Yak-28 Firebar

Yak-28 Firebar
Country	Soviet Union
Type	Combat aircraft
First flight	5 March 1958
Built	1180

Photo gallery of a Yak-28 Firebar, The Yakovlev Yak-28 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union. Produced initially as a tactical bomber, it was also manufactured in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, interceptor, and trainer versions, known by the NATO reporting names Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro respectively. Based on the Yak-129 prototype first flown on 5 March 1958, it began to enter service in 1960.

Source: Yak-28 Firebar on Wikipedia

Yak-28 Firebar
Photographer	Erped Pinter
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	106

Yak-28 Firebar 01

Yak-28 Firebar 02

Yak-28 Firebar 04

Yak-28 Firebar 05

Yak-28 Firebar 06

Yak-28 Firebar 07

Yak-28 Firebar 08

Yak-28 Firebar 09

Yak-28 Firebar 10

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Role : -Medium bomber -Reconnaissance -Electronic warfare -Interceptor National origin : Soviet Union Manufacturer : Yakovlev First flight : 5 March 1958 Introduction : 1960 Retired : 1992 (Russia) Primary users: -Soviet Air Forces -Soviet Air Defence Forces -Russian Air Force -Ukrainian Air Force Number built : 1.180

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Yak-28P Firebar Walk Around
Photographer	Aleksandr Melihov
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	16

Yak-28U Walk Around
Photographer	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	25

Yakovlev Yak-28P Walk Around
Photographer	Vladimir Yakubov
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	96

A Jack-of-All-Trades in a Supersonic Age

The Yakovlev Yak-28 was one of the most versatile and visually striking Soviet aircraft of the Cold War. While the bomber versions were nicknamed “Brewer” by NATO, the Yak-28P “Firebar” was a dedicated long-range, all-weather interceptor. With its slender fuselage, sharply swept wings, and engines slung in massive pods, it looked more like a science-fiction craft than a frontline fighter. It was tasked with patrolling the vast, lonely frontiers of the USSR, designed to hunt down NATO bombers before they could reach Soviet airspace.

Attribute	Technical Specification (Yak-28P)
Role	Long-Range All-Weather Interceptor
Crew	2 (Pilot and Radar Operator in tandem)
Engines	2 × Tumansky R-11F2-300 afterburning turbojets
Max Speed	1,840 km/h (1,140 mph / Mach 1.5)
Service Ceiling	16,750 m (54,950 ft)
Main Armament	2 × R-98 (AA-3 ‘Anab’) Air-to-Air Missiles
Secondary Armament	2 × K-13 (AA-2 ‘Atoll’) Missiles (later variants)
Unique Layout	Bicycle-style landing gear with wingtip outriggers

Design Engineering: High Risk, High Thrust

Bicycle Landing Gear: To keep the fuselage clear for a large internal bomb bay (on bomber variants) or massive fuel tanks (on the interceptor), Yakovlev used a “bicycle” gear: two main wheel sets under the fuselage and tiny outrigger wheels on the wingtips. This made landings notoriously difficult, requiring a perfectly level touch-down to avoid “shaving the tail” or dragging a wing.
The “Firebar” Nose: Unlike the bomber versions which had a glass “greenhouse” nose for the navigator, the Firebar featured a long, pointed radome housing the Oriol-D radar. Late-model Firebars had an even longer, sharper conical nose to improve supersonic aerodynamics.
The Engine Asymmetry Problem: The R-11 engines were powerful (the same used in the MiG-21), but their placement in underwing pods was dangerous. If one engine failed during takeoff, the massive asymmetric thrust would often flip the plane over before the pilot could react—a flaw that led to many early accidents.
No Gun: The Yak-28P was a “pure” interceptor. It carried no internal cannon, relying entirely on its large R-98 missiles. The standard loadout was one radar-guided and one infrared-guided missile, fired together to maximize the chance of a kill against a maneuvering target.

Operational History: The Silent Sentry

The PVO Workhorse: The Firebar served almost exclusively with the PVO (Soviet Air Defense Forces). Because of its long range, it was the primary protector of the Siberian and Arctic frontiers throughout the 1960s and 70s.
The “Brewer” Cousins: The Yak-28 airframe was so adaptable that while the Firebar was intercepting intruders, the Yak-28PP “Brewer-E” was acting as the Soviet’s first dedicated electronic jamming aircraft, and the Yak-28R “Brewer-D” was taking high-speed reconnaissance photos.
The 1966 Berlin Heroics: In April 1966, a Yak-28 suffered double engine failure over West Berlin. The pilots, Boris Kapustin and Yuri Yanov, stayed with the aircraft to steer it away from residential areas and a hospital, crashing into Lake Stößensee. They were posthumously honored for their bravery in avoiding civilian casualties.
Retirement: The Firebar remained in service until the late 1980s. It was eventually phased out by the much more powerful and stable Sukhoi Su-15 and Mikoyan MiG-31, though it remains a cult favorite among aviation enthusiasts for its unique, aggressive silhouette.