Yakovlev Yak-17

History

The Yak-17 was a reliable operator in Soviet service. The system was designed after World War II and derived from the Yak-3 piston engine fighter, which gave rise to the Yak-15, a jet engine of which the Yak-17 was a direct evolution.

The Yak-17 appears twice as often as the Yak-15 and has many improvements over its predecessor.

The Yak-17 was equipped with a larger and more powerful engine in the form of the Klimov RD-10A turbojet. The Yak-17 still retains the fuselage features of a piston-engined aircraft, but is actually equipped with a retractable tricycle landing gear without a tail wheel - which is found on the Yak-15.

The wings are straight and the elevators are mounted close to the single rudder - an arrangement that dates back to the development of piston-engined aircraft.

The basic cockpit accommodates a pilot, a pilot and an instructor in a two-seat conversion model. Visibility from the front and sides is reported to be good, as is peripheral vision from the rear.

Externally, the placement of the drop tanks increased the combat radius and latency of the systema key consideration for early gas-guzzling turbojets, and standard armament consisted only of nose-mounted 2 x 23mm fixed forward guns.

The Yak-17 remained in service in Soviet-controlled countries until the mid-1950s, when the system would soon give way to progressive aircraft in the development pipeline.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes