Yakovlev Yak-17

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The Yakovlev Yak-17 (Russian: Як-17 NATO reporting name "Feather",^[1] was an early Soviet jet fighter. It was developed from the Yak-15, the main difference being tricycle landing gear. The trainer version, known as the Yak-17UTI, was the Soviet's most numerous and important early jet trainer.

Design and development

Following testing of the Yak-15U, Yakolev ordered a major redesign, incorporating a nosewheel, while putting aside commonality with the Yak-3.^[2] In addition, the main gear had to be redesigned to place the wheels behind the aircraft's center of gravity. The main gear were moved behind the front spar, and when retracted they filled most of the space between the spars. This caused a major redesign of the fuel tanks and reduced their capacity to just 680 liters (150 gallons). This necessitated the addition of two 200 liter (44 gallon) jettisonable tanks, which hung under the tip of each wing. The addition of the tip tanks required a redesign of the structure of the wing so that the aircraft could still maintain a load bearing of 12g. The vertical stabilizer was enlarged and a periscope was also added above the windscreen on most series aircraft. Armament, systems, and equipment were virtually unchanged.^[2]

Operational history

Yak-17 was first publicly displayed at the Soviet Aviation Day of 1949, at Tushino.

In operation, the Yak-17 had most of the same faults as its predecessor, including relatively low speed and range, and an unreliable engine (still based upon the German Junkers Jumo 004) with a complicated starting procedure. On the other hand, its handling was very simple, and similar to popular propeller fighters such as the Yak-3 and Yak-9. This made it an excellent transitional machine to jet fighters. As a result, the trainer version Yak-17UTI accounted for the majority of production, and almost all series-built Yak-17s were of this tandem, dual-control trainer version, which filled an important need in all Soviet air arms.^[2]

Surviving Yak-17 can be viewed at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino. outside of Moscow and the Prague Aviation Museum at Kbely Airport, near Prague, Czech Republic. Surviving Yak-17UTI include one example at the Polish Aviation Museum near Krakow and the Chinese Aviation Museum, near Beijing.

Yak-17UTI

The most produced variant of the Yak-17, the Yak-17UTI (NATO reporting name "Magnet"^[1]) was a tandem-seat, dual-control trainer.^[2]

Fuel capacity was greatly reduced, owing to the elimination of the wing tip tanks. Initially it was planned to include a single UBS machine gun, but this was omitted on series produced aircraft. In the U.S., this aircraft was known as the "Type 26", and given the ASCC reporting name "Magnet".^[2]

Production began in 1948. Total production of all Yak-15 and Yak-17 variants was 717, with the Yak-17UTI the most numerous of all variants of this early Soviet jet.^[2]

Variants

Yak-17: Fighter version.
Yak-17UTI / Yak-17V: Two-seat training version.

Operators

PLAAF 17Yak-17UTI

Yak-17UTI in the Polish Aviation Museum

Yak-17 in Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force operated a small number of Yak-17UTI from 1951-1954.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso Air Force Escadrille de la République de Haute-Volta operated few aircraft both fighters & trainers from 1964-1970 (Remains unknown how they were acquired)

People's Republic of China

People's Liberation Army Air Force one Yak-17UTI received for MiG-9 pilot training. Imported 43 Yak-17 from 1950-1951. Late, PLAAF used Yak-17 training pilots of La-9 and La-11 to refit MiG-15.

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovak Air Force tested one Yak-17 aircraft.

Hungary

Hungarian Air Force Operated Yak-17 from 1950-1956

Poland

Polish Air Force operated three Yak-17 (transcribed as Jak-17) and 11 Yak-17UTI (known as Jak-17UTI or Jak-17W), from 1950 and were withdrawn by 1955.
Instytut Lotnictwa received one Jak-17 from Polish Air Force and used it with civilian markings SP-GLM for tests between 1957 and 1960.

Romania

Romanian Air Force operated nine Yak-17UTIs as trainers for the Yak-23s from 1951 until 1958

Soviet Union

Soviet Air Force operated Yak-17 aircraft from 1948 to early 1950s.

Specifications (Yak-17)

General characteristics

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 8.70 m (28 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 9.20 m (30 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.30 m (7 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 14.9 m² (160 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,081 kg (4,578 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,890 kg (6,358 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 3,240 kg (7,128 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov RD-10A turbojet, 8.9 kN (2,000 lbf)

Performance

Maximum speed: 748 km/h (468 mph)
Range: 395 km (247 miles)
Service ceiling: 12,750 m (41,820 ft)
Rate of climb: 12 m/s (2362 ft/min)
Wing loading: 194 kg/m² (40 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.31

Armament

2x 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 machine guns with 60 rounds each

References

Notes

↑ 1.0 1.1 Parsch, Andreas and Aleksey V. Martynov. "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles." Designation-Systems.net, 2008. Retrieved: 13 April 2010.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Gunston, 1997

Bibliography

Gordon, Yefim. "Early Soviet Jet Fighters". Hinckley, UK: Midland. 2002. ISBN 1-85780-139-3.
Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Complete Book of Fighters". London: Salamander Books. 1994. ISBN 1-85833-777-1.
Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yakovlev Yak-17.

Description page on aviation.ru

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