Jakovlev Jak-38

Jakovlev Jak-38
Země	Sovětský svaz
Typ	Stíhací letounY VTOL
První let	1971
Postaven	231

Tá Jakovlev Jak-38 (Rusky: Яковлев Як-38; Nato reporting name: "Forger") byl jediný operační stíhací letoun VTOL společnosti Soviet Naval Aviation, kromě toho, že byl jeho prvním operačním letadlovým letadlem s pevnými křídly. Byl vyvinut speciálně pro letadlové lodě třídy Kyjev a sloužil téměř výhradně na letadlových lodích třídy Kyjev.

Jak-36m "Padělatel" : Původní předproduktní verze, mírně odlišná od Jak-38. Vážil pouze 6 650 kg ve srovnání se 7 370 kg jak-38 a motory byly o něco méně výkonné.

Zdroj: Jakovlev Jak-38 na Wikipedii

Jakovlev Jak-38
Fotograf	Vladimir Jakubov
Lokalizace	Neznámé
Fotografie	111

Yak-38M 01

Yak-38M 02

Yak-38M 03

Yak-38M 04

Yak-38M 05

Yak-38M 06

Yak-38M 07

Yak-38M 08

Yak-38M 09

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Yak-38 Padělatel procházka kolem
Fotograf	Dmitrij Sribnyi
Lokalizace	Muzeum Jakovlev Design Bureau
Fotografie	145

Jak-38 Padělatel

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Jak-38 Procházka Kolem
Fotograf	Neznámé
Lokalizace	Neznámé
Fotografie	24

Yak-38 01

Yak-38 02

Yak-38 03

Yak-38 04

Yak-38 05

Yak-38 06

Yak-38 07

Yak-38 08

Yak-38 09

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Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger Walk Around
Fotograf	Gunkalo Vladimir
Lokalizace	Neznámé
Fotografie	33

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 01

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 02

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 03

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 04

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 05

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 06

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 07

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 08

Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger 09

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The “Steel-Winged” Experiment

Tá Jakovlev Jak-38 was the Soviet Navy’s answer to the British Harrier. Entering service in 1976, it was designed specifically to operate from the Kiev-class “heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers.” Unlike the Harrier’s single engine with four swiveling nozzles, the Yak-38 used a complex and controversial “lift-plus-cruise” configuration: one main engine for forward flight and two dedicated vertical-lift jets behind the cockpit. While it gave the Soviet Union a fixed-wing presence at sea, it was a temperamental machine with limited range and a payload capacity that often left it nicknamed “the deck-bound toy.”

Attribute	Technical Specification (Yak-38M)
Roli	VTOL Shipborne Strike/Fighter
Posádky	1 (Pilot)
Main Engine	1 × Tumansky R-28V-300 vectored-thrust turbofan (15,000 lbf)
Lift Engines	2 × Rybinsk RD-38 turbojets (7,200 lbf each)
Maximum Speed	1,050 km/h (650 mph / Mach 0.95)
Combat Radius	130–300 km (depending on takeoff mode)
Zbrojení	4 × External hardpoints (up to 2,000 kg / 4,400 lbs)
Standard Load	R-60 AAMs, Kh-23M ASMs, FAB-250/500 bombs, or 23mm gun pods

Design Engineering: The Perils of Vertical Flight

Automatic Ejection System: The Yak-38 featured a unique (and terrifying) safety feature. Because the aircraft would flip instantly if one lift engine failed, Yakovlev installed an automatic ejection seat. If the plane exceeded a certain pitch or roll angle during VTOL, the seat would fire the pilot out without their permission.
The “Lift-Plus-Cruise” Trap: During vertical takeoff, the Yak-38 burned fuel at a staggering rate. To carry a useful weapons load, pilots often had to perform “short” rolling takeoffs instead of purely vertical ones, but the small wings provided very little lift.
No Radar: The “Forger-A” lacked an internal radar, relying on the pilot’s eyes and the “Mother Ship’s” controllers for interception. It was primarily intended to shoot down slow-moving NATO maritime patrol planes like the P-3 Orion.
Environmental Fragility: The lift engines were notoriously finicky in hot or humid climates. During deployments to Africa and Afghanistan, the engines often refused to start if the air temperature was too high, earning it the reputation of being a “fair-weather fighter.”

Combat and Service History

Operation Romb (Afghanistan, 1980): A small detachment of Yak-38s was sent to Afghanistan for “trial by fire.” They performed roughly 12 sorties, but the high-altitude, dusty environment was brutal on the engines, and the aircraft proved to have almost no tactical value compared to the Su-25.
The “Baka” of the Cold War? While it looked futuristic, Western analysts quickly realized the Yak-38 was no match for the Sea Harrier. It lacked the maneuverability for dogfighting and the range for deep strikes.
Safety Record: Roughly one-third of the total production (approx. 231 built) was lost in accidents. However, the automatic ejection system saved dozens of lives, despite occasionally firing during minor malfunctions that might have been recoverable.
Legacy: Despite its flaws, the Yak-38 taught the Soviets everything they needed to know about VTOL. Its successor, the Yak-141 Freestyle, was a supersonic beast that later influenced the design of the American F-35B’s swivel-nozzle system.