Until recently, it was believed that there were two variants of the Yak-1: the Yak-1 itself and the Yak-1M. But as it was established in the late 80s, there was also a modification of the Yak-1b. After the appearance of the M-105PF engine, two ways for further development of the design appeared: to reduce the weight of the aircraft or to improve its aerodynamics. The designers of the group A.I. took the second path to TsAGI. Silman in July 1942. It turned out that, at the cost of relatively small changes, it is possible to increase the speed of the aircraft by 33–38 km/h. At the suggestion of TsAGI, the production vehicle 08-68 was redesigned, which was tested in August-September 1942. The fuselage of the aircraft was pressurized, which was achieved by sealing the fire bulkhead and installing additional bulkheads behind the armored back and water radiator. The holes for the machine guns received fairings, and the holes for removing powder gases were closed. The fuselage-tail transition was changed, and the gaps between the ailerons and wings were reduced to 6 mm.

Finally, the tested aircraft received an improved cooling system. Tests showed that the aircraft's speed increased by 23 km/h (up to 594 km/h) compared to production aircraft.

At the same time, the aerodynamics of the aircraft were also “licked” at the Yakovlev Design Bureau, where fighter No. 10-47 underwent modifications. Even more than aerodynamics, Yakovlev tried to improve visibility from the cockpit and reduce the weight of the aircraft. The fuselage behind the cockpit was made lower, and the canopy was given a teardrop shape.

This is how the new Yak-1 appeared. The silhouette of the aircraft has become even more elegant, and the visibility of the rear hemisphere has become excellent. The aircraft's maneuverability has increased (the aircraft can now complete a full turn in 16–17 seconds). However, the military did not accept the car, since all the improvements were purchased at the cost of both ShKAS, which had to be removed.

In June 1942, experimental plant No. 115 converted production aircraft No. 35–60 with the M-105PA engine in accordance with OKB recommendations. The rear part of the fuselage was narrowed, but the cockpit canopy was assembled from flat glass. This was explained by the low quality of plexiglass, which cracked and lost transparency at bends. The front and rear windows of the canopy were armored, the seat received an armored armrest that protected the hand lying on the gas handle.

Another feature of the aircraft visible from the outside was its new armament. Two ShKAS were removed, and instead of the left ShKAS, a 12.7-mm UBS machine gun with 200 rounds of ammunition was installed (this armament scheme was tested back in 1941). The aircraft received an electric and pre-electric trigger for the cannon and machine gun, instead of a mechanical and pneumo-mechanical one. This example (35–60) had a BB-1 mechanical sight instead of an OPB optical sight. The reason was the poor quality of the optical sight. Another feature of the vehicle was the P-1's steering wheel, which was a copy of the Bf 109's steering wheel. Previously, the pilot had to shift his hand from the throttle to the machine gun release, but now fire could be fired with one right hand.

The vehicle was tested at the Air Force Research Institute from July 14, 1942. The flight characteristics of the aircraft did not change, but this was not the main goal of the work - the appearance of the M-105PF engine was expected. The performance of the machine has been significantly improved. Even before the tests began, Yak-lev turned to the People's Commissar of the Aviation Industry with a request to allow the production of a trial series of twenty aircraft. On August 11, 1942, the State Defense Committee gave such permission. In addition to all of the above, the modified aircraft had a retractable rear wheel, an oil cooler from the Yak-7, a VISH-105 propeller and several other changes.

Ten Yak-16s were produced in September, and from October 10, 1942, plant No. 292 completely switched to the production of vehicles of this modification. Changes to the design of the aircraft were not made immediately, but gradually:

Starting with the 99th series, the rear fuselage was lowered and new weapons were installed. The latest changes were introduced as part of the 111th series, that is, in December 1942.

In addition to the changes that were introduced, there were changes that were “withdrawn.” As usual, the last word always remained with the State Bonds. On September 22, 1942, it was decided that part of the electrical equipment (including the light on the left wing), the RPK-10 radio compass, a variometer and some other devices should be removed from the army Yak-1s. Only air defense aircraft retained a full set of equipment.

A Yak-1M fighter takes off from a field airfield near Grigorievsky, August 1944. The Polish fighter regiment "Warsaw" made its first combat mission in the Warka area on August 23, 1944. This day in Poland is celebrated as Polish Air Force Day. Polish pilots on the Eastern Front did not put Polish state emblems on their planes, as they did in the West.

This Yak-1M from the Normandie-Niemen regiment bears an interesting combination of emblems. Blue, white and red fairing of the bushing and rosette under the canopy, white boom.

The production of the Yak-1b continued until the end of the Yak-1 production and, starting from the 111th series, 4188 vehicles were assembled. Another 273 vehicles had a transitional design.

You can’t write about the Yak-16 without remembering Major Shinkarenko’s regiment. Almost every book about Yak fighters mentions that the Shinkarenko regiment was the first to introduce the lowered rear fuselage of the Yak-1. At the same time, Shinkarenko himself writes in his memoirs that in his 42nd IAP it was not the Yak-1 that was rebuilt, but the Yak-7.

The first prototype of the I-26

The first I-26 prototype during testing of a fixed ski landing gear

Second prototype I-26

Modified second prototype I-26

I-26 of the first and second series, plant No. 301

I-26 third series, plant No. 301

Third prototype I-26

The third I-26 prototype during testing of the retractable ski landing gear

Yak-1 first series, plant No. 292

Modernized Yak-1, plant No. 292

Yak-1 manufactured in early 1941.

Yak-1 series from 43 to 49

Yak-1 with radio station

Yak-1 produced from May to October 1942

Yak-1 with ski chassis

Yak-1 series from 50 to 87 with radio station

Yak-1 with experimental exhaust pipes and modified carburetor air intake

Yak-1 with a filter on the carburetor air intake

Yak-1, copy No. 1047

Yak-1, copy No. 3650

Yak-1 series from 65 to 89, plant No. 292

Yak-1 60 series with metal keel sheathing, plant No. 292

Yak-1 with UBS machine gun

Yak-1, copy No. 0868 with aerodynamics improved at TsAGI

Yak-1 with experimental exhaust pipes

Yak-1b with external fuel tanks

Yak-1b, copy No. 3299 with M-106P engine

Yak-1b with M-105PF2 engine

Yak-1 "Mosquito" - prototype of the Yak-3

Yak-1M with M-107A engine

Standard late Yak-1 series from 110 to 192

Yak-1 "Mosquito"

OKB Yakovlev

By 1939, the Soviet experimental aircraft industry found itself in a situation close to a crisis. The disorganizing role of the repressions that hit the industry in 1937-1938 had an impact. In addition, a qualitatively new level of technology required new technologies and materials, a new organization of production and broader experimental testing. In the field of technology and aviation materials, the Soviet Union still lagged behind advanced countries, which had a particularly strong impact on the engine industry, since the path of licensed production and subsequent improvement of the best foreign engines, which was very common throughout the world, was already excluded due to the sharply aggravated international situation. In addition, the leading aviation research center is TsAGI. created back in the 20s in Moscow could no longer fully provide designers with experimental material. The new TsAGI, with its unique wind tunnels and strength stands, was still under construction. It was ready only by 1939-1940.

By 1939, the lag of Soviet aviation became obvious. It consisted not so much in the absence of new aircraft in the Air Force, but in the fact that such aircraft, with a few exceptions, were not even developed and tested. In the first half of 1939, the country's leadership held two broad meetings with the participation of workers from the People's Commissariat of the Aviation Industry, scientific institutes, pilots and military specialists. As a result, a set of measures was developed to quickly eliminate the backlog in the field of aviation. One of these events was the organization of a number of new design bureaus. Extremely intense, one might even say emergency, work began to create a new generation of Soviet aircraft.

One of the first successful new aircraft was the A.S. fighter. Yakovleva I-26. It entered testing in January 1940. The aircraft itself was a cantilever monoplane of mixed design, well adapted to the conditions of mass production. Liquid cooling motor M-105P. The armament consisted of one ShVAK cannon of 20 mm caliber, firing through the hollow shaft of the propeller gearbox, and two synchronized rapid-firing machine guns ShKAS of 7.62 mm caliber. A distinctive feature of this aircraft, as well as other combat aircraft of A.S. Yakovlev during the war, was its low weight, good stability and ease of piloting.

After tests and necessary modifications, the I-26 was put into production and soon assigned the Yak-1 brand. In the first half of the Great Patriotic War, this aircraft became one of the main new Soviet fighters, and in just 1940-1944. 8,720 aircraft of this type were produced.

In the first year and a half of the war, the Yak-1 was the best Soviet fighter. It harmoniously combined high flight characteristics and weapons. Compared to the main fighter of Nazi Germany, the Messerschmitt Bf-109E, the Yak-1 had superiority in speed and all types of maneuver. However, with the advent of the more advanced Bf-109F, the Yak-1's flight data became insufficient. Then, on the initiative of the A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau and the Air Force Research Institute, a modification of the engine was carried out, thanks to which at low altitudes, i.e. just where the air battles were mainly fought, the engine power increased significantly. The Yak-1 fighter with a new forced engine, designated M-105PF, was built in series since the summer of 1942. In speed at low and medium altitudes, this aircraft was not inferior to the main German fighters Bf-109F and G, in maneuverability it was superior to them, but slightly inferior in rate of climb.

Armament. One ShVAK 20-mm cannon with 220 rounds of ammunition, 2 ShKAS machine guns of 7.62-mm caliber with 1,500 rounds of ammunition.

During serial production, the Yak-1 was modified several times. Simultaneously with the engine change, the armament was also changed: instead of two ShKAS, a much more effective large-caliber (12.7 mm) UB machine gun was installed. Then they improved the aerodynamics, installed a radio and improved the visibility of the upper hemisphere from the cockpit. All the measures taken made it possible to continuously maintain the high combat qualities of the Yak-1, and this fighter was in service with the Soviet Air Force until the end of the war.

*At 90% of maximum speed.

Somehow it turned out that I didn’t build any new models this winter. He was mainly involved in the repair and refurbishment of old equipment. And then, as luck would have it, I dropped one of my favorite small planes - the “orange” Yak-3. It’s my own fault, of course: I hurried and missed when choosing the model settings in the remote control. With the controls completely mixed up, we only managed to save the plane from a full-fledged “carrot”, but the foam wing spar could no longer withstand such treatment...
Repair? So here it is necessary to make a new wing, and still traces of the transplant will remain. And where the wing is, there is everything else...
So the idea arose, not to repeat what had been done, but to make, albeit similar, but still a new model.

The same drawings were taken as a basis, which I decided to slightly change to make a different plane. The choice was between the Yak-1 and Yak-9 of various modifications. The early Yak-1, with a high gargrot, required too many modifications to the fuselage. The Yak-9 of later modifications was practically no different in appearance from the lighter Yak-3, with the exception of the trim of the cockpit canopy - somehow it is not seriously limited to such trifles. There remained the Yak-1b (from which, in fact, the Yak-3 “grew”) and early modifications of the Yak-9, but I somehow liked the Yak-1b with its smoother and less angular contours of the air intakes. So, we will build the Yak-1b!
So, how did the Yak-1b differ in appearance from the Yak-3?

The first thing that catches your eye is the “beard” of the oil cooler under the engine and the smaller water radiator tunnel. Although they tried to introduce a non-bound visor on the Yak-1, the required quality of materials was achieved only before the launch of the Yak-3 series. Less obvious is that the wingspan of the Yak-1 was greater (10m versus 9.2m for the Yak-3 and 9.74m for the Yak-9). There were, of course, other differences, but since there were no serious plans to make a copy, you can not focus on them.
In general, the prototype has been selected and assembly can begin.

Day 1.
I started work on the fuselage. I transferred the templates for the fuselage power kit onto the sheet of the ceiling. To do this, it is best to take ceiling tiles, preferably thicker and denser ones - this way the frame turns out to be more rigid and is less twisted when covering it. The weight, of course, adds up, but not very seriously, because all the parts of the power set fit on half a sheet:

Having cut out all the parts, I assemble the frame like a three-dimensional puzzle. Unlike the drawing, I make frame D of double thickness, because the junction of the sheathing parts will go along it. Also, to simplify the gluing of the skin and some strengthening of the nose, I glue strips of foam plastic after frame F and on the sides of the battery compartment from the engine mount to the 3rd lower half-frame. The motor mount itself is glued together from three layers of “fruit” plywood. It seems like there’s extra weight again, but this thickness allows you to hide the long shank of the screw adapter and increases the area where the motor mount is glued to the foam - a little vibration won’t tear it off.

While the glue dries, I glue blocks of light ball foam on the bottom. They add virtually no weight or strength, however, but they make it possible to easily join the edges of the skin. These details are not on the drawing, and it is proposed to glue the skin literally on the fly...

Next I make a blank for the battery compartment cover:

While I can get to all the corners that will become difficult to reach after wrapping, I mount the motor, regulator and receiver. The motor is an old Turnigy C2410, broken, bent, wound more than once, with bearings replaced more than once. After extreme rewind, it produces something like 1300 rpm instead of 840, but it works and pulls quite well. Regulator - HK SS 15-18A. Receiver - FrSky VD5M with a homemade adapter from micro connectors to standard ones. Although it is intended for indoor models, it is also perfect for small park flyers: the range is enough to drive the model into a point until it completely loses orientation. All this stuff remains from its broken predecessor.

Before covering it, I decided that I would still need to decorate the cockpit. I cut out part of the stringer between frames C and D and glued the walls of the future cabin between them:

I decided to make the cladding parts not in a single development, as proposed in the original, but in two separate parts. So, it seems to me much more convenient. I did not make any cutouts on the tail half: the gray laminate backing from which I made the cladding is quite soft and elastic. It allows you to fit surfaces of rather complex shapes. I marked the cutouts on the bow, but didn’t cut them right away - it’s best to do it in place so that they fit exactly on the frames.

Well, then, actually, covering the frame. I started with the tail, as a simpler element. Having smeared the frame with glue, I wrapped it in a sheet of sheathing, trimmed off the excess from below and, joining the edges of the sheet, secured them with pieces of masking tape. The same goes for the front part, only you need to first glue the cutout on top and adjust the junction with the tail half:

Day 2.
Overnight the glue has completely dried, you can remove the tape, putty and sand the skin joints, cut out the battery compartment cover:

While drying the putty, I grab the wing. To increase the span, I added a strip 4cm wide (i.e. 20mm per console) in the center to the dimensions of the Yak-3 wing templates. This time the spar was made from a ruler: a little heavier than foam, but in the case of the same smack, there is a chance of getting away with minor bruises. Otherwise, the wing design is no different from the original, except that I also added a central rib so that there was something to glue the upper part of the skin to.

I glued the ceiling strips along the aileron cut line. One layer is not enough, I had to glue two, and then carefully cut off the excess and sand these inserts along the profile. I also sanded down the trailing edge on both the bottom and top of the skin onto the wedge. At the same stage, I glued in the aileron servos and laid wires to them. Of course, there will be no access to the machines, but nothing unnecessary will spoil the appearance. After this, the wing can be finally closed, not forgetting to give the consoles a slight reverse twist.

While the wing is being glued, I’m making the tail unit. The rudder, like on the previous Yak, was not made: since the model does not have a landing gear, it will not have to steer on the ground, and in the air the launch vehicle is not really needed. Therefore, I glued the keel together right away, except perhaps by adding an insert from one layer of ceiling and sanding the rear edge so that it did not look completely flat. I glued a piece of carbon rod into the stabilizer for rigidity. The elevator halves are connected by a U-shaped wire bracket that rotates in two tin hinges. 6 strips of film for the laminator act as loops:

Day 3.
The wing is glued together, you can put it in place, but before that you need to remember to glue the elevator servo, stretch the wire from it to the receiver and make a pull. The fairings in the original drawing are somehow incomprehensible, I had to invent something of my own, adjusting it to the location. Fortunately, the soft substrate tolerates such abuse.

I cut out the oil cooler air intake from thick packaging foam. It was necessary to make it from polystyrene foam: ball foam, even hard plastic, after processing produces an overly porous surface... Well, oh well - it will be puttied, painted and the “jambs” will not be visible. By the way, the air intake is quite functional - a hole is cut under it into the engine/battery compartment, so that during flight the oncoming air flow will provide decent cooling of the power plant.

Day 4.
Now it’s time to paint, apply decals and cover the model with tape. I chose black and green camo for the color scheme. I drew it before cutting out the ailerons. After the paint dried, I cut off the ailerons and painted the bottom blue. During the process of covering the ailerons, I hung them with tape.
In itself, the coloring has no historical value - it is a collection of elements from different aircraft. A yak with exactly this combination of coloring, number, insignia, and even a guardsman, most likely, never existed. But everything looks pretty good together:

In parallel with painting, I cut out an imitation of a water radiator tunnel from foam plastic. Since, among other things, it will have to act as a landing ski, after painting and covering it, a reinforcement made of thin transparent plastic was glued on top. I made the same trim on the front air intake:

Day 5.
Things are moving towards the end. By and large, the model is already capable of flying, but there are still some decorative elements left.
It is necessary to design the cockpit so that it does not look like an empty hole in the fuselage. I didn’t go after any special replicas, I limited myself to the instrument panel, the pilot’s seat, pedals, RUS and throttle levers:

Finally, I glued the cockpit canopy into place, machined a spinner from polystyrene foam and made an imitation of exhaust manifolds. Yes, I know that the Yak-1 had only 4 exhaust pipes on each side, and not 6 - such an exhaust system was used on the later Yak-3\Yak-9. But the “exhaust” here is also working - cooling air will escape through these holes. And 12 holes are not 8 holes...

And finally, a video of the flight. This is no longer a flyby - during the flyby the camera on the cap was skewed, but I didn’t notice, as a result the plane only occasionally came into frame. And this time the camera turned off ahead of time, apparently, it froze and was discharged during the previous half hour... So, the landing was not included in the video. But you can see how the plane flies, in a wind of 3-4 m/s, and even in a zone of terrible turbulence due to nearby houses.

Compared to the previous Yak-3, this model is not so nimble - especially in roll. It seems like, what is an extra 4 centimeters of span? However, you can feel it... The speed, as expected, remained within the same limits. Flight time - 7-8 minutes - too. In general, this is a good option for quiet demonstration flights. If you increase your expenses a little and don’t fly at half throttle, like in the video, you’ll have a good fight.

z.y. Just don’t think that all day, from morning to evening, I was exclusively focused on this plane. 2-4 hours a day, no more ;-)))

The newest best military aircraft of the Russian Air Force and the world photos, pictures, videos about the value of a fighter aircraft as a combat weapon capable of ensuring “superiority in the air” was recognized by the military circles of all states by the spring of 1916. This required the creation of a special combat aircraft superior to all others in speed, maneuverability, altitude and the use of offensive small arms. In November 1915, Nieuport II Webe biplanes arrived at the front. This was the first aircraft built in France that was intended for air combat.

The most modern domestic military aircraft in Russia and the world owe their appearance to the popularization and development of aviation in Russia, which was facilitated by the flights of Russian pilots M. Efimov, N. Popov, G. Alekhnovich, A. Shiukov, B. Rossiysky, S. Utochkin. The first domestic cars of designers J. Gakkel, I. Sikorsky, D. Grigorovich, V. Slesarev, I. Steglau began to appear. In 1913, the Russian Knight heavy aircraft made its first flight. But one cannot help but recall the first creator of the aircraft in the world - Captain 1st Rank Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky.

Soviet military aircraft of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War sought to hit enemy troops, their communications and other targets in the rear with air strikes, which led to the creation of bomber aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load over considerable distances. The variety of combat missions to bomb enemy forces in the tactical and operational depth of the fronts led to the understanding of the fact that their implementation must be commensurate with the tactical and technical capabilities of a particular aircraft. Therefore, the design teams had to resolve the issue of specialization of bomber aircraft, which led to the emergence of several classes of these machines.

Types and classification, latest models of military aircraft in Russia and the world. It was obvious that it would take time to create a specialized fighter aircraft, so the first step in this direction was an attempt to arm existing aircraft with small offensive weapons. Mobile machine gun mounts, which began to be equipped with aircraft, required excessive efforts from pilots, since controlling the machine in maneuverable combat and simultaneously firing from unstable weapons reduced the effectiveness of shooting. The use of a two-seater aircraft as a fighter, where one of the crew members served as a gunner, also created certain problems, because the increase in weight and drag of the machine led to a decrease in its flight qualities.

What types of planes are there? In our years, aviation has made a big qualitative leap, expressed in a significant increase in flight speed. This was facilitated by progress in the field of aerodynamics, the creation of new, more powerful engines, structural materials, and electronic equipment. computerization of calculation methods, etc. Supersonic speeds have become the main flight modes of fighter aircraft. However, the race for speed also had its negative sides - the takeoff and landing characteristics and maneuverability of the aircraft sharply deteriorated. During these years, the level of aircraft construction reached such a level that it became possible to begin creating aircraft with variable sweep wings.

For Russian combat aircraft, in order to further increase the flight speeds of jet fighters exceeding the speed of sound, it was necessary to increase their power supply, increase the specific characteristics of turbojet engines, and also improve the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. For this purpose, engines with an axial compressor were developed, which had smaller frontal dimensions, higher efficiency and better weight characteristics. To significantly increase thrust, and therefore flight speed, afterburners were introduced into the engine design. Improving the aerodynamic shapes of aircraft consisted of using wings and tail surfaces with large sweep angles (in the transition to thin delta wings), as well as supersonic air intakes.

The first series of Yak-1 had a characteristic feature in their design and appearance - a gentle gargrot from the cockpit to the keel. Gargrot improved the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft, but somewhat limited rearward visibility. Subsequently, at the suggestion of front-line soldiers, production Yak-1 aircraft had a lowered garrot and a modified cockpit canopy. The design team made some other improvements, thanks to which the take-off weight of the machine was reduced (it became equal to 2660 kg) and its flight qualities were improved. This version of the fighter was called the Yak-1M. Aircraft of the design bureau A.S. Yakovlev - Yak-1, Yak-3, Yak-7, Yak-9 constituted the main fleet of fighter aircraft during the Great Patriotic War. Their distinctive qualities were less weight than other machines of this type, good stability and ease of piloting. Until the end of the war, the factories produced more than 36 thousand Yak aircraft of various modifications to the front - from the Yak-1 to the Yak-9DD.