Yakovlev Yak-1 (Krasavyets)

History of Yakovlev Yak-1 (Krasavitz)

Early production Yakovlev fighters, often overshadowed by contemporary Western fighters including the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190, were the best in use at the time One of the piston engine fighters. Second World War.

When the production of all the major Yak fighter brands (Yak-1, Yak-3, Yak-7 and Yak-9) was combined, these early Yakovlev creations were easily the most produced fighter series of the entire war, totaling around 37,000 plane. Originally a Ya-26 prototype inspired by Alexander Yakovlev, this model evolved into the I-26 production form, which was then renamed "Yak-1".

For a brief history, the Germans and Soviets maintained an uneasy truce in the formative years of World War II. Both sides shared the spoils of the Poles, and each was allowed to work on other causes of conquest without worrying about the other.

However, that all changed when Hitler carried out Operation Barbarossa and officially invaded the Soviet Union. The initial German offensive was strong, but supply lines were stretched and the Soviet winter gave the Soviets time to regroup.

For the subsequent Soviet response, arguably not enough, at first only a few ill-equipped soldiers, tanks and pilots stopped the tide. Yakovlev set out to produce one of three famous fighter designs that would inevitably bring the Soviet Air Force into esteemed territory.

These three aircraft are often referred to as the Soviet Air Force's first truly "modern" aircraft designs and include the Yak-1, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 and Lavochkin LaGG-3. When the Soviet Union drives the Germans back to Berlin, all will do their due diligence.

The Yak-1 originated as a Yakovlev bureau design to meet the 1938 Soviet government's requirements for a combat platform constructed primarily of wood for maintenance, repair and - perhaps most importantly - Facilitate mass production. The original design, known as the "Ya-26 Krasavec", first flew in March 1939. After the design was accepted by the Soviet Air Force and put into mass production, the aircraft received the designation "I-26". However, after production began, the aircraft was renamed to the more common naming convention "Yak-1". The acceptance of the Yak-1 would spawn several other successful Yakovlev designs and place the bureau at the elite level of Soviet aircraft design for decades to come.

In any case, the Yak-1 finally brought the Soviet Air Force on par with competing German designs of the time (namely the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters), opened the door to improved designs, and with them, significant improvements in air combat tactics went beyond A function that the biplanes of the old Russian Empire once provided.

At first glance, the exterior design of the Yak-1 "Krasavyets" (the name means "little beauty") is very functional, with a simple but slim fuselage, a mid-high canopy and a low-cut vertical tail. While the original Yak-1 had a "razor" fuselage spine (blocking view of the key "six"), the upcoming Yak-1b has an unobstructed bubble-like design.

The structure is assembled from fabric-covered plywood, which makes the Yak-1 both easy to mass produce and easy to maintain. Also, such a structure can take more damage from enemy guns. Power comes from a single Klimov-branded engine mounted at the front of the design, developing around 1,100 hp or more depending on the production model. The Yak-1 proved to be a high-performance aircraft that soon became popular with a new generation of Soviet pilots.

Initial production numbers grew slowly in 1940, although the German invasion of 1941 initiated plans for one of the most famous Soviet piston engine designs of the war.

Yak-1 appeared in an improved form, designated Yak-1b. Improvements include improved armor protection, retractable tail wheels, upgraded engines, and weapons with bubble caps.

There are two examples of the experimental Yak-1M, which received more powerful engines, smaller-area wings and other upgrades to complete the brand. Total production of the Yak-1 exceeds 8,700 units.

The I-28 prototype was originally intended to be used as a Yak-5 interceptor, but was never produced - instead, it will be refined for the upcoming Yak-7 and Yak-9 fighter models.

The Yak-3 appeared as a "lighter" version of the Yak-1 to improve performance and first flew in late 1943. The Yak-7 followed, starting life as a trainer, with enough performance to justify building 5,000 of the hunters. This design eventually culminated in the excellent Yak-9 "Frank", itself an evolution of the Yak-7 experiment. This particular model itself produces a large number of battlefield-required designs, including dedicated tank crushers, fighter-bombers, and several escort mounts for long-range fighters.

Overall, Yakovlev's design proved to be the most useful and powerful fighter of the entire war, and Luftwaffe pilots later proved these first-class flying machines available to Soviet pilots.

Having said that, the Yak-1 is known to have served in the Soviet all-female Soviet Air Force unit (58???6 IAP), which later produced the world's only two female flying aces - Lydia Litwiak and Katya Budanova each amassed 12 and 11 aerial victories respectively??. Soviet women played a vital role in building the new Soviet army. The Yak-1 was used by Free France, Poland and Yugoslavia.

For the latter, the Yak-1 was in service until 1950.

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