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Yakovlev Yak-18

From Alfawiki
Yakovlev
IndustryAerospace
Founded1934
FounderAlexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev
Headquarters
Soviet Union
ProductsAircraft, including the Yak-18 trainer


This article is about the military trainer plane. For the unrelated utility model, see Yakovlev Yak-18T.

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The Yakovlev Yak-18 (Russian: Яковлев Як-18; known by NATO as Max) is a tandem-seat, two-person primary military trainer aircraft developed and manufactured in the Soviet Union. It was initially equipped with a single 119 kW (160 hp) Shvetsov M-11FR-1 five-cylinder radial piston engine and entered operational service in 1946. Production also took place in China, where it was designated the Nanchang CJ-5.

Design and development

File:1986 CPA 5782 (1).png
1986 Soviet postage stamp honoring the Yak-18

Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, renowned primarily for his fighter aircraft designs and a leading figure among the second generation of Soviet aircraft engineers, continuously maintained a focus on light aircraft within his design bureau. In May 1945, he commenced work on the Yak-18, intended as a two-seat primary trainer to succeed the older Yakovlev UT-2 and Yakovlev Yak-5 models used by the Soviet Air Force and DOSAAF (the Voluntary Society for Cooperation with the Army, Air Force, and Navy, which supported aero clubs across the USSR). The preceding year, an advanced iteration of the UT-2 had incorporated many features that would be standard on the Yak-18. The new aircraft achieved its maiden flight one year later, powered by the 119 kW (160 hp) Shvetsov M-11 radial engine, equipped with pneumatically actuated retractable main landing gear and a fixed tailwheel. It began service as a trainer that same year and remained in production by Yakovlev until 1956. From 1950 onward, kits were exported to China, where licensed manufacture commenced in 1954 under the name CJ-5.

The Yak-18 gained notable recognition for its role as a night bomber operated by the North Korean Air Force during the Korean War. Modified with bomb racks installed on the wing center section, these aircraft conducted nocturnal raids over United Nations forces' positions to disrupt and harass enemy troops. Among North Korea’s most effective air operations during the conflict was an attack in June 1953 near Inchon where four or five Yak-18s destroyed a fuel depot containing approximately 5.5 millionUS gallons (21 millionL; 4.6 millionimp gal) of fuel. The distinctive sound of its five-cylinder engine reminded U.S. servicemen of early gasoline-powered washing machines, earning it nicknames such as "Washing Machine Charlie" and "Bed Check Charlie." Alongside Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, these night intruders became persistent threats until American night fighters began intercepting them; incidents included one night fighter crashing while engaging a Bed Check Charlie and another resorting to ramming its target.

Additional distinctions of the Yak-18 include setting an international speed record within its class in 1951 and serving as the initial flight training platform for notable figures such as Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into space, as well as Ken Rowe (No Kum-Sok), who defected from North Korea piloting a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 during the Korean War. As demand for trainers with conventional landing gear diminished, Yakovlev introduced an updated version featuring retractable tricycle landing gear paired with a more powerful Ivchenko AI-14RF radial engine producing 224 kW (300 hp), designated the Yak-18A. This iteration was praised for its straightforward construction and ease of maintenance.

Worldwide, around forty original Yak-18 airframes are believed to survive. Of these, five remain airworthy within the United States, three are operational in Europe, while one example is maintained by the Chinese Air Force along with several others held in storage. Approximately four additional units are undergoing restoration to flight statusTemplate:Date?. Numerous museums globally exhibit this model, including the National Air and Space Museum in the United States. Although often confused with the Nanchang CJ-6 produced in China, that aircraft is entirely distinct—designed domestically by Bushi Cheng and manufactured by Nanchang Aircraft Company—and should not be considered a variant of the Yak-18.

Operational history

File:YAK-18 Formation.jpg
Yak-18s performing an aerobatic formation
File:Yak-18PM 07 700108 HULVTN 26.07.70 edited-2.jpg
Soviet Yak-18PM single-seat aerobatic plane participating in the 1970 World Aerobatic Championship at RAF Hullavington, England

The Yak-18 served as the principal trainer aircraft for Air Force flying academies and DOSAAF, enjoying extensive deploymentTemplate:Fix/category[citation needed] in China as well as numerous other nations.

Images from March 2014 depicting Kim Jong-Un visiting a North Korean Air Force facility imply that North Korea might still operate original Yak-18s or CJ-5s in a bomber capacity.[1]

Variants

File:Yakovlev Yak-18A.jpg
Yak-18A
Yak-18
The initial production model featuring retractable main landing gear and a fixed tailwheel.
Yak-18U
Produced in limited quantities, this variant incorporated retractable tricycle landing gear.
Yak-18A
A refined iteration of the Yak-18U equipped with a 194 kW (260 hp) Ivchenko AI-14 FR engine, manufactured in significant numbers.
Yak-18P (NATO codename Mouse)
A single-seat aerobatic model derived from the two-seat Yak-18 trainer, intended for flying club use.
Yak-18PM
Single-seat aerobatic aircraft fitted with retractable tricycle landing gear.
Yak-18PS
An aerobatic version featuring retractable main landing gear.
Hongzhuan-501 (Red Craftsman)
Likely the original designation assigned to early CJ-5 production models.
Nanchang CJ-5
The Yak-18 produced under license in China as the CJ-5, utilized by the PLAAF, PLANAF, and civilian flying organizations; production ceased after 379 units by 1958.

Similar model designation

The Yakovlev Yak-18T was developed as a training aircraft for Aeroflot and also functioned as a light passenger transport accommodating one pilot and three passengers. Despite its name, it is unrelated to the Yak-18 series and was designed independently two decades later.

Operators

File:Yakolev Yak-18 '19 white' (SP-AOU) (15328409673).jpg
Polish Air Force Yak-18 displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum
File:Yakolev Yak-18 ‘30’ (N18YK) (26272324183).jpg
North Korean Air Force Yak-18
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Armenia
Austria
Bulgaria
Cambodia
China
Czechoslovakia
East Germany
Egypt
Guinea
Hungary
Iraq
Kazakhstan
Laos
Mali
Mongolia
North Korea
Poland
Romania
Somalia
Soviet Union
Syria
Transnistria
Turkmenistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia

Specifications (Yak-18A)

File:Yakovlev Yak-18 3-view silhouette.jpg
Three-view illustration of the Yak-18

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See also

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References

  1. ↑ http://spioenkop.blogspot.it/2014/03/north-korea-forgotten-aircraft-yak-18cj.html Template:Self-published source
  2. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 49−50.
  3. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 62−63.
  4. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 77−78.
  5. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 92−93.
  6. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 133−134.
  7. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 111−113.
  8. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 158−159.
  9. ↑ Wragg 2011, p. 174.
  10. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 190−191.
  11. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 195−196.
  12. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 176−177.
  13. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 229−230.
  14. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 235−236.
  15. ↑ Wragg 2011, pp. 273−274.
  16. ↑ Transnistrian military aviation OrBat

Bibliography

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External links

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