OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft

194 Pages·2005·219.08 MB·English

by  Yefim Gordon

А HISTORYOF
ТНЕ DESIGN BUREAU
AND ITS AIRCRAFT
Yefim Gordon
Dmitriy Komissarov
and Sergey Komissarov
MIDLAND
An imprint of
lan Allan PuЫishing
OKSYakovlev Acknowledgements
AHistoryoftheDesignBureauanditsAircraft
©2005YefimGordon,DmitriyKomissarov Theauthorswishtoexpr sstheirgratitudeto
andSergeyKomissarov thepersonswhoassistedinandcontributed
tothemakingofthisbook:
ISBN1857802039
Yuriy V Zasypkin; Yuriy I. Yankevich; Kon
PublishedbyMidlandPublishing stantin Udalov and AVICO-Press; the Russ
4WatlingDrive,Hinckley,LE103EY,England ian Air Force's press department; the
Tel:[phone] Fax:[phone]
RussianAviationResearchTrustwhichkindly
E-mail:[email protected]
supplied valuable photos; the magazines
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Designconceptandlayoutby Kryl'ya Rodiny and Modelist-Konstrooktor;
MidlandPublishingisanimprintof PolygonPressLtd. (Moscow,Russia) the CIS Interstate Aviation Committee; and
IanAllanPublishingLtd LinedrawingsbyYakovlevOKB,PolygonPress, EastLineAviation Securityand VnukovoAir
AlekseyAlyoshin,thelateVladimirKlimov,Vladimir portAviationSecurity.
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Below:RussianAirForceCommander-in-ChiefVladimirM.Mikha'ilov(right)shakesthehandofYakovlevOKSchieftestpilotRomanP.Taskayevafteraflightin
thesecondproduction-standardYak-130combattrainerinNizhniyNovgorod.TheRussianAirForcehasrecentlyorderedthefirstbatchofthetype.
Oppositepage:AformationofUT-2basictrainersoperatedbyOsoaviakhim,thepre-warSovietparamilitarysportssociety.
CONTENTS
A BriefHistoryofthe YakovlevOKB 5
Chapters
1. The lightplanesof1924·1943. . ..13
2. The CombatAircraftof1940·1945 59
3. TheJetFightersof1945-1955 147
4. TheTacticalTwinjet Family 191
5. CombatAircraft Projects
Since 1955........... ..231
6. UtilityAircraft andTrainers
of1941-1953 . ..235
7. Trainers, Utilityand Sports
AircraftSince1945 .. 249
8. Post-WarAirliners 303
9. V/STOLand ShipboardAircraft. ..331
10. HelicoptersoftheYakovlevOKB .. 349
11. The PilotlessAircraft. .... ..361
ColourPortfolio ......373
3
A BRIEF
HISTORY OF THE
YAKOVLEV OKB
The design bureau, or OKB (opytno-kon- Makaka (Macaque); as a reward, he went behind Soviet rocketry and space achieve
trooktorskoyebyuro- ExperimentalDesign with its designerto the Crimea. On his way ments).
Bureau),foundedbyAleksandrSergeyevich there he met some glider builders and, InSeptember1925,beforehehadtaken
Yakovlev is one ofthe most prominent and notably, such people as Sergey V. II'yushin theAVF-20to Koktebel', Yakovlevhad com
versatile Russian (Soviet) aircraft design andVladimirPyshnovwhowerestudentsof pletedthefirst, preliminarythree-viewdraw
bureaux. This book covers the activities of the Air Fleet Academy (AVF - Akademiya ing of hisfirst aeroplane. It was designated
Yakovlev, his design team and his succes- vozdooshnovo flota). In 1925 it was VVA-3 (as noted above, the AVF was
orsfrom 1924to the presentday,that isto renamed VVA, Voyenno-vozdooshnaya renamedVVAinApril 1925),thefigurethree
,ay. in the course of 80 years. The aircraft akademiya, orAirForceAcademy (college). denotinghisthirddesign.Despitetheharsh
reatedbythisorganisationaredescribedin Yakovlev made up his mind to gain admis ness of his long working days, young
the main body ofthe book. This account is siontotheAcademy, buthelackedthenec Yakovlev found time and resources to pre
IntendedtoshowtheoriginsoftheYakovlev essaryserviceinthe Red Army. pare the numerous detail drawings of his
OKB and its progressive transformations, Atthe 1923glidermeetthe rather primi aeroplaneandtoundertakeallthestressing
detailing the general scope of its activities tive Makaka glider had no luck, crashing calculations. The aircraft was built and
and its way to prominence. Naturally, the after stalling during its very first take-off. As made its first flight at the hands of Yulian I.
personality ofAleksandr Yakovlev stands in the Makaka was beyond repair, Yakovlev Piontkovskiy who at that time commanded
thecentreofthisbriefoutline. Dueattention had time to watch the other gliders. He the VVA squadron and thus was Yakovlev's
IS also given to those who have succeeded decidedtodohisutmosttodesignandbuild commanding officer. Later he became
Yakovlev and are carrying on with the firm his own gliderforthe 1924All-Union Glider Yakovlev'stestpilot.
bearing his name. Meet. This wish was backed up by The AIR-1 (as the VVA-3 was soon
Yakovlev's conscientious self-education in renamed) provedto beanoutstanding suc
Aleksandr Yakovlev. First Stepsto a the course of which he diligently studied cess; the immediate consequence of this
Career in Aviation numerousbookson aircraftdesign. wasthatYakovlevwasgrantedadmissionas
Aleksandr Yakovlev was born on 1st April In 1924 Yakovlev gained admittance to afull studenttotheVVA.
1906 in a prosperous family in Moscow, the AVF as ahumble shop-floor worker. He Over the years 1927-31 Yakovlev not
wherehisfatherwasthechiefrepresentative didnotshunworkofanykindand,thanksto only worked hard at his studies but also
oftheNobelOilCo.AsaschoolboyYakovlev his perseverance, in two years he acquired managed the construction of a succession
took an interest in all matters technical, but enough skills to earn him the position of ofaircrafttohisdesign.All were successful,
gradually his interests began to narrow hangarkeeperattheairfield. and in his graduation year (1931) he ambi
down to the aeronautical field. In 1923, his Enlistingsupportfrom hisschoolfriends tiously produced the AIR-5 five-seat cabin
final school year, Yakovlev formed the first and from the ODVF section, Yakovlev transport. Powered by a Wright Whirlwind
ODVFsectionataMoscowschool (ODVF = embarked on the construction of his first engine, it might well have gone into series
Obshchestvodroozeyvozdooshnovoflota glider.TheresultwastheAVF-10(thatis,the production, had a suitable Soviet engine
Air Fleet Friends Society). Among many tenth glider designed atthe Air Fleet Acad been available. When he produced the
other activities Yakovlev and a friend emy).Itwasacapablydesignedmonoplane smaller AIR-6, matched to the available
obtainedpermissiontotakeacrashedNieu whichwastakentothe1924All-UnionGlider 1OO-hp engine, this did indeed go into pro
portfighterfromthedumpatMoscow'sCen Meet at Koktebel' and tested there. The duction for the Civil Air Fleet (GVF- Grazh
tralairfield (Khodynka),bringittotheschool glider behaved faultlessly and impressed dahnskiy vozdooshnyy flot), as the Soviet
and take it completely to pieces. This pro the pilots who had flown it. Yakovlev airlineAeroflotwasthen known.
Vided the young enthusiast with avaluable received 200roublesand adiploma.
grounding inaircraftdesign. With his award Yakovlev was able to Concerning the AIR designations
Yakovlevobtainedaccesstotheworldof buildasecondglider,theAVF-20,whichwas The AIR designations worn by Yakovlev's
aviation thanks to Konstantin K. Artseulov a refined version of the first. The AVF-20 earlyaircraftcallforsomeexplanation.These
who was in charge of the first All-Union again flew superbly and was described by letters are the initials of Aleksey Ivanovich
Glider Meet. This was to be held in Novem the Aviakhim adjudicator I. S. Unshlikht as Rykov, thethen head ofthe Council ofPeo
ber1923atKoktebel' nearFeodosiyainthe 'the best training glider design' (Aviakhim ple's Commissars (that is, the Soviet Gov
Crimea.ArtseulovappointedYakovlevassis wasanacronymforthevoluntarysocietyfor ernment). Yakovlev'sfirstaircraftwascalled
tant to N. D. Anoshchenko, one ofthe par the support of Soviet aircraft and chemical AIR-1 in honour of A. I. Rykov, and subse
ticipants ofthe competition. Yakovlev soon industry, a forerunner of the Osoaviakhim, quentdesignscontinued to bearthis desig
proved hisworth asaconscientious person DOSAVandDOSAAF).Thisgliderremained nation with consecutive numbers - AIR-2,
and a skilled woodworker. He played an at Koktebel' where it became a valued AIR-3 and soon.Thiswas quitein conform
AleksandrSergeyevichYakovlev,thefounderoftheOKB-115aircraftdesignbureau. Increasingly responsible part in building trainerinagroupsetupbySergeyPavlovich ity with the practice ofthat time, when new
Anoshchenko's strap-on glider dubbed Korolyov(laterrenownedasthemastermind hardware was given brands named after
5
4
sion of gratitude for the support which designer Vadim B. Shavrov, it was the
Yakovlev, as a non-professional (at that AIR-19 (a passenger aircraft derived from
time) designer, was receiving from the theAIR-17/UT-3trainer), butthisnamemust
ODVF and its successor, Aviakhim. Rykov havebeenabandonedataveryearlystage, D811[!
was an honorarychairman ofthese organi sincethe aircraftwas notcompleted before
sations; considering that Yakovlev's early late1938.SUbsequenttypescould notpos
llPl1KA3
designsweremostlytrainersandsportsair Sibly have borne the AIR prefix, and desig
craft intendedforoperation bythe airclubs nations such as AIR-20, -21, -23, -24 that ITO rJIABHOMY YlIPA.B.JIEHmO AmAl.lBOHHO~ IIPOMHIlIJIEHHOC'rn
of ODVF/Aviakhim, Rykov's support was cropupinsomepublicationsarewrong. ~~
very welcome indeed. Contrary to persist However, 'ya' isnotonlythelastletterof
entrumours, Yakovlevwasinnowayarela theRussianalphabetbutalsothepronoun'I'
tiveofRykov. Inthe Russian language. Perhapssomeone r.WOCKBS 1934r.
Rykov was arrested on 27th February decided eventually that using this 'oh mar
1937 and executed, becoming one of the vellous me' designation prefix was unbe § 1.
victimsofStalin'spurges.Ofcourse,theAIR coming; or, equally possibly, someone
abbreviationimmediatelybecame'taboo'. It decided to borrow the German system of Ccere ~CAa KOHCTPYKTOpCKO rrpOH3Bo~CTBeBBaR rpynna TOB.
was replaced with Ya- the last letter ofthe uSing the first two letters of the company lUWBJIEBA apR 3aIlO;ne Ji 39 BH;IleJLlteTCR B CaMOCTowre,lU>Hyll KORCTPY
Russian alphabet and the first letter of name for model designations (Ju for KTOpcKO rrpOH3BO;nCTBeHHYD e~HHUY B CHCT6MY II HenOCpe;nCTBeHROe
Yakovlev'slastname- fortheaircraftalready Junkers,DoforDornierandsoon). Anyway,
no~eHBe CnenaIlH8TpeCTS.
built (Ya-1, Ya-2 and so on). New designs In 1941 the Soviet Union switchedfrom the
Above:TheSovietleaderlosifV.Stalin,KlimentYeoVoroshilov(centre)andAleksandrS.Yakovlev(right)
atanaireventheldatMoscow-Tushinoairfieldin1935. likewise received the Ya designator (Ya-20, previouslyused principleofdesignatingair § 2.
Ya-21 and soon) orwere referred to simply craftbytheirfunctiontoanewsystemwhich
Sovietstatesmen. Notableexamplesarethe (for Sergo Ordzhonikidze, People's Com as 'No.20' (or 'aircraft No.20'), 'No.21' and ISstillinusetoday,namelyusingthefirsttwo rpynna TOB.HKOBREBA nepexo~T B nOAHOM H8AM~OM COCTaBe
IS and KV series ofheavytanks (the initials missar of Heavy Industry, and Felix E. soforth. letters of the Chief Designer (or the OKB's c Y'l'BeJlll;Il8liHOA rYAn npoR3Bo,lJ;cTBeHHol nporp8.)O(oA~ r~y -UU..
stand for losif V. Stalin and Kliment Yeo Dzerzhinskiy, the founder of the Soviet Thereissomeuncertaintyastowhichof founder) asthedesignation prefix.Thus the
Voroshilov respectively; Marshal Voroshilov secretservice) and soon. Yakovlev's design was the last to bear the letter 'Va' (5'l) gave place to the well-known
§ 3.
headed the DefenceCommittee), the Class This was not so much acase of'toady AIR abbreviation. According to the well Yak' (5'lK) brand. ;h.."c.~-1VJI'( ~ ~
,.,
S017andClassFD20freightsteamengines ing' to the authorities but rather an expres- known Soviet aviation historian and aircraft Upon leaving the WA Yakovlev gained Ha~KY CnensBxaTpecT8 TOB.~OBY HKOBC~PYK~eP1 Toti.HKOD-
employment at Plant NO.39 as engineering ~B lI.R'1'B)tH8BRliA CpOK o¢lopuH'l'b YK8381fH!il nepexo;n.
supervisor on the staff of Nikolay Niko
layevich Polikarpov, a famous Soviet
designerwho had been arrested by OGPU /
(Soviet security) in 1929 and continued his
aircraft design activities in detention (the
now famous Hangar 7 at this plant was
HAtI.AOC:-
turned into an 'internal prison'). Having
gainedanacquaintancewith thePolikarpov
I5fighterpoweredbytheM-22(licence-built
/
Bristol Jupiter) engine, Yakovlev and his
teamdecidedtomakeamuchfasteraircraft
fitted with the same engine. The resulting
AIR-7 two-seat monoplane, first flown in
......
November 1932, outpaced the 1-5 fighter,
exceedingthemagicfigureof300km/h(186
mph). Soonthereafteritsetanational sped
record at332km/h (206mph).
However, this was followed byan unex
pected setback. During a demonstration OrderNO.23of15thJanuary1934,signedbyChiefDirectorateofAircraftIndustry(GUAP)headSergeyP.
flight the AIR-7 suffered aileron flutter, and KorolyovandExperimentalAircraftConstructionDepartmentchiefPenyushin.'1.ComradeYakovlev's
one aileron nearly came off. Thanks to design/productiongroupatplantNO.39isforthwithtransformedintoaseparatedesignteamreporting
directlytotheSpecialAviationTrust.2.Thegroupistransferredinfullinaccordancewiththeproduction
Piontkovskiy's skill the flight ended in a
programme[andcredits,addedinhandwriting]endorsedbyGUAP.3.SpecialAviationTrustchiefComrade
textbook forced landing, but for Yakovlev
NaumovandplantdirectorComradeMorgalinshallfilloutallrequiredpaperworkwithinfivedays.'
this event started off a period of disgrace
whichmightwellhaveendedinapermanent Van E. Rudzutak who headed the Party's The OKS isborn. From PeacetoWar.
ban on further work as aircraft designer. Central ControlCommission. On15thJanu The new premises were hardly suitable for
He and his team became virtual outcasts, ary 1934 the Chief Directorate of Aircraft aircraftdesignandconstruction,andgetting
beingdeprivedevenofaccesstothefactory Industry (GUAP - Glahvnoye oopravleniye them into shape cost much effort, but
where they worked. Yakovlev fought hard aviatsionnoy promyshlennostl) issued an Yakovlevandhisgrowingteamwentonpro
to clear himself and his team and regain order permitting Yakovlev to set up a shop ducing new aircraft. This was duly recog
the right to engage in design activities. In in a derelict bed factory on Leningradskiy nised by the Aviation Trust which in 1935
this he eventually succeeded, aided in no Prospect avenue in Moscow. His team voted funds to build a real aircraft factory
small partbythefavourableimpressionthat was given the status of a separate design andadesignoffice.Theoldshedsand huts
hiSAIR-6cabinfour-seaterhadproducedon bureausubordinatedtotheSpecialAviation werepulleddownandanewbuildingwith a
ThemembersofAleksandrS.Yakovlev'soriginaldesignteamin1932.Seated,lefttoright,areVadimV.Barsookov,SergeyD.Trefilov,IvanS.Ivankovichand
NikolayD.Savitskiy.StandingbehindthemareViktorV.Alekseyev,GheorgiyS.Lekanov,VasiliyI.Chubukov,GlebV.Sedel'nikov,YevgeniyG.Adler,ViktorN. oneofthe Communist Partyseniorofficials, Trust. floor area of 1,500 m' (16,130 sq ft) was
Yefimov,PyotrA.Belyayev,KonstantinV.Sinel'shchikovandViktorA.Staurin.
6 7
,ar of Aviation Industry and Head of the
Department of Experimental Aircraft Con
,truction. Hewas thusresponsible notonly
f)r his own design and production prob
lemsbutalsoforthoseoftheaircraftindus
try as a whole. Yakovlev had to manage
'nuch of the planning for moving aircraft
plants from threatened areas to safer loca
tions. An added elementofurgencywas to
try to get everything relocated before the
nsetoftheSiberianwinter.
Yakovlev's own OKS was evacuated in
September/October1941 todistantNovosi
birsk.Thehuge NKAPplantNO.153erected
thereinthepre-waryearsbecametheOKS's
new home. Only askeleton staffwas leftat
Leningradskiy Prospekt avenue in Moscow
Above:ThefirstgroupofYakovlevOKBemployeestoreceiveSovietgovernmentawardsintheKremlininApril1939whentheyreceivedtheirordersandmedals. where it dealt mainly with the rebuilding
of battle-damaged Polikarpov 1-15 and 1-16
erected. Yakovlevfound himselftheheadof standing speed of567 km/h (367 mph), far combat aircraft design. This time it was a fighters and the modification of Hawker
an officially named OKS (Experimental in excess of what had been previously fighterproject.Initiallyknownasthe1-26and Hurricanes supplied under the Lend-Lease
Design Sureau) with a small associated attainedintheSovietUnion.However,theall later redesignated Yak-1, it proved to be a Agreementwith heavierarmament.
State Aviation Factory NO.115 (hence the tooone-sidedemphasisonspeed, coupled basicallysounddesignwhich startedalong On 18th September 1942 the Yakovlev
name OKS-115 under which Yakovlev's with neglecting the purely operational line of progressively improved fighters. The OKS was collectively awarded the Order of
design bureau was subsequently known). aspectsofthemachine,madetheaircraftill Yak-1 gave birth to such derivatives as the Lenin. In the autumn of 1944, the threat of
Forsometimelightsporting,trainerand suited for the planned combat roles of a Yak-7, Yak-9 and Yak-3 forming a distin Moscow's occupation having receded, the
utility aircraft remained the new OKS's pre short-range bomber, escort fighter and guishedfamilyofaircraftthatmadeYakovlev evacuatedOKSprogressivelyreturned, and
dominant line of activity. Yakovlev scored reconnaissance aircraft. Albeit placed into famoustheworldover.Overallproductionof theLeningradskiyProspectsitewasbackat
notable success in this field in 1937-38 in series production as the Yak-2 and, in its thesefightersexceeded37,000- morethan full strength by late November ofthat year.
producing two types which were put into laterguise, asthe Yak-4, the aircraft proved anyothersinglebasicdesign. In 1946 Yakovlev was promoted to the
series production and built in large num disappointingandwasmanufacturedonlyin The war years were for Yakovlev the rankofColonel-GeneralofAviation,andalso
bers. These were the AIR-14/UT-1 single small numbers, making virtually no impact years of hectic work associated with an made a Deputy of the Supreme Soviet
seattrainerforfighter pilotsandthe 'aircraft on aerial warfare on the Eastern Front after incessantracefor improving hisfighters so (roughly corresponds to Member of Parlia
No.20', or Ya-20, which entered production the outbreakofthewarwithGermany. as to make them capable of meeting their ment). He was able to resign his post of
astheUT-2,astandardpilottrainer.Embold In 1939-40Yakovlevwasabletoexpand adversaries on equal terms. At the same Deputy Commissar at the People's Com
ened by his growing experience, Yakovlev his OKS byadding anew 1,300-m' (13,980 time he had to ensure a continuous and missariat of the Aircraft Industry (NKAP
ventured intothe domain ofcombat aircraft sqft) building for the assembly of proto growing outputfrom production factories Narodnyy komissariaht aviatsionnoy
design.Hisfirstattemptatproducingacom types. Several important designers and aformidable task, bearing in mind the dis promyshlennosti;soontoberenamedMAP
bataircraftwasunorthodoxenough.In1939 engineers joined him at this time, but his location caused by the German invasion Mmisterstvo aviatsionnoypromyshlennosti,
he designed a twin-engined aircraft desig OKSwasstillmodestinsize. Itcomprised45 and the resulting redeployment of enter Ministry of the Aircraft Industry) and return
nated 'aircraft No.22', orYa-22, theconcept designersanddraftsmenand 152construc prises eastwards. Finally, the enormous full-time to his nowvery large OKS. In June
ofwhichcentredaroundtheideaofattaining tion workers with 44 machine tools. With burden he had to shoulder was com ofthatyearhesignedanorderfortheorgan
a speed record. Indeed, the prototype these rather limited resources Yakovlev pounded by the fact that in January 1940 Isation of a new department for Science
tested in February 1939 reached an out- embarked on another task in the field of Yakovlev was appointed Deputy Commis- and Research. Later that year the original
two-storey main building was recon
AleksandrS.Yakovlevintheimmediatepost-waryearsinhisColonel-General'suniform.NotetheGold
structed and athird storey added, increas
StarOrderthatwentwithhisHeroofSocialistLabourtitle.
Ingthefloorareaofthisbuildingto2,000m'
(21,500sq ft). and its derivative, the Yak-17, played their jetfighters, notablythe Yak-50, butfailed to
useful role in making easierthe conversion gain production orders, losing again to
TheJetAge Sets In of Soviet Air Force pilots to jet aircraft. Mikoyan'sdesigns.
Theadventofthejetagewasmarkedbythe These two fighters, as well as the subse The OKS's activities were not confined
participation of the Yakovlev OKS in the quentYak-19, Yak-23 and Yak-25 (1947; the to developing fixed-wing aircraft. In 1946
efforts aimed at creating the Soviet first firstfighter to bethus designated), featured Yakovlev formed a special team to take on
generation jet fighters. Several design the traditional straight wings, reflecting theproblemofhelicopterdesign.Thatwasa
bureauxwereengagedinthistask,OKS-155 Yakovlev'sinitiallycautiousattitudetowards hard nutto crack. Two small machines (the
headed by Artyom Ivanovich Mikoyan and swept wings. Yakovlev's first swept-wing EG featuring contra-rotating rotors and the
MikhaillosifovichGurevichandOKS-301 led fighter, the Yak-30 of 1948 (againthe firstto single-rotor Yak-100) were built in the late
by Semyon Alekseyevich Lavochkin being be this designated), lost out to Mikoyan's 1940s,providingtheOKSwith someexperi
among the contenders. Yakovlev chose a successful MiG-15; this placed the design ence in this field. This enabled the OKS to
cautious and conservative approach, pro bureau led by Mikoyan and Gurevich in an takeup, inresponsetoagovernmentorder,
ducing his first jet fighter, the Yak-15, as a advantageous position which it succeeded the challenging task of creating a tandem
more or less straightforward adaptation of in preserving subsequently. In the 1950s rotorhelicopterintendedto carry24troops.
ThepremisesoftheYakovlevDesignBureauinMoscowastheylookedin1940,shortlyafterYakovlev'sdesignteambecameanindependententity(OKB-115). his piston-engined Yak-3 fighter to take a the Yakovlev OKS produced several proto AsaresultofarduousworktheOKSeventu
TheoutbreakofthewarandtheGermanadvanceonMoscowsoonforcedtheOKBtovacatethesepremises,evacuatingtoNovosibirskinSeptember/October captured German turbojet. This machine typesandprojectsofsingle-enginefront-line ally succeeded in tackling the numerous
1941,buttheOKBreturned homein1944.
8 9
problems associated with the development aircraft designs. Here mention must be initiallymanaged bySergeyAleksandrovich surmounttheinevitableobstaclesandbring
of this machine. However, the Yak-24 was made of the Yak-18 basic trainer, with its Yakovlev, the General Designer'selderson. aprojecttofruition;
built in relatively small numbers, being Yak-18U andYak-18Atricycle-gearversions, Later he was transferred to other pro the ability to combine a fine aesthetic
eclipsed by the Mi-6 turboshaft-powered and oftheYak-18p, 'PM and 'PSand Yak-55 grammes, and Yuriy I. Yankevich took over taste with a technically and scientifically
giant.ThelasthelicopterprojectoftheOKS aerobaticaircraft.Theywere superseded in asUAVprogrammemanager. soundand reasonableapproach;
was that of a huge twin-rotor machine, a due course oftime bythe equally success In 1956 Chief Designer Aleksandr S. adisposition to order in everything and
tandem-layoutcounterpartofMil'sV-12. fulYak-50andYak-52machines,ofwhichthe Yakovlev, as well as several of his col no meanabilitiesasan organiser;
In the late 1950s and the 1960s the latter remains in operation to this day. The leagues, was conferred the title of General charisma and sense of humour com
YakovlevOKS'sactivitiesinthefield ofcom Yak-18Tcabin monoplanewasasuccessful Designer. Heheldthispostuntil 1984. pensatingforsternattitudetofaults.
bataircraftdesigncentredaroundthedevel trainer/utility aircraft, and the Yak-30 and In1966theOKS-115headedbyGeneral Ontheminusside,onenotesYakovlev's
opment of the Yak-25 twin-engined Yak-32 marked the OKS's venture into the DesignerA. S.Yakovlevwasrenamed MMZ temper which sometimes prompted him to
interceptor and its derivatives. The result field ofjettrainerdesign. Skorost' (Speed; MMZ = Moskovskiy be overly harsh, even brutal in criticising
was a large family of interceptors, tactical Yet another direction in the activities of mashinostroitel'nwzavod,MoscowMachin mistakes made by his subordinates. In his
bombersandreconnaissanceaircraft,many theOKSwas representedbypassengerair ery Plant). On 21st August 1984 Aleksandr later years, Yakovlev displayed a tendency
ofwhichwentintoproductionandsquadron craft. ThefirstattemptbyYakovlevtocreate S.Yakovlevretired; intheofficialcapacityof to rely on the advice and opinions ofanar
service. Among these, the numerous ver a twin-engined airliner dates back to 1938 aconsultant he continued for sometime to row circle of persons whose motives were
sions of the Yak-28 supersonic aircraft with the Ya-19 six-seater. The Yak-8 and take part in the work ofthe Design Sureau. notalwaysunselfish.
occupyaprominentplace. Yak-16 followed up this line, albeit these Hedied on 22nd August 1989in retirement Yet, in makingtheoverallappraisal, one
Aspecial chapterinthe OKS'sactivities basically sound machines did not go into in the age of83. After his demisethe enter must recognise Yakovlev's indisputable
was opened in 1960 when it embarked on production. A revival ofthis direction came prise came to be officially known as MMZ ability to organise the work of his design
the development of vertical/short take-off withthedecisiontoembarkonthedevelop Skorost' namedafterA. S.Yakovlev. Aircraft staff, which won him great authorityamong
and landing (V/STOL) attack aircraft. The ment of a three-turbofan airliner for local created by this enterprise continue to bear the OKS employees. He is remembered as AleksandrS.Yakovlevduringaninformalsessionwithhigh-rankingSovietAirForceofficersinthe1980s.
Yak-36 technology demonstrator was fol services. Designated Yak-40, this machine, the Yak brand. This was the final tribute to an exacting person, making succinct
lowed by the production Yak-38 carrier seating anything from 24 to 32 passengers the man whose achievements had been remarks always to the point, intolerant of ernment's Department of Aircraft Industry. in aviation aftergraduating from the engine
based aircraft. This subsonic aircraft had in airline configuration, was built in consid richly rewarded in his lifetime. Suffice it to Incompetenceandcarelessness,capableof Design bureaux were again renamed; this faCUlty of the Moscow Aviation Institute,
limitedsuccess,butitwastobesuperseded erablenumbersandmadeYakovlev'sname saythat he had been awarded the Orderof promptly taking the necessary decisions in was followed by a process of transforming whereupon he worked for several years at
by a far more potent machine, the super popular among Aeroflot's passengers on Lenin,theSovietUnion'shighestcivicorder, adifficultsituation. thesestateenterprises intojoint-stockcom theMikoyanOKS,dealingwiththedevelop
sonic Yak-41M (better known as the short-haul routes; in addition, it enjoyed ten times, to say nothing of the numerous Itwas characteristic of Yakovlev that he panies(aprocessthatsweptoverthewhole ment and testing of the MiG-29 fighter. In
Yak-141) which was created by Yakovlev's somesuccesswithexportorders.TheYak-40 state prizesand otherhighawards. always exercised tight control over his of the Russian industry at that time). As a December 1984 he was transferred to the
successors. Prototypes of this machine became astarting pointfor moreambitious Design Sureau and resisted suggestions result, the MMZ named afterA. S. Yakovlev Yakovlev OKS where a deputy Chief
were successfully tested, but its develop programmes of the same kind. Next in the Yakovlevas aperson that the organisation be 'departmentalised' was transformed intothe 'OKS named after Designer well versed in engine technology
mentwasbroughttoahaltbythesweeping line was the Yak-42 medium-haul airliner Aleksandr S. Yakovlev was a multi-faceted Intosectionsdealingwithspecificdirections A. S.Yakovlev' Joint-StockCo. (forthe sake wasurgentlyneeded.ThreeyearslaterDon
changes in Russia's political life and eco which looked like a scaled-up Yak-40. personality. Undoubtedly,hewasoneofthe ofdesign (hewasobviouslywaryofthepos ofconvenienceitwillstillbereferredtohere dukov became project manager for the
nomicsituationintheearly1990s. Despite some vicissitudes, this machine most prominentfigures in the historyofthe sibility of such sections eventually gaining inafterastheYakovlevOKS). Yak-141 VTOL aircraft which at that time
Throughout the post-war period, the achievedameasureofsuccessandremains Soviet/Russianaircraftindustry. Hiswartime independence).Yet,thesuccessofhisactiv Further changes in the aircraft industry accountedforabout70%oftheOKS'swork.
OKScontinuedthedesignanddevelopment inoperationtothisdaybothinRussiaandin series of piston-engined Yak fighters Itiesisinnosmalldegreeduetothefactthat includedtheformationofassociationscom That played its part in the decision to place
of sports, training and light utility aircraft anumberofothercountries. broughthimworld renown; afterthewarhis hehadbeenabletoattractenthusiasticand prising design bureaux and production him at the head of the OKS in December
drawing on the experience gained during In 1982 the OKS ventured into a com namewasassociatedaboveallwiththesuc competentdesignerstoformaunitedteam. plants. Asapartofthis process, in 1992the 1990.
the pre-waryears. Inthis particularfield the pletelynewfield ofactivitybyestablishinga cessful series of sports and training aircraft Among these, mention must be made of Yak Aircraft Corporation was formed as a For the following ten years Dondukov
Yakovlev OKS established itself in a pre research and design team for unmanned and the popular Yak-40 airliner. During his Leon M. Shekhter who was responsible for management structure. In addition to the led this enterprise under the turbulent and
eminent position with along line oftrainers aerial vehicles. They were intended for use lifetime and long afterwards he was given evolving the general layout of many of Yakovlev OKS, it included the Saratov and harsh economicconditions associated with
forthe AirForceandtheCivilAirFleet, sup as targets or, in most cases, as tactical muchpublicity (towhichhehadcontributed Yakovlev's aircraft. Yakovlev's close associ Smolensk production factories (outside the the sweeping political and economic
plemented by several successful aerobatic reconnaissance platforms. This effort was through the numerous editionsofhis mem ates included, to name just a few, corporation were production factories in changesin Russia.Apparentlyhedisplayed
oirs titled firstA Designer's Notes and then G. K. Sinel'shchikov, Oleg K. Antonov (the Tbilisi, Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk which were toadvantagehisqualitiesandcapabilitiesas
ALife's Goal. Needlessto say,this publicity future General Designer of GSOKS-473), also engaged in the manufacture of the industrialleader.WheninMay2000theMin
created asomewhat idealised image ofthe Yevgeniy Adler, Aleksandr Sinitsyn, Longin Yakovlev-designed aircraft). istry of Industry, Science and Technology
designerwithanemphasisonhismeritsand Lis, Igor'A. Erlikh, Leonid L. Selyakov,Yuriy Intheperiodbetween1985and Decem was setup in Russia, hewas appointed the
achievements. In recent years, some of his I.Yankevich,DmitriyK. Drach,VyacheslavP ber 1990the YakovlevOKSwas headed by new Minister, while retaining for some time
associates in their memoirs have portrayed Kondrat'yevandothers. A.A. LevinskikhasactingGeneralDesigner. his posts as General Designer and Chair
Yakovlev as a personality endowed both Yakovlev had two sons both of whom He had taken part, among other things, in manoftheSoardofDirectorsoftheYakovlev
with great talents and with certain human became aircraft engineers and worked on the developmentofthe Yak-38 and Yak-141 OKSJSC.
failings. These frank and realistic accounts the staff of the OKS led by their father V/STOLaircraft. The work onthe latter proj Somewhat later Dondukov left the
contribute to a better understanding of the Sergey, the elder son, was eventually pro ect became the OKS's main task under Yakovlev OKS, concentrating on his job as
manwhoseworkhassetanindelibleimprint moted to the rank of Deputy General Levinskikh. minister. New people came to lead the
on an important branch of technology in Designer and was directly responsible for In December1990A. A. Levinskikh was Yakovlev Company. As of 2001, Nikolay N.
Russia. To quote Yevgeniy G. Adler, a thework ontheYak-40and Yak-42 airliners; succeeded in the capacity of General Dolzhenkovheldthe postoftechnical man
designerwho hadworked with Yakovlevfor Aleksandr, the younger son, directed the Designer by Aleksandr N. Dondukov who ager ofthe enterprise, Oleg F. Demchenko
severaldecades,Yakovlevhadtohiscredit: workontheYak-52trainer. thusbecameheadofthe'YakovlevOKS'JSC. being General Director.
asober, clearmind aided byawealth of In April 2004 the Yakovlev Design
expertknowledgeinthemostdiversefields; The OKSwith Yakovlev's Afew words about Aleksandr Sureau becameapartofthe IrkutCorpora
faultless, discerning taste as regards successors atthe helm Dondukov tion (until2002 known asthe IrkutskAircraft
shapeand colour; In1989-92theSovietaircraftindustryunder Aleksandr N. Dondukov was appointed Production Association, renamed Irkut Sci
a strong, indomitable will in reaching wentaprocessofreorganisation whichwas GeneralDesigneroftheYakovlevOKSatthe enceandProductionCorporationinDecem
thegoalsthathehadsetforhimself,awillto effected through orders issued bythe Gov- ageof36. Dondukov had started hiscareer ber2002). The IrkutCorporation acquired a
AleksandrS.YakovlevwiththelegendaryMarshalSemyonM.Budyonnyy(left)andAirMarshal
K.A.VershininataKremlinreceptioninthe1980s.
11
10
Somefacts on Oleg Demchenko
Oleg Fyodorovich Demchenko, General
THE LIGHTPLANES
Director of the Joint Stock Society 'OKB
named after A. S. Yakovlev' was born on
13thOctober1944in Kazakhstan, then part OF 1924·1943
oftheUSSR. In 1968hegraduatedfromthe
Kuibyshev Aviation Institute (KuAI; at pres
entthe Samara State Aerospace University
Gliders, trainers, sports and utility aircraft
namedafterAndreyN.Tupolev)andstarted
hisworkatvariousenterprisesoftheaircraft
industry. In1981 hewaspromotedtoapost
Makaka glider
in the Ministry of Aircraft Industry where he
was appointed head of a Chief Directorate InOctober1923AleksandrS.Yakovlev,then Rodiny(WingsoftheMotherland) magazine joined to a small centre section (on the
and became a member of the Board - the youthof17,tookpartintheconstructionof showsthemachineunderconstruction.Sur AVF-10 the two wing halves were joined
consultativebodyunderthe Minister. the Makaka (Macaque) glider designed by prisingly,thelayoutwaschanged,thewings directlyatthecentrelineandplacedatopthe
In 1987 Demchenko graduated from Nikolai Anoshchenko for the first All-Union being perched on strutsabovethefuselage fuselage).Thewingsparswereredesigned;
the Academy of National Economy. In Glider Meetheld in November 1923in Kok and braced bytwin lateral struts. the two-strut cabane was replaced by a
1992 he left the Ministry to take up a job lebel'. This biplane glider was of an anti three-strut one. Changes were madeto the
intheYakovlevOKBwhereheheldtheposts quated design akin to Otto Lilienthal's AVF-20 conversion training glider control system, thicker-section longerons
of First Deputy General Designer and Gen gliders, controlled by moving the pilot's This glider was designed by Yakovlev for wereused inthefuselage structure.
A.A.Levinskikh,actingGeneralDesignerofthe eral Director of the production facility in O.F.Demchenko,GeneralDirectorofthe bodyinmuchthesamewayastoday'shang participation in the third All-Union Glider The glider was built in the AVF work
YakovlevOKSin1985-1990 1992-94. YakovlevOKSJoint-StockCo.in2001 glider. During the tests conducted by Meet at Koktebel' in 1925. It was based on shops by Yakovlev's colleagues, engine
In the period between 1994 and 2001 Anoshchenko the Makaka made onlyafew theAVF-10andagainservedforconversion mechanics of the AVF air squadron. It was
75.4% stake in the Yakovlev OKB which, Oleg F. DemchenkoheldthepostsofPresi not necessarily aircraft. The Yakovlev OKB horthopsintow; duringoneofthesehops from ab initiotraining glidersto record glid flown at Koktebel' in September-October
thus,retainsitsidentity.Itistobehopedthat dent and General Director of the 'OKB strove to retain to the utmost possible lhegliderstalledataheightofafewfeetand ers. Compared to its predecessor, the 1925 and, again, displayed good handling,
this merger will enhance the Yakovlev namedafterA.S.Yakovlev'JSC.Since2001 degree its aviation specialisation and well overturned, suffering irreparable damage AVF-20incorporatedsomestructural refine became very popular with the pilots. After
Design Bureau's financial stability and he occupies the posts of President and established positions in the field of aircraft luckilywith no injuriestothe pilot. Theacci ments.Thistimethewingouterpanelswere thecontestYakovlevwasawardedaprizeby
ensure favourable conditions for its design Chairman of the Board of Directors. Since design by shifting the emphasis to civil air dent preventedthe gliderfrom participating
activities and series manufacture and mar 2003 Demchenko is General Directorofthe craft - not an easy task, given the limited Inthecompetition. [~/
keting ofitsaircraft. Joint Stock Society 'OKB named after resources of Russian air carriers and the
The merger of the two organisations A. S. Yakovlev'. Since 26th June 2004 he ever-increasingcompetitionfrom abroad. In AVF-10 conversion training glider
within the framework of a holding was concurrently holds the post of Chairman of additiontoupgradingtheYak-40andYak-42 Impressionsfrom hisparticipationinthefirst
reflected in appointments to their top man Board of Directors ofthe Irkut Science and airliners, the OKB set about designing a glidermeetat Koktebel' prompted Yakovlev
agement posts. In June 2004 Aleksey Fyo Production Corporation. whole series of new civil aircraft intended 10 embark on the construction of his own <---'.·~1_
dorov, President of the Irkut Corporation, During his work in the Yakovlev OKB for medium- and long-haul routes, such glider. The work was done under his guid-
waselectedChairmanoftheBoardofDirec Demchenkotook part in the projecting and astheYak-42M, Yak-242, Yak-46 and, lately, nee by a group of his friends, aviation
tors ofthe Yakovlev Design Bureau JSC. In developmentofsuchaircraftastheYak-42D the MS-21. Concurrently, several newtypes enthusiasts from his school, supported by
1
thesamemonth Oleg Demchenko, General (2001 model), Yak-42A, Yak-112, Yak-48, intheutility, businessandshort-haulairliner thelocalsectionoftheODVF.Thegliderwas
DirectoroftheYakovlevDesignBureauJSC, Yak-152, Yak-52M, Yak-58, Yak-77, Yak-242, classweredeveloped, includingtheYak-58, Intendedfortraining flights asan intermedi
t
waselectedChairmanoftheBoardofDirec Yak-130, unmanned aerialvehicles. Yak-112,Yak-48andYak-?? Piston-engined atestage betweentheinitialtraining gliders
\i
tors ofthe IrkutCorporation. Oleg F. Demchenko took an active part trainers and sports aircraft, such as the and record gliders. It was a wire-braced
in evolving the Federal development pro Yak-54, Yak-52M and Yak-152, are also part monoplane with the two-spar constant
grammes for civil aviation and defence oftheOKB'sactivities. Furtherworkisbeing chord Wings mounted atop the fuselage.
branchesofindustry. doneon UAVs. The bracing wires were supported by a
Lastly, one must mention the OKB's V-shaped tubular cabane above the wing
As noted above, in the period after involvementintherecentyears'discussions centresection. Thefuselagewas awooden +----------HI'.
AleksandrS.Yakovlev'sretirementtheactiv around the fifth-generation fighter develop lrussformed byfour longerons and rectan
ities of the OKB were concentrated to a ment programme. It was officially named gularframes with internal wire bracing, the L ~
large extent on the programme of the PAK FA (Perspektivnw aViatsionnw kom whole being covered with fabric. The pilot
..
Yak-141 V/STOL aircraft until it had to be pleksfrontovoyaviahtsii',Advancedairborne sat ahead of the wing leading edge. The
abandoned intheearly1990s.Animportant systemforthefront-lineaviation).TheAVPK undercarriage comprised two V-shaped
programme in the military field was the Sukhoi (the Sukhoi Corporation) was cho struts joined by a common axle with two
Yak-130 jet advanced trainer, under devel sen as the chief contractor for the imple- lightweightwheels.
opment since 1990. It remains one of .mentation of this programme. There was InSeptember1924theglidertookpartat ~r"".~"14.. It.t.
tdhreastOicKrBe'dsucmtiaoinn oafsbseutdsgeattfupnredsinegnt.ofTthhee swoitmhethetaMlkikoaybaonutOKaBpaonsdsitbhleeYcaok-oovpleevraOtiKoBn ttheebesl'.ecItosnfidrstAfllli-gUhntiotonokGplidlaecreMonee1t5atht SKeopk ,rjt.t"~HStIo'll. ...r..I" 61,5t.".I: Op03KT nnAH(PA
OKB's work and state-financed purchases inthisproject.In2002MikhailPogosyan,the tember and was eminently successful. The 5\P. ·..~r) Ii000rl" ]aJI
A.B.o/
of military aircraft compelled the Yakovlev then head of the Sukhoi enterprise, stated glider was flown by many pilots and drew j f"l.I:l ,.,II"p. 0,11,.1~ I(
.) p,.. "-&. !,f,.I'
OKB, as well as other Russian design that 'there was a complete mutual under praisefromallofthem. Itwonrecognitionas
5 ~1!"·"" '.),..j'
bureaux and production aircraft factories, standing withtheYakovlevOKBasapoten one ofthe best conversion training gliders. ~
~\r.~ ,,51'jl-
to embark on the programmes of the so tialparticipantinthejointdevelopmentofthe
U~
called konversiya. This Russian term aircraft'. However, the possible role of the AVF-10bis initial training glider
denoted areorientation ofdefence industry YakovlevOKBinthis projectremainsuncer This version of the AVF-10 was not com
A.N.Dondukov,whobecameGeneralDesigner enterprises towards commercial products, tain. pleted. A photo published in the Kryl'ya AprojectdrawingoftheAVF-10signedbyA.S.Yakovlev.Thespecificationsincludeawingspanof12m
oftheYakovlevOKSinDecember1990. (39It4'%,in),alengthof6.2m(20It4in),awingareaof18m'(193sqIt)andaweightof65kg(143Ib).
12 13
Aviakhim 'For the best training glider 12th May with Yulian I. Piontkovskiy at the
design'. ontrols.
In1927theAVF-20wasusedfortraining The WA-3 was a single-bay biplane of
during the 4th All-Union Glider Competi wooden construction, with emphasisonthe
tions. It was damaged in a rough landing Implicity of design and weight saving; the
and hadto berepaired; inthecourse ofthe llrframeweighedonly335kg (739Ib).Flight
repair work the glider received a more lestsshowedthattheaircrafthad good sta
pointed nose. bility and controllability, presented no diffi
,ulties during take-off and landing and the
AVF-34 record glider (project) erformance exceeded the stipulated fig
This hitherto unknown project of a record Jres.TheWA-3attainedamaximumspeed
glider tentatively designated AVF-34 was f 150 km/h (93 mph) and had a landing
prepared by Aleksandr S. Yakovlev in 1926 peed of60 km/h (37 mph); the endurance
togetherwith hisAVF colleague A. A. Sen' wasfourhours. 'oC"D
~
kov and pilot G. A. Shmelyov. Recent In July 1927, at Yakovlev's initiative, the
research by Yuriy Zasypkin has unearthed WA-3 was sent on a long-range flight that ~
some documents on this strut-braced high spanned over the Moscow-Khar'kov-Sev-
winggliderwhichhadawingspanof13.5m stopol'-Moscowroute.Beforetheflight,the
(44ft3:':;in) and alengthof6m(19ft8Y.in), machine received the civil registration
In the initial projectversion the wings com RRAIR. Under the then-current system,
priseda5-m (16ft5in) constant-chordcen Soviet civil aircraft were registered in the
tre section and tapering outer panels. In a RRxxx series (or, much less often, had the
revised version the outer wing panels were RR- prefix followed by three individual let
alsomaderectangular,withslightlycropped ters); in both cases the two R's denoted
wingtips reducing the wing span to 13.0m Russian Republic. Later, when newdesigns
(42ft8in).Thegliderwastohaveanaspect byYakovlevcame intobeing, this individual
ratioof8.6,awingareaof19.5m'(210sq ft) lettercombination (AIR) used for the VVA-3
Topandabove:TheAIR-1,Yakovlev'sfirstpoweredaircraft,asoriginallycompleted(withnomarkings
andanAUWof183kg (403 Ib). waschosen astheircommon designatoras whatever).Theaircraft'scleanlinesareevident.Notetheexposedwheelspokes.
explained in the Introduction andtheWA-3
Topandabove:TheAVF-10,Yakovlev'sfirstglider,inthegroundandinflight.
Below:ThebroadlysimilarAVF-20gliderasoriginallycompletedandflownwithashort,bluntnose. AIR-1 (WA-3, Ya-1) two-seat light wasrenamed AIR-1. ousdemonstration and propagandaflights, craft without insignia (this was one of the
aircraft prototype The southbound leg of the flight was as well as training flights. Sadly, like most AIR-1's guises) became a part of the
This aircraft started its life underthe desig ,overedon 12thJulywithPiontkovskyatthe Sovietaircrafttypesofthepre-warperiod, it Yakovlev OKB museum and was shown,
nation WA-3 (Voyenno-vozdooshnaya controls and Yakovlev as a passenger, with did notsurvive. togetherwithotherveteranYakovlevaircraft,
akademiya, AirForceAcademy). Atthetime n Intermediate landing in Khar'kov. The atMoscow-TushinoinAugust 1977.
of its inception Aleksandr S. Yakovlev return flight from Sevastopol' to Moscow AIR-1 replica
worked asassistantenginemechanicofthe was made non-stop by Piontkovskiy alone In 1977 the staff of the Yakovlev Design AIR-2 (Ya-2) prototypetwo-seat
Academy's training air squadron. Encour because the forward cockpit was occupied Bureau commemorated the 50th anniver lightplanewith ADC Cirrus engine
agedbyhissuccessindesigningandbuild by an extra fuel tank. Struggling against a saryoftheAIR-1'sconstruction.Tomarkthe TheAIR-2wasbuiltin1928andalsoborethe
inggliders,Yakovlevdecidedtotryhishand tiff headwind and rain, Piontkovskiy cov occasion, enthusiasts from the staff built a name Pioner (Pioneer) because its con
atthe construction ofapowered aeroplane ered a distance of 1,420 km (883 miles) in replica of the historic aircraft, using photo struction was partly financed by money
and take part in a contest of light aircraft thecourseof15hours30minutes.Thiswas graphsoftherealthingandinformationfrom raisedbyLeningrad'sYoungPioneersyouth
projects which had been announced bythe aworldrecordasregardsnon-stopdistance aeronautical publications of that period as organisation.ThefirstprototypeoftheAIR-2
Aviakhim voluntary society. Yakovlev was andenduranceforthelightaircraftcategory the starting point. The pristine-looking air- made its first flight in early October 1928.
supportedbyasectionoftheOSO(Obshch (theworlddistancerecord registeredbyFAI
estvo sodeystviya oborone - Defence at that time was 868 km/539 miles). This SpecificationsoftheAIR·1
Enhancement Society) which had been set world record remained unofficial because
upatVVA; in 1927itwastransformed intoa the Soviet Union became an FAI member
section of Osoaviakhim afterthe merger of onlyin 1935. Enginetype ADCCirrus
thetwovoluntaryorganisations. InSeptember1927theAIR-1 tookpartin Enginepower,hp 60
7'''
The WA-3 project was developed to the role ofaliaison machine in aRed Army Lengthoverall 6.9m(22It in)
meet a specification issued by the Osoavi exercise near Odessa. Despite inclement Wingspan 8.8m(28It10~in)
akhimsection; itenvisagedamilitaryliaison autumn weather, the aircraft faithfully per Wingarea,m'(sqIt) 18.7(201)
light aircraft powered by a 40- to 60-hp formed liaison services between the head Emptyweight,kg(Ib) 335(739)
engine,with alandingspeedof50km/h (31 quarters and the units in the field, often All-upweight,kg(Ib) 535(1,179)
mph). a maximum speed of not less than making several flights adayto unprepared Maximumspeedatsealevel,km/h(mph) 140(87)
120 km/h (75 mph) and an endurance of airstrips. The machine proved capable of Landingspeed,km/h(mph) 60(37)
three hours. Theaircraftwas builtto accept sustainingprolongedoperationunderharsh Timeto1,000m(3,280It),min 8.0
a60-hpAirdisco Cirrus M-1 four-cylinderin conditions. Commissions set up at Osoavi Range,km(miles):
line engine; its construction was performed akhimandtheMilitaryAirAcademycameto normal 500(311)
by a group of enthusiasts headed by the conclusion that the VVA-3 was the best maximum 1,240(770)
Yakovlev.and it took eight months to com amongSovietlightaircraftandcouldberec Take-offrun,m(It) 80(260)
pletethe machine. By 1st May 1927thefin ommended for series production (which, Landingrun,m(It) 60(200)
ished aircraftwas transferred to the Central however, failed to materialise). After the
TheAVF-20flyingInmodifiedformwithalongerandmorepointednosecone. airfield, where its first flight took place on Odessaexercisethe AIR-1 took part in vari- Note:Somesourcesstatealengthof6.99m(22It11Yoin)andawingspanof8.85m(29ItO~in),
14 15
tailplane of revised planform. Several more (eeded without a hitch. On one occasion
examples of the AIR-2 were built, featuring Bukhgol'ts ventured to fly under the Krym
differentpowerplantoptions. ~klY bridge not far from which the aircraft
haditsmooring place.
AIR-2 (Ya-2) prototypetwo-seat
lightplanewith M-23 engine AIR-2S replica from Nevinnomyssk
An example of the AIR-2 was fitted with a Areplica representing the AIR-2S was built
65-hp M-23 (alias NAMI-65) three-cylinder by agroup ofaviation enthusiastsfrom the
radial engine developed at NAMI (Naooch· Kry/'ya (Wings)technicalclubinthetown of
nwavtomotornwinstitoot- Automobileand Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol' Region, insouth
Engine Research Institute); its testing com ornRussia. Itwaspresentedatageneralavi
mencedinJuly1931.Thismachinefeatured ation fly-in held at Myachkovo airfield near
severalaerodynamicimprovements. Oneof Moscow in June 2001. The aircraft was
these was the provision (forthe firsttime in painstakingly built, using original technical
Sovietaircraftdesign practice) ofautomatic drawings kindly supplied by the Yakovlev
Above:Thestill-unmarkedAIR-1 onskisduringtrials,withtestpilotAleksandrS.Yakovlev(wearinga
leading-edge slats on the upperwings; the OKB. However,theoriginal Siemensengine
pointedRedArmycapknownasabudyonnovka)standinginfront.Thecolourschemehasbeenrevised.
lowerwings were equipped with large-area wasunobtainableandhadtobereplacedby
slotted ailerons. Sometimesthe cockpits of arestoredShvetsovM-11 five-cylinderradial
this machine were enclosed by atranspar that happened to be available. With its 160
ent sideways-opening canopy. The use of hp,theM-11 was50%heavierandhadtwice
thiscanopy, however, had no marked effect thepowercomparedtotheSiemens,butthe
on performance; moreover, the cockpit designers managed to mate it to the air
canopy was not popular with the pilots, all frame. Thereplicawas successfullyflown in
themoresosinceitcouldbeopenedonlyon Nevinnomyssk, attainingamaximum speed
thegroundfrom outside. of 145km/h (90 mph) atan AUW of665 kg
ThisparticularexampleoftheAIR-2was (1,470 Ib). It was displayed again at the
successfullytested for aerobatics and spin Letayushchiye leghendy (Flying Legends)
ning; it showed good controllability and veteran and vintage aircraft show held at
promptspin recovery. Monino south of Moscow on 13th-15th
The M-23 engine suffered from severe August 2004 - unfortunately only statically,
vibrations; this prompted the designers to as beastly weather and asoggy grass run
tryotherpowerplants. waymadeflying the replicatoorisky.
AIR-2 with Walter NZ-60 engine AIR-3 'Pionerskaya Pravda'
Aversion ofthe AIR-2 powered by a 60-hp long-range light aircraft
WalterNZ-60five-cylinderradialenginepos This two-seat parasol monoplane powered
TheAIR-l onwheelsagain,wearingadifferentcolourschemeandthesymbolicregistrationR-RAIR;in sessed slightly lower performance charac bya60-hpWalter NZ engine was designed
keepingwiththeinternationalstandardofthedaythenationalityprefixisrepeatedontherudder.Note
teristics as compared to the AIR-1 (VVA-3). by Yakovlev, then asecond-year student of
theadditionofhubcapsonthewheels.
A small batch of four machines was built. the Air Force Academy, in early 1929. The
Like its predecessor, it was powered by an braces between the front and rear pairs of Afloatplane version powered by the Walter work was undertaken in response to an
ADC Cirrus engine. The AIR-2 was struc cabane struts; they impaired access to the enginewas studied, but not built, the 60-hp order from Osoaviakhim which wanted to
turally and dimensionally identical to the frontcockpit, and itwas decidedto replace outputbeing obviouslyinsufficient. havealightweightmachinewithamaximum
AIR-1 (VVA-3), differing from the latter out them with additional bracing strutsbetween possible range and endurance; the aircraft
wardly in having a revised engine cowling the wing and the fuselage forward of the AIR-2S with Siemens engine wasto beusedfor long-distanceflights and
whichwaslessbulbousinsideview.Another frontcockpit. Otherchanges included dele (landplane version) propagandaflights.
point of difference was the deletion of wire tion of ailerons on the upper wings and a In1931 asingleAIR-2wasfittedwithan85-hp In designing the AIR-3, Yakovlev made
Siemensfive-cylinderradialengine;thisver use of some components from his preced
sionwas designatedAIR-2S,thesuffixletter IngAIR-1 andAIR-2machines.Thefuselage,
standingforSiemens.Theadditionalengine tail unit and undercarriage of the new
power led to a noticeable improvement in machine were basically similar to the AIR-1
performance,makingitpossibletoconvertit and AIR-2, but Yakovlev abandoned the
FourviewsoftheAIR-l,showingtheinternalwirebracingofthefuselageandwingstructure.
intoafloatplane (see below). biplane layout in favour of the monoplane
configuration and stuck to it consistently in to the lower side ofthe front spar. The rec andhousedtwocockpits,therearonebeing
AIR-2S floatplane prototype all his subsequent designs, the onlyexcep tangUlar wing centre section housed three fitted with flight controls; the other cockpit
The floatplane version of the Siemens tionbeingtheexperimentalYak-12Bbiplane fuel tanks holding atotal of 176kg (388 Ib) was used byapassenger (observer).
powered AIR-2S was eqUipped with floats version ofthe Yak-12A lightplane. The two of fuel with gravity feed to the engine. The The undercarriage comprising two
designed by Vadim B. Shavrov. The tests spar wings ofthe AIR-3 were placed above fuel load ensured a14-hourenduranceand mainwheels and atailskid made use ofthe
were conducted on the Moskva River on the fuselage on a cabane consisting of six a range of 1,700-2,000 km (1,057-1,243 wheels from an old Hamiot aircraft. The
18th May 1931. Pilot B. L. Bukhgol'ts, with wire-braced struts. Oneachsideofthefuse miles). The outer wing panels (outboard of wheels were mounted on a common axle
V. B. Shavrov as a passenger, performed a lage the wing was supported by a pair of the wing strut attachment points) had a supported bysteel tube struts with wooden
take-off and then a 1O-minute flight around bracing struts. Instead of the usual wire slighttaper and rounded wingtips and their fairings.
thearea.Thiswasfollowedbyseveralflights braces the wing was stiffened by 1.5-mm the trailing edge was occupied by ailerons ConstructionoftheAIR-3startedinApril
with Piontkovsky at the controls, Yakovlev (0.059-in) plywood skinning extendingfrom The fuselage of rectangular cross-sec 1929andwaseffectedpartlybyPlantNO.39
ThebeautifulreplicaoftheAIR-1 builttocommemoratethe50thanniversaryoftheaircraft'sfirstflight. beingamongthepassengers.Allflightspro- thetopoftherearsparovertheleadingedge tion was formed byfour wooden longerons namedafterV. R. Menzhinskiy (thenlocated
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