Yakovlev Yak-30 (Magnum)

History of Yakovlev Yak-30 (Magnum)

With the advent of jet military fighter jets in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, support for advanced pilot training programs became the responsibility of state power. Pilots from classrooms to entry-level instructors need an adequate flying classroom to learn the nuances of jet flying. As a result, many Cold War-era aviation services introduced two-seater jets to fill the role of senior trainer. Yakovlev OKB is trying to sell the Soviet Air Force with his impressive 1960 Yak-30.

The little-known jet trainer was not selected for series production and exists only in four prototypes.

The Yak-30 was part of a larger Soviet race to find a standardized advanced jet trainer for itself and its allies. Yakovlev's engineers opted for a rather elegant two-seater single-engine design with a high-stretch rear wing and a rear-curved main plane. The cockpit accommodates two people side by side under an integrated sunroof and is forward amidships.

In the event of a worst-case scenario, both crew members were assigned ejection seats and duplicate controls were exercised in both positions. The main aircraft are located near the midship. The engine is ejected through openings under the tail and sucked in through air intakes mounted on the wing roots, so that the nose is partially covered by a smooth cone. A retractable tricycle landing gear is provided for ground operations.

The aircraft was constructed using only light metals, and costs, as well as maintenance and operational work, were kept to a minimum.

The Tumansky Ru-19 family of turbojets was chosen to power the design, which was developed with the new trainer in mind, so the two products went hand in hand from the start. The single-engine unit has an output of 1,984 pounds of thrust, giving the plane a top speed of 410 mph, a reported range of up to 600 miles, and a service ceiling of over 35,000 feet.

The climb rate is 3,540 feet per minute.

Yakovlev built four airworthy prototypes, as well as a single test-bed product. The first flight was recorded on May 20, 1960, and the flight continued into the following year.

When the official flight between the Yak-30, Czech L-29 and Polish TS-11 took place, the Yak-30 defeated the Polish TS-11 but failed to fight the L-29. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the Yak-30 submission, as the August 1961 final decision appeared to be politically based.

This ended Yakovlev's hopes of supplying the Soviet Air Force with the next trainer.

Still, the Yak-30 flew for a while and set some flight records (small jets) before it was officially over.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes