Yakovlev Yak-140
Yak-140 | |
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Side view of a Yak-140 showing the outriggers
| |
Role | Fighter |
National origin | Soviet Union |
Manufacturer | Yakovlev |
Status | Cancelled |
Number built | 1 |
The Yakovlev Yak-140 was a Soviet prototype lightweight supersonic fighter developed during the 1950s. The prototype was completed in 1954, but it was denied authorization to enter flight testing and the program was cancelled in 1956.
Development
The Yak-140 was developed around the Mikulin AM-11 turbojet (rated at 40 kN (9,000 lbf) thrust dry and 50 kN (11,000 lbf) with afterburner) to meet a specification issued in 1953 requiring a supersonic fighter with a maximum speed of 1,650–1,750 km/h (1,030–1,090 mph) and a range of 1,800 km (1,100 mi). It was to be armed with three 30 mm (1.2 in) cannon with 75 rounds per gun and was to be capable of carrying air-to-ground rockets as well as 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs. Its fully loaded weight was to be 4,850 kg (10,690 lb) and it was to be ready to be submitted for State acceptance trials in March 1955.[1]
The fighter had a circular-section semi-
The aircraft's State acceptance trials were delayed until the first quarter of 1956 for lack of a flight-ready AM-11 engine, but it had to be adapted to use a less powerful
The prototype was completed in December 1954 and it passed all the necessary ground tests by 10 February 1955 when it was cleared to begin flight trials. However, the Ministerstvo Aviatsionnoy Promyshlennosti (Ministry of Aviation Industry (MAP)) denied Yakovlev authorization to begin flight tests as it favored competing designs from Sukhoi and Mikoyan-Gurevich. A Council of Ministers directive was issued on 28 March 1956 to terminate the program and the corresponding MAP order followed on 6 April.[1]
Specifications (with AM-9D (estimated))
Data from Gordon, et al., OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 13.34 m (43 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 7.395 m (24 ft 3 in)
- Wing area: 19 m2 (200 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 3,315 kg (7,308 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,850 kg (10,692 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × axial flow afterburning turbojet, 26 kN (5,800 lbf) thrust dry, 32.5 kN (7,300 lbf) with afterburner
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,275 km/h (792 mph, 688 kn) at sea level
- Range: 1,900 km (1,200 mi, 1,000 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,000 ft)
- Time to altitude: 2.1 minutes to 10,000 metres (32,808 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 2 x 23 mm (0.91 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 guns
Notes
Bibliography
- Gordon, Yefim; Komissariov, Dmitry and Sergey (2005). OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-203-9.
- ISBN 1-85532-405-9.