Yakovlev Yak-11
| Yak-11 | |
|---|---|
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| Role | Training aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Yakovlev, Let |
| First flight | 10 November 1945 |
| Introduction | 1946 |
| Retired | 1962 |
| Primary user | Soviet Air Force |
| Number built | 4,566 |
The Yakovlev Yak-11 (Russian: Яковлев Як-11; NATO reporting name: "Moose") is a trainer aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force and other Soviet-influenced air forces from 1947 until 1962.
Contents
History
The Yakovlev design bureau began work on an advanced trainer based on the successful Yak-3 fighter in mid 1944, although the trainer was of low priority owing to the ongoing Second World War.[1] The first prototype of the new trainer, designated Yak-UTI or Yak-3UTI flew in late 1945. It was based on the radial-powered Yak-3U, but with the new Shvetsov ASh-21 seven-cylinder radial replacing the ASh-82 of the Yak-3U.[2][nb 1] It used the same all-metal wings as the Yak-3U, with a fuselage of mixed metal and wood construction. Pilot and observer sat in tandem under a long canopy with separate sliding hoods. A single synchronised UBS 12.7 mm machine gun and wing racks for two 100 kg (220 lb) bombs comprised the aircraft's armament.[3]
An improved prototype flew in 1946, with revised cockpits and a modified engine installation with the engine mounted on shock absorbing mounts.[2] This aircraft successfully passed state testing in October 1946, with production beginning at factories in Saratov and Leningrad in 1947.[4]
Production Yak-11s were heavier than the prototypes, with later batches fitted with non-retractable tail wheels and revised propellers. A 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun was sometimes fitted instead of the UBS, while some were fitted with rear-view periscopes above the windscreen.[4] In total, Soviet production amounted to 3,859 aircraft between 1947 and 1955. with a further 707 licence-built by Let in Czechoslovakia as the C-11.[5]
The Yak-11 set five world-class records.
Yak-11U
In 1951, Yakovlev revised the design of the Yak-11, adding a retractable tricycle landing gear, with two variants proposed, the Yak-11U basic trainer and Yak-11T proficiency trainer, which carried similar equipment to contemporary jet fighters. The new aircraft had reduced fuel capacity and was unsuitable for operations on rough or snow-covered runways, and so was rejected for Soviet service, although a few examples were built in Czechoslovakia as the C-11U.[6]
Operational history
The Yak-11 entered service in 1947, serving as a standard advanced trainer with the Soviet Air Forces and DOSAAF.[7] Both Yak-11 and C-11 were used in all Warsaw Pact countries and were exported to eighteen countries, including many African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries.[4]
North Korean Yak-11s were used in combat in the Korean War, with one Yak-11 being the first North Korean aircraft shot down by US forces when it was shot down by a North American F-82 Twin Mustang over Kimpo Airfield on 27 June 1950.[8] East Germany used the Yak-11 to intercept American reconnaissance balloons.[7]
Survivors
Due to its Yak-3 lineage, the Yak-11 has recently seen widespread popularity among warbird enthusiasts. Highly modified versions of the Yak-11 can be frequently seen at air races. About 120 Yak-11s remain in airworthy condition.
Operators
- Royal Afghan Air Force received 14 aircraft from 1958. None remain in service since 1999.
- Albanian Air Force received four aircraft.
- Polish Air Force used 101 Soviet Yak-11s and 37 Czech-built C-11s
Description
Mixed construction (metal and wood) trainer plane. 7-cylinder radial engine with two-blade fixed propeller. Conventional retractable landing gear with fixed tailwheel.
Specifications (Yak-11)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two - student and instructor
- Length: 8.20 m (26 ft 10½ in)
- Wingspan: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.28 m (10 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 15.40 m² (166 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,900 kg (4,189 lb)
- Loaded weight: kg (lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 2,440 kg (5,379 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov ASh-21 air-cooled radial piston engine, 521 kW (700 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 460 km/h (289 mph)
- Cruise speed: 370 km/h (230 mph)
- Range: 1250 km (795 miles)
- Service ceiling: 7,100 m (23,295 ft)
- Rate of climb: 8.1 m/s (1,600 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 161 kg/m² (32.9 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.17 kW/kg (0.10 hp/lb)
Armament
- 1x nose-mounted machine gun, either 12.7 mm UBS or 7.62 mm ShKAS
- up to 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs on two underwing racks
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yakovlev Yak-11. |
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Notes
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gunston 1995, p. 469.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gordon Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 249.
- ↑ Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 97.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 99.
- ↑ Gordon Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, pp. 250–251.
- ↑ Gordon Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 251.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gordon Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 250.
- ↑ Thompson 2001, pp. 160–161.
References
- 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.
- Thompson, Warren. "Twin Mustang in Korea". International Air Power Review. Volume 3, Winter 2001/2002. Norwalk, Connecticut, USA:AIRtime Publishing. ISBN 1-880588-36-6. ISSN 1473-9917. pp. 156–167.
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