Yakovlev AIR-6
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1934 |
| Founder | Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev |
| Headquarters | Soviet Union |
The Yakovlev AIR-6 was a Soviet-era light utility airplane developed during the 1930s. This single-engine, high-wing monoplane was crafted by Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, with a total production count of 128 units.
Design and development
In 1932, while serving as an engineering supervisor at the Polikarpov design bureau (OKB), the Soviet aircraft designer Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev created the AIR-5. This model was a five-seat, high-wing monoplane featuring a steel tube fuselage combined with wooden wings and powered by an American Wright J-4 Whirlwind radial engine producing 149 kW (200 hp). Despite successfully completing State acceptance testing, the AIR-5 did not enter production due to the lack of a domestically produced engine to replace the imported powerplant.
To address this limitation, Yakovlev developed a smaller aircraft based on the AIR-5’s design but equipped with the more readily available 75 kW (100 hp) Shvetsov M-11 engine. This new model, designated as the AIR-6, retained much of the AIR-5’s structural framework while incorporating landing gear components from the Polikarpov U-2 and tail assemblies derived from the Tupolev I-5 fighter. The cockpit accommodated a pilot and one or two passengers in tandem within an enclosed cabin, fulfilling its role as a light utility aircraft.
Operational history
The AIR-6 prototype took to the skies in 1932 and successfully completed state acceptance evaluations by October 1933. Following an incident involving the Yakovlev AIR-7 sport plane, which was attributed to a design flaw by Yakovlev, he was dismissed from the Polikarpov design bureau. This setback postponed production until Yakovlev was permitted to establish his own design bureau, with manufacturing commencing in 1934. In total, 128 AIR-6 units were produced, including several modified with floats and 20 configured specifically as ambulance aircraft.
Operators
Specifications
See also
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
- Gordon, Yefim, Dmitry Komissarov and Sergey Komissarov. OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2005.
- Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1975–1995. London: Osprey, 1995.
- Walg, A. J. "Hordes no More." Air International, March 1996, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 165–171.