Yakovlev Yak-44

Yak-44
Yak-44
General information
Type	Carrier-based airborne early warning and control
Manufacturer	Yakovlev
Status	Cancelled before prototype construction

**Yak-44** and Su-33 on the deck of *Ulyanovsk.*

The Yakovlev Yak-44 (Russian: Як-44) was a proposed twin-turboprop Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft, resembling the United States Navy's E-2 Hawkeye, intended for use with the Soviet Navy's Ulyanovsk class supercarriers. Along with the aircraft carrier it would have flown from, the Yak-44 was cancelled after the demise of the Soviet Union. A full-scale mockup with foldable wings was built.

Design and development

In the late 1970s, the Soviet Navy adopted a plan to build large aircraft carriers capable of operating conventional aircraft rather than the VSTOL Yakovlev Yak-38s operated by the existing Kiev class aircraft carriers. These new carriers required a shipborne airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft to be effective, and the Yakovlev design bureau was instructed to develop such an aircraft in 1979.^[1]^[2] While the AEW would be the primary role for the aircraft, it was also planned to develop versions to serve in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and carrier on-board delivery (COD) roles.^[2]^[3]

The basic layout and size of the final Yak-44E design was similar to that of the Grumman E-2C which operated in the same role from American aircraft carriers, being a twin-engined high-wing monoplane with a rotating radar dome (rotodome) above the aircraft's fuselage. The Yak-44 was designed to carry much more fuel, and was therefore far heavier.^[2]^[3] The engines were to be two Progress D-27 propfans rated at 14,000 ehp (10,290 kW) each, driving contra-rotating propellers. The crew of five were to be accommodated in a pressurized fuselage, while the aircraft's rotodome, carrying a NPO Vega pulse-doppler radar could be retracted to reduce the aircraft's height when stowed below decks in the carrier's hangar. The aircraft's wings also folded upwards, while a twin tail was fitted.^[2]^[4]

The aircraft was stressed to allow catapult launching and arrested landings, but was also capable of operating from the ski-jump ramps of the Project 1143.5 carriers (later to become known as the Admiral Kuznetsov class).^[5]

A detailed full-size mockup was completed in 1991, and approved with minor changes by the Soviet Naval Aviation (A-VMF). The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 resulted in the program being delayed, with the catapult-equipped Ulyanovsk being cancelled and scrapped, and the second Admiral Kuznetsov class carrier, the Varyag, being left incomplete. The Yak-44 program was abandoned by the Russian Navy in 1993.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Specifications (Yak-44E)

Data from Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924^[6]

General characteristics

Crew: 5
Length: 20.39 m (66 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 25.7 m (84 ft 4 in)
Height: 7 m (23 ft 0 in) ^[7]
Max takeoff weight: 40,000 kg (88,185 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Progress D-27 propfan, 10,290 kW (13,800 hp) each
Propellers: 14-bladed SPE Aerosila SV-27

Performance

Maximum speed: 740 km/h (460 mph, 400 kn)
Range: 4,000 km (2,500 mi, 2,200 nmi)
Service ceiling: 13,000 m (43,000 ft)

References

Notes

^ Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 372.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 347.
^ ^a ^b Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 201.
^ Gunston and Gordon 1997, pp. 201–202.
^ ^a ^b Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 348.
^ ^a ^b Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 202.
^ ^a ^b Taylor 1996, pp. 180–181.

Bibliography

Gardiner, Robert and Stephen Chumbley. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1995. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
Gordon, Yefim, Dmitry Komissarov and Sergey Komissarov. OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-203-9.
Gunston, Bill and Yefim Gordon. Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1997. ISBN 1-55750-978-6.
Taylor, Michael. Brassey's World's Aircraft & Systems Directory 1996/97. London: Brassey's, 1996. ISBN 1-57488-063-2.

External links

"Large model of the Yak-44E, from the Yakovlev Design Bureau museum". A.S. Yakovlev design bureau. Archived from the original (JPG) on 2016-11-30. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- "Design Bureau museum". A.S. Yakovlev design bureau. Archived from the original on 2019-12-24.
Line drawing
Abidin, Vadim (March 2008). "Eagle eye fleet: Yak-44E radar patrol and guidance aircraft". Oboronnyy Zakaz (Defense Order) (in Russian). No. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019 – via A.S. Yakovlev design bureau, Kryl'ia Rodiny (Wings of the Motherland) magazine.

[Conway_p372-1] Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 372.

[OKB_p347-2] Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 347.

[GunYak_p201-3] Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 201.

[GunYak_p201-2-4] Gunston and Gordon 1997, pp. 201–202.

[OKB_p348-5] Gordon, Komissarov and Komissarov 2005, p. 348.

[GunYak_p202-6] Gunston and Gordon 1997, p. 202.

[Brasseys96_p180-1-7] Taylor 1996, pp. 180–181.

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v t e Yakovlev aircraft
Early aircraft	AVF-10 AVF-20 AVF-34 AIR-1 AIR-2 AIR-3 AIR-4 AIR-5 AIR-6 AIR-7 AIR-8 AIR-9 AIR-10 AIR-11 AIR-12 AIR-14 AIR-15 AIR-16 AIR-17 AIR-18 Ya-1 Ya-2 Ya-3 Ya-4 Ya-6 Ya-7 Ya-10 Ya-19 Ya-20 Ya-21 Ya-22 Ya-23
Fighters	Yak-1 Yak-3 Yak-7 Yak-9 Yak-15 Yak-17 Yak-23 Yak-25 (II) Yak-28 Yak-38
Bombers	Yak-2 Yak-4 Yak-28 Yak-35
Transports	Yak-6 Yak-10 Yak-12 Yak-14 Yak-18T Yak-40 Yak-42 Yak-58 Yak-112 Yak-242 (MC-21)
Reconnaissance	Yak-25 Yak-27 Pchela
Helicopters	Yak-24 Yak-100
Trainers	UT-1 UT-2 UT-3 UT-15 UT-21 UT-23 Yak-7 Yak-11 Yak-17 Yak-18 Yak-20 Yak-21 Yak-28 Yak-30 (II) Yak-32 Yak-50 (II) Yak-52 Yak-53 Yak-54 Yak-55 Yak-130 Yak-152 Yak-200 Yak-210
Experimental	EG Yak-5 Yak-8 Yak-13 Yak-16 Yak-19 Yak-25 (I) Yak-26 Yak-30 (I) Yak-36 Yak-41 Yak-43 Yak-44 Yak-45 Yak-46 Yak-50 (I) Yak-60 Yak-140 Yak-141 Yak-201 Yak-1000

Design and development

Specifications (Yak-44E)

See also

References

External links