Yakovlev Yak-50 was an early
turbojet interceptor aircraft designed by the
Yakovlev OKB in
USSR. The
Yak-50 designation was later reused for a propeller-driven
aerobatic and trainer aircraft.
Development
On
February 21,
1949 a
Sovmin order requested the Yakovlev OKB to design a lightweight interceptor capable of
Mach 0.97 at 4,000 m (13,000 ft) and utilizing the
Klimov VK-1 engine which first appeared on
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and
MiG-17 fighters. The new aircraft first flew in July 1949, achieving supersonic speed (Mach 1.03 at 10,000 m (33,000 ft)) in a shallow dive during one of the test flights. The Yak-50 was delivered for government testing in June
1950. In the course of the evaluation the aircraft was commended for excellent performance, but a number of deficiencies were also noted. In particular, the
airbrakes were ineffective, there was significant
yaw at transsonic speeds making accurate gunfire impossible, and the aircraft was difficult to land in significant
crosswinds. Ultimately, the upgraded
MiG-17 was selected over Yak-50. The superior performance of the Yak was achieved at the expense of fuel capacity and the advantage was considered insufficient to justify producing two very different aircraft with the same engine.
Operators
Specifications
Related content (Fighter)
