Yak-9 - fighter-bomber, manufactured by the Soviet Union from 1942 to 1948. It was developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau and became the most massive fighter of the USSR on the battlefield of World War II. For six years of production, almost 17 thousand copies were built. Today we will find out thanks to what characteristics this model has become so successful.
The history of the fighter Yak-9
This aircraft was the result of the modernization of the Yak-7 and the more obsolete Yak-1. In terms of design, it is an improved version of the Yak-7 fighter. Outwardly, the Yak-9 is practically no different from its predecessor, but in all other respects it is more perfect. When creating the aircraft, the designers operated on almost two-year experience in the production and combat operation of the Yak-1 model. In addition, at the time of the creation of the new aircraft, designers had the opportunity to use duralumin more widely than at the beginning of the war, when the USSR industry experienced a shortage of this material. The use of duralumin significantly reduced the mass of the structure. Engineers could use the kilograms won to increase the fuel supply, install more powerful weapons or more diverse special equipment.
The Yak-9 fighter was a loyal assistant to the USSR Air Force during World War II. In 1944, this machine was used in several versions and outstripped the number of copies of all the fighters that were at that time in service with the Soviet Union. Just imagine: at the Novosibirsk plant number 153 20 such aircraft were produced per day! In addition to this enterprise, the fighter was produced at the Moscow plant number 82 and Omsk plant number 166.
The plane took part in all operations of the Soviet Air Force, starting with the Battle of Stalingrad. All versions of the fighter (and there were a lot of them) had excellent flight and technical characteristics and were devoid of any operational defects that caused accidents. At the same time, the design of the aircraft was extremely simple and adapted to rapid production in wartime conditions. Almost all materials for the manufacture were made directly at the assembly site.
Design
The first Yak-9 fighter received an M-105PF engine and a VISH-61P propeller. The prototype for this model was the Yak-7DI aircraft. The main differences of the new model from its predecessor are: fuel reserve, reduced from 500 to 320 kg; the number of gas tanks reduced from 4 to 2; oil reserve reduced from 50 to 30 kg; lack of bomb holders for external bomb suspension.
In terms of armament, the Yak-9 did not differ from its predecessor: one ShVAK gun and one UBS machine gun. Due to the low production culture and less stringent control over the serial production of aircraft, compared with the pilot production, the flight weight of the model increased to 2870-2875 kg.
The Soviet Yak-9 fighter maneuvered well and was easy to fly. In a vertical battle, he could go into the tail of an enemy Mu-109F literally after the first turn. In a horizontal battle, 3-4 turns were enough for a similar maneuver.
In the summer of 1943, due to the lack of mastery of production technology, a wooden wing lining broke off during several flights during several flights. Such defects were eliminated as special teams of engineers appeared. In the production of later modifications of the Yak-9 fighter, an overview of which will be given below, the problem has been completely eliminated.
Combat operation
The first Yak-9 fighters were delivered to the front at the end of 1942 and took part in the battle of Stalingrad. In 1943, during the first mass deliveries, a number of flaws were discovered that were eliminated by repair crews before the Battle of Kursk - the first in which fighters of this model were used in significant quantities. At the time of the start of the battle, the Yak-9, along with the Yak-1 and Yak-7, used 5 fighter aviation divisions, one of which was guards. At the end of July 1943, the 11th air corps arrived on the Kursk Bulge, which included three Yak-9 regiments.
Already in the first air battles, it became clear that the Yak-9 is well controlled and maneuvers, however, in terms of speed and armament, it was inferior to the Bf 109G and Fw 190A aircraft.
Version Yak-9T received a qualitative superiority over the base in terms of weapons. According to statistics, the Yak-9 spent on average 147 rounds of 20 mm caliber to defeat one enemy aircraft, and the Yak-9T spent only 31 37-mm shells. One of the first regiments to be armed with the Yak-9T was the 133rd GIAP. Aircraft armed with 37 mm cannons were successfully used even against enemy armored vehicles and ships.
Operation of the Yak-9 fighter in real combat showed that an increase in fuel supply in most cases is impractical. Excess fuel is ballast, which adversely affects the survivability of the machine. Therefore, cantilever tanks were often covered with plugs. Nevertheless, in certain episodes of the war there was a need to increase flight range. So, in August 1944, a group of 12 aircraft of the Yak-9DD version accompanied cargo planes from Italy to Yugoslavia. In addition, the Yak-9DD was involved in escorting the bombers during Operation French in 1944.
Since December 1944, fighters of the Yak-9B model fought as part of the 130th fighter aviation division operating within the framework of the Third Belorussian Front. And the Yak-9PD high-altitude aircraft were transferred to the armament of the Moscow air defense units. In October 1944, the Yak-9U fighter made its debut on the battlefield - it entered the arsenal of the 163rd fighter aviation regiment operating in the Baltic states. The aircraft illustrated a sharp increase in the combat potential of the Yak-9 model. During two months of testing, he participated in 18 battles, shooting down 28 Fw 190A fighters and one Bf 109G. In this case, only two Soviet cars were lost.
When the Great Patriotic War entered its final phase, the Yak-9 fighter, whose performance was regularly improved, became one of the main Soviet fighters. He retained this status in the first post-war years. In September 1946, Yak-9 aircraft accounted for 31% of the USSR fighter aircraft. After the war, various modifications of the aircraft were exploited until the early 1960s. In addition to the air force and naval aviation of the USSR, they were used by allied forces. In the summer of 1943, the Yak-9 and Yak-9D fighters entered service with the French Normandy regiment. In September of the following year, a batch of fighters was transferred to Bulgaria, which went over to the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. In the fall of 1945, the Yak-9M and Yak-9T models were used by Polish aviation in Poland and Northern Germany. In addition, the aircraft of this model were in service with China, Hungary, Yugoslavia, North Korea and Albania.
Yak-9 fighter: technical specifications
The basic version of the 1942 aircraft had the following characteristics:
- Length - 8.5 m.
- Wingspan - 9.74 m.
- The wing area is 17.15 m 2.
- The specific wing load is 167 kg / m 2.
- The mass of the empty plane is 2277 kg.
- Take-off weight - 2873 kg.
- Motor power - 1180 liters. with.
- The specific load on power is 2.43 kg / l. with.
- The maximum speed at the ground is 520 km / h.
- The maximum speed at an altitude of 599 km / h.
- Climbing time 5 km - 5.1 min.
- The turn time is 15-17 s.
- Practical ceiling - 11 100 m.
- Practical range - 875 km.
- Armament - 1x20 mm ShVAK, 1x12.7 mm UBS.
Modifications
Throughout its history, the Yak-9 fighter received a large number of modifications. The ability to be modified into vehicles of various types and combat purposes has become its main feature. The aircraft had 22 major modifications, 15 of which went into series. During operation, the fighter was equipped with five types of power plant, six layout options for gas tanks, seven weapons and two types of special equipment. The fighter had two wing varieties that were fundamentally different from each other: mixed and all-metal. All versions, with the exception of the base fighter Yak-9, the description of which we have already examined, had their own special index. Let's get acquainted with the main modifications of the legendary fighter.
Yak-9D
The modification has an increased fuel reserve of up to 480 kilograms. Instead of two fuel tanks, the aircraft was equipped with four: two root and two cantilever. Thanks to this decision, his flight range increased to 1400 km. The modification was produced from March 1943 to May 1944. During this time, 3068 copies left the assembly line.
Yak-9T
In this modification, the 20 mm gun was replaced with a 37 mm cannon with 30 rounds of ammunition. Due to the fact that the new gun has a large length, the cockpit had to be moved 40 cm back. The model was produced from spring 1943 to summer 1945. During this time, 2748 copies were produced.
Yak-9K
This version received a 45 mm NS-45 gun. In order to reduce the recoil force, which is 7 tons, a muzzle brake was installed on the barrel. Nevertheless, when firing at high speeds, the aircraft turned around, and the pilot experienced strong tremors. Designers recommended shooting in short bursts of up to three shots. The second salvo of the Yak-9K fighter had a mass of 5.53 kg. In the period from April to June 1944, 53 aircraft of this version were created. As part of military trials, they conducted 51 battles, hitting 8 FW-190A-8 aircraft and 4 BF-109G aircraft. At the same time, losses amounted to only one fighter. One shot down aircraft on average had 10 rounds of 45-mm guns. Due to the insufficient reliability of weapons, mass production was not established.
Yak-9TK
The aircraft of this version received a reinforced structure of some units, as well as a unified installation system for the central gun, which allows the replacement of guns in the field. The fighter was manufactured in the second half of 1943.
Yak-9M
The aircraft is a development of the Yak-9D model with the fuselage from the Yak-9T model. In addition, this version has received a number of improvements. In flight and flight characteristics, it practically did not differ from the Yak-9D. But at the end of 1944, a more powerful VK-105PF-2 motor was installed on the plane, thanks to which it became much faster and faster. The Yak-9M has become one of the most popular vehicles in the model line of Yak-9 fighters. Photos of this aircraft could be recognized by anyone who went through the Great Patriotic War. A total of 4, 239 copies were produced.
Yak-9S
The aircraft was built on the basis of the Yak-9M and received the same engine. The difference from the basic version was the armament, including a 23-mm gun NS-23 and a pair of synchronous 20-mm guns BS-20S. Due to the unsatisfactory results of state tests of 1945, the model was never put into mass production.
Yak-9DD
In 1944, a Tu-2 model bomber was built, to accompany which the resource was not enough even for the Yak-9D fighter. In addition, the Soviet Union needed an aircraft whose flight range would allow for military operations in conjunction with aircraft of the anti-Hitler coalition states. A suitable model was the fighter Yak-9DD. The installation of 8 wing tanks allowed to increase the fuel supply of this model to 630 kg. In addition, to ensure the safety of flights over long distances and in adverse weather conditions, instrument and radio communication equipment was modified.
The maximum flight range of the Yak-9DD was 1800 km. Moreover, its mass was a record for this class of aircraft - 3390 kilograms. Fighter armament was standard for the Yak family - a 20 mm caliber gun and a 12.7 mm machine gun. Yak-9DD was used quite widely.
At the end of the summer of 1944, a group of 20 aircraft headed for the Allied base, located near the Italian city of Bari, with the aim of escorting Su-47 transport aircraft that delivered cargo to Yugoslavia. As part of the relocation, a flight of 1, 300 km was completed, with the main part of the distance passing through the territory of the enemy. The group made 150 sorties, which, despite the lack of meetings with enemy aircraft, were very tense. It is noteworthy that while the Su-47 aircraft carried out landing and unloading, escort fighters were waiting for them in the air to send back. Over the entire period of operation of the aircraft, not a single failure was recorded.
Yak-9R
It is a close reconnaissance aircraft, different from the basic version of the Yak-9 fighter, the characteristics of which we already know well, by the presence of an aerial camera in a free compartment. This device allowed shooting from a height of 300 to 3, 000 meters. The second version of this modification was built on the basis of the Yak-9D. He not only had intelligence equipment, but was also more technically equipped as a whole. Yak-9R aircraft were produced in small quantities and were used where reconnaissance using other aircraft was difficult or fraught with serious risk.
I-9B
The Yak-9B fighter-bomber was built on the basis of the 9D model. In the space behind the cockpit, a four-tube bomb bay was equipped with four 100-kilogram bombs or four cartridges containing 32 cumulative anti-tank bombs. Tests of the bomber began in March 1944. According to the results of combat sorties, the Yak-9B destroyed 29 tanks, 22 armored personnel carriers, 1014 vehicles, 161 railway cars, 20 buildings of railway stations, 7 guns, 18 steam locomotives and 4 fuel depots. In total, Soviet enterprises fired 109 such bombers.
Yak-9PD
This is a fighter-interceptor with an M-105PD engine, a supercharger and a wing span increased by half a meter. The practical ceiling of this version reached 13, 100 km. In 1943, 5 such machines were manufactured on the basis of the Yak-9, and 30 in 1944 on the basis of the Yak-9U.
Yak-9U
At the end of 1943, two fighters were created, which received the designation Yak-9U: one was equipped with an M-107A engine, and the other - M-105PF-2. In addition, the design and aerodynamics of the basic version have been improved. The armament of both models was represented by a central cannon (23 mm caliber for a fighter with an M-105PF-2 engine and 20 mm caliber for a version with an M-107A engine) and a pair of 12.7 mm machine guns. According to the results of tests at the Air Force Research Institute, the version with the M-107A engine was recognized as the best of the fighters that were tested there ever. In April 1944, serial production of the aircraft was established. In the fall of 1944, during a two-month test, in 18 battles, pilots shot down 27 FW-190A and 1 Bf-109G. In this case, only two fighter aircraft were lost. The only significant drawback of the machine was the small resource of the power plant.
Yak-9UT
It is a Yak-9U with enhanced weapons. The aircraft was equipped with three guns: a central 37 mm and two 20 mm. The mass of a second volley of this fighter was at that time a record for the USSR - 6 kg. The place under the central gun was unified. By installing a 45-mm gun on it, it was possible to increase the weight of a second volley to 9.3 kg. The rest of the plane was not much different from the Yak-9U. For 3 months of serial production, 282 copies left the assembly line. A small number of fighters managed to participate in the last battles of the war.
Yak-9 "Courier"
It is a transport aircraft, which in front-line conditions can carry one passenger. The model became a kind of synthesis between the long-range fighter and the Yak-9DD and the training plane Yak-9V. In the rear cockpit, instead of the dashboard and controls, floor and paneling were installed. The aircraft was released in a single copy in the summer of 1944. He never went into the series.
Yak-9P
The upgraded version of the Yak-9U, characterized by more modern communication devices and auxiliary equipment. Production of the model began in 1946, and ended in 1948. A total of 801 aircraft were manufactured. Yak-9P fighters were in service with the USSR, Poland, Hungary, China and Yugoslavia.
