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Yak-141
Yak-41M hovering above the carrier Baku
Role	VTOL fighter
Manufacturer	Yakovlev
First flight	9 March 1987
Status	Cancelled in August 1991
Primary user	Soviet Navy

The Yakovlev Yak-141 (NATO reporting name Freestyle) was a supersonic VTOL fighter aircraft from the Soviet Union.

[edit] Design and development

The Yak-141, the development prototype of the Yak-41, was an attempt by the Soviet Union to produce a supersonic VTOL aircraft. The program was initiated in 1975 as the Yak-141, a development of the Yakovlev Yak-38. The first conventional flight of the Yak-41 was on 9 March 1987, and the first hovering flight on 29 December 1989. The Yak-41M designation was adopted around 1991 to reflect a shift to a multi-role configuration.

The Yak-141 gained VTOL ability through a combination of a lift and lift/cruise engines, as did earlier Yak VTOL designs. The two lift jets were mounted behind the cockpit. These contributed only to take-off and once in horizontal flight were switched off. The main engine was installed in the rear fuselage area, with a swivelling nozzle and an afterburner. For take off and hovering the exhaust from the jet was vectored downwards through 90° working in conjunction with the forward lift jets. To obtain sufficient power for vertical take off, the afterburner had to be used, which imposed serious limitations on the types of runway surfaces that could be used.

The Yak-141M was supposed to fly at speeds of Mach 1.7, and was claimed to have had a maneuverability comparable to the Mikoyan MiG-29.^{[citation needed]} It was designed for the Soviet Air Force (VVS), not for the Soviet Navy (VMF), as was the original Yak-41.^{[citation needed]}

In August 1991 the program was stopped because of the shrinking military budget of the Soviet Union. The Yakovlev design bureau has attempted to generate interest in reviving the program, including the proposal for an advanced version known as the Yak-43,^{[citation needed]} but has yet to find interest.

[edit] Variants

The Yak-43 was a proposed development of the Yak-41M 'Freehand' equipped with Kuznetsov NK-321 engines.

[edit] Operators

 Soviet Union

• Soviet Naval Aviation

[edit] Specifications (Yak-141)

Data from^{[citation needed]}

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 18.36 m (60 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 10.10 m (33 ft 10 in)
• Height: 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in)
• Wing area: 31.7 m² (341 ft²)
• Empty weight: 11,650 kg (25,680 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 19,500 kg (43,000 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× MNPK Soyuz R-79V-300 turbofan
  • Dry thrust: 108 kN (24,300 lbf)
  • Thrust with afterburner: 152 kN (34,170 lbf

• Powerplant: 2x RKBM RD-41 42 kN (9,300 lbf) thrust each)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1.7
• Range: 2,100 km (1305 statute miles)
• Ferry range: 3,000 km (1,865 statute miles)
• Service ceiling 15,500 m (50,850 ft)

Armament

• Guns: 1 x 30 mm GSh-301 cannon with 120 rounds
• Hardpoints: Four underwing and one fuselage hardpoints with a capacity of 2,600 kg (5,500 lb) of external stores,

[edit] See also

Related development

• Yakovlev Yak-36
• Yakovlev Yak-38
  

Comparable aircraft

• Hawker Siddeley P.1154
• Rockwell XFV-12
• BAE Sea Harrier
• AV-8B Harrier II
• F-35 Lightning II
  

[edit] References

Yakovlev. "Yak-141 from Yakovlev Design Bureau official website". Retrieved on 2008-07-04.

[edit] External links

• Walkaround Yak-141 from Monino Museum (Russia)