Yakovlev Yak-9

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Yak-9
Soviet Air Force Yak-9U
Type Fighter
Manufacturer Yakovlev OKB
Introduced October 1942
Primary user Soviet Air Force
Produced 1942-1948
Number built 16,769
Yak-9D
Enlarge
Yak-9D
Restored Yak-9 on takeoff at WWII Air Show, Reading, PA. 2002
Enlarge
Restored Yak-9 on takeoff at WWII Air Show, Reading, PA. 2002

The Yakovlev Yak-9 was a single-engine fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union in World War II. It was the most numerous Soviet fighter of the war.

Contents

[edit] Development

Yak-9 represents further development of the successful Yakovlev Yak-7 fighter, taking full advantage of the combat experience with its predecessor. Greater availability of duraluminum allowed for much lighter construction which in turn permitted a number of modifications to the basic design. Yak-9 carried two different wings, five different engines, six different fuel tank combinations, and seven types of armament. The first Yak-9 represented a production version of the lightened Yak-7DI and it entered service in October 1942. Yak-9 first saw combat in late 1942 during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Yak-9 remained in production from 1942 to 1948 with 16,769 built. In the early 1990s, Yakovlev started limited production of Yak-9 and Yak-3 using original World War II equipment and Allison V-1710 engines for the warbird market.

During 1949 the USSR provided surplus Yak-9P (VK-107) planes to some satellite states in the Soviet bloc in order to help them rebuild their air forces in the wake of West Berlin's blockade and the allied airlift. Due to human error, a particular section of the plane's cyrillic operating manual was omitted from the translation in some national languages. Before starting the Yak-9, it was necessary to hand-crank a small cockpit-mounted oil pump 25 times to provide initial lubrication to the Klimov in-line vee engine, something that was not required for World War II German and western fighters equipped with forced-closed cycle lubrication systems. Skipping this unusual step resulted in frequent engine bakings during the take-off roll and initial climb, that caused several fatalities during 1950.

[edit] Variants

Yakovlev OKB created 22 modifications of Yak-9, of which 15 saw mass production. The most notable of these include:

  • Yak-9 - first production version, Klimov M-105PF engine with 880 kW (1,180 hp), 1x 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 120 rounds and 1x 12.7 mm UBS machine gun with 200 rounds
  • Yak-9 (M-106) - prototype with Klimov M-106-1SK engine with 1,007 kW (1,350 hp), did not advance to production because of problems with the engine
  • Yak-9B (factory designation Yak-9L) - fighter-bomber version of Yak-9D with four vertical tube bomb bays aft of the cockpit with capacity for up to 4x 100 kg (220 lb) FAB-100 bombs or 4x PTAB casettes with 32x 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) bomblets each, although normally only 200 kg (440 lb) of weapons were carried in the front bomb bays. Poor handling with a full bomb and fuel load and lack of special aiming equipment limited combat usefulness.
  • Yak-9D - long-range version of Yak-9, fuel capacity increased from 440 liters (115 US gallons) to 650 liters (170 US gallons) giving a maximum range of 1,360 km (845 mi). Combat usefulness at full range was limited by lack of radio navigation equipment, and a number of aircraft were used as short-range fighters with fuel carried only in inner wing tanks. Circle time: 19-20 sec. Weight of fire: 2 kg (4.4 lb) / sec.
  • Yak-9DD - Yak-9D and Yak-9T modified to further increase the range, fuel capacity increased to 845 liters (220 US gallons) giving a maximum range of 2,285 km (1,420 mi), radio navigation equipment for night and poor weather flying. Yak-9DD were used primarily to escort Petlyakov Pe-2 and Tupolev Tu-2 bombers although they proved less than ideal for this role due to insufficient speed advantage over the bombers. In 1944, several Yak-9DD were used to escort B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers attacking targets in Romania using the Ukraine-Romania-Italy routes.
  • Yak-9K - Yak-9T modified with a 45 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 cannon with 29 rounds of ammunition and a distinctive muzzle brake to deal with the massive recoil. Firing the cannon at speeds below 350 km/h (220 mph) caused dramatic loss of control and tossed the pilot back and forth in the cockpit, however accurate shooting was possible at higher speeds and in 2-3 round bursts. The recoil also caused numerous oil and coolant leaks. The heavy cannon installation degraded performance sufficiently to require fighter escort. Yak-9K saw only limited use due to unreliability of the NS-45.
  • Yak-9M - Yak-9D with the cockpit moved 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) to the rear like on Yak-9T, numerous fixes and improvements based on experience with previous versions.
  • Yak-9M PVO - Yak-9M with slightly reduced fuel capacity, Klimov VK-105PF2 engine with 925 kW (1,240 hp), and radio and navigational equipment for night and adverse weather flying for PVO Strany.
  • Yak-9P - UBS machine gun replaced with a second 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 175 rounds of ammunition, did not enter production due to the decision to use larger caliber cannons.
  • Yak-9P (VK-107) - Yak-9U with an all-metal wing, Yak-9P in this case was a factory designation different from Yak-9P with two ShVAK cannons (see above).
  • Yak-9PD - high-altitude interceptor (unrelated to the two other Yak-9P above) with Klimov M-105PD engine designed specifically to intercept Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 86R high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft overflying Moscow in 1942-1943. Initially poor performance due to unreliable engine dramatically improved with adoption of Klimov M-106PV with water injection, with the aircraft reaching 13,500 m (44,300 ft) during testing. Armament reduced to the ShVAK cannon only to save weight.
  • Yak-9S - Yak-9M with Klimov VK-105PF engine, new propeller, and armament consisting of 1x 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 60 rounds, and 2x 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons with 120 rounds each. Did not enter production due to poor performance compared to Yak-3 and Yak-9U.
  • Yak-9T - Yak-9 armed with a 37 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 cannon with 30 rounds of ammunition instead of the 20 mm ShVAK cannon, cockpit moved 0.4 m (1 ft 3 in) back to compensate for the heavier nose. Initially poor quality control lead to multiple oil and coolant leaks from cannon recoil. Recoil and limited supply of ammunition required accurate aiming and 2-3 round bursts. Yak-9T was widely used against enemy shipping on the Black Sea and against tanks, but also successful against aircraft with a single cannon hit usually sufficient to tear apart the target. Circle time: 18-19 sec. Weight of fire: 3.84 kg + HE!
  • Yak-9TD - Yak-9D with NS-37 cannon and provision for 4x 50 kg (110 lb) FAB-50 bombs under the wings.
  • Yak-9TK - Yak-9T with the ability to install either the 20 mm ShVAK, the 23 mm VYa, the 37 mm NS-37, or the 45 mm NS-45 cannon in the "vee" of the engine block. Did not enter production because the difference between 20 mm and 23 mm cannons was insignificant and the 45 mm cannon was unreliable.
  • Yak-9U (VK-105) - Yak-9T with Klimov VK-105PF2 engine and numerous aerodynamic and structural improvements introduced on Yak-3. Main visual difference from Yak-9T was in the oil coolers in the wing roots like on Yak-3 and in plywood covering of the fuselage instead of fabric. Visually differed from Yak-3 only by main landing gear covers. Armament increased to 1x 23 mm VYa cannon with 60 rounds and 2x 12.7 mm UBS machine guns with 170 rounds each. The VYa cannon could be replaced by a ShVAK, B-20, or NS-37, the latter requiring removal of the starboard UBS machine gun. Did not enter production because the VYa cannon was considered unsatisfactory and because the one-cannon one-machine gun armament seen on previous models offered a significant increase in range.
  • Yak-9U (VK-107) - the definitive Yak-9 variant, Yak-9U (VK-105) equipped with the new Klimov VK-107A engine with 1,230 kW (1,650 hp), and the 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 120 rounds of ammunition replacing the VYa cannon. Weight of fire: 2.72 kg (5.98 lb) /sec. Early test flights in 1943 indicated that the only comparable Soviet fighter was Polikarpov I-185 prototype which was more difficult to fly and less agile due to higher weight. The prototype's top speed of 700 km/h (435 mph) at 5,600 m (18,370 ft) was faster than any production fighter aircraft in the world at the time. Early problems with overheating were fixed by enlarging the radiators and production aircraft had further improved aerodynamics. Circle time: 20 sec. Best Soviet fighter at altitude.
  • Yak-9UV - two-seat trainer version of Yak-9U (VK-107), armament reduced to a single Berezin B-20 cannon with 100 rounds of ammunition. Did not enter production due to introduction of jet aircraft.
  • Yak-9UT - Yak-9U (VK-107) armed with 1x 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon with 30 rounds and 2x 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons with 120 rounds each, giving a one-second burst mass of 6 kg (13.2 lb). Similarly to Yak-9TK could be converted to replace the N-37 with a 20 mm B-20, 23 mm NS-23, or 45 mm N-45. Production aircraft carried NS-23 instead of the N-37 cannon as the default armament.
  • Yak-9V - two-seat trainer version of Yak-9M and Yak-9T, Klimov VK-105PF2 engine, armament reduced to 1x 20 mm ShVAK cannon with 90 rounds of ammunition.

[edit] Users

[edit] Specifications (Yak-9D)

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 28 ft 0 in (8.55 m)
  • Wingspan: 31 ft 11 in (9.74 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
  • Wing area: 185.1 ft² (17.2 m²)
  • Empty weight: 5,170 lb (2,350 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 6,858 lb (3,117 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Klimov M-105 PF V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,180 hp (880 kW)

Performance

Armament

  • 1x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, 120 rounds of ammunition
  • 1x 12.7 mm UBS machine gun, 200 rounds of ammunition

[edit] Specifications (Yak-9U (VK-107))

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Length: 28 ft 0 in (8.55 m)
  • Wingspan: 31 ft 11 in (9.74 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
  • Wing area: 185.1 ft² (17.2 m²)
  • Empty weight: 5,526 lb (2,512 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 7,049 lb (3,204 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Klimov VK-107A V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,500 hp (1,120 kW)

Performance

Armament

  • 1x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, 120 rounds of ammunition
  • 2x 12.7 mm UBS machine guns, 170 rounds of ammunition each

[edit] References

  • Kopenhagen, W (ed.) (1987) Das groβe Flugzeug-Typenbuch. Transpress. ISBN 3-344-00162-0
  • Шавров В.Б. (1994) История конструкций самолетов в СССР 1938-1950 гг. (3 изд.) Машиностроение (Shavrov V.B. (1994) Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938-1950 gg. (3rd ed.) Mashinostroenie. ISBN 5-217-00477-0) (History of aircraf design in USSR: 1938-1950)
  • Степанец А.Т.(1992) Истребители ЯК периода Великой Отечественной войны Машиностроение (Stepanets A.T. (1992) Istrebiteli Yak perioda Velikoi Otechestvennoi voiny Mashinostroenie. ISBN 5-217-01192-0) (Yak fighters of the Great Patriotic war)

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