Yakovlev Yak-17
| Company type | Jet fighter aircraft |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Headquarters | Soviet Union |
| Products | Military jet fighters |
The Yakovlev Yak-17 (Russian: Яковлев Як-17; designated Type 16 by the USAF/DOD and known by NATO as Feather) represents one of the earliest jet fighters developed in the Soviet Union. Derived from the Yak-15, its most notable advancement was the implementation of a tricycle landing gear system. The trainer variant, designated Yak-17UTI and codenamed Magnet by NATO, was unique as the sole Soviet jet trainer introduced during the 1940s. Both versions saw limited export, but the Yak-17 was rapidly superseded by the more advanced Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 starting in 1950.
Design and development
Following the state acceptance trials of the Yak-15 in May 1947, recommendations were made to equip the aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage better suited to jet operations. Consequently, the Yakovlev design bureau initiated development of an improved model named Yak-15U or Yak-15U-RD-10 (uloochshenny, meaning improved).
To accommodate this, the main landing gear was repositioned behind the aircraft's center of gravity, relocating it aft of the front wing spar. When retracted, these wheels occupied much of the space between spars, which forced a significant redesign of the fuel tanks, reducing their volume to approximately 680 liters (150 gallons). To compensate for this reduced capacity, two 200-liter (44 imp gal; 53 U.S. gal) drop tanks were installed beneath each wingtip. The addition of these tip tanks required structural reinforcement of the wings to preserve a maximum load factor of 12g. The vertical stabilizer was expanded in size, and most production models featured a periscope mounted above the windscreen for enhanced visibility. Armament configurations, onboard systems, and equipment remained largely consistent with earlier models.[1]
Manufacturing commenced in 1948. Cumulatively, production across all Yak-15 and Yak-17 variants reached 717 units.[1]
Operational history
The Yak-17 made its debut to the public during the Soviet Aviation Day event in 1949, held at Tushino Airfield.
In service, the Yak-17 inherited many shortcomings from its forerunner, such as limited speed and range, alongside an engine prone to reliability issues. This powerplant was still derived from the German Junkers Jumo 004 and required a complex startup routine. Conversely, the aircraft's flight characteristics were straightforward and resembled those of well-regarded propeller-driven fighters like the Yak-3 and Yak-9, making it an ideal platform for transitioning pilots to jet-powered aircraft. Consequently, the trainer variant Yak-17UTI comprised the bulk of production, with nearly all mass-produced Yak-17s being this tandem-seat, dual-control trainer model, which served a critical role across all Soviet aviation branches.
Existing Yak-17 examples are displayed at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino, near Moscow, as well as at the Prague Aviation Museum located at Kbely Airport outside Prague, Czech Republic. Preserved Yak-17UTI models can be found at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków and the Chinese Aviation Museum near Beijing.
Variants
- Yak-15U (Yak-15U-RD-10): An enhanced version of the Yak-15 featuring a tricycle landing gear and external drop tanks; this model served as the prototype for the Yak-17 series.
- UTI Yak-17-RD10 (Yak-21T): A two-seat trainer adaptation of the Yak-15U equipped with a long greenhouse canopy over tandem cockpits and tricycle landing gear; this is unrelated to the earlier Yak-17-RD10.
- Yak-21T: An alternative designation for the UTI Yak-17-RD10 variant, with T standing for Tryokhkolyosnoye shassee ("tricycle landing gear"); it has no connection to the earlier Yak-21 model.
- Yak-17: Production fighter versions fitted with tricycle undercarriage.
- Yak-17UTI: The most widely manufactured Yak-17 variant, this tandem-seat dual-control trainer featured significantly reduced fuel capacity due to removal of wingtip tanks. Initially planned to carry a single UBS machine gun, this armament was omitted in production units. In American service, it was designated "Type 26" and assigned the ASCC reporting name "Magnet."
Operators
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- The Bulgarian Air Force operated a limited number of Yak-17UTI trainers between 1951 and 1954.
- The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) acquired one Yak-17UTI specifically for training pilots transitioning to the MiG-9. Between 1950 and 1951, they imported 43 Yak-17s. These aircraft were later utilized to retrain former La-9 and La-11 pilots for flying the MiG-15.
- The Czechoslovak Air Force conducted evaluation flights with one Yak-17.
- Between 1950 and 1955, the Polish Air Force operated three Yak-17s (referred to as Jak-17) along with eleven Yak-17UTIs (known as Jak-17UTI or Jak-17W).
- The Instytut Lotnictwa obtained one Yak-17 from Polish Air Force inventory and conducted tests under civilian registration SP-GLM from 1957 to 1960.
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- The Romanian Air Force used nine Yak-17UTIs as trainers for their Yak-23 fleet during 1951–1958.
- The Soviet Air Force operated Yak-17 fighters from 1948 through the early 1950s.
Specifications (Yak-17)
See also
Citations
Bibliography
- Gordon, Yefim & Kommissarov, Dmitry. Early Soviet Jet Fighters. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2014. ISBN 978-1-90210935-0.
- Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon. The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books, 1994. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.
- Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
- Mikolajczuk, Marian. Yakovlev Yak-23: The First Yakovlev Jet Fighters. Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus, 2008. ISBN 978-83-89450-54-8.
External links
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