Yakovlev Yak-23
| Yak-23 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Polish Yak-23 in theLubuskie Muzeum Wojskowe,Drzonów | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Yakovlev |
| First flight | 8 July 1947 |
| Introduction | 1949 |
| Retired | Early 1960s |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Forces Polish Air Force Romanian Air Force Czechoslovak Air Force Bulgarian Air Force |
| Produced | October 1949–January 1951 |
| Number built | 316 + 3prototypes |
| Developed from | Yakovlev Yak-17 |
TheYakovlev Yak-23(Russian:Яковлев Як-23;USAF/DoD reporting nameType 28,NATO reporting nameFlora)[1]was an earlySovietjetfighterwith a straight wing. It was developed from theYak-17in the late 1940s and used areverse-engineeredcopy of a British engine. It was not built in large numbers as it was inferior in performance to theswept-wingMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15.Many Yak-23s were exported to theWarsaw Pactnations and remained in service for most of the 1950s, although some were still in use a decade later.
Development and description
[edit]
On 11 March 1947, theCouncil of People's Commissarsordered several design bureaux (OKB), including that ofAlexander Yakovlev,to develop a single-seat, straight-winged jet fighter to be equipped with a single BritishRolls-Royce NeneorRolls-Royce Derwentturbojetengine. The aircraft should have a maximum speed of 950 kilometers per hour (590 mph) atsea leveland a speed of 1,000 km/h (621 mph) at an altitude of 5,000 meters (16,400 ft). It should be able to climb to that altitude in 3.5 minutes or less and should have a maximum range of no less than 1,200 kilometers (750 mi).Alexander Yakovlevdecided to develop two designs, theYakovlev Yak-25in accordance with the Ministry's order and a lightweight, more agile aircraft (the Yak-23) in the hopes that one or the other would win an order from the Ministry. Yakovlev's decision was a risky one as it could be construed as unauthorized use of state monies if discovered, which could have landed Yakovlev in a lot of trouble.[2]
To minimize risk, the new aircraft used the same "pod-and-boom" layout as the earlier Yak-17 fighter, but the metalfuselagewas redesigned as a semi-monocoquestructure with the single-seat,unpressurizedcockpitand its teardrop-shapedcanopypositioned just above the trailing edge of the wing. Not coincidentally, this was also above the exhaust of the 1,590-kilogram-force(15.6kN;3,500lbf)centrifugal-flowKlimov RD-500engine, an unlicensed copy of the Derwent V. Fitted withtricycle landing gear,the main landing gear retracted inwards into the fuselage while the nose gear retracted forwards. Unlike the installation in the Yak-17, the Yak-23's forward landing gear was flush with the fuselage when retracted. Thelaminar-flow,two-spar,wing was mounted in the middle of the fuselage. It was equipped withslotted flapsandaileronsand had a modest 3° 30'dihedral.Thehorizontal stabilizershad 5° of dihedral. The pilot was protected by a bulletproof windscreen and the armored back of theejection seat.The Yak-23 was equipped with five non-self-sealing fuel tanksin the fuselage that had a total capacity of 910liters(200imp gal;240U.S. gal) of fuel. In addition it could carry a pair of 195-liter (43 imp gal; 52 U.S. gal)drop tanksunder thewingtips.The fighter was armed with two 23-millimeter (0.9 in)Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23autocannon,each with 90rounds.[3]
Twoprototypesand a static-testairframewere ordered and the aircraft first flew on 8 July 1947 with theHero of the Soviet Union,Lieutenant ColonelMikhail Ivanov,at the controls. While still involved in its manufacturer's flight testing, the first prototype participated in theflypastatTushino Airfieldon 3 August. The Yakovlev OKB concluded its testing on 24 September and turned over the second prototype for state acceptance trials on 22 October. Although the Yak-23 was accepted for series production, it was criticized of heavy aileron and rudder forces, lack of cockpit pressurization and heating and ventilation, protection for the pilot and weak armament. The test pilots did praise it as highly maneuverable, with a good acceleration and takeoff and climb capabilities thanks to a high thrust-to-weight ratio. The second prototype was modified afterwards to address some of these issues and successfully tested again in 1948.[4]
Operational history
[edit]
The first aircraft were produced in a factory inTbilisiin October 1949. In late 1949 they enteredSoviet air forceservice. The Yak-23 was quickly replaced in the Soviet service with the more complicated swept-wing MiG-15, which offered superior performance. In all, only 316 Yak-23 aircraft were built before production ended in 1951. Apart from the fighter there were two trainer versions of the Yak-23 which were built in small numbers. TheYak-23UTItwo-seattrainerwhich appears to have had the unusual arrangement of having the instructor seated in front of the student, and the Yak-23DC trainer which was produced in Romania.
Small numbers of Yak-23s were exported toCzechoslovakia(20 from 1949, namedS-101),Bulgaria(from 1949),Poland(about 100, from 1950),Romania(62, from 1951). Poland and Czechoslovakia acquired licenses for the aircraft, but built the superior MiG-15 instead. Yak-23s were withdrawn by the late 1950s, except in Romania which used them until 1960.[5]
A Romanian Yak-23 flown by Major Dumitru Balaur successfully intercepted a SovietIlyushin Il-28on the night of 28 October 1952. Being tracked from the ground onradar,the Il-28 was intercepted by the Yak-23 fighter scrambled from theIanca airfieldafter it had passed into the Romanianairspacea second time. As the bomber refused to follow the Romanian pilot's instructions, the fighter moved into position to shoot it down but was recalled to base. This was the firstinterception missioncarried out by the Romanian Air Force.[6]
U.S. testing
[edit]A single Yak-23 was acquired by US intelligence viaYugoslaviain November 1953. The aircraft was a Romanian Yak-23 flown by Mihail Diaconu who had defected with it. The aircraft arrived disassembled and was shipped to the U.S. Air Force Test and Evaluation Center atWright FieldnearDayton, Ohio.[7]It was reassembled and made operational for several test flights, during which time it was disguised with U.S. markings. Efforts were made to keep the aircraft's identity secret and it was flown only in the early morning. On one occasion it was passed on therunwayby a formation ofF-86Sabres whose pilots inquired as to the plane's identity. A story was conceived that the aircraft was aBell X-5,which had a similar layout. At the completion of design and flight evaluations the aircraft was again disassembled and shipped quietly back to Yugoslavia in its original paint scheme.
Records
[edit]On September 21, 1957, the Polish pilotAndrzej Abłamowiczset twoFAIworld records in the Yak-23 with civilian markings SP-GLK, in its weight class, climbing to 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 119 seconds (4,962.6 ft/min, 25,21 m/s) and to 6,000 m (19,685 ft) in 197 seconds (5,995.4 ft/min, 30,45 m/s). This plane was withdrawn in 1961.
Variants
[edit]- Yak-23:Fighter version, serial built.
- Yak-23UTI:Two-seat training version with longer fuselage and lighter armament, three built.
- Yak-23DC:Romanian-built two-seat training version. Four Yak-23 single-seaters were converted in 1956 by ASAM Pipera, two of them belonging to the Bulgarian AF.
- S-101:Czechoslovak designation.
Operators
[edit]
- Albanian Air Force- The first aircraft was received in 1951.[8]
- Bulgarian Air Force- Received over 100 aircraft, used them until 1958.
- Czechoslovak Air Force- Received 20 aircraft in 1949.
- Korean People's Army Air Force- A small number were used in theKorean War.[8]
- Polish Air Force- Received about 100 aircraft operated between 1950 and 1956.
- Romanian Air Force- Received 62 aircraft in 1951 and used them until 1960.
- Soviet Air Force- Operated aircraft between 1949 and 1951.
Specifications (Yak-23)
[edit]
Data fromThe Complete Book of Fighters[9]
General characteristics
- Crew:1
- Length:8.13 m (26 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan:8.73 m (28 ft 8 in)
- Height:3.31 m (10 ft 10 in)
- Wing area:13.5 m2(145 sq ft)
- Empty weight:1,980 kg (4,365 lb)
- Gross weight:3,384 kg (7,460 lb)
- Powerplant:1 ×Klimov RD-500centrifugal-flowturbojetengine, 15.6 kN (3,500 lbf) thrust
Performance
- Maximum speed:925 km/h (575 mph, 499 kn) at sea level
- Range:1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi)
- Service ceiling:14,800 m (48,600 ft)[10]
- Rate of climb:47 m/s (9,300 ft/min)[10]
- Thrust/weight:0.46
Armament
- Guns:2 × 23 mmNudelman-Rikhter NR-23with 90 rpg
See also
[edit]Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
[edit]- ^Parsch, Andreas; Martynov, Aleksey V."Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles".designation-systems.net.Retrieved21 January2017.
- ^Gordon & Kommissarov 2014, pp. 156–57.
- ^Gordon & Kommissarov 2014, pp. 204–11.
- ^Gordon & Kommissarov 2014, pp. 164–65, 168.
- ^Paul Sandachi (2001).Aviația de luptă reactivă în România: 1951 - 2001.Muzeul Aviației. p. 25.
- ^"Prima misiune de interceptare a unei ținte reale în cadrul Forțelor Aeriene Române".aviatiamagazin(in Romanian). 28 October 2014.
- ^"JEDNA OD NAJVEĆIH TAJNI TITOVE JUGOSLAVIJE: Projekat Alfa- slanje sovjetskih mlaznjaka u SAD".
- ^ab"Samolotypolskie.pl - Jakowlew Jak-23".
- ^Green and Swanborough 1994, pp. 604–605.
- ^abGunston 1995, p. 478.
Bibliography
[edit]- Gordon, Yefim & Kommissarov, Dmitry.Early Soviet Jet Fighters.Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2014.ISBN978-1-90210935-0.
- Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon.The Complete Book of Fighters.London: Salamander Books. 1994.ISBN1-85833-777-1.
- Gunston, Bill.The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995.London: Osprey, 1995.ISBN1-85532-405-9.
- Mikolajczuk, Marian.Yakovlev Yak-23: The First Yakovlev Jet Fighters.Sandomirez, Poland: Stratus, 2008.ISBN978-83-89450-54-8.
External links
[edit]
