Yakovlev Yak-28
Encyclopedia
The Yakovlev Yak-28 was a swept wing
, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union
. Produced initially as a bomber, it was also manufactured in reconnaissance
, electronic warfare
, interceptor
, and trainer versions, known by the NATO reporting name
s Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro respectively. Based on The Yak-129 prototype first flown on 5 March 1958, it began to enter service in 1960
.
It was first seen by the West at the Tushino air show in 1961
. Western analysts initially believed it to be a fighter
rather than an attack aircraft — and a continuation of the Yak-25M
, at that — and it was designated 'Flashlight'. After its actual role was realized, the Yak-28 bomber series was redesignated 'Brewer'.
Total production of all Yak-28s was 1,180. The Yak-28P was withdrawn in the early 1980s, but trainer and other versions soldiered on until after the fall of the Soviet Union, flying until at least 1992. The recce and ECM aircraft were eventually replaced by variants of the Sukhoi Su-24
.
turbojet engines, initially with 57 kN (12,795 lbf) thrust each, are mounted in pods, similar to the previous Yak-25
. The wing-mounted engines and bicycle-type main landing gear
(supplemented by outrigger wheels in fairings near the wingtips) are widely spaced, allowing most of the fuselage to be used for fuel and equipment. It was primarily transonic
, although Mach
1 could be exceeded at high altitude.
It was on an Yak-28 that captain Boris Kapustin and lieutenant Yuri Yanov made their heroic feat: on the 6th of April 1966, when one of the engines on their aircraft stopped, they managed to divert their aircraft from a housing estate in Berlin. Both heroes were posthumously awarded with the medal of the Red Banner. Their bodies, along with the wreckage, were raised from the lake by British troops.
Yak-129
Yak-28 (Izdeliye B)
Yak-28B (Izdeliye 28B; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-A")
Yak-28L (Izdeliye 28L; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-B")
Yak-28I (Izdeliye 28I; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-C")
Yak-28UVP prototype (ookorochennyy vzlyot i posahdka — short take-off and landing)
Yak-28U (Izdeliye 28U) (oochebnyy - training) (NATO reporting name - "Maestro")
Yak-28R (Izdeliye 28R; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-D")
Yak-28SR prototype (samolyot raspylitel - spraying/dusting aircraft) first use of SR.
Yak-28SR (Izdeliye 28SR) second use of SR.
Yak-28TARK (televiszionnyy aviatsionnyy razveddyvatel'nyy kompleks)
Yak-28RR (Izdeliye 28RR)
Yak-28RL
Yak-28PP (Izeliye 28PP) (NATO reporting name - "Brewer-E")
Yak-28VV proposition (vertikahl'nyy vzlyot - vertical take-off)
Yak-28LSh proposition
Yak-28P (Izdeliye 40) (NATO reporting name - "Firebar")
Yak-28PM prototype
Yak-28URP prototype
Yak-28-64 prototype
Swept wing
A swept wing is a wing planform favored for high subsonic jet speeds first investigated by Germany during the Second World War. Since the introduction of the MiG-15 and North American F-86 which demonstrated a decisive superiority over the slower first generation of straight-wing jet fighters...
, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Produced initially as a bomber, it was also manufactured in reconnaissance
Reconnaissance aircraft
A reconnaissance aircraft is a manned military aircraft designed, or adapted, to carry out aerial reconnaissance.-History:The majority of World War I aircraft were reconnaissance designs...
, electronic warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
, interceptor
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
, and trainer versions, known by the NATO reporting name
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are classified code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc...
s Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro respectively. Based on The Yak-129 prototype first flown on 5 March 1958, it began to enter service in 1960
1960 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1960:-January:* January 1 – Fiji Airways is reconstituted, becoming equally owned by BOAC, Qantas, and Tasman Empire Airways....
.
It was first seen by the West at the Tushino air show in 1961
1961 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961:-January:* January 3 – Aero Flight 311, a Douglas DC-3C, crashes near Kvevlax, Finland, killing all 25 people on board. An investigation finds that the captain and first officer both were exhausted for lack of sleep and drunk at the time of...
. Western analysts initially believed it to be a fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
rather than an attack aircraft — and a continuation of the Yak-25M
Yakovlev Yak-25
The Yakovlev Yak-25 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered interceptor aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft built by Yakovlev and used by the Soviet Union.-Design and development:...
, at that — and it was designated 'Flashlight'. After its actual role was realized, the Yak-28 bomber series was redesignated 'Brewer'.
Total production of all Yak-28s was 1,180. The Yak-28P was withdrawn in the early 1980s, but trainer and other versions soldiered on until after the fall of the Soviet Union, flying until at least 1992. The recce and ECM aircraft were eventually replaced by variants of the Sukhoi Su-24
Sukhoi Su-24
The Sukhoi Su-24 is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. This variable-sweep wing, twin-engined two-seater carried the USSR's first integrated digital navigation/attack system...
.
Description
The Yak-28 had a large mid-mounted wing, swept at 45 degrees. The tailplane set halfway up the vertical fin (with cut-outs to allow rudder movement). Slats are fitted on the leading edges and slotted flaps are mounted on the trailing edges of the wings. The two Tumansky R-11Tumansky R-11
-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links: - R-11...
turbojet engines, initially with 57 kN (12,795 lbf) thrust each, are mounted in pods, similar to the previous Yak-25
Yakovlev Yak-25
The Yakovlev Yak-25 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered interceptor aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft built by Yakovlev and used by the Soviet Union.-Design and development:...
. The wing-mounted engines and bicycle-type main landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
(supplemented by outrigger wheels in fairings near the wingtips) are widely spaced, allowing most of the fuselage to be used for fuel and equipment. It was primarily transonic
Transonic
Transonic speed is an aeronautics term referring to the condition of flight in which a range of velocities of airflow exist surrounding and flowing past an air vehicle or an airfoil that are concurrently below, at, and above the speed of sound in the range of Mach 0.8 to 1.2, i.e. 600–900 mph...
, although Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
1 could be exceeded at high altitude.
It was on an Yak-28 that captain Boris Kapustin and lieutenant Yuri Yanov made their heroic feat: on the 6th of April 1966, when one of the engines on their aircraft stopped, they managed to divert their aircraft from a housing estate in Berlin. Both heroes were posthumously awarded with the medal of the Red Banner. Their bodies, along with the wreckage, were raised from the lake by British troops.
Variants
- Source: OKB Yakovlev
Yak-129
- Prototype of Yak-28.
Yak-28 (Izdeliye B)
- Tactical bomber. Initial production version; built in small numbers without radar.
Yak-28B (Izdeliye 28B; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-A")
- Production of Yak-28 with weapon-aiming radar fitted, and various improvements such as fittings for JATOJATOJATO is an acronym for jet-fuel assisted take off. It is a system for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets....
bottles. Production number is unknown.
Yak-28L (Izdeliye 28L; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-B")
- Tactical bomber with ground controlled targeting system using triangulation from ground based transmitter sites. A total of 111 built.
Yak-28I (Izdeliye 28I; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-C")
- Tactical bomber with the internal targeting system "Initiativa-2" 360-degree ground mapping radar. A total of 223 built.
Yak-28UVP prototype (ookorochennyy vzlyot i posahdka — short take-off and landing)
- A single Yak-28 converted for testing short take-off and landing techniques with JATO bottles and braking parachutes.
Yak-28U (Izdeliye 28U) (oochebnyy - training) (NATO reporting name - "Maestro")
- Dual control trainer with a second cockpit in the nose for student pilots. Prototype in 1962. A total of 183 built.
Yak-28R (Izdeliye 28R; NATO reporting name: "Brewer-D")
- A dedicated tactical reconnaissanceReconnaissanceReconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
version of the Yak-28I, with increased headroom under the pilots canopy, increased nose glazing with a sloping rear bulkhead, Initsiatava-2 radar, and five interchangeable pallets containing various mission equipment fits. Prototype in 1963. A total of 183 built.
Yak-28SR prototype (samolyot raspylitel - spraying/dusting aircraft) first use of SR.
- Chemical warfare aircraft for dispensing dust or liquid agents from underwing tank/applicators. Though recommended for production none were delivered to the VVSVVSVVS is a three letter acronym which may refer to:* Very Very Slightly Included, a way of describing the clarity of a diamond* Vulvar vestibulitis syndrome, a syndrome of vulvodynia associated with chronic disease* V. V. S...
.
Yak-28SR (Izdeliye 28SR) second use of SR.
- Tactical reconnaissance aircraft fitted with an active radio/radar jammer (either SPS-141 or SPS-143). Production was on a very small scale.
Yak-28TARK (televiszionnyy aviatsionnyy razveddyvatel'nyy kompleks)
- Television reconnaissance system to send real-time images to a ground base. Back-up provided by a 190mm focal length still camerea.
Yak-28RR (Izdeliye 28RR)
- Radiation intelligence aircraft with RR8311-100 air sampling pods, for gathering samples of nuclear tests. The pods were specially designed for the Yak-28RR but became standard fit for all subsequent radiation intelligence gathering aircraft. Modification of a number of existing Yak-28R planes.
Yak-28RL
- Radiation Intelligence aircraft conceived by fitting RR8311-100 air sampling pods, with no other specialist equipment. Modification of a number of existing Yak-28L planes.
Yak-28PP (Izeliye 28PP) (NATO reporting name - "Brewer-E")
- Deployed in 1970, it is notable as the first Soviet electronic countermeasuresElectronic countermeasuresAn electronic countermeasure is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar or other detection systems, like infrared or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy...
(ECM) aircraft. Un-armed, with an extensive electronic warfareElectronic warfareElectronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
(EW) suite in the bomb bay and various aerials and dielectric panels for transmitting the jamming signals. Excess heat generated by the jamming equipment was dissipated by heat exchangers under the centre fuselage. No radome. Produced in 1970s in unknown numbers.
Yak-28VV proposition (vertikahl'nyy vzlyot - vertical take-off)
- A vertical take-off and landing project, with two R-27AF-300 lift/cruise engines and four R39P-300 lift engines in the forward fuselage.
Yak-28LSh proposition
- Light attack aircraft project competing with the Ilyushin Il-102Ilyushin Il-102|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*"Ilyushin Il-102: Aborted jet shturmovik". World Air Power Journal, Volume 17 Summer 1994. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1 874023 43 3. pp. 24—29....
and Sukhoi T-8, eliminated at an early stage.
Yak-28P (Izdeliye 40) (NATO reporting name - "Firebar")
- A dedicated long-range interceptorInterceptor aircraftAn interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
version, the Yak-28P was developed from 1960 and deployed operationally from 1964. It omitted the internal weapons bay in favor of additional fuselage tanks (its fuel capacity was considerable, limited by weight rather than volume), and added a new 'Oriol-D' interception radar compatible with the R-98 (AA-3 'Anab') air-to-air missileAir-to-air missileAn air-to-air missile is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fuelled but sometimes liquid fuelled...
. Late production "upgraded" Yak-28Ps had a longer radome of pure conical shape and enhanced armament. Produced until 1967, with 435 built.
Yak-28PM prototype
- Upgraded Yak-28P with R11AF3-300 engines, flight testing started in 1963 but development abandoned when the R11AF3-300 did not enter production.The remotorized "PM" modification has established a speed record of 2400 km/h in 1963.
Yak-28URP prototype
- Rocket boosted high altitude interceptor prototype.
Yak-28-64 prototype
- Extensively re-designed Yak-28P with Tumansky R-11Tumansky R-11-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links: - R-11...
F2-300 engines moved to the rear fuselage with intakes extending to the cockpit, intended to compete with the Sukhoi Su-15Sukhoi Su-15The Sukhoi Su-15 was a twin-engined supersonic interceptor developed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s to replace the Sukhoi Su-11, which was becoming obsolete as the United States and Britain introduced newer and more capable strategic bombers...
. Performance was very disappointing, being slower than the Yak-28P, and serious aileron reversal issues caused the abandonment of the Yak-28-64.
Operators
- Russian Air ForceRussian Air ForceThe Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
- Soviet Air ForceSoviet Air ForceThe Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
- Soviet Anti-Air DefenseSoviet Anti-Air DefenseThe Soviet Air Defence Forces was the air defense branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. It continued being a service branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1998. Unlike Western air defense forces, V-PVO was a branch of the military unto itself, separate from the Soviet...
- Military of TurkmenistanMilitary of TurkmenistanThe armed forces of Turkmenistan consist of an Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Troops, and Internal Troops, and a National Guard. After the fall of the Soviet Union, significant elements of the Soviet Armed Forces Turkestan Military District remained on Turkmen soil...
- Ukrainian Air ForceUkrainian Air ForceThe Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia....
operated 35 aircraft.
Specifications (Yak-28P)
See also
External links
- The Yakovlev Yak-25 & Yak-28 – From the Air Vectors
- http://www.suchoj.com/andere/Jak-28/home.shtml
- http://www.aero-concept.com/fiches/28.html