The Yak-3 aircraft is a Soviet fighter from the Second World War. It was created by aircraft designers of the Yakovlev Design Bureau. Its predecessor was adopted before the war itself. The Yak-3 is considered the most massive fighter designed in the USSR. In addition, given its flight performance, it is one of the best combat vehicles developed by Yakovlev Design Bureau for the entire period of military operations against Nazi Germany.
History of creation
In 1939, German designers completed work on the new Messerschmitt 109E machine. It was an all-metal monoplane equipped with a powerful engine and impressive weapons. Most of its flight performance was higher than that of aircraft developed by the Soviet designer Polikarpov and his team. At that time, it was his machines that formed the basis of the USSR fighter aircraft.
It is worth noting that in meetings held in the Kremlin, where issues related to the modernization of the country's air force were discussed, I.V. Stalin himself took part. Several dozen projects of various fighter aircraft were considered, but only three aircraft were selected for implementation: Lag-3 designers Lavochkin, Gorbunov and Gudkov, the future Mig-3 Gurevich and Mikoyan, as well as the Yak-1 Yakovlev.
Work on the creation of new machines gained momentum. At the beginning of 1940, the I-26 aircraft flew into the air, which was the prototype of the next generation of fighters. After that, the car was handed over for further state tests. In the same year, the I-26 was first presented to the general public at a military parade on November 7 in Moscow. Then the people that flooded the entire Red Square could observe how 5 pointed-nosed fighter jets flashed over it with great speed, completely unlike the already-familiar I-16s.
Soon, a special government decree was adopted, according to which the aircraft received their markings formed from the first letters of the names of their chief designers. As a result, the I-26 machine turned into a Yak-1. This fighter from the very beginning was different from other aircraft in that it was easy enough to fly, it had a relatively low weight and good maneuverability. In this case, the experience gained by this design bureau, which before that was engaged in the creation of mainly sports aircraft , affected . That is why the new car from the very beginning had good speed data.
For the Soviet aircraft designer Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, the middle of the war was almost the most fruitful stage in life. It is worth noting that by that time quite a lot of experience had already been gained in the use of military aircraft, so he, like no one else, could see both the strengths and weaknesses of not only their own aircraft, but also enemy fighters. In 1943, the industry of the Soviet Union was still able to stand on its own feet and provide the front with the necessary number of aircraft. The evacuated plants, as before, worked at full capacity, because the issue of the supply of aluminum and other materials so necessary for the construction of aircraft was successfully resolved.
At the height of the war, Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev and his team managed to develop several fairly successful modifications of the Yak-9 machine. In addition, aircraft designers were able to quickly prepare and launch into mass production their other offspring - the Yak-3, which later became one of the best fighters of that time. It is worth noting that during the development of the Yak-9, the goal was to create an aircraft capable of covering significant distances. In addition, it was equipped with powerful enough weapons. At the same time, the Yak-3 fighter was developed exclusively for conducting air combat.
Aircraft upgrade
In the early 40s of the last century, Soviet industry began to produce more powerful aircraft engines, so the designers decided to minimize the mass of the previously created Yak fighter and improve its basic aerodynamic characteristics. The design of this aircraft had to be completely revised. First of all, wing spars made of heavy wood were to be replaced. In the new version of the aircraft they were already lighter, duralumin.
Modernization touched other parts of the machine. So, it was decided to change the size of the wings in the new aircraft. After that, the area of each of them decreased by 2.3 m², and they also became shorter by one meter. Due to these rather simple solutions, it was possible to reduce the weight of the machine to 2665 kg and significantly increase its power output. Such modernization positively affected both the speed and maneuverability of the new Yak-3 fighter.
The next change in the design of the aircraft was to improve the aerodynamic properties of the wings and fuselage. Linen sheathing of the rear of the car was replaced by plywood, the tail wheel began to be removed, and the oil cooler tunnel was drowned directly into the fighter’s hull. A new M-105PF engine was also installed on it, after which the aircraft became known as the Yak-1M. His tests were carried out in early 1943. At the end of it, it became clear that the speed of the new car increased by 40 km / h, and also reduced the time for climbing 5 thousand meters to 4.1 minutes.
Further upgrade
September 1943 was marked by the release of the second experimental double fighter, which improved the cooling system for water and oil, while the oil cooler tunnel was put into the fuselage of the car. In addition, a mastless antenna was installed on the aircraft, and the ring sight was replaced with a collimator one.
Designers also took care of improving the booking of the fighter. The new model of a single-engine aircraft was equipped with another propeller and a more powerful forced engine M-105PF-2, whose power was 110 horsepower.
Test
Finally, in October of the same year, testing began, the first results of which showed that the flight characteristics of the backup fighter became much better. With a climb of 4300 m, its speed was 651 km / h. At that time, the Yak-1M in terms of its high flight performance surpassed not only all fighters in the USSR, but also its foreign counterparts that existed at that time. At the end of the tests, a special commission drew up an official act, which highlighted such advantages of the aircraft as good vertical maneuverability and ease of operation, which did not require too high pilot qualifications.
Major General Stefanovsky, who took part in the tests, recommended that this fighter be put into serial production as soon as possible. In 1944, the air forces of the Soviet Union received a new machine, which was called the Yak-3. It was designed to replace the heavier and slower fighter, which ceased to meet the requirements of the time.
Yak-3 at the front
The release of aircraft was established very quickly. Their construction was carried out simultaneously at two aircraft plants located in Saratov and Tbilisi. In a short time they managed to produce more than 4.8 thousand cars. Given the fact that the Yak-3 fighter got to the front quite quickly, one can only be surprised at the pace of its production.
Already in June 1944, the first batch of production aircraft entered service with the 91st IAP (Fighter Aviation Regiment) of the 2nd Air Army took part in the offensive operation, which was conducted in the direction of Lviv. It is known that about half of the entire flight crew was formed from young inexperienced pilots who had never before taken part in air battles. However, in a month and a half they made more than 420 sorties and conducted 5 group battles with the enemy, destroying 23 enemy vehicles. Losses amounted to only two Yak-3.
Airplane Reviews
In general, the main technical characteristics of the Yak-3 suited pilots, however, along with the advantages of this fighter, it had a number of disadvantages. The main one is a relatively small supply of fuel, which did not allow pilots to stay in the air for a longer time, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to hunt for enemy aircraft. There were also recorded cases when, when the car exited the dive, the skin of the upper wing fragment could come off. Pilots knew firsthand about this drawback, so they always tried not to use the aircraft to the limit of its capabilities.
However, despite the flaws in the design of the fighter, the maneuverable, high-speed and lightweight Yak-3 managed to gain popularity among Soviet pilots. At that time, it was still an ideal machine created by talented designers for the successful conduct of air battles. Faced with the enemy aircraft BF-109 in the sky, our fighters came into his tail after several turns horizontally or from one vertical turn. And such a heavy machine as the German FW-190 had practically no chance of winning the fight against the Yak-3.
Allied Incident
November 1944, Yugoslavia. By an absurd accident, Soviet pilots mistook the American P-38 Lightning aircraft for German ones. An aerial battle took place, during which the Allies lost four of their vehicles. Only after that, the two parties to the conflict finally managed to establish cooperation. Mention of this incident is in the reports of the Americans. According to their version, the outcome of the battle was somewhat different. So, according to them, they managed to destroy seven Soviet fighters.
It would be wrong to say that the Yak-3 displaced the rest of the Soviet fighter aircraft, which had more powerful weapons or had a longer range. He simply harmoniously supplemented them. Pilots on the Yak-3 with its high flight performance were able to achieve huge positive results. And an unprecedented emotional lift, characteristic of the final stage of the war, put this fighter plane on a par with other Victory symbols, such as Katyusha and the T-34 tank.
Fuselage
Its power structure consisted of chrome-force pipes, to the front of which a motor mount was welded. Front fuselage formed metal engine hoods. The tail of the aircraft was lined with plywood.
The Yak-3 cockpit was located in the center of the fuselage and was closed by a lantern, which consisted of three parts. The middle one was mobile. The pilot's armor was 8.5 mm thick behind the pilot. In addition, the rear section of the lantern had bulletproof glass, and the armrest of the pilot covered the left hand of the pilot. The middle section had an emergency reset system designed to leave the aircraft in case of emergency.
Wings and tail
These parts of the machine were made simultaneously from several materials. It is known that in the manufacture of fighter wings, the manufacturer Yak-3 used duralumin, plywood, wood and canvas. The combination of just such materials and gave extraordinary lightness and maneuverability of this model of aircraft.
The wings had a two-spar structure, working plywood sheathing and several wooden ribs, and on the outside they were glued with a cloth. Their mechanization included landing flaps and ailerons. Already after the end of the war, the experimental Yak-3 was released, the lining of which was made of duralumin, but this version of the aircraft was never launched into the series.
The wing of this car had the so-called standard Yakolev profile. Its relative thickness was 7% at the end and 14% at the wing root. The fighter skin was glued to the plywood plates, which, in turn, were riveted to the metal frame. As shown by combat experience, such a connection was not strong enough.
As for the tail unit of the Yak-3 fighter, it consisted of a solid wood keel and a stabilizer. The height and course control was carried out using a steering wheel made of metal, and then covered with a sheathing from the canvas.
Chassis Yak-3
It was a retractable three-support system consisting of one tail and two support legs. The latter were equipped with air-oil shock absorbers. The release and cleaning of the chassis took place through a pneumatic system. The tail stand was removed by a specially designed cable drive for these purposes.
The pneumatic system was also controlled by the chassis brakes along with the landing flaps. This type of regulation compared to the hydraulic one used by the designer Lavochkin in their planes was less reliable and caused a lot of trouble for both pilots and technicians. However, it was much cheaper and, importantly, easier.
Power system and radiator
The Yak-3 engine was a V-shaped VK-105PF2 water-cooled engine with a rated power of 1240 horsepower. In addition, the power system of the aircraft included a variable pitch propeller. On fighter jets developed by Yakovlev Design Bureau designers, gas tanks with a total volume of 370 liters were always located in the wings of cars. One of the tanks was located in the center section, and the other two - in consoles. They had protection in the form of a tread filled with neutral gas.
Perhaps the main feature of the Yak-3 aircraft is that its radiator, which contributes to the cooling of water, is located inside the fuselage. At the same time, the channel through which air was supplied was somewhat expanded. This has greatly improved the aerodynamic characteristics of the fighter. Actions with a damper of a water radiator were made in the automatic mode. In the cold season, antifreeze was added to the water, and the oil was diluted with gasoline.
Oil radiators located in the center section were made according to the same principle. Their cooling was carried out by means of air supplied through air intakes located in the wing of the wing.
On-board equipment and weapons
The Soviet Yak-3 fighter was equipped with a minimum set of equipment, which allowed the pilot to conduct air battles only during the day and under favorable weather conditions. This was done for the sole purpose of making the aircraft as light as possible. However, it is worth noting that on most machines installed radio stations transmitting “Eagle” and receiving “Baby”.
The armament of the Yak-3 included an automatic ShVAK gun, which was installed directly in the collapse of the engine cylinders, and one, and sometimes two UB machine guns. Shooting from the gun was carried out through the screw bushing and gearbox shaft. His ammunition consisted of 120 rounds. Also, the fighter was equipped with a collimator type sight.
Color
The Yak-3 was put into production at the end of the war, when the Nazis almost completely stopped bombing our airfields. In the circumstances, the need for camouflage machines under the earth's surface or the color of vegetation has disappeared. Now it was necessary to make sure that in flight fighters visually merged with the heavenly surface. Several experiments were carried out, which established that the best option is to paint the fighter in light gray or in two shades of the same color - dark and lighter.
The result was a rather boring picture, so they began to supplement the war paint with a variety of regimental designations, inscriptions, individual emblems and marks on the number of air victories.
Dimensions Yak-3 and other characteristics of the aircraft
Below are the main parameters of the famous fighter:
- height - 2.42 m;
- length - 8.5 m;
- wing span - 9.2 m;
- maximum speed - 645 km / h;
- power - 1800 horsepower;
- engine - VK-105PF2;
- wing area - 14.85 sq. m;
- normal take-off weight - 2830 kg;
- practical flight range - 1060 km;
- maximum rate of climb - 1111 m / min;
- crew - 1 person.
Conclusion
This article is devoted to a brief review of the Yak-3, a fighter that at the end of the war allowed Soviet pilots to fight on equal terms with German air aces, who were at the controls of such well-known aircraft brands as Messerschmitt BF109 and Fokke-Wulf FW190. There is a lot of evidence that the pilots highly valued this car, because it was easy to drive and had powerful weapons.
Many Soviet and even foreign aces pilots managed to go at the helm of the Yak-3, including fighters of the famous Normandy-Neman regiment. For example, the French pilots, when they themselves were asked to choose a fighter from among the Soviet, American and British aircraft on which they were to fly, preferred the Yak-3. As time has shown, they were not mistaken, since they acted on them very successfully. In just ten days of the fall of 1944, they managed to bring down more than a hundred enemy aircraft on the Yak-3, and these were mainly Me-109G and FW-190. Needless to say, the Luftwaffe pilots in every possible way avoided fights involving the Yak-3.
After the war, this aircraft was in service with several foreign countries, such as Poland, Albania, Yugoslavia and Hungary. Subsequently, on the basis of the Yak-3, a little less than twenty versions of this aircraft were developed, but only 11 of them were mass-produced.