Yakovlev Yak-1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-1

The Yakovlev Yak-1 (Russian: ??????? ??-1) was a World War II Soviet fighter
aircraft. Production began in early 1940. It was a single-seat monoplane with a
composite structure and wooden wings.

The Yak-1 was manoeuvrable, fast and well armed, and it was easy to maintain and
reliable. It formed an excellent basis for subsequent developments from the
Yakovlev bureau. It was the founder of a family of aircraft, with some 37,000
being built. As a reward, designer Alexander Yakovlev was awarded the Order of
Lenin (Russian: ????? ??????, Orden Lenina) - the highest decoration bestowed by
the Soviet Union - a 100,000 ruble prize, plus a Zis motor car.

I-26-I ("Yak-1") first flew on 13 January 1940. The prototype suffered from oil
overheating problems which were never completely resolved, resulting in 15
emergency landings during early testing. Then, on 27 April 1940, I-26-1 crashed,
killing its test pilot Yu.I. Piontkovskiy. The investigation of the crash found
that the pilot had performed two consecutive barrel rolls at low altitude, which
was in violation of the test flight plan. It was believed that during the first
roll, the main landing gear became unlocked, causing it to crash through the
wing during the second roll. It has been hypothesized that Piontkovskiy's
deviation from the flight plan was caused by frustration that his aircraft was
being used for engine testing while I-26-2, built with the lessons of I-26-1 in
mind, was already performing aerobatics.

Troublesome and slow testing and development concerned Soviet officials, since
I-26 was ordered into production under the name "Yak-1" on 19 February 1940, a
mere month after I-26-1 made its maiden flight. The goal of this gamble was to
reduce the lag time between the prototype and production aircraft. As backups,
the I-200 and I-301 were also ordered into production. Although the Yak-1 was
slower than the I-200 and less heavily armed than the I-301, it enjoyed the
advantage of having been started earlier, which gave it a consistent lead in
testing and development over its competitors. Due to the Axis invasion of the
Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, development and implementation of several other
upcoming promising designs, like the Polikarpov I-185, proved unfeasible.
Yakovlev might have been Joseph Stalin's personal favorite, which may have been
in the Yak-1's favor.

Simultaneous manufacturing and testing of a design that required as many
improvements as I-26 wreaked havoc on the production lines. Almost 8,000 changes
were made to the aircraft's blueprints by 1941, with an additional 7,000
implemented the following year, and 5,000 more changes coming in 1942.
Production was further slowed by shortages of engines, propellers, radiators,
wheels and cannons. Shortages of quality materials resulted in plywood being
torn off the wings on several aircraft. To make matters worse, Factory No.292
which was the main manufacturer of Yak-1s was bombed on 23 June 1943 and burned
to the ground. Amazingly, production resumed amid the ruins on 29 June. Due to
loose tolerances, each aircraft was essentially unique, with workers performing
the final assembly having the unenviable task of mating what often proved to be
somewhat dissimilar components. For example, the left and right main landing
gear could be of different lengths and different angles relative to the
aircraft, which required adjusting their attachments to ensure an even stance
for the completed aircraft. Parts were often not interchangeable between
aircraft. Production of the Yak-1 ended in July 1944, with somewhere around
8,700 built.


Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Yakovlev OKB

First flight
13 January 1940

Introduction
1940

Retired
1950

Primary user
Soviet Air Force

Produced
1940-1944

Number built
8,700

Variants
Yakovlev Yak-3
Yakovlev Yak-7
Yakovlev Yak-9
Yakovlev Yak-15

The aircraft's major problem early in deployment was fuel leaks caused by
failure of spot-welded fuel tanks from vibration. Also troublesome was the fact
that the canopy could not be opened under certain conditions in earlier models,
potentially trapping the pilot in a falling aircraft. As a result, some pilots
had the sliding portion of the canopy removed altogether. The first 1,000 Yak-1s
had no radios. Installation of radio equipment became common by spring 1942 and
obligatory by August 1942. But Soviet radios were notoriously unreliable and
short-ranged, so they were frequently removed to save weight.

The Yak-1 was better than the Bf 109E, but inferior to the Bf 109F - its main
opponent - in rate of climb at all altitudes, although it could complete a
circle at the same speed (20–21 seconds at 1,000 meters). In comparison, a Bf
109, with its automatic flaps, had a lower stall speed and was more stable in
sharp turns and vertical aerobatic figures. A simulated combat between a Yak
(with M-105PF engine) and a Bf 109F revealed that the Messerschmitt had only
marginally superior manoeuvrability at 1,000 meters (3,300 ft), though the
German fighter could gain substantial advantage over the Yak-1 within four or
five nose-to-tail turns. At 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), the capabilities of the two
fighters were nearly equal, as combat was essentially reduced to head-on
attacks. At altitudes over 5,000 meters (16,400 ft), the Yak was more
manoeuvrable. The engine’s nominal speed at low altitudes was lowered to 2,550
rpm, and the superiority of the Bf 109F at these altitudes was reduced.

Nonetheless, the Yak-1 was well liked by its pilots. For Soviet pilot Nikolai G.
Golodnikov, overall, in its tactical and technical characteristics, the Yak-1B
flown by experienced pilots could meet the Bf 109F-4 and G-2 on equal terms.
French Normandie-Niemen squadron selected the primitive model Yak-1M (that had a
cut-down fuselage to allow all-round vision) when it was formed, in March 1943.
Twenty-four of these aircraft were sent to the elite all-female 586 IAP, whose
pilots included the world's only female aces: Katya Budanova, with 11, and Lydia
Litvyak (11 plus three shared). Litvyak flew Yak-1 "Yellow 44", with an aerial
mast, at first in 296.IAP and then with 73.Gv.IAP, until her death in combat on
1 August 1943. Another ace who flew the Yak-1 was Mikhail Baranov, who scored
all his 24 victories with it, including five on a day (four Bf 109s and one Ju
87, on 6 August 1942). The Yak-1 was also the first type operated by the 1 Pulk
Lotnictwa Mysliwskiego "Warszawa" ("1st Polish Fighter Regiment 'Warsaw'").

Specifications (Yak-1b)

General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.0 m (32 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.64 m (8ft 6in)
Wing area: 17.2 m2 (185.1 ft2)
Empty weight: 2,394 kg (5,267 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,883 kg (6,343 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: kg (lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov M-105PF V-12 liquid-cooled engine, 880 kW (1,180 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 592 km/h at altitude (368 mph)
Range: 700 km (435 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,050 m (32,972 ft)
Rate of climb: 15.4 m/s (3,038 ft/min)
Wing loading: 168 kg/m2 (34 lb/ft2)
Power/mass: 0.31 kW/kg (0.19 hp/lb)

Armament

1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) ShVAK cannon, 1 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Berezin UBS machine gun.
One-second salvo weight of fire 2 kg (4.4 lb) with both the cannon and the
machine gun using high-explosive ammunition.






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