Yakovlev Yak-14

Yakovlev Yak-14

Company type	Military glider
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1948
Headquarters	Rostov-on-Don , Soviet Union
Products	Assault glider

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The Yakovlev Yak-14 (Russian: Яковлев Як-14; known by NATO as Crow or Mare) represented the largest assault glider ever adopted by the Soviet Air Force. Entering service in 1949, it was developed at a period when many other nations were discontinuing the use of gliders. Notably, in 1950, a Yak-14 became the first glider to complete a flight over the North Pole.

Design and development

Throughout World War II, Soviet forces utilized only lightweight gliders such as the Gribovsky G-11, Antonov A-7, and Kolesnikov-Tsybin KC-20, none of which were capable of transporting vehicles, light tanks, or artillery pieces. It was only postwar that Soviet engineers received directives to design medium-sized gliders able to carry heavier or more cumbersome cargo. In response to a 1948 requirement from the Soviet Air Forces for a large assault glider to support the VDV (Vozdushnodesantnyye Voyska – airborne troops), the aircraft was to handle payloads up to 3,500 kilograms (7,700 lb). This included the transportation of items such as an anti-tank or field gun along with its crew and towing vehicle, or alternatively up to 35 soldiers. The Yakovlev design bureau was tasked with creating an aircraft fulfilling these demands despite limited prior experience with large-scale aircraft projects.

The resulting Yak-14 featured a high-wing monoplane configuration with a fuselage of rectangular cross-section constructed from steel tubing and duralumin framework covered in fabric. To facilitate cargo handling, the nose section swung open to the right while the tail pivoted leftward. The cockpit, positioned above the left side of the fuselage, housed two pilots seated side by side. They were equipped with an instrument that received signals from the towing plane, enabling them to monitor relative positioning during flights conducted in cloud cover. The wings combined duralumin and fabric materials and were supported by a single strut on each side connecting them to the fuselage. Equipped with large slotted trailing-edge flaps, the wings enhanced lift during landing and takeoff phases. The fixed tricycle landing gear included a nosewheel that could "kneel" by deflating air from pneumatic shock absorbers, lowering the fuselage for easier loading or allowing brief belly landings on skids mounted beneath.

Testing

The initial prototype completed its first flight in June 1948 at Medvyezhe Ozero, close to Omsk. During official evaluations, several modifications were implemented, including the addition of a prominent dorsal fin and spoilers to shorten landing distances. Furthermore, the glider's payload capacity was enhanced to accommodate an ASU-57 assault gun. Consequently, the Yak-14 successfully passed acceptance trials conducted between August and September 1949, leading to its commencement of mass production later that year.

Although some Yak-14 units were manufactured at Chkalovsk, the bulk of production occurred in Rostov-on-Don. In total, 413 series gliders were produced.

Operational history

Throughout the 1950s, the Yak-14 played a crucial role within Soviet operations as it was the sole method for airlifting substantial cargoes to remote Soviet regions without dismantling them. The standard towing aircraft was the Ilyushin Il-12.

In 1950, one Yak-14 was flown to the North Pole, demonstrating its operational reach. Another notable display of its adaptability occurred in March 1954 when four Yak-14 gliders undertook an extended flight to an ice station situated on an ice floe drifting in the Arctic Ocean. Supplies delivered included a large bulldozer. The journey began from Tula on March 10, with stops at Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Schmidt Cape on Sakhalin island in the Far East before arriving at SP-4 in early April amid severe freezing conditions.

A limited number of Yak-14s were supplied to Czechoslovakia during the early 1950s, where they were designated NK-14.

With the introduction of turboprop transports such as the Antonov An-24 and Antonov An-12 in the late 1950s, Soviet Air Force transport gliders like the Yak-14 were gradually phased out.

Variants

Yak-14

Standard production model.

Yak-14M

Version with enhanced payload capacity produced starting in 1951.

NK-14 (Nákladní kluzák – cargo glider)

Yak-14 units delivered to Czechoslovakia

Operators

Template:CZS

• Czechoslovak Air Force

Template:USSR

• Soviet Air Force

Specifications (Yak-14)

File:Jak-14.svg

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Yak-14 on Ugolok Neba (in Russian)
• Gordon, Yefim, Dmitry Komissarov, and Sergey Komissarov. OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-203-9.
• Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1975–1995. London, UK: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
• Gunston, Bill and Yefim Gordon. Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1997. ISBN 1-55750-978-6.