Yakovlev Yak-38

Yakovlev Design Bureau

Industry	Aerospace, Defense
Founder	A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau
Headquarters	Soviet Union
Products	Aircraft (including Yakovlev Yak-38)

The Yakovlev Yak-38 (Russian: Яковлев Як-38; known by NATO as "Forger") represented the only operational vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) strike fighter within the Soviet Naval Aviation fleet, as well as being their inaugural carrier-capable fixed-wing aircraft. This model was purpose-built primarily for deployment aboard the Kiev-class Kiev-class aircraft carriers, classified in Russian terminology as heavy aviation cruisers.

Design and development

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Diagram illustrating lift forces acting on a Yak-38 during VTOL operations

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Close-up image of the intake ducts serving the smaller VTOL lift engines

Conceived by the A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau, initial concepts envisioned a supersonic platform bearing a strong resemblance to the British Hawker P.1154 project, powered by two R27-300 engines. However, due to anticipated developmental challenges associated with supersonic capabilities, the design was scaled back to produce a simpler craft capped at approximately Mach 0.95. Although both the Yak-38 and its improved variant, the Yak-38M, trace lineage to the land-based Yakovlev Yak-36, they share minimal commonality in design.

The prototype VM-01 reached completion on 14 April 1970. While it bore superficial similarity to the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, its internal configuration was fundamentally distinct. Instead of a single vectored thrust engine, it employed one vectorable main engine at the rear for flight propulsion, supplemented by two smaller and less powerful lift engines housed within the forward fuselage section exclusively engaged during vertical takeoff and landing phases.

Safety features included an automatic ejection seat system that activated if a lift engine failed during takeoff or if the aircraft exceeded a roll angle of 60 degrees, ensuring pilot egress under critical conditions.

Operational history

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A Yak-38M displayed at the MAKS exhibition in 1993

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The Folded wing mechanism of a Yak-38

Most of the early Yak-36M production units were assigned to the 279 OKShAP (Otdelny Korabelny Shturmovoy Aviatsionny Polk, or Independent Shipboard Attack Air Regiment), which was initially stationed at Saki, the AV-MF’s training base located in Crimea.

In July 1979, the aircraft carrier Minsk reached the Sea of Japan, with its home port established at Strelok Bay. The Yak-38 squadron aboard was provided by the 311 OKShAP, which operated under the authority of the Pacific Fleet.Template:Fix/category

September 1982 saw the commissioning of Novorossiysk, the third vessel of the Kiev-class carriers. By this stage, V/STOL operations had been extensively refined, leading to enhanced Yak-38 performance and capabilities that were demonstrated during Novorossiysk's transit from Severomorsk to join the Pacific Fleet. On 16 December 1982, two armed Yak-38s launched from Minsk intercepted U.S. aircraft from the carrier Enterprise over the Arabian Sea. This incident represented the first occasion on which Soviet VTOL aircraft engaged American planes while equipped with missiles.

Beyond deployment on Kiev-class carriers, the Yak-38 also operated in maritime environments from alternative platforms. In September 1983, pilots from AV-MF flew from the civilian Ro-Ro ship Agostinho Neto, while NII-VVS (Air Force Scientific Test Institute) aviators performed additional trials aboard another Ro-Ro vessel, Nikolai Cherkasov. Both operations utilized heat-resistant landing platforms. Further land-based experiments evaluated the feasibility of dispersed landing platforms, paralleling concepts employed by the British Royal Air Force with Harrier jets stationed in West Germany.

Variants

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A Soviet Yak-38 Forger with landing gear extended

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Yak-38U

Yak-36M "Forger"

This was the initial pre-production model, exhibiting minor differences compared to the Yak-38. It had a weight of 6,650 kg (14,660 lb), lighter than the Yak-38's 7,370 kg (16,250 lb), and featured engines with slightly reduced power.

Yak-38 "Forger-A"

The first production variant, which achieved its maiden flight on 15 January 1971 and was inducted into Soviet Naval Aviation service on 11 August 1976. A total of 143 units were manufactured.

Yak-38M "Forger-A"

An enhanced iteration of the Yak-38 distinguished primarily by its Tumansky R-28V-300 and Rybinsk RD-38 engines. The maximum VTOL takeoff weight increased from 10,300 kg (22,700 lb) to 11,300 kg (24,900 lb), and reached 12,000 kg (26,000 lb) during short takeoff mode. The air intakes were marginally enlarged, and underwing pylons strengthened to support a weapons payload of up to 2,000 lb (910 kg). The Yak-38M entered service with Soviet Naval Aviation after June 1985; production totaled 50 aircraft.

Yak-38U "Forger-B"

This two-seat trainer version served Soviet Naval Aviation and featured an extended fuselage accommodating a dual-seat cockpit arrangement. The Yak-38U was introduced on 15 November 1978, with a total of thirty-eight units completed by 1981.

Unrealized projects

Yak-39

A multi-role VTOL fighter and attack aircraft concept from 1983, designed to utilize a single R-28V-300 engine alongside two RD-48 engines. It featured the PRNK-39 avionics package, the S-41D multi-mode radar, an enlarged wing, enhanced fuel storage, and a broader array of weaponry compatible with Shkval or Kaira precision-guided munition systems.

Operators

Template:USSR

• Soviet Navy
  • Soviet Naval Aviation

Template:Country data Ukraine

• Ukrainian Navy
  • Ukrainian Naval Aviation (previous operator; operated in limited numbers as land-based fighters following the Soviet Union's dissolution; currently retired from service)

See also

Bibliography

• Wilson, Stewart. Combat Aircraft since 1945. Fyshwick, Australia: Aerospace Publications, 2000. ISBN 1-875671-50-1.
• "Yak-36 Forger—interim V/Stol." Flight International, 2 May 1981.

External links

• Yak-38 photo collection
• Template:Usurped
• Walkaround images of two Yak-38s at Monino Aviation Museum, Russia