 miles) in optimum cruise mode.
joined the fighting on the Yak-9U. Among lighten the machine. Synchronised machine- The aircraft was built, using a production
these were the 761 st, 431 st, 269th, 139th guns were replaced by new B-20 cannons Omsk-built airframe (c/n 41166038). An
Guards lAPs and other units. Thus, in October (synchronised, of course). important feature of the machine was its abil-
1944 forty-two brand-new fighters were deliv- The possibility of installing different ity to accept alternative versions of armament
ered to the 149th lAP. Most of them had engine-mounted cannons without any major in a manner similar to the Yak-9UT. The fight-
improved VK-1 05 engines on which a number redesign of the aircraft was a distinct advan- er was tested with three B-20s (two of them
of defects had been eradicated. However, tage, making it possible to switch series pro- synchronised) and an all-up weight of 3,145
new problems cropped up, such as leakage duction quickly to this or that type of kg (6,935 Ib). Nil WS specialists noted the
of petrol from the fuel injector nozzles, loos- armament, depending on the requirements of advantages of the alternative armament
ening of the engine's attachment to the the Air Force. The NS-37 and its derivative, a options, the improved external finish and
engine mount, leakage from fuel tanks at 45-mm cannon, were experimental lightened pointed out the need for using an antenna
spot-welded joints, jamming of pressure weapons developed by OKB-16. A prototype mast. At the same time they stated that only
reduction valves etc. fighter featuring this kind of armament (c/n some of the Yak-9U's shortcomings had been
It was the 4th Air Army that had accumu- 39166083, ie, Batch 39, Omsk aircraft factory eliminated. Thus, the installation of a bigger
lated the most comprehensive operational No. 166, 83rd aircraft in the batch) was built oil cooler with greater frontal area and intro-
experience with the Yak-9U . On 6 th February under A. Yakovlev's direct guidance in Febru- duction of an additional oil pump led to better
1945 I. Osipenko, the Air Army's chief engi- ary and allocated the designation Yak-9UT, engine running at nominal revs only at high
neer, submitted a report detailing both the the T denoting tahnkovyy (tank-busting). altitudes. As before, considerable oil spill from
merits and the shortcomings of the new fight- Naturally, each armament version had its the breather occurred at maximum power.
ers. Among the former he mentioned the own all-up weight, CG position and flight per- In the course of 45 flights performed by
ascendancy in performance over all Bf 109 formance. But the speeds were identical to the fighter, four engine changes (!) had to be
and Fw 190 versions at low and medium alti- those of the production Yak-9U. The handling made. In the last engine (No.527-21), which
tudes, and a large speed envelope enabling qualities of the Yak-9UT were virtually the was part of an 'improved batch', the crank-
the pilot to perform vertical aerobatic mano- same as those of its predecessors, except for shaft main bearings broke down during the
euvres with ease. As for the latter, he cited the control stick forces from the elevator: they 14th hour of engine running. An extremely
numerous cases of generator failures and proved to be too high, and that was the most disappointed Aleksandr Yakovlev ordered the
breakage of the UBS machine-gun attach- serious shortcoming of the aircraft. aircraft with c/n 41-038 to be withdrawn from
ment brackets. Airmen of the Air Army man- On the credit side was the weight of fire: testing and returned to the OKB so that devel-
aged to keep the temperature of oil and water with the installation comprising one NS-37 opment work could be resumed. All sub-
in the VK-107A engine within prescribed lim- and two B-20s, it amounted to 6.0 kg/sec sequent improvements introduced into the
its, but numerous cases were noted of the (13,2 Ib/sec) as compared to the Yak-9U's design came after the end of the war.
engines being overcooled in winter. 2.81 kg/sec (6.2 Ib/sec). In the final stages of
In the spring of 1945 the Red Army Air the war such sizeable figures commanded Yak-9UV conversion
Force command embarked on a programme respect even from the Germans who also (familiarisation) trainer
of re-equipping the active units with Yak-9U strove to increase the firepower as much as The VK-1 07A-powered Yak-9UV (ulooch-
aircraft. Up to that time the machines had possible in order to fight the sturdy and high- shennw vyvoznoy - improved, familiariza-
been assembled primarily at Plant No. 301 in ly survivable Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses tion) created by Plant No. 82 embodied the
Khimki near Moscow. Now they were sent in and Consolidated B-24 Liberators. final stage of the work of the Yakovlev OKB
kit form by rail to the west, and assembly Tests of this aircraft were conducted by on the development of a piston-engined
workshops were established at Brest, Minsk, engineer G. A. Sedov and pilot A. Manu- fighter trainer. The armament of the Yak-9UV
Kiev and L'vov. On the very eve oftermination charov at Nil WS in March 1945. The Yak-9T was restricted to one engine-mounted B-20M
of hostilities in Europe assembly workshops proved to be considerably more stable cannon, and the avionics and equipment fit
were established in Insterburg, Bialostok, under different manoeuvres compared to the ensured normal flights at altitudes up to
Poznan etc. They also served for distribution Yak-9T and Yak-9K, owing primarily to lesser 4,000 to 4,500 m (13,080 to 14,720 ft) in visu-
ofthe aircraft to the units and formations of the recoil of the cannon and greater speed enve- al meteorological conditions for the trainee.
active army. lope. The aircraft was recommended for In its handling the aircraft did not differ from
In all, nearly 2,500 VK-107A-powered series production, and Plant No. 166 deliv- production Yak-9Us.
fighters had rolled off assembly lines by the ered 282 machines with the engine-mounted To ensure more effective engine cooling
end of the first half of 1945. As of 10th May NS-23 cannon and two synchronised B-20S the designers installed new radiators. Even
1945, approximately 750 Yak-9U fighters cannon. so, the engine suffered overheating at nomi-
were on strength (out of the total of 6,267 An important stage in the history of the nal revs (3,000 rpm) due to the frequent take-
fighters in the air arms of all the Western VK-1 07A-powered fighters was the emer- offs and landings typical for the employment
Fronts). gence of the 'etalon' (production standard- mode of familiarisation and training aircraft.

93
Above and below: The same Yak-gUT cln 40166022 on a snow-covered airfield during State acceptance trials. Note that the carburettor air intake has now
reverted to its original location immediately aft of the spinner.

94
Above and below: Yak-gUT cln 40166074 is unusual in lacking the cannon muzzle brake.

95
Yak-9UT c/n 40166074 was probably the most heavily armed example of all; it was converted to the one-off Yak-9-57 armed with a 57-mm cannon. Remarkably,
the cannon barrel did not protrude beyond the spinner, so this was something of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

96
These photos illustrate well the elegant lines of the Yak-9 VK-1 07A. Note the aft position of the carburettor air intake on this aircraft.

97
Yak-9 VK-1 07A c/n 52166082 was the 'eta lon' (production standard-setter) for 1946 and, in fact, the prototype of the post-war all-metal Yak-9P. Note the enlarged
oil cooler air outlet immediately ahead of the radiator bath and the aerial mast.

Therefore the permissible rpm were limited to expected to remain in operation for several of aircraft of predominantly metal construc-
2,800; at this power rating the speeds years. Emphasis was placed on ease of pro- tion, to be followed by the creation of all-metal
decreased by 35 to 90 km/h (21 .7 to 56 mph), duction and low cost. The war 'devoured' mil- machines. Upgrading of the Yak-9 VK-107A
depending on the altitude. itary materiel in hundreds and thousands of fighter followed this pattern.
Shortly after the end of the war the examples, and the aircraft had no chance of When construction of the Yak-9P (unoffi-
Yak-9UV prototype (c/n 0000) was handed growing old. cially dubbed poslevoyennw - post-war) was
over for State trials, but it was clear that a dif- In peacetime there was no longer any undertaken, the future aircraft had to meet
ferent aircraft was needed. The Soviet Air need to build aircraft in such large num- fairly stringent demands concerning the qual-
Force started re-equipping with the first jet bers. However, one could no longer put up ity of assembly work, production standards
fighters; consequently, jet-powered conver- with such deficiencies as a short service in the manufacture of airframe, powerplant
sion training machines were required. The life, susceptibility to the influence of the ele- and armament, and thoroughness of surface
Yak-9UV was not produced in quantity. ments and other adverse natural condi- finish. They were laid down in a Government
tions, deterioration of aerodynamic quali- re-solution dated 17th June 1946. Also, the
Yak-9P ties and, as a consequence, a drop in per- aircraft constructors were required to elimi-
The war with Nazi Germany was over; with the formance, especially maximum speed. nate the main defects which had been noted
onset of peacetime the aircraft industry was Research showed that it was impossible to in reports on the results of the Yak-9U's trials.
faced with new tasks. Soviet aircraft of mixed solve these tasks without resorting to new In 1946 most of the aircraft factories
construction which had achieved a fairly good structural materials. which had built Yakovlev fighters (including
record at the front when a combat machine The aircraft industry, including Chief the Yak-9U) during the war were reoriented
usually did not survive more than several Designer A. S. Yakovlev, was faced with the to other work. Thus, Plant No. 166 in Omsk
dozen flying hours in combat were not task of gradually switching to the manufacture switched to manufacturing Tu-2 bombers,

98
Plant No. 82 in Moscow was completing the
work on converting Yak-9s into trainers and
tooling up for production of trolley-buses;
only the gigantic Plant No. 153 in Novosi-
birsk continued the work on perfecting the
VK-107A-powered Yak-9. In the late spring
of 1946 two initial production fighters fea-
turing metal wings, clns 01-03 and 01-04,
were built there; this was the beginning of a
production batch bearing the P suffix.
After a brief period of adjustment work the
two aircraft were handed over to Nil WS for
State trials which they passed under the
direction of leading engineer G. Sedov from
28th June till 23rd July 1946. Pilots Yuriy
Antipov and V. Ivanov performed 108 flights
on these machines, logging over 60 flying
hours. The aircraft were evaluated with
regard to their performance and mainte-
nance qualities.
Switching to the metal wings was
accompanied by a slight alteration of their
planform - the wingtips became rounded
instead of angular. The new version differed
from the Yak-9U mainly in having increased
compensation of ailerons, in featuring dust
filters in the engine air intakes and addition-
al locks for the flaps. Besides, the overall
strength of the airframe was enhanced;
thanks to this, the indicated airspeed in a
dive could be increased from 650 to 720
kmlh (404 to 447 mph), and the maximum G
load in recovery from a dive was brought up
to 8.0 instead of 6.5. This pristine Yak-9P (or 'all-metal Yak-9 VK-107A') is preserved at the Yakovlev OKS museum in Moscow.
The L11 test personnel also took a positive
view of other alterations in the functioning of Alas, the results of this work were far from the use of the 'combat' rating. Besides, it
the engine and some units and eqUipment encouraging. While recognising the merits of was stipulated that the industry should
items. Nevertheless, some shortcomings these machines - above all, their easy han- manufacture only all-metal aircraft featuring
were noted, including leakage of water dling making them suitable even for pilots of greater internal fuel tankage increased from
through sealed joints, spark plug failures after less-than-average skill, - the military person- 425 to 682 litres (93.5 to 150 Imp gal). The
a mere eight or ten hours of operation, high nel noted a great number of defects preclud- Novosibirsk plant met all these demands;
temperatures in the cockpit etc. To make a ing normal maintenance of the aircraft. They after 29 Yak-9Ps with metal wings had
long story short, the military test pilots and were also dissatisfied with the armament rolled off the assembly line, all subsequent
engineers placed the Yak-9P somewhere comprising one ShVAK-20 cannon and two Yaks built by Plant No. 153 were of all-metal
between the Yak-9U and the postwar UBS machine-guns (as on the Yak-9U) and construction.
demands to aircraft. Air Marshal K. Vershinin, the special equipment which was very aus- In December 1947 one production
who replaced A. Novikov as Air Force Com- tere by the standard of 1946. machine - Yak-9P cln 03-92 manufactured in
mander-in-Chief, acknowledged the results of Equally unsatisfactory was the fact that July - successfully passed a series of State
the State trials as satisfactory and found it the Yak-9P could wage aerial combat only at tests conducted by engineer V. P. Belode-
possible to start service tests. altitudes up to 7,000 m (22,960 ft). Above that denko and pilot L. M. Koovshinov. In compar-
These tests were prepared especially altitude the aircraft was plagued by frequent ison with the Yak-9Ps clns 01-03 and 01-04,
thoroughly, since they were the first such jamming of the armament and deterioration of the new fighter possessed somewhat inferior
tests of 29 production machines in peace- handling qualities. Yakovlev's postwar fight- performance. Maximum speed amounted to
time. From 4th October 1946 until 4th Feb- ers were assessed as unsatisfactory. For 590 kmlh (367 mph) at sea level and 660 kmlh
ruary 1947 hand-picked experienced pilots comparison purposes it may be noted that (410 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft) which was 12
and engineers of the 246th Fighter Air Divi- considerably fewer defects were noted during to 13 kmlh (7.4 to 8.0 mph) less than before.
sion led by General Yeo Toorenko not only service trials of the postwar La-9 fighter which The aircraft needed 5.8 minutes to climb to
flight-tested the aircraft at Tolmachovo air- were conducted in mid-1947; the results of 5,000 m (16,400 ft) versus 4.8 minutes required
field near Novosibirsk (now the city's air- the Lavochkin fighter's testing were pro- by its predecessor; this was due to the differ-
port) but also determined the time limits for nounced successful. ence in the engine running mode and to the
inspection and overhauls, inspection proce- When the work on the service test batch increase of weight from 3,227 to 3,550 kg
dures and some other issues which had not had been completed, the engine speed was (7,116 to 7,828 Ib) caused by the extra fuel.
been on the agenda of service tests during limited to 3,000 rpm so as to enhance the On the whole, the all-metal aircraft was
the war. engine's reliability; a ban was imposed on virtually identical to its predecessor as

99
 A four-view drawing of a Yak-gD

100
101
 Left and below: An early-production Yak-9P under-
going State acceptance trials. The aircraft has an
unusually dark finish (probably medium grey)

Bottom pair: This Yak-9P was equipped with a spin

recovery parachute for the purpose of performing a
spinning trials programme. Note the cutout in the
fuselage spine closed by a Perspex panel, with the
direction finder loop aerial visible underneath.

regards handling; it was provided with spe-

cial equipment which suited the machine's
mission as all-weather fighter more fully and
included such additional items as the
RPKO-10M OF, an identification friend-or-foe
(IFF) transponder, ultra-violet lamps lighting
the instrument panel, a gun camera etc. A
better installation job and higher-quality elec-
tric bonding helped extend the range of radio
communication to 118 km (73 miles) and the
range of action of navigation instruments to
150 km (93 miles), which met the standards
of the day. Unfortunately, like most of its pre-
decessors, the production Yak was armed
with one ShVAK cannon and two UBS-12.7
machine-guns.
In 1946-1948 much effort was expended
on perfecting the contemporaneous arma-
ment, including Nudel'man's N-37 and N-45
cannons and Berezin's B-20s synchronised
cannon. Besides, some of the Yaks were
equipped with reversible-pitch propellers (to
reduce the landing run), the ASP-iN auto-
matic gunsight, the 'Anschutz' artificial hori-
zon etc. Especially many flights on various
Yak-9P examples were performed by Captain
L. M. Koovshinov, in particular, for the pur-
pose of perfecting methods of reducing the
temperature in the cockpit and enhancing the
aircraft's ease of handling.
In the meantime, the era of piston-
engined fighters was coming to a close.
Despite being beset by numerous teething
troubles, the jet-powered machines of the
late 1940s had a speed advantage of some
100 kmjh (62 mph), enjoyed indisputable
ascendancy in vertical manoeuvrability and
carried more potent armament.
In late March 1948 the Soviet Govern-
ment took the decision to terminate produc-
tion of piston-engined Yak-9Ps at Plant No.
153 and to start manufacturing Yak-23 jet
fighters instead. Production of the all-metal
Yaks continued till the end of 1948; in all,
772 machines were delivered, supplemented
by the 29 Yak-9Ps with metal wings. All of
them remained in service until the mid-
1950s.

102
 Chapter 4

he Yak·
The Last of the Line

The Yak-3 is the last and the most brilliant rep-

resentative of Yakovlev's World War Two peri-
od fighter family. This fighter based on the
experience of the first two years of the war
was, in effect, a new aircraft type. It embodied
the enormous work that had been conducted
by the Yakovlev OKB, the production plants
and scientific organisations of the USSR (first
of all L11 and TsAGI) with a view to improving
the aerodynamic and structural design and
enhancing the combat potential of fighters.
The aircraft incorporated all the best fea-
tures that had been achieved in the Yak-1,
Yak-7 and Yak-9. When it put in an appear-
ance at the front for the first time in the sum-
mer of 1944, the Yak-3 powered by the
VK-1 05PF-2 engine turned out to be the most
lightweight and agile aircraft among the fight-
ers of the USSR, the USA and Germany. Per-
The Yak-1 M (Yak- 1 'Moskit') in the TsAGI wind tunnel.
haps only the British Spitfire could rival this
machine.
While possessing slightly lower perfor- prised three tanks: two main tanks in the wing ing engineer M. Grigor'yev who had taken an
mance than its stablemate - the VK-1 07A- outer panels and one service tank in the wing active part in the design and construction of
powered Yak-9U, the Yak-3 powered by the centre section. As for the armament, equip- the Yak-1 M. Pavel Ya. Fedrovi, chief test pilot
VK-1 05PF-2 was superior to it as regards the ment and armour protection, the Yak-1 M had of the Yakovlev OKB, made an uneventful first
maturity of the powerplant which made the much in common with the Yak-1 in the version flight at the end of February 1943, after which
Yak-3 more reliable in operation and, conse- featuring improvements in visibility, armour the machine entered the factory tests phase.
quently, more combat-ready. A prototype protection and armament. Testing of the aircraft at Nil WS lasted
Yak-3 powered by the VK-108 engine devel- The engine's cooling system featured a throughout June 1943 (with A. Proshakov as
oped a speed of 745 km/h (463 mph); this was more efficient radiator buried more deeply in project test pilot and A. Stepanets as leading
the highest speed attained by Soviet fighters the fuselage. Two circular-shape oil coolers engineer, both being the most experienced
which came close to the limitfor fighters of the working in parallel were placed in the wing specialists of the Institute as regards
'pre-jet propulsion era'. centre section under the cockpit floor. This Yakovlev's machines); the tests revealed the
made it possible to eliminate excrescences new fighter had excellent performance.
Yak-1 M ('Moskit') fighter prototype on the lower panel of the engine cowling and But the OKB held the opinion that the
The Yak-3's predecessor was the Yak-1 M make it smooth, thus considerably imprOVing fighter's improvement potential had not yet
fighter, the prototype of which was also its outward contours. been exhausted. At A. S. Yakovlev's insis-
dubbed 'Moskit' (Mosquito). The wings of the The Yak-1 M had an all-up weight of 2,665 tence additional tests were conducted to
new fighter were structurally similar to those kg (5,876 Ib), ij3, some 245 kg (540 Ib) less determine the changes in the basic perfor-
of the Yak-9, featuring metal spars, metal and than that of a production Yak-1 manufactured mance characteristics after the boost pres-
wooden ribs and plywood skinning. However, in 1943. The wing loading rose marginally sure of the M-105PF engine had been in-
wing area was reduced by 2.3 sq m (24.7 sq from 169 to 179 kg/sq m (34.70 to 36.75 Ib/sq creased from 1,050 to 1,100 mm Hg.
ft) in comparison with the preceding Yaks and ft) while the power loading was noticeably Initially V. Ya. Klimov, Chief Designer of the
made up 14.85 sq m (159.7 sq ft). reduced - from 2.40 to 2.19 kg/hp (5.30 to engine, gave his consent to increasing the
The fighter's wing span was reduced to 4.83Ib/hp). The weight reduction was achieved boost pressure only at the first supercharger
9.2 m (30 ft 2.2 in). A production break coin- mainly by reducing the wing area and substi- speed. Additional tests showed that augment-
ciding with the fuselage axis was introduced; tuting duralumin alloy spars for wooden ones; ing the engine's power by increasing the boost
this afforded the possibility of replacing the all this produced a weight saving of 150 kg pressure produced a 6 to 7 km/h (3.7 to 4.35
port or starboard wing panels in field condi- (331Ib). mph) gain in maximum speed at low altitude,
tions in case of damage. The control system, The prototype was completed in mid-Feb- reducing the time to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) by 0.1
the fuselage and the undercarriage were all ruary 1943. Throughout the spring months minutes and affording an extra 50 m (164 ft) in
borrowed from the production Yak-1. As dis- the aircraft was subjected to development altitude gain during a combat turn. It also led to
tinct from the latter, the fuel system com- work conducted under the direction of lead- a marginal improvement of field performance

103
Above and below: The first prototype Yak-1 M (yak-1 'Moskit') during manufacturer's flight tests. Note the rather pointed and cropped spinner.

104
-------- - - - ._---------------------------------------------------

Two more views of the first prototype Yak-1 'Moskit'. At this stage the fighter was powered by an M-1 05PF engine (note the three dual exhaust stubs on each side).

105
Above and below: The Yak-1 M during State acceptance trials at Nil WS which lasted from 27th June to 4th July 1943.

106
The Yak-1 M differed from the late-production 'bubbletop' Yak-1 primarily in having new wings of reduced span and area, reduced fuel tankage and new oil
coolers buried in the wing roots.

107
Above and below: The first prototype Yak-1 M after re-engining with the M-1 07A (note the seven exhaust stubs). The photos show the fighter as originally flown
with this powerplant.

and entailed virtually no change in the engine's maximum speed it surpassed production known versions of the Bf 109, which was justly
water and oil temperature. Yak-9s throughout the altitude range by at considered to be one of the best in performing
Later theoretical calculations showed the least 25 to 35 kmjh (15.5 to 21.7 mph); it out- upward vertical manoeuvres, were somewhat
possibility of boosting the engine also at performed the Fw 190A-4 at altitudes up to inferior to the Soviet fighter. The reduction of
medium altitude. The boost pressure was 8,300 m (27,224 ft) and the Bf 109G-2 up the wing area was accompanied by a reduc-
also increased at the supercharger's second 5,700 m (18,696 ft), judging by the results of tion ofthe Yak-1 M's all-up weight; as a result, it
speed. While the M-105PF engine developed tests at Nil WS. The Yak-1 M enjoyed the did not entail a deterioration of its field perfor-
(without regard to the dynamic pressure) greatest advantage at low altitude, whereas at mance, spinning and diving characteristics.
1,180 hp at 2,700 m (8.856 ft), after boosting high altitudes the German fighters were faster The handling of the prototype fighter, like that
its output rose to 1,244 hp at 2,100 m (6,888 owing to the better high-altitude performance of the Yak-1, Yak-7 and Yak-9, was within the
ft). With the boost pressure increased to 1,100 of the Daimler-Benz DB 605 and BMW 801 capabilities of wartime pilots possessing an
mm Hg the engine was designated M-1 05PF-2, engines. For example, at the altitude of 7,000 average and even below-average skill level.
and from the spring of 1944 onwards it bore m (22,960 ft) the Bf 109G-2 surpassed the The test report noted: 'As regards the
the designation VK-1 05PF-2. Soviet fighter in speed by nearly 50 km/h. effectiveness and harmonious action of con-
As regards performance, the Yak-1 M was With regard to the rate of climb up to 5,000 trols (from the point of view of stick forces from
on a par with the best fighters of the final stage m (16,400), the Yak-1 M was unrivalled among control surfaces) the Yak-1M, along with the
of the Second World War. Thus, in terms of the contemporary fighters of the world. All Spitfire Mk VB (it was tested at Nil WS in June

108
1943 - Author), is exemplary for all fighter air-
craft, both indigenous and foreign.'
A few shortcoming of the prototype, typi-
cal for the Yaks (such as overheating of oil
during climb at the optimum climb rate, poor
functioning of the breather, oil leakage from
various sealed joints, inadequate range of
radio communication between airborne air-
craft and with the ground etc.) could not spoil
the favourable overall impression produced
by the n:'achine.

Yak-1 M 'Dooblyor' (second prototype)

While the first prototype Yak-1 M was under-
going State trials, construction of the second
prototype Yak-1M (dubbed 'dooblyor', in
accordance with the practice of the time) was
nearing completion under the direction of
engineer M. Grigor'yev. It turned out to be still
more refined and well-thought out in every
respect.
Thus, the fuel tank bays were separated
from the cockpit by sealed bulkheads; the
fabric skinning of the fuselage was replaced
by plywood skinning; the cockpit hood was
provided with an emergency jettisoning sys-
tem; some other improvements were intro-
duced as well. The fighter was fitted with a
new VISh-1 05SV-01 propeller which featured
a lightened hub and blades with airfoil sec-
tions at the roots.
There were also changes in the armament.
Instead of the ShVAK cannon the designers
installed a prototype ShA-20M lightened can-
non designed by Boris Shpital'nyy and rein-
stated the second UBS-12.7 heavy machine-
gun after the pattern of the Yak-7B. At the
same time the avionics suite was expanded. A
feature that was bound to attract attention was
the radio which could be remotely controlled
by a push-button at the throttle lever. This was
a novelty in the Soviet aircraft construction.
The Yak-1 M 'Oooblyor' dispensed with the
aerial mast, making use of a single-wire aerial.
As a result, the all-up weight remained vir-
tually the same at 2,660 kg (5,865 Ib). Con-
struction of the aircraft was completed on 9th
September 1943. At the beginning of Octo-
ber, after brief manufacturer's flight tests, the
second Yak-1 M was handed over to Nil WS
for State trials which were successfully con- The same aircraft after modifications as recommended by TsAGI. The pointed spinner and chin-mounted
ducted by pilot A. Proshakov and engineer G. extra oil cooler gave a Fairey Firefly-like appearance to the fighter's front end.
Sedov within ten days.
The tests showed an improvement of per- proved the engine's temperature conditions. to 90 km (56 miles), and pilots could confi-
formance: the 'Oooblyor' attained a speed of For the first time on an aircraft of the Yakovlev dently maintain communication between
570 km/h (354 mph) at sea level and 651 km/h fighter family the possibility was ensured of themselves at a distance of 20 km (12.4
(405 mph) at 4,300 m (14,104 ft); it gained performing prolonged horizontal flight at miles), which represented very good charac-
1,280 m (4,198 ft) of altitude in a combat turn maximum speed and of gaining altitude in the teristics for the radio equipment of Soviet
and could perform a full-circle banking turn at maximum rate of climb mode with the engine fighters at that time.
low altitude within a mere 16 to 17 seconds. In at nominal revs (2,700 rpm). It is difficult to single out another Soviet
addition, it was noted that the installation of Thanks to the thorough electric bonding aircraft that had received as many laudatory
more effective radiators, changes made to the and shielding of the basic metal elements of comments from test pilots, both those of the
ducting and the greater maximum opening of the structure, the range of reception of radio OKB and the military ones. For example, A.
the radiator shutter had substantially im- messages from the ground in the cockpit rose Koobyshkin considered it to be the best

109
 Production Yak-3 fighter
Preparations for series production of the Yak-3
started as far back as the summer of 1943.
Initially it was envisaged that Plant No. 292
would start producing the new machines
immediately upon completion of its restora-
tion after the enemy bombardment. However,
development of the prototype Yak-1 M and the
'Dooblyor' dragged on well into the autumn;
still, the war was at its height and it was nec-
essary to turn out combat machines at an
unabated rate while switching to the new
model. Therefore in the winter of 1944 the
Saratov plant tooled up for the new machine
while continuing to manufacture an average
of 250 Yak-1 s every month.
The work was getting under way slowly,
and the command was well aware of the fact
that the delivery schedule of the most modern
Soviet fighters (such as the Yak-3, Yak-9U
and the La-? - the latter designed by Semyon
Lavochkin) to front-line units would not be
kept. A. K. Repin, Chief Engineer of the Red
Army's Air Force, even suggested in a letter to
Above and below: front and rear views of the modified first prototype Yak-1 M. the Central Committee of the Communist
(Bolshevik) Party that production plants be
allowed to reduce the output of aircraft con-
sidered outdated by that time for the sake of
speeding up the work on new types.
Although the Yak-3 had much in common
with the Yak-1, the plant was making slow
progress. What was the impediment, you may
ask? The Yak-3 proved to be more labour-
intensive than its predecessor because it
required extreme care in the surface finish; ini-
tially the number of man-hours spent on manu-
facturing a single Yak-3 was 2.5 times greater
than in the case of the Yak-1. The first pro-
duction Yak-3 assembled at this factory was
completed on 1st March 1944 and test-flown
a week later. Only by the end of the following
month were 22 fighters officially accepted by
the military.
The production version of the Yak-3 dif-
fered from the 'Dooblyor' in having numerous
changes which, however, were of minor
importance. For example, the armament of
early production machines was absolutely
identical to that of their predecessor, the
Yak-1 (the ShA-20M cannon never entered
among the known fighters of World War Two with its predecessor, the [first prototype] production). As for the production standards,
in overall performance. Test pilot V. Khomi- Yak-1M.' a considerable number of defects was noted
akov who had flown the prototype fighter Bearing in mind these and other com- on the new Yaks, such as a slightly corrugat-
wrote in his report: ments, the Government decision was not long ed wing surface, a poor fit of the cowling pan-
'The cockpit is comfortable. Forward visi- in coming. Already in October 1943 the Yak- els, dents in inspection panels and so on.
bility has been improved. The instruments and 1M 'Dooblyor' was launched into production Production Yak-3s suffered a deteriora-
control levers are well placed and their under the designation Yak-3, supplanting the tion of performance compared to the 'Doob-
arrangement almost fUlly conforms to the stan- 'straight' Yak-1. The designation Yak-3 had Iyor' on account of poorer production
dard cockpit. Taxying is easy. ['oo] When air- already been assigned to one of Yakovlev's standards. Thus, the speed fell by 15 to 20
borne, the aircraft is stable and simple in fighters - that was the name intended for the kmjh (9.3 to 12.4 mph), while the time to
handling. The machine has an excellent rate of production version of the 1-30, but production 5,000 m (16,400 ft) rose by half a minute.
climb and manoeuvrability, both in the vertical of this fighter did not get under way in 1941 or High control forces caused a worsening of
and in the horizontal plane. Performance has at any later time. The destiny of the new horizontal manoeuvrability. It was also
been considerably improved in comparison machine proved to be much happier. noted that production machines had a

110
shorter combat radius and radio communi- escorting bombers or for other similar duties advantage proved insignificant. Still less
cation range. was less expedient because of the limited favourable was the Yak-3's position in a
Service units started taking delivery of the amount offuel on board (the average duration manoeuvring combat against the Fw 190A.
new fighter in the late spring and early summer of a combat sortie was about 40 minutes). Checkout tests conducted by Nil WS on
of 1944, when the Soviet command was mak- The Yak-3's special feature was its ability Yak-3 c/n 11-12 (ie, 11th aircraft in Batch 12)
ing preparations for major offensive opera- to accelerate very quickly - for example, in a in August 1944 showed that, with an all-up
tions. Several of the first fighters were delivered shallow dive. As it were, the pilots had to 'hold weight of 2,675 kg (5,898 lb), the fighter
to the 396th lAP, and combat evaluation of the the fighter back' because its good aerody- attained a speed of 555 km/h (345 mph) at
Yak-3 was conducted in the 91 st lAP (com- namic qualities made it easy to exceed the sea level and 631 km/h at 4,200 m (13,776 ft),
manded by Lieutenant-Colonel A. Kovalyov) of indicated airspeed of 650 km/h (404 mph), climbing to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) within 4.5 min-
the 2nd Air Army in June and July of 1944. which was dangerous due to insufficient utes. The military were also satisfied with
The regiment was assigned the task of structural strength. One more peculiarity that other performance figures: a full-circle bank-
keeping the air superiority in the course ofthe had to be taken into account consisted in a ing turn was performed in 21 seconds, the
L'vov operation, and approximately a month marked compression of the undercarriage altitude gain in a combat turn amounted to
before the beginning of the operation's active oleo legs during ground running of the 1,200 m (4,560 ft), the take-off run was a mere
phase the unit received 41 brand-new Yak-3s. engine; there was a danger of the aircraft nos- 280 m (918 ft) and the service ceiling was
Nearly half of the flying personnel was taking ing over during landing. 10,400 m (34,112 ft).
part in combat for the first time, but all airmen The service tests also revealed some Although the Yak-3s were not fitted with
had undergone a good conversion training obvious shortcomings of the early Yak-3s. rocket launch rails or bomb racks, strafing
course before being sent to the front. Also, for There were cases of the undercarriage legs ground targets was included into the range of
training purposes Nil VVS arranged a session collapsing during landing runs and taxying; their combat duties. Thus, shortly after con-
of mock combat between a Yak-3 and a cap- the main gear breaker struts and oleo leg verting to the new machines the airmen of the
tured Bf 109G-4, during which a considerable attachment points sometimes failed. Generally, 515th lAP successfully attacked enemy vehi-
ascendancy of the Soviet fighter at altitudes however, the maintenance of the Yak-3 was cle convoys south of Warsaw. On 19th August,
from ground level to 7,000 m (22,960 ft) was simple and the aircraft could be mastered by while on a reconnaissance mission, a pair of
witnessed and the most expedient methods flying personnel and ground crews without Yak-3s spotted two-way traffic on one of the
of combat for the Red Army's Air Force pilots any difficulties. roads and succeeded in setting three vehicles
were determined. alight, making use of onboard weapons. How-
Operational evaluation confirmed the At the fronts and in the factory ever, the fuel amount carried by the Yak-3 was
conclusions that had been made in advance. workshops very limited and the 'hunters' had to return to
The unit performed 431 combat sorties, In the late summer of 1944 Yak-3 operations base. The regiment commander decided that
including interception of enemy aircraft, sup- reached a fairly wide scale. The fighter's main the vehicles would not have time to cover a big
porting aircraft from other units on a mission, opponent was the Bf 109G. The latter's mass- distance, so four Yaks were promptly refuelled
'seek-and destroy' missions and other duties. produced G-6 version, being heavier than its and got airborne. They quickly spotted their
20 enemy fighters and three Ju 87 dive predecessors, lost its superiority in speed targets and set three more vehicles on fire.
bombers were shot down in aerial combat. and vertical manoeuvre over the Soviet fight- Whereas the first attacks were made from low
Own losses included two Yak-3s shot down er for the first time since the beginning of the altitude, the fighters performing S-turns to
and three that were damaged by flak but man- war. This fact had to be recognised, albeit avoid being hit by enemy AA fire, in the second
aged to reach the area held by Soviet troops. painfully, by German pilots. They noted that pass the Yaks dived one by one towards the
Combat experience demonstrated that the Messerschmitt was inferior in speed to the convoy out of the sun.
the new Soviet fighter caught up with the Yak-3 by 10 to 20 km/h (6.2 to 12.4 mph) at The pilots of this and of other units noted
enemy fighters both in horizontal flight and in altitudes up to 4,000 m (13,120 ft) even when that the Yak-3 possessed a marginally better
upward vertical manoeuvres. Usually the using the MW-50 methanol/water injection view from the cockpit to aft compared to the
Yak-3 could get on the tail of the Fw 190A at system for engine boost and when flying with- Yak-1 with 'improved visibility' because the
the second 360 0 turn, and of the Bf 109 at the out underwing cannon pods, and that the latter's glazing was prone to misting up in the
third full circle. It was the Messerschmitts that German fighter was inferior in performing area of the bulletproof glass panels. The
remained the main opponents of the Soviet steep climb and combat turns. At the same absence of the cockpit hood emergency jetti-
Yaks in the struggle for air superiority over the time, in horizontal dogfighting the Yak-3's soning feature compelled Yak-1 pilots to fly
Western Ukraine.
The biggest air battle took place on 16th
July 1944. Both sides called in reinforcements,
and, when the skirmish was in full swing, 18
Yak-3s were opposed by 24 enemy fighters.
According to the claims of the Soviet airmen,
they succeeded in shooting down 15 German
aircraft at the cost of one Yak-3 shot down and
one damaged. It is worth noting that on the fol-
lowing day the Luftwaffe was appreciably less
active at this sector of the front.
As a result of the operational evaluation it
was determined that the Yak-3 would best be
used for combatting the enemy's fighter air-
craft. Its employment for providing cover to
ground troops my means of patrolling, for The second prototype Yak-1 M seen during State acceptance trials.

111
 J

Above and below: Two more views of the second prototype Yak-1 M (dooblyor) during State acceptance trials. Note the rounded shape of the spinner.

112
The second prototype differed from the first aircraft in having an M-105PF-2 engine. This was, in effect, the prototype of the Yak-3.

113
 combat sorties with the cockpit hoods open;
the windshield was often sprayed with oil,
which obstructed the forward view. On the
other hand, the Yak-3's moulded cockpit visor
noticeably distorted the objects observed
through it, hampering the use ofthe gunsight.
In mid-August 1944, when the 240th lAD
was waging hard battles west and north-west
of Kaunas, two Yak-3 fighters landed at Orany
airfield. The command and the headquarters
personnel of the formation knew about the new
fighter: a short while earlier the Pravda (Truth)
daily had published a photo of the machine,
the caption stating that this was the best and
the most lightweight fighter in the world. After
landing one ofthe pilots who had ferried the air-
craft handed his machine over Colonel G.
Zimin (later Air Marshal) with the words: 'For
your personal use. To the flying division com-
Above and below: One of the first Saratov-built Yak-3s (c/n 0111) during State acceptance trials at Nil WS. mander from Marshal A. Novikov, commander
of the Red Army Air Force'.
Shortly thereafter the command of this
division was to play host to a delegation from
the British allies. Commander Roberts, head
of the delegation, immediately expressed the
wish to see the Yak-3. A special aerobatics
programme had been prepared for the
guests; it was brilliantly performed by Major
V. Skoopchenko, piloting skills inspector of
the Division. Then the head of the British del-
egation was permitted to climb into the cock-
pit and examine it. Sure enough, far from all
the questions posed by the British guests
received an adequate answer. But, make no
mistake, the machine strongly impressed the
specialists - the delegation included several
fighter pilots who had defended the skies of
London shortly before that.
Another Division commander who per-
sonally made use of the Yak-3 in combat was
General G. Zakharov. As soon as the new
machines had been delivered to the 303rd
Fighter Air Division, he performed up to 40
flights on Yak-3 cln 310147 (ie, Tbilisi aircraft
factory No. 31, Batch 1, 47th aircraft in the
batch). His conclusion was: such a fighter had
no equals. Zakharov wrote in his report: 'The
Yak-3 is easy to maintain and poses no diffi-
culties for ground crews. The aircraft is stable
at take-off and landing and can easily be flown
by any pilot - something that absolutely can-
not be said about the La-5FN fighter.
The pilots of the 18th Guards lAP and the
'Normandie-N/lamen' regiment mastered the
Yak-3 after logging 3 to 5 flying hours. The Yak-
3 gains altitude vety quickly and has a wide
range of speeds (200 to 600 kmlh) [124 to 373
mph]. All aerobatic manoeuvres, both in the
horizontal and in the vertical plane, are per-
formed excellently. The fighter offers excellent
visibility and has a comfortable, well-lit cock-
pit. ' The General expressed the wish that the
Soviet Air Force be equipped with such fight-
4 White, one of the Yak-3s operated by the 'Normandie-Nhflmen' regiment. ers as quickly as possible.

114
 Commanders of the Luftwaffe formations
largely shared the high opinion of the Yak-3
that had been expressed by Soviet and British
generals and senior officers. Appraising the
characteristics of new Soviet fighters, Lieu-
tenant-General Walter Schwabedissen wrote
in his book The Russian Air Force in the Eyes
of German Commanders:
'Whereas the German Bf 109G and Fw
190 models were equal to any of above
Soviet models in all respects, this cannot be
said of the Soviet Yak-3, which made its first
appearance at the front in the late summer
of 1944. This plane was faster, more
manoeuvrable and had better climbing
capabilities than the German Bf 109G and
Fw 190, to which it was inferior only in point
of armament. '
In waging combat against the Yak-3 Ger- Above and below: 96 White, a production Yak-3 M-105PF-2 (c/n 9626), during checkout tests at Nil WS
man fighters relied heavily on the use of sur-
prise attacks. That was the case on 17th
September 1944 when Fw 190 fighter attack
aircraft coming out of the sun bounced three
Yak-3s from the 66th Guards lAP near Riga
and shot down two of them. The regiment's
pilots took their revenge on 23rd September
when a group of Yakovlev fighters led by
Major I. Vitkovskiy claimed seven Fw 190s
destroyed in one dogfight alone.
On 29th October, in daytime, the units of
the 4th Guards lAD successfully effected a
simultaneous blocking of three German air-
fields in the Baltic area - Skrunda, Aizpute
and Said us. Patrolling in groups of six to eight
which relieved one another, the Yak-3s pre-
vented the Germans from using the airfields
for combat activities for more than three
hours. Fighters summoned by the enemy
from other airfields were of little help. JG54
'GrOnherz' lost one Fw 190 that was shot
down; another one was damaged and yet
another suffered an undercarriage failure
after overrunning the runway. In contrast, not
a single Yak-3 was shot down.
In the summer and autumn of 1944 a
number of alterations was introduced into the
design of the Yak-3 at Plant No. 292:
• from the 13th batch (August) onwards
the second UBS-12.7 machine-gun was rein-
stated because this armament version was
more in conformity with the needs of the front
(about 500 production machines had been
equipped with one cannon and one synchro-
nised machine-gun);
• from the 16th batch (September)
onwards the total fuel tankage was increased
by approximately 20 litres (4.4 Imp gal);
• from the 17th batch (September)
onwards the fighter was provided with modi-
fied radio equipment and dust filters which
prevented excessive engine wear at the cost
of a slight reduction in level speed;
• from the 19th batch (October) onwards
the fabric skinning was replaced by plywood Collective farmer Ferapont Golovatyy hands over a Yak-3 to Maj. B. N. Yeryomin. The legend reads The 2nd
aircraft from Go/ovatyy - For the terminal rout of the enemy. Note the red star on the spinner.

115
 lAP of the 3rd IAK, when Captain P. Tarasov,
one of the most proficient aerobatics perform-
ers in the corps, was killed in a crash. As it tran-
spired, the wing skinning had loosened in the
area of the wheel wells and, when subjected to
high loads, broke away from the ribs along the
lines of adhesive bonding, after which the
spars and the wing as a whole disintegrated
completely.
In all such incidents Saratov-produced
fighters were involved. An investigation con-
ducted by TsAGI confirmed that the wing
strength had deteriorated because of breach-
es of the bonding procedures. After a sample
checking of the condition of wing surfaces
conducted by Chief Engineer of the Air Force
and by subsequent special commissions 114
Yak-3s had to be grounded; 68 of them were
in the 3rd IAK. The command was seriously
concerned about the reduced combat effi-
ciency of the air formation on the eve of the
important Soviet offensive at the Wisla and
Oder rivers.
Thanks to urgent measures and heroic
efforts taken by ground crews of front-line
units, factory repair teams and various scien-
tific research institutions, it proved possible to
eliminate the defect expeditiously and make
the fighter safe to fly. A contributing factor was
also the alternative variant of attaching the skin
to the wing structure developed in the
Yakovlev OKB specially for repairs and involv-
ing the use of pins. According to TsAGI con-
clusions, the fighter's structural strength came
to meet the requirements of normal operation.
No less drastic measures were taken at
Plant No. 292. Starting with the 28th batch,
the casein glue was supplanted by the VIAM-
B3 adhesive that had proved its worth, and
from the following batch the area of contact
between ribs and skinning was increased
twofold and wheel well domes were strength-
ened in their uppermost part. By the begin-
ning of the New Year of 1945 the number of
unserviceable Yak-3s in active units had been
brought down to 12.8%.
Initially, observance of the specified all-up
weight was not enforced strictly enough, and
some production machines weighed as much
Three views of the first Yak-3 manufactured by the Tbilisi aircraft factory No. 31. Note the unusually small
as 2,710 kg (5,976 Ib). In the period from
star on the fin.
August 1944 to April 1945 the weight was any-
skinning as on the second prototype (Yak-1 M differed externally mainly in the contours of where between 2,629 and 2,692 kg (5,797 and
'Oooblyor'). the aft part of the radiator bath. Tbilisi-pro- 5,936 Ib) which was found to be acceptable.
At the same time the Saratov plant built up duced Yak-3s proved to be heavier by an Acting in concert with L11, TsAGI and pro-
a good production tempo: in the autumn of average 25 kg (55 lb), which was due in part duction plants, the Yakovlev OKB conducted
1944 the monthly output averaged approxi- to additional armament and ammunition and serious work for the purpose of improving the
mately 250 machines. A further 80 Yak-3s per greater tankage; their level speed was greater fighters performance. As a result, from Octo-
month began rolling off the assembly lines of by some 15 km/h (9.3 mph) compared to ber 1944 onwards the performance was, in
Plant No. 31 in Tbilisi which gradually Saratov-built machines. effect, improved enough to match the char-
switched its production from the LaGG-3 to Introduction of the Yak-3 into service units acteristics of the 'Oooblyor'.
Yakovlev's fighter. From the outset the Yak-3s of the Red Army's Air Force was accompanied This work was conducted in parallel with
manufactured in Tbilisi were armed with two by its share of troubles. Numerous accidents bUilding up the output of production
large-calibre synchronised machine-guns in and incidents took place in many regiments. machines. Whereas in May 1944 the Yak-3
addition to the engine-mounted cannon; they The gravest accident occurred in the 402nd made up only 29% of the total production vol-

116
A production Yak-3 manufactured by the Saratov aircraft factory No. 292 undergoing tests.

ume at the Saratov Plant, it accounted for 52% Until the end of 1944 combat losses of the mission to which the Yak-3 was best suited)
in June, 84% in July, and in August the share Yak-3s amounted to only 56 machines (of but for other duties. Thus, the airmen of the
rose to 100%. Importantly, switching to the which 42 were reported as missing after com- 112th Guards lAP/10th Fighter Air Corps
new fighter type was effected practically with- bat sorties); a further 34 fighters were written spent 98% of all the sorties flown between
out detriment to the overall output of aircraft. off for non-combat reasons. In all, by the 12th January and 8th May 1945 for providing
Still more successful was the mastering of beginning of 1945 the fighter element of the cover to bombers and attack aircraft. In the
Yak-3 production by Plant 31 in Tbilisi. From Soviet Air Force had 5,810 machines in its course of a battle conducted on 27th March a
the outset the Yak3 was built here in a version inventory, including 735 Yak-3s. Of these, group of six Yaks repulsed all attacks against
featuring better performance and heavier 44% were on the strength of the 16th Air Army the 11-2s of the 224th Attack Air Division, scor-
armament compared to machines produced commanded by General S. Rudenko which ing hits on three Bf 109Gs of JG77; one victory
in Saratov. And, most importantly, Tbilisi-pro- joined in providing air cover for the troops at was claimed by Captain L. Dyoma, one of the
duced fighters were not afflicted with the inad- the Berlin direction from the second half of Air Corps' best aces.
equate wing strength resulting from defective January. The 10th Fighter Air Corps operated in
bonding of the skinning to the wing frame- As before, many sorties were flown not for the skies of southern Poland, Austria and
work. the purpose of intercepting enemy aircraft (a Czechoslovakia where the Luftwaffe was not

A production Yak-3 seen during special tests at L11.

117
The sleek lines of the Yak-3 are well illustrated by this example. Yakovlev was big on photographing his aircraft, leaving a lot of excellent pictures for posterity.
Here the fighter is seen in standard configuration, but see the next page...

118
Three views of the same Yak-3 in identical aspects following installation of ejector fairings on the exhaust stubs. This measure increased top speed somewhat,
even though it clearly did not make the fighter more aesthetically pleasing.

119
 very active. Still fewer air battles were fought
by the new Yaks in the course of hostilities
with Japan in August 1945. By that time the
Soviet command had succeeded in rede-
ploying 106 Yak-3s (78 of them combat-
ready) to the Far East where they were
integrated into the forces of the Transbaikal
Front and the two Far East Fronts. Presum-
ably the only Japanese fighter that could
rival the performance of the Yak-3 at that
time was the Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate, but
Japanese airmen put up no active opposi-
tion in the air and there is no evidence of air
combats between these aircraft. As for the
Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa which was de-
ployed in large numbers in the northern
provinces of China, it had a disadvantage of
more than 100 km/h (62 mph) in maximum
speed compared to the Yak-3 and was also
inferior to the Soviet fighter with regard to
vertical manoeuvrability and armament.
One Yak-3 was preserved and exhibited in
Above: CO of the 303rd Fighter Division Gen. Zakharov (second from left) with Soviet and French fighter the Yakovlev OKB's museum until recently.
pilots in front of a Yak-3 operated by the 'Normandie-Nh~men'regiment.
This aircraft flown by Major Boris N. Yeryomin,
Commander of the 31st Guards lAP, had
been presented to him by Ferapont Golo-
vatyy, a collective farmer from the Saratov
region. Regrettably, this legendary machine
is now in the USA.
A total of 4,848 fighters of this type were
built; of these, 3,840 were manufactured by
the main plant in Saratov. The production run
in Saratov comprised 59 batches (50 of them
completed before the end of the war), while
eight batches were produced in Tbilisi (the
sixth batch was completed shortly after VE-
Day). Of the overall number, 737 machines
were built after the war.

Yak-3P production fighter

After the war the two factories built primarily
the Yak-3P (pushechnw - cannon-armed).
Above: A fine air-to-air study of a Yak-3 belonging to the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment. This version differed mainly in having revised
armament. The ShVAK cannon and the UBS
machine gun were replaced by new cannon
designed by Berezin in two versions: the B-
20M and the B-20S, the suffixes denoting
motornaya (engine-mounted) and sinkhron-
naya (synchronised) respectively. The three
barrels together produced a weight of fire
amounting to 3,52 kg (7.8 Ib) per second ver-
sus 2,72 kg (6.0 Ib) for the 'standard' Yak-3;
the new installation had virtually no effect on
the weight of the airframe.
The Yak-3P showed good stability when
firing the B-20 cannon within the entire speed
envelope and at all attitudes. The weapons'
recoil affected the precision of sighting only to
a negligible extent. The modified Yak-3P
passed testing at Nil WS in March-April 1945
and was put into series production.
However, far more stringent demands
concerning quality standards in aircraft manu-
Local residents examine a Soviet Air Force Yak-3 which has force-landed in a field. facturing were introduced after the war. Dur-

120
ing tests conducted by Nil WS in October-
November 1945 a production example of the
Yak-3P (c/n 02-54) demonstrated speeds
superior to those of the prototype: 572 km/h
(355 mph) at sea level and 646 km/h (401
mph) at 3,900 m (12,792 ft), the time to 5,000 m
(16,400 ft) being 4.8 minutes; nevertheless,
the results of the tests were pronounced
unsatisfactory. This was due, among other
things, to persistent failures of the special
brackets on which the B-20 cannon were
attached.
In all, 596 Yak-3Ps were produced. None
of them took part in combat.

Yak-3T fighter prototype

The Yak-3T (tahnkovyy, tank-busting) which
was built in the OKB in January 1945 pos-
sessed even more potent armament. It retained
the pair of synchronised cannons in the front
Above: A beaming Soviet pilot from a Guards unit poses in the cockpit of his Yak-3 at a recently captured
upper decking, as on the Yak-3P, while the German airfield, with Deutsche Lufthansa DC-2 D-AIAS and Ju 868-0 D-AQEA as a backdrop.
engine-mounted B-20 was replaced by a
lightened 37-mm engine-mounted N-37 can-
non designed by A. Nudel'man, with 25
rounds of ammunition.
Externally the Yak-3T differed from pro-
duction machines in having a muzzle brake
mounted on the barrel which protruded from
the propeller spinner; it absorbed up to three-
quarters of the cannon's recoil energy. Instal-
lation of the heavy cannon necessitated
some changers in the design. Thus, the
cockpit was moved aft 400 mm (1 ft 4 in) in a
fashion similarto the Yak-9T; simultaneously,
fuel capacity was reduced by 17 litres (3.74
Imp gal) and the self-sealing coating of the
fuel tanks was deleted.
Despite the weight-saving measures, the
weight rose to 2,756 kg (6,077 Ib) and the per-
formance deteriorated marginally: top speed
was 560 km/h (348 mph) at sea level and 629
km/h (391 mph) at 4,000 m (13,120 ft), while Above: As the legend on the fuselage reveals, this Yak-3 has been presented to fighter pilot Semyon
the cruising range was a mere 559 km (347 Rogovoy by the Soviet Navy personnel serving on the Amur River in the Soviet Far East.
miles). The designers succeeded in keeping
the CG of the fully equipped Yak-3 at 25.7% of
the mean aerodynamic chord, thanks to
which good controllability was retained.
Tests revealed that the fighter remained
as easy in handling as before. The armament
fit of the Yak-3T ensured effective engage-
ment of aerial targets and enabled the
machine to be used for attacks against rail-
way trains, trucks and armoured vehicles.
There was virtually no loss of sighting when
firing a burst of four rounds from the engine-
mounted cannon. This made it possible to
fire long bursts while retaining accurate
sighting - something that could not be done
on the Yak-9T.
However, major defects of the aircraft
were also revealed. The combination of the
engine with the new cannon was not yet trou-
ble-free, the engine being plagued by over-
heating of water and oil. This precluded The prototype of the Yak-3P armed with three cannons seen during State acceptance trials.

121
 (36,080 ft), and on 6th July he reached a prac-
tical ceiling of 13,300 m (43,624 ft). It was
noted that flights to altitudes in excess of
13,000 m with the pilot provided only with an
oxygen mask required special training of
pilots for high-altitude flights - for example, in
an altitude chamber.
The Yak-3PD was not built in series, but
the work at L11 continued. Materials from the
research conducted there formed the basis
for a report on the functioning of engine radi-
ators in high-altitude conditions, issued in
March 1947.

Yak-3RD experimental fighter

In December 1944 an experimental fighter
The prototype of the Yak-3T 'tank killer' armed with a 37-mm engine-mounted cannon. featuring a mixed powerplant was created on
the basis of the Yak-3. In addition to the pro-
normal operation. The engine persistently By restricting the armament to one NS-23 duction VK-1 05PF-2 engine, the machine was
malfunctioned; this included emission of cannon the designers succeeded in reducing equipped with an RD-1 KhZ (khimicheskoye
smoke, vibration, spark plug failures, drops in the all-up weight to 2,616 kg (5,768 Ib). Pilot zazhigahniye - chemical ignition) liquid-fuel
fuel pressure and so on. All this prevented the Sergey N. Anokhin reached an altitude of rocket motor designed by D. Glooshko; it was
Yak-3T from being ordered into production. 11,500 m, but calculations showed that the intended to serve as a booster.
service ceiling could be as high as 13,000 m Yakovlev entrusted engineer B. Motorin
Yak-3PD fighter prototype (42,640 ft). A speed of 692 km/h (430 mph) with the design of the unorthodox machine.
Using the airframe of the Yak-3 as a basis, the was attained at 10,850 m (34,702 ft). Motorin installed the RD-1 KhZ rated at 300
Yakovlev OKB created one of the most suc- Certain imperfections of the engine kgp (661 Ib st) in the aft fuselage under the
cessful interceptor fighters. In September caused the testing to be temporarily suspend- vertical tail on a special mount and enclosed
1944 a production example of the fighter was ed. The aircraft was then re-engined with the it with an easily detachable cowling faired into
fitted with the VK-1 05PD - one of the several VK-105PV that had been developed on the the fuselage contours.
high-altitude engine versions provided with a Yak-9. Before resuming the tests, some devel- In the course of manufacturer's trials test
Dollezhal'-designed supercharger. opment work was effected by L11. At the sug- pilot Victor Rastorgooyev performed 21 flights
Testing of this aircraft at L11 was conduct- gestion of pilot-engineer I. Shooneyko who on this aircraft designated Yak-3RD (RD
ed right before the end of the war. According was conducting the flight testing, the aircraft stands for rakefnw dvigate/' - rocket motor).
to the test report, the aircraft possessed the was fitted with a device permitting a part of the In eight of these flights he switched on the RD-
following special features: the wing area was airflow from the supercharger to be spilled into 1KhZ. On one occasion, on 11th May 1945,
increased by half a square metre (5.4 sq ft); the atmosphere. This completely eliminated the aircraft attained a speed of 782km/h (486
an experimental high-altitude propeller was the instability in the supercharger's operation mph) at the altitude of 7,800 m (25,584 tt),
installed; the engine's air inlet was moved at high altitudes and enabled the machine to which was 182 km higher than the speed
from its original location to a place ahead of fly at altitudes in excess of 13,000 m (42,640 ft) attained at this altitude by the Yak-3 without
the radiator bath. The engine was provided with the engine running normally. the rocket booster. However, the automatic
with a device for injecting an alcohol/water In the course of a flight performed on 26th devices of the rocket engine were faulty and
mixture between the supercharger stages for June 1945 pilot I. Shooneyko attained a there were several cases of the engine cutting
the purpose of reducing the air temperature. speed of 710 km/h at the altitude of 11 ,000 m unexpectedly in flight. Once an explosion
occurred in which the engine nozzle was
severely damaged.
The faults were rectified and repairs were
made, whereupon preparations were started
for the aircraft to take part in the air display on
the occasion of the 1945 Air Fleet Day. How-
ever, two days before the event, on 16th
August, while performing a regular flight, the
aircraft suddenly entered a steep dive and
crashed, killing V. Rastorgooyev. The cause
of the accident was not established, but it is
known with certainty that there was no explo-
sion of the rocket booster; neither did the
engine disintegrate in flight. Apparently, there
was a failure in the control system linkage.
In connection with the emergence of tur-
bojet engines in the post-war years the sub-
ject of fitting liquid-fuel rocket boosters to
piston-engined aircraft became moot and the
The prototype of the high-altitude Yak-3PO seen during manufacturer's flight tests. work was discontinued.

122
T
VK-107A-powered Yak-3 fighter
An important direction of work on the Yak-3
in the Yakovlev OKB consisted in the instal-
lation of more powerful engines. This work
was conducted by a group of designers
under Yevgeniy G. Adler's direction. Instal-
lation of the VK-1 07A engine did not require
any major modifications to the airframe,
apart from moving the cockpit aft 400 mm
(1 ft 4 in). The more powerful engine neces-
sitated .an increase of fuel capacity to 518
litres (114 Imp gal), and the armament was
changed to comprise two B-20S synchro-
nised cannons in the front upper decking. Above: The Yak-3R mixed-power fighter. The rocket booster nozzle is closed by a conical fairing.
Below: The RD-1 KhZ liquid-fuel rocket motor with the cowling removed.
Two prototypes of this version were com-
pleted in early 1944. The first was used for
manufacturer's tests which lasted until Nov-
ember 1944; it was flown by Pavel Va. Fedrovi.
The other prototype, after a few development
flights for the purpose of rectifying engine
faults, was handed over for State trials. They
were started in February 1944 by G. Sedov,
leading engineer of Nil WS. Pilots Yu. Antipov
and A. Proshakov had to interrupt the flights
eight times; in one such case the flights were
suspended for almost two months (from mid-
May to mid-July) because serious defects of
the powerplant had to be remedied. Up to late
August 1944 the machine performed only 44
take-ofts, logging nearly 26 flight hours.
On account of the heavier engine the all-
up weight rose to 2,984 kg (6,580 lb). In spite
of this, the VK-1 07A-powered Yak-3 remained
a lightweight fighter with excellent specific
characteristics: the wing loading was 201
kg/m2 (41.18Ib/sq tt), and power loading-
2.0 kg/hp (4.41 lb/hp). The handling qualities
of the fighter enabled it to be flown by medi-
um-skilled pilots, as had been the case with
its predecessor, the VK-105PF-2-powered
Yak-3. All this, coupled with the excellent
aerodynamics, endowed the fighter with out-
standing performance. The aircraft attained
a maximum speed of 611 km/h (380 mph) at
sea level and 720 km/h (447 mph) at 5,750 m
(18,860 tt). Time to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) was
3,9 minutes and the altitude gain in a combat Above and below: The prototype of the Yak-3 VK-107A seen during manufacturer's flight tests. Note the
turn equalled 1,500 m (4920 tt). All these carburettor air intake immediately aft of the spinner.
characteristics constituted record-breaking
performance for the final stage of the war.
However, test pilots noted that the VK-
107A engines fai led to log their designated
service life hours because the crankshaft's
main bearings failed. Besides, the unreliable
functioning of the throttle lever control sys-
tem precluded flight at cruising speed, and
oil spill spraying the entire windshield pre-
vented the pilot from closing the cockpit
hood and making use of the gun sight. At
that time Soviet specialists did not yet have
the experience with the VK-1 07A engine
gained subsequently on the Yak-9U.
Work on the Yak-3 powered by the
VK-1 07A continued after the end of the war.

123
 therefore, it was presumed that the VK-1 07A-
powered machines would have reasonably
high chances of being a success.
Modifications were incorporated by a
team of designers under K. Skrzhinskiy in a
production machine (c/n 70-03). It was fitted
with a VK-1 07A engine from the last batch
featuring an additional oil pump; the design-
ers replaced the plywood skin of the fuselage
and the wings with duralumin, and the control
surfaces received a skin of efektron magne-
sium alloy instead of the standard fabric
covering. Besides, the new fighter had a
slightly increased amount of fuel and oil
Above and below: A production Yak-3 VK-107A manufactured by the Tbilisi aircraft factory; note the aft
which, however, was inferior to the fuel and oil
location of the carbureUor intake. The fighter must be a test aircraft, hence the silver and red paint job. tankage of the prototype Yak-3 VK-1 07A. As a
result, the all-up weight made up 2,935 kg
(6,472Ib).
Manufacturer's flight tests lasted less than
a month; on 11th May 1945 the all-metal Yak-
3 was handed overto I. Kolosov, leading engi-
neer of Nil WS, for testing. The most skilled
pilots of the institute noted that the Yak-3 had
better controllability in comparison with the
similarly-powered prototype, more effective
mainwheel brakes, and its engine functioned
better at medium and high altitudes.
The results obtained in 44 flights con-
firmed the machine's high speeds and good
manoeuvrability, even though the use of the
'combat' mode of the VK-1 07A (3,200 rpm)
had to be relinquished because of the
Yak-3 VK-l07A - production version assembled at Plant No.31, making use of the engine's unreliability. His intention was to
In the spring of 1945 the People's Commis- unfinished airframes stocked there. As noted eliminate the main defects of the aircraft prior
sariat of Aircraft Industry took a decision earlier, the Yak-3s that had been built there to launching series production. However, in
requiring the Tbilisi plant to continue work on during the war years had an edge in produc- actual fact development of this particular
the VK-1 07A-powered Yak-3. According to tion quality standard compared to fighters of machine had to be continued concurrently
the plans, 75 all-metal fighters were to be the same type assembled at Plant No. 292; with the assembly of other examples of the

A Saratov-built Yak-3 VK-1 07A undergoing checkout tests at Nil WS

124
fighter. Plant No. 31 assembled 40 all-metal
Yak-3s in 1945 and a further eight in the fol-
lowing year. Work on weeding out various
defects on these aircraft continued through-
out the year of 1946, whereupon the Tbilisi
plant switched to mastering production of the
jet-powered Yak-15.
The next stage in the work the VK-1 07A-
powered machines was marked by tooling up
for building a batch of 30 fighters of his model
at Plant ?92 in the spring of 1946. They differed
from the two prototypes in wing design and in
having various changes in the powerplant.
Whereas the prototype fighters had wings with
metal spars and plywood skinning, just like the
production Yak-3 and Yak-9, now the govern-
ment demanded that all-metal wings incorpo-
rating new technology be installed. Besides,
the fighters were fitted with the improved ver- Above and below: The prototype Yak-3 VK-1 08. Note the double rows of six exhaust stubs (dorsal and
lateral), with heat-resistant steel panels aft of them, and the armoured seat back.
sion of the VK-107A. Based on operational
experience with the Yak-9U, it featured an air
cooling system for the exhaust manifolds,
more capacious radiators and dust filters in
the carburettor air intakes.
Changes were introduced into the radio
equipment and armament. The latter was
restricted to two B-20S synchronised can-
nons on some of the fighters, while on others
they were supplemented by an engine-
mounted B-20M. Testing of the first three pro-
duction machines (c/ns 01-01, 03-01 and
04-01) conducted in April and May 1946
showed that their performance, high though it
was, fell somewhat short of the Government
specifications for fighters of this type at the
end of December 1944. Thus, maximum
speed at sea level was within the specified overheating of water and oil was occasion- turing metal wings, produced at the Volga
600 kmlh (373 mph), whereas the speed at ally noted on the others. The tests revealed plant (Saratov plant - translator's note) have
the altitudes of 5,400 to 5,900 m (17,712 to also incomplete consumption of fuel from failed to pass the State trials due to numerous
19,352 ft) reached 695 to 697 kmlh (431.9 to the fuel tanks - a defect characteristic of serious defects. '
433.2 mph) as against the specified 700 kmlh many Yaks. Besides, the mixed construction (metal
(435 mph). Time to 5,000 m (16,400 m) was Modifications applied to these aircraft at wing and fuselage with plywood skinning) did
4.2 to 4.5 minutes (the requirement called for Yakovlev's experimental production facility not meet the demands of post-war aviation
a maximum of 3.9 minutes). and at L11 failed to produce the desired result. that had been formulated in the Soviet Union.
The testing was very thorough and com- The test report signed in June 1946 stated: In many respects (stick forces, controllability,
prehensive. Thus, test pilots A. Proshakov, 'Modified Yak-3 aircraft clns 01-01,03-01 and survivability) the mixed-construction Yak-3s
Yu. Antipov and V. Khomiakov determined the 04-01 powered by VK-107A engines and fea- proved to be a step back as compared to the
spinning characteristics of the new Yaks and
came to the conclusion that they were virtual-
ly identical to those of the production VK-
105PF-2-powered Yak-3s. However, high
stick forces from the ailerons and elevator
made the VK-1 07A-powered Yak-3's handling
unpleasant. This shortcoming fully came to
the fore during mock combat sessions with a
Spitfire Mk IX, especially when performing
violent manoeuvres in the vertical plane.
Further, leading engineer A. Stepanets
noted persistent powerplant troubles. The
engines began vibrating when throttled
back, and the oil pressure dropped below
the admissible level at altitudes in excess of
4,000 m (13,120 ft). On one of the machines
the engine suffered a complete breakdown; This silver/red Yak-3 equipped with a gun camera was used by L11 as a testbed of unknown purpose.

125
 .......
· .

A four-view drawing of the Yak·3 powered by a VK·l05PF-2 engine

126
o

127
 armament had to be restricted to one engine-
mounted NS-23 cannon firing through the
propeller hub.
The aircraft was constructed under the direc-
tion of engineer A. Kanookov; it was rolled out
at the OKB's experimental production facility
on 1st October 1944. Following a brief devel-
opment period test pilot Victor Rastorgooyev
performed the first flight, characterising the
aircraft's performance as outstanding On 21 st
December 1944 the Yak-3 VK-108 (lightened
to the utmost, with the armament deleted and
a reduced amount of fuel in the tanks) devel-
oped a speed of 745 km/h (463 mph) at 6,290
m (20,631 ft). That was just 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
less than the world speed record established
in 1939 by a specially modified variant of the
Bf 109. The Yak-3 climbed to 5,000 m (16,400
ft) within just three and a half minutes and lit-
erally pierced the skies, leaping into the air
while still in a tail-down position (ie, without
requiring the tail to be raised).
However, once again imperfect engine
operation prevented the testing from being
conducted at a normal pace. The flight sched-
ule kept slipping because of vibrations,
smoke emissions and numerous powerplant
faults. Virtually every time the fighter covered
a stretch in level flight, the oil temperature
exceeded 110°C, which was the absolute limit
for this engine. The work had to be discontin-
ued on 8th March 1945 after one of the many
flights plagued by failures.

Yak-3U fighter prototype

In the Yak-3U fighter the Yakovlev OKB made
an attempt to combine its achievements in
aerodynamic refinement with the merits of a
Shvetsov-designed engine. In January 1945,
when the aircraft was under construction, the
ASh-82FN radial was a reliable and trouble-
free engine, while the VK-1 07A (to say noth-
ing of the VK-108) remained capricious and
persistently malfunctioned.
The Yakovlev design team succeeded in
creating a fighter that was very lightweight for
a machine powered by the ASh-82FN - it had
an all-up weight of only 2,792 kg (6,156 lb)
Three views of the Yak-3 M-82 development aircraft seen during manufacturer's flight tests.
versus 3,250kg (7,166 lb) in the case of the
La-7. The maximum speed of the Yak-3U -
all-metal machines built in Tbilisi. Therefore, long-range fighter - something that could not 705 km/h (438 mph) at 6,100 m (20,998 ft)-
the decision was taken to limit the production be effected on the Yak-3. These were the rea- was also superior to that of the La-7. The new
run to the three first machines already manu- sons for the Yak-9's longevity. machine proved to possess an excellent rate
factured, and all unfinished airframes were of climb. However, the forward shift of the
scrapped. VK-108-powered Yak-3 wings, while improving stability, resulted in
The People's Commissariat of Aircraft prototype fighter an inadmissible reduction of the aircraft's 'sit'
Industry (renamed into the Ministry of Aircraft Installation of the VK-1 08 engine in the Yak-3 angle increasing the risk of nosing-over; the
Industry by in late March 1946) considered was, in effect, purely experimental. The VK- aircraft became dangerous during landing
that the stronger airframe of the Yak-9 was 107A with a nominal rating of 1,500 hp was and taxying.
more suitable fo.r comprehensive develop- replaced by the VK-108 delivering 1,550 hp In the course of development work the
ment of the VK-107A engine. Besides, the and operating in very adverse temperature main defects of the aircraft were rectified;
Yak-9 permitted the installation of potent 37- conditions because the radiators were the however, in the view of Aleksandr S. Yakovlev,
mm and 45-mm cannons between the cylin- same as on the Yak-9U. Owing to the special this fighter was no longer needed in October
der banks and could be transformed into a features of the engine design, the fighter's 1945, and the work was discontinued.

128
 Chapter 5

Yaks Abroad

The Frenchmen were the first among the

Soviet Union's allies within the anti-Hitler
coalition to have their air units equipped with
Yaks for combat operations. Formation of the
independent 'Normandie-Niemen' fighter
squadron which initially comprised 14 volun-
teer pilots began in December 1942. The
French pilots were offered a choice of several
Soviet aircraft types; they opted for the Yak-1.
In the opinion of Capitaine A. Litolff, one of
France's most experienced pilots, this
machine was similar to the well-known
Morane Saulnier MS-406 in its piloting tech-
niques but possessed a greater range of
speeds.
Above and below: The Yak-3s donated to the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment by the Soviet Government
Operational training of the squadron pro- remained in service with for a few years. Here they are seen in post-war markings with French rudder
ceeded in several stages (this approach was flashes and the Lorraine Cross on the fins.
subsequently practised with regard to other
Allied pilots converting to the Yaks). The
French pilots began their course in the train-
ing centre by examining the Yak-1 on the
ground and studying the flight manual. Then
they performed several training flights on the
Yakovlev UT-2 ab initio trainer, followed by the
Yak-7 conversion trainer and the Yak-1 fight-
er. Studying these machines posed no diffi-
culties, and at the end of March Commandant
J. Tulasne, the unit's Commander, reported
that the squadron was ready to join the action
at the Soviet-German front.
The unit did not stay long in the rear - the
Yaks sporting French roundels on their sides
(in addition to the Soviet Stars) actively joined
battle at the central sector of the front in the
ranks of the 303rd lAD, taking part, in particu-
lar, in the battle of the Kursk Bulge. According
to official Soviet information, at the end of
October 1943 the 'Normandie-Niemen'
squadron was credited with the destruction of
75 enemy aircraft at the cost of some 30
Yak-1 sand Yak-9s lost and 20 French pilots
killed. Among those killed in action was the
first commander of the French squadron.
By that time the squadron was reorgan-
ised into an air regiment which came to be
commanded by Cdt P. Pouyade. An impor-
tant landmark in the destiny of the unit was
13th August 1944 - the day when the 'Nor-
mandie-Niemen' regiment deployed at Alytus
airfield in the Baltic area took delivery of Sara-
tov-built Yak-3 fighters. One ofthe pilots, Aspi-
rant F. de Geoffre, noted after examining the
new machine: This Yak-3 is preserved in the Musee de I'Aeronautique in Paris in carefully restored wartime markings.

129
 'The Russian engineers under General
Yakovlev changed the fuselage contours,
appreciably improved the engine and
enhanced the cockpit instrumentation. Cock-
pit visibility is marvellous, especially the for-
ward view. The aircraft possesses excellent
manoeuvrability. While performing a zoom
climb, you get the impression that the aircraft
is never going to stop. In a dive the aircraft
develops high speeds. No sooner have you
pushed the stick forward when the speed
indicator already shows more than 600 kmlh
[385 mph}. This is undoubtedly an advantage,
but you have to know how to make use of it.
The only shortcoming is that the under-
Above: This early Yak-1 was captured intact by the advancing German troops in the first days of the Great carriage extension on the first machines was
Patriotic War.
not particularly reliable. But this cannot
Below: Another captured Yak·1, this lime in Luftwaffe markings showing it was evaluated by the Germans.
reduce our enthusiasm. We are gathering
around the new machines, our eyes burning
with admiration.'
Having mastered the Yak-3, the French
pilots succeeded in considerably increasing
the number of their victories. The most suc-
cessful day in the history of the unit was 16th
October 1944, when the combat results with-
in the 24 hours amounted (according to the
official information) to 29 enemy aircraft shot
down without a single own aircraft lost. Asp.
Roland de La Poype had the highest score of
the day, having shot down two Ju 87 person-
ally plus another three enemy aircraft as
shared 'kills'.
Nevertheless, some of the air battles were
extremely fierce. Thus, on 17th January 1945
an atrociously mutilated Yak-3 cln 32-24 pilot-
ed by a wounded Cne Rene Challe, Com-
mander of one of the regiment's squadrons,
made a landing at Dolinen airfield in East
Prussia. The pilot paid dearly for his sixth vic-
tory over a Fw 190: his aircraft had been hit by
no fewer than four shells which blasted away
the cockpit transparency; there were large
holes in the fuselage and the wings. The
machine seemed to be damaged beyond
repair. However, three Soviet technicians
(Youzefovich, Smirnov and Moorav'yov)
repaired the fighter completely within twenty-
four hours, having welded the fuselage frame-
work, replaced the cockpit canopy glazing
Above and below: Post-war pictures of polish Air Force Yak·9s operated by the 1. PLM 'Warszawa'. and patched up the wings.
Events of this kind imbued the French
pilots with still greater confidence in the relia-
bility and survivability of their combat
machines. When Victory Day came, the unit
had 273 'kills' to its credit atthe cost of 55 own
pilots put out of action (42 were lost in air
combat and in crashes, nine were wounded,
four were taken prisoner). By comparison, it
can be noted that other air units of la France
Combattante which had fought the Luftwaffe
while flying British and American aircraft
boasted a more modest record ('Lafayette'
and 'lie de France' claimed 43 victories, hav-
ing lost 74 own pilots for various reasons).

130
-------~-----------------------_._-------------------~~--~~

Many of the 'Normandie-Niemen' pilots con-

sidered that they owed their successes in no
small part to Yakovlev's aircraft.
Ten months after the end of the war the
British magazine Aeroplane pUblished a com-
ment made by one of the French pilots from
the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment:
'The main mission of the Yak-3 aircraft was
co-operation with ground troops. They flew in
support of ground formations during the offen-
sive yvaged by the Red Army, attacking enemy
aircraft and strafing its ground units in the
vicinity of the frontline. Besides, ten minutes
before the Pe-2s orll-2s appeared over an
enemy airfield, the Yak-3s flew over this area
and destroyed enemy aircraft on the ground,
shot them down in the air or prevented them
from taking off. Then, after the arrival of the
attack aircraft, the Yak-3s protected them from
attack by enemy fighters coming from other
airfields.
One more mission was the intercept.
Pilots were to sit in their aircraft on quick-reac-
tion alert, taking off every time they saw enemy
aircraft or when they got information by Above: The crew chief of a Polish Yak-9 reports to the pilot that the aircraft is ready for the mission. The
radiotelephone about the appearance of 55-gallon can beside the aircraft contains sand for fire-fighting.
enemy aircraft.
To tackle these duties, an aircraft exactly
like the Yak-3 is required: a high-speed medi-
um altitude interceptor with a high rate of
climb. When attacking Fw 190s it never
climbed to much more than 5,000 m [16,400
ft]. At this altitude the Yak-3 enjoys its best per-
formance. Near the ground the Yak-3 was
superior to the 'Hun' and many German pilots
stalled and crashed while trying to chase it in
a steep banking turn. '
It is a little known fact that one more
French unit equipped with the Yak-3 fighters
was being worked up for combat at Soviet air-
fields in the rear in the spring of 1945. It was
the 3rd lAP 'Paris' staffed by French pilots and
Soviet technicians and ground crews. The ter-
mination of hostilities prevented the
'Parisians' from joining battle, and the regi-
ment was disbanded. As for 'Normandie-Nie- Above: A technician performs maintenance on the engine of a Polish Air Force Yak-9M.
men', the pilots of this unit returned to France Below: A grey-painted Polish Air Force Yak-9P VK-107A
on 40 Yak-3 fighters which they had received
as a gift; some of them remained operational
until late 1947.
Pilots of no other country that also had
Soviet machines in its air force inventory
could boast so impressive an experience of
using the Yaks operationally. Among the first
to get that experience were the Poles. In Sep-
tember 1943 the airmen of the 1st PLM
'Warszawa' (pulk lotniczy mysliwski - fighter
regiment 'Warsaw') took delivery of their Yak-1 s.
They joined battle in July of the following year
and performed an insignificant number of
dogfights before the end of the war. The only
victory on the Yak-1 achieved by a Polish pilot
(over an Fw 189 reconnaissance aircraft) was
scored by Captain Konieczny. Still, you have

131
 to give him credit, for the Fw 189 was notori-
ously hard to kill, partly due to its tail gunner's
station.
In January 1945 the 1. PLM began con-
verting to the Yak-9 (in the 0, T and M ver-
sions). On 19th April 1945 podporucznik
(lieutenant) Kalinowski shot down an Fw 190
over the Oder river, downing one more on
25th April. According to official information, in
the course of the war Kalinowski shot down 12
German aircraft, 10 of them while operating t
within the ranks of the Red Army Air Force.
The core of the flying personnel of the Pol-
ish air regiments was made up of Soviet air-
Civil-registered fighters are common nowadays (as warbirds, that is), but not in those days. This
Hungarian Yak-9P VK-107A is registered HA-YEA or HA-YFA.
men who were ethnic Poles. In addition to the
1. PLM, Yaks were also on strength with the
9th and 10th lAPs which had been formed on
the basis of the Soviet 248th and 246th lAPs
respectively. Initially these units were equip-
ped with Yak-1 s which, after a short while,
were superseded by various Yak-9s powered
by VK-105PF and VK-105PF-2 engines. The
Polish Air Force also had a few Yak-7V and
Yak-9V conversion trainers in its inventory.
Several Yaks were handed over to the
Yugoslav Air Force; some of them were Yak-
900 Ultra-long-range fighters from the 2nd
production batch; they were in operation
since April 1945. These machines took part in
mock combat sessions with the British Hawk-
Above: A Yak-9M with pre-war Bulgarian roundels. er Typhoons, American Curtiss P-40N War-
Below: This grey-painted Bulgarian Air Force VK-107A wears the post-war star-type insignia. hawks and early versions of the North
American P-51 Mustang. The Yaks carried a
minimum amount of fuel, demonstrating
excellent manoeuvrability at low altitude. The
Yugoslavs sold one of the Yak-90s to the
British. In 1945-1947 this machine was used
as a 'personal hack' by Wg Cdr James A.
Storrer of the RAF's 239 Wing.
Immediately after the end of the war about
60 Yak-9Us and 'Ps were delivered to Poland
to replace the early versions which were pro-
gressively relegated to training duties. They
were in intensive operation until the advent of
Soviet-produced jet machines. Several VK-
107A-powered Yak-9Ps found their way to
Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Air Force had accu-
This ex-Yugoslav Yak-90 was operated by the RAF's 239 Wing. The initials 'JAS' below the cockpit denote
the aircraft's pilot, Wg Cdr James A. Storrer. mulated some experience of operating the
Yak-90, and their most experienced pilot was
Hero of the Soviet Union Z. Zakhariyev. In
response to the demands of Bulgarian airmen
the fuel tanks in the outer wing panels of the
Yak-9Ps were removed and two 12.7-mm UB
machine-guns were fitted instead, thus
increasing the fighter's firepower.
In September 1949 the Hungarian Air
Force received its first batch of the Yak-9Ps
numbering some fifty machines. They were
delivered by rail to the town of Kecskemet In
all, Hungary took delivery of up to 120
machines which were dubbed Vercse (Fal-
con) and remained on strength until the mid-
1950s. Yugoslavia was one of the main
recipients of the Yak-9P after the war. This

132
 -~ - - - - ----------------------------------------

country received early production machines;

their operation was plagued by numerous
failures and the aircraft were frequently
grounded. Because of poor reliability and
lack of spares the VK-107A engines on some
machines were replaced by the VK-105PFs
taken from the remaining Soviet Yak-1 s.
In addition, Yak-9P fighters were deliv-
ered to Albania, China and North Korea which
became Soviet allies in late 1940s. It is a
~,

known fact that the North Koreans were the

last to use Yaks in combat. In all probability
North Korea had some 40 to 50 VK-1 07A-
powered machines (although some sources
mention 100 Yak-9Ps) which had been deliv-
ered from bases in the Soviet Union and
China. A pair of these fighters took part in the
action on the very first day of the Korean War,
25th June 1950. As Robert Jackson described
it in his book Air War over Korea, 'It was not
long before the North Korean pilots demon-
strated their aggressive ability. At 15.00 hrs on
Above: A Yugoslav Air Force Yak-9M serialled 2229. The fighter's patchwork appearance is of interest.
June 25th two Yak-9s raced low over Kimpo,
spraying the field with cannon and machine-
gun fire. Cannon shells shattered the control
tower and found their mark in a fuel dump,
which exploded in a tremendous mushroom
of smoke and flame. An American Military Air
Transport Service C-54 was also hit and dam-
aged. While this attack was in progress four
more Yaks strafed Seoul, damaging seven
trainer aircraft (North American AT-6 Texans
and a Piper L-4 liaison aircraft -Auth.), and at
19.00 hrs a second attack was made on
Kimpo. This time the North Korean pilots con-
centrated on the C-54 damaged in the earlier
raid, and this was sent up in flames.' This was
the first aircraft of the USAF lost in that war.
On 27th June the first air combat took
place in the sky over Korea: five Yak-9s straf-
ing Kimpo airfield (Robert Jackson claims
they were Yak-7s) failed to notice the appear-
ance of five USAF North American F-82 Twin
Mustangs and the North Koreans lost three
machines at once, but not before the Yaks
had succeeded in destroying seven Texans
on the airfield tarmac. In all, in the course of
the first four days of hostilities the inventory of Above: North Korean Air Force Yak-9P VK-107As are prepard for another mission against the UN forces.
Though the Yak-9 did see action in the opening stage of the Korean war, it was no match for the UN jets.
the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) was
reduced by some 50 aircraft - mostly shot up
on the ground.
However, shortly thereafter USAF pilots
actively joined the fray and quickly won air
superiority. Air strikes against Seoul and
Kimpo were no longer a primary concern of
the Yak pilots because they had to intercept
Martin B-26 Marauder and Boeing B-29
Superfortress bombers making raids over
North Korean territory. According to informa-
tion from US sources, after a number of suc-
cessful air raids accomplished between 3rd
and 6th July by USAF and US Navy aircraft,
the inventory of the North Korean Air Force
shrank from 130 to just 18 machines. This North Korean Yak-9P VK-107A serialled 3 Red was damaged by enemy fire, force-landing in a field.

133
 Above and below: A single Yak·9P was captured in North Korea and shipped to the USA for evaluation at Wright-Patterson AFB.

In the same month of July the USAF put A single example of the Yak·9P fell into mance and was inferior to it in various items
most of the Yak-9Ps out of action, and the few American hands and was shipped to the of equipment.
that remained intact were redeployed to Chi· United States for evaluation. Assessing the The service career of the Yaks abroad
nese territory in Manchuria. North Korean and fighter, US specialists noted that it was the arguably lasted somewhat longer than in the
Chinese Yak·9s based at airfields along the nearest Russian equivalent of the P-51 D Mus- Soviet Union; still, by the end of the 1950s
Yalu River performed air defence duties until tang. While being superior to the latter in they were no longer to be found among the
mid·1951 when they were superseded by manoeuvrability, the Russian fighter lacked training and combat machines in various pro·
MiG·15 jets. the Mustang's range and altitude perfor· Communist countries.

134

~~~~--~~~~-~~~. __ ._--~~----~~--------~~-
 Specifications of the Yak·1 and Yak-7 variants

1·26·2 Yak·1 Yak·1 Yak·1 Yak·1 Yak·1 Yak·1 Yak·1 Yak·1 1·28 1·30 UTI·26 Yak·7 Yak·7M Yak·7A Yak·7B Yak·7·37 Yak·7PD Yak·7M82 Yak·7B Yak·7.D1
(yak·S)

Year of production 1940 1940 1941 1942 1942 1942 1942 1943 1943 1941 1941 1941 1941 1941 1942 1942 1942 1942 1942 1943 1942
Powerplant M-105P M-105P M-105PA M-105PA M-105PF M-105PF M-l05PF M-106-1sk M-105PF M-l05PD M-l05P M-l05P M-l05P M-l05P M-l05PA Ml05PF M-l05PA M-l05PD M-82 M-105PF M-105PF
Power at altiiude - (hp) 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,180 1,180 1,180 1,350 1,180 1,160 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,180 1,050 1,160 1,330 1,180 1,160
- (kW) 783 783 783 783 880 880 880 1,007 880 865 783 783 783 783 783 880 783 865 992 880 880
Length - (m) 8.5 8.48 8.48 8.48 8.48 848 8.48 8.48 8.48 85 8.48 8,48 848 8.48 8.48 8.37 8.48 8.48
- (ft-in) 27-10.5 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-10.5 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-9.75 27-5.5 27-9.75 27-9.75
Wingspan - (m) 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10,0 10.0 10.0 974 10.0 9.74
- (ft-in) 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 32-9.5 31-11.5 32-9.5 31-11.5
Wing area - (m') 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17.15 17,15 17.15 17.15
-(ft') 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184,6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6 1846 184.6 184.6 184.6 184.6
Empty weight - (kg) 2,318 2,364 2,429 2,394 2,412 2,350 2,395 2,257 2,316 2,450 2,550 2,181 2,477 2,638 2,450 2,490 2,694 2,452 2,745 2,528 2,360
- (Ib) 5,110 5,211 5,354 5,277 5,317 5,180 5,279 4,975 5,105 5,401 5,621 4,808 5,460 5,815 5,401 5,489 5,939 5,405 6,051 5,573 5,202
Gross weight - (kg) 2,700 2,844 2,934 2,883 2,917 2,780 2,900 2,757 2,884 2,928 3,130 2,750 2,960 3,160 2,935 3,010 3,235 2,904 3,370 3,048 2,835
- (Ib) 5,952 6,269 6,468 6,355 6,430 6,128 6,393 6,078 8,358 6,455 6,900 6,062 6,525 6,966 6,470 6,635 7,131 6,402 7,429 6,719 6,250
Speed at sea level- (km/h) 490.0 473.0 468.0 4780 510.0 526.0 523.0 551.0 531.0 515.0 476.0 500.0 471.0 469.0 495.0 514.0 485.0 500.0 515,0 547.0 505.0
- (mph) 304.4 293.9 290.8 297.0 316.9 326.8 324.9 342.3 329.9 3200 2957 310.6 292.6 291.4 307.5 319.3 301.3 310.6 320.0 339.8 313.8
Speed at altitude - (km/h) 585.0 573.0 560.0 563.0 571.0 592.0 590·0 630.0 592.0 650.0 571.0 586.0 560.0 556.0 571.0 570.0 564.0 611.0 615.0 612.0 570.0
-(@m) 4,800 4,860 4,800 4,850 3,850 3,800 3,850 3,400 4,100 9,000 4,900 4,500 5,000 5,100 5,000 3,650 4,730 7,600 6,400 4,000 3,900
- (mph) 363.5 356.0 347.9 349.8 354.8 367.8 366.6 391.4 367.8 403.9 354.8 364.1 347.9 345.4 354.8 354.1 350.4 379.6 382.1 380.2 354.1
-(@ft) 15,750 16,000 15,750 15,900 12,000 12,500 12,600 21,000 13,500 29,500 16,000 14,750 16,500 16,750 16,500 12,000 15.500 25,000 20,000 13,000 12,750
Climb to 5,000m (min) 6.0 5.3 6.8 5.9 6.4 4.7 5.6 4.5 5.4 5.2 7.0 5.5 6.8 7.5 6.4 5.8 7.2 5.4 5.6 47 5.5
- to 16,400ft (minutes) 6.0 5.3 68 5.9 6.4 4.7 5.6 4.5 5.4 5.2 7,0 5,5 6.8 7,5 6.4 5.8 7.2 5.4 5.6 4,7 55
Service ceiling - (m) 10,200 9,300 9,900 10,400 10,000 11,000 9,500 10,050 12,000 9,000 9,400 9,250 8,750 9,500 9,900 8,260 11,300 10,000 10,000 10,400
-(ft) 33,500 30,500 32,500 34,000 32,750 36,000 31,000 33,000 39,250 29,500 30,750 30,250 28,750 31,000 32,500 27.000 37,000 33,000 33,000 34,000
Turn time - (seconds) 24 20-21 19-20 19 19-20 17-18 18-19 19 19-20 22 24 22 21-22 19-20 23 19-20 24 19-20 17-18
Operational range - (km) 700 700 650 650 700 975 700 643 750 643 645 550 575 700 700 600
- (miles) 434 434 403 403 434 605 434 399 466 399 400 341 357 434 434 372
Take-off run - (m) 300 340 320 320 285 320 340 303 310 375 440 410 435 350 300
-(ft) 984 1,115 1,049 1,049 935 1,049 1,115 994 1,017 1,230 1,443 1,345 1,427 1,148 984
Landing roll - (m) 540 540 530 520 530 500 560 525 550 550 650 610 620 540 580
-(ft) 1,771 1,771 1,738 1,706 1,738 1,640 1,637 1.722 1,804 1,804 2,132 2,001 2,034 1,771 1,902
Armament - (mm) 1x 20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 3x20 2x 7.62 1x20 3x20 1x20 1x20 1x37 1x20 2x 20 2x20 1x20
2x7.62 2x7.62 2x 7.62 1x 127 2x 7.62 1x 12.7 1x 127 1x 12.7 1x7.62 2x7.62 2x 7.62 2x 7.62 2x 12.7 2x 127 1x 127 2x 12,7 1x12.7
 Specifications of the Vak-9 and Vak·3 variants

Yak·9 Yak·9T Yak·90 Yak·9 Yak·9P Yak·9K Yak·9B Yak·900 Yak·9M Yak·9PO Yak·9U Yak·9U Yak·9U Yak·9UT Yak·9U Yak·9P Yak·1M Yak·3 Yak·3 Yak·3U
prototype prototype production 'dooblyor'

Year of production 1943 1943 1943 1943 1943 1944 1944 1944 1944 1944 1943 1944 1944 1945 1946 1947 1943 1944 1944 1945
Powerplant M-105PF M-105PF M-105PF M-106 M-105PF M-105PF M-105PF VK-105PF VK-105PF VK-105PD VK-105PF-2 M-107A VK-107A VK.107A VK-107A VK-107A M-105PF-2 VK-107 VK-108 ASh-82FN
Power at altitude - (hp) 1,180 1,180 1,180 1,350 1,180 1,180 1,180 1,180 1,180 1,160 1,240 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,240 1,500 1,800 1,630
- (kW) 880 880 880 1,007 880 880 880 880 880 865 925 1,119 1,119 1,119 1,119 1,119 925 1,119 1,342 1,215
Length - (m) 8,5 8,65 8.5 8.5 8,5 8,87 8,5 8.5 8.5 8,6 8,5 8.6 8,6 8,6 8.5 8.5 8,5 8,5 8.17
- (ft-in) 27-10.5 28-4 27-10,5 27-10,5 27-10.5 29-1 27-10.5 27-10,5 27-10,5 28-2.5 27-10.5 28-2,5 28-2,5 28-2.5 27-10,5 27-10,5 27-10.5 27-10.5 26-9.5
Wingspan-(m I 9.74 9.74 9.74 9.74 9,74 9.74 9.74 9.74 9.74 10.74 9.74 9.74 9.74 9.74 9.74 9.74 9,2 9.2 9.2 9.74
- (ft-in) 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 35-2.75 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11.5 31-11,5 30,2 30.2 30,2 31-11.5
Wing area- (m') 17,15 17,15 17.15 17.15 17,15 17,15 17,15 17.15 17.15 17,65 17,15 17.15 17.15 17,15 17,15 17.15 14.85 14.85 14,85 17,15
-(ft') 184,6 184,6 184.6 184.6 184,6 184,6 184.6 184.6 184,6 189,9 184,6 184.6 184,6 184,6 184,6 184,6 159.8 159,8 159,8 184,6
Empty weight - (kg) 2,277 2,298 2,350 2,380 2,222 2,291 2,382 2,346 2,428 2,098 2,244 2,477 2,512 2,187 2,593 2,708 2,105 2,346 2,273
- (Ib) 5,019 5,066 5,180 5,246 4,898 5,050 5,251 5,171 5,352 4,625 4,947 5,460 5,537 4,821 5,716 5,970 4,640 5,171 5,011
Gross weight - (kg) 2,870 3,025 3,117 3,050 2,820 3,028 3,356 3,387 3,095 2,500 2,900 3,150 3,204 3,260 3,227 3,550 2,660 2,984 2,830 2,792
- (Ib) 6,327 6,668 6,871 6,723 6,216 6,675 7,398 7,466 6,823 5,511 6,393 6,944 7,063 7,186 7,114 7,826 5,864 6,578 6,238 6,155
Speed at sea level-(km/h) 520,0 533.0 535.0 531.0 505,0 518,0 507.0 522.0 518.0 503,0 558,0 600,0 575.0 578,0 569,0 590,0 570,0 611.0
-(mph) 323.1 331.1 332,4 329,9 313,8 321,8 315.0 324.3 321.8 312,5 346.7 372.8 357.2 359,1 353,5 366,6 354.1 379.6
Speed at altitude -(km/h) 599.0 597.0 591.0 602,0 576.0 573.0 562.0 584,0 573,0 620,0 620,0 700.0 672,0 671.0 672,0 660,0 651.0 720,0
-(@m) 4,300 3,930 3,650 3,250 3,950 3,900 3,750 3,900 3,750 10,500 3,850 5,500 5,000 4,900 5,700 5,000 4,300 5,750
- (mph) 372,2 370,9 348.5 374.0 357.9 356.0 349,2 362,8 356,0 385.2 385.2 434,9 417,5 416.9 417,5 410.1 404.5 447,3
-(@ft) 14,000 13,000 12,000 10,750 13,000 12,750 12,250 12,750 12,250 34,500 12,750 18,000 16,500 16,000 18,750 16,500 14,000 18,750
Climb to 5,000m (min) 5.1 5.5 6,1 5.4 5.4 5.7 6,5 6.8 6.1 5,6 4,8 4,1 5.0 5.2 4.8 5,8 4,1 3,9 3.5
- to 16,40Oft (minutes) 5.1 5,5 61 5.4 5.4 5.7 6.5 6.8 6.1 5,6 4,6 4,1 5.0 5.2 4.8 5,8 4,1 3.9 3.5
Service ceiling - (m) 11,100 10,000 9,100 10,100 8,600 9,400 9,500 13,100 10,400 10,650 10,700 11,100 10,500 10.800 11,800
-(ft) 36,500 32,750 29,750 33,000 28,250 30,750 31,000 43,000 34,000 35,000 35,000 36,500 34,500 35,500 38,750
Turn lime - (seconds) 16-17 18-19 19-20 17-18 25-26 26 19-20 19.5 18,5 20 20-21 21 17 18
Operational range - (km) 660 620 905 850 1,320 950 850 884 675 690 590 1,130 900 1,060
-(miles) 410 385 562 528 820 590 528 549 419 428 366 702 559 658
Take-off run - (m) 305 380 370 360 305 440 400 420 320 380 375 375 540 275 345
-(ft) 1,000 1,246 1,213 1,181 1,000 1,443 1,312 1,377 1,049 1,246 1,230 1,230 1,771 902 1,131
Landing roll- (m) 450 500 550 530 450 580 500 550 575 535 530 530 582 485 590
-(ft) 1,476 1,640 1,804 1,738 1,476 1,902 1,640 1,804 1,886 1,755 1,738 1,738 1,909 1,591 1,935
Armament - (mm) 1x20 1x37 1x20 1x20 2x 20 1x45 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x20 1x 23 1x20 1x20 1X37 1x 20 1x20 1x20 1x 20 1x 23 2x 20
1x 12.7 1x 12,7 1x 12.7 1x 12.7 1x 12.7 1x 12.7 1x 12.7 1x 12.7 2x? 2x 12,7 2x 12,7 1x20 2x 12,7 2x 12.7 2x 12,7 2x12.7
Above: This Yak-3 VK-105PF-2 painted to represent Major B. N. Yeryomin's second aircraft was preserved at the Yakovlev OKB museum. It is seen here at
Moscow-Tushino during one of the Aviation Day displays.

A Polish Air Force Yak-9P preserved in one of Poland's many aviation museums.

137
 The 1-26-1, the first prototype of the Yak-1

9 Blue, a mid-production Yak-1 with retractable skis, was flown

by Lt. Zakharov (Red Banner Baltic Fleet/73rd lAP) in 1942. The
serial superimposed on the star insignia is noteworthy.

This early-production Yak-1 (note canopy design) was the

mount of Col. I. M. Goosarov in 1942.

9 Black, a winter-camouflaged Yak-1 flown by the 'Normandie-

Nilf!men' regiment. The unit markings were initially limited to an
unobtrusive French roundel near the cockpit.

This sharkmouthed Yak-1 '11 White' of the 'Normandie-Niemen'

regiment was flown by Albert Durand in April 1943

138
 This colourful Yak-1 sporting ten 'kill' markings was flown by V.
----- Pokrovskiy (Hero of the Soviet Union), 2nd lAP.

Another highly decorated Yak-1; the signboard which the girl is

holding reads Pol'sha (Poland). This aircraft was the mount of
F. Morozov (HSU) of the 31st GvIAP.

Yak-1 '17 Red' of the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment flown by

Yves Bizien is inscribed To the defenders of the Stalingrad
Front from the collective farm workers of the Krasnoyarsk
District of the Saratov Region.

Yak-7A '14 White' was flown by A. V. Chirkov (HSU) of the 29th

GvIAP. Note the Order of the Red Banner of Combat painted on
the fuselage spine.

This Yak-7B was paid for by donations from Young Communist

League members of the Kuzbass region, hence the Komsomol
Kuzbassa logo. Note the KIM (Kommunisticheskiy Internatsional
Mo/odyozhi, Communist Youth International) badge on the star.

139
 This red-nosed Yak-7B of the 434th lAP was flown by Lt. (sg) V.
Orekhov on the Stalingrad Front in 1942. The red nose may
have been a quick-identification feature.

Yak-7B '65 Red' inscribed From the 'Politotdelets' (Political

Section Worker) collective farm to the defenders of Stalingrad
operated on the Stalingrad Front in the winter of 1942-43.

A late-production 'bubbletop' Yak-7B of the 42nd lAP which

operated on the North-Western Front in the autumn of 1942.
Note 'ye Scrolle of Honoure' showing four 'kill' markings;
surprisingly, these are swastikas instead of the usual stars.

The Yak-701 development aircraft which was effectively the first

prototype of the Yak-9. The titles on the tail read '7-01'.
\.

Red-nosed Yak-9 '14 White' was flown by Lt. Marcel Lefevre,

the CO of the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment. Note the Cyrillic
letter F on the tail, presumably meaning frantsooz (Frenchman)!

140
A famous aircraft. Yak-90 '22 White' adorned with the Guards
badge, the Order of the Red Banner of Combat and six 'kill'
stars flown by M. I. Grib (HSU), 6th GvIAP.

The temporary winter camouflage on this Yak-9 is beginning to

come away as a result of natural wear and tear, revealing the
green factory finish.

Yak-9T '92 White' belonged to the 3rd IAK in 1944. The unit's
winged star emblem went on to survive well into the 1990s and
was last worn by MiG-29s -- ironically, stationed in Germany.

40 White, a 'war weary' Yak-9 converted into a trainer in field

conditions. The yellow rudder is noteworthy.

Yak-9U '10 White' was operated by the 153rd GvlAP in 1945.

141
 Bulgarian Air Force Yak-90 '28 White', 1945.

This Yak-90 was flown by Wg Cdr James A. Storrer

(Royal Air Force/239 Wing) as a unit 'hack'.

100 White, A Yak-90 of the Polish Air Force's 1. PLM

'Warszawa' flown by Mikolaj Haustowicz in April 1945.
--

A North Korean Air Force Yak-9P, 1950.

Ex-North Korean Yak-9T '12-3002' was evaluated by the US Air

Force at Wright Patterson AFB in 1955

142
 -----~~------------~----------------------------------

A 150th GvlAP Yak-3 flown b y Lt. (sg) V. Orekhov

Yak-3 '100 White' was flown by I. Fyodorov (HSU), 812th lAP.

This Yak-3 is inscribed To Sergey Luganskiy, HSU, from the

Yaoung Communist League members and young people of
Alma-Ata.

-\

This colourful Yak-3 of the 'Normandie-Niemen' regiment was

flown by Roger Sauvage in the spring of 1945. Note the 15 'kill'
markings.

This is how the Yak-3s of 'Normandie-Niemen' looked in the

post-war years.

143
 Aerofax Aerofax Aerofax
M1KOYAN-GUREVICH YAKOVLEV Yak-2S/26/27/28 MIKOYAN-GUREVICH
MiG-1S Yakovlev's Tactical Twinjets MiG-17
Yefim Gordon Yefim Gordon Yefim Gordon

We hope you enjoyed

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Red Star Volume 1 Red Star Volume 2 Red Star Volume 3 Red Star Volume 4
SUKHOI 5-37 & MIKOYAN MFI FLANKERS: The New Generation POLIKARPOV'S 1-16 FIGHTER EARLY SOVIET JET
FIGHTERS
Yefim Gordon Yefim Gordon Yefim Gordon and Keith Dexter
Yefim Gordon

Conceived as an answer to the The multi-role Su-30 and Su-35 and Often dismissed because it did not fare This charts the development and
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