| Yak-6 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Utility |
| Manufacturer | Yakovlev |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Soviet Air Force |
| Number built | 381 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1942 |
| First flight | 1942 |
| Retired | 1950 |
TheYakovlev Yak-6 (NATO reporting name:Crib)[1] was aSoviet twin-engined utility aircraft, developed and built duringWorld War II. It was used as a short-range light night bomber and a light transport.
In April 1942, the Yakovlev design bureau was instructed to design a twin-engined utility transport aircraft to supplement smaller single-engined aircraft such as thePolikarpov U-2. The design was required to be simple to build and operate.[2][3] Design and construction work proceeded extremely quickly, with the first prototype Yak-6 flying in June 1942. It passed its state acceptance tests in September that year and was quickly cleared for production.[2]
The Yak-6 was a cantilever low-wingmonoplane of all-wood construction with fabric covering. It had a retractabletailwheel undercarriage, with the main wheels retracting rearwards into the engine nacelles. The horizontal tail was braced. It was powered by two 140 hpShvetsov M-11F radial engines driving two-bladed wooden propellers,[nb 1] with the engine installation based on Yakovlev'sUT-2 primary training aircraft. In order to minimise the use of scarce resources, the aircraft's fuel tanks were made of chemical-impregnated plywood rather than metal or rubber. Many Yak-6s were fitted with fixed landing gear.[4][5]
The aircraft appeared in two versions, one as a transport and utility aircraft for the supply of partisans, transport of the wounded, and for liaison and courier services. It could accommodate two crew side-by-side in an enclosed cockpit with capacity to carry four passengers or 500 kg (1,100 lb) or cargo.[5][6] The second version was a light night bomber (designated NBB -nochnoy blizhniy bombardirovshchik - Short Range Night Bomber), capable of carrying up to 500 kg of bombs on racks under the wing centre sections and with a defensive armament of a singleShKAS machine gun in a dorsal mounting.[7] A total of 381 examples were built with production ending in 1943.[8][9]
A few examples of an improved version of the Yak-6 with swept outer wings were flown, with the modified version sometimes known as the Yak-6M.[10][11] The Yak-6M led to the largerYak-8 which flew in early 1944.[12]
The Yak-6 was used with great effect at the front lines in theGreat Patriotic War both as a transport and as a bomber, proving popular with its crews, although the potential for the aircraft to enter aspin if overloaded or carelessly handled resulting in production ending in 1943 in favour of the similarly poweredShcherbakov Shche-2. By 1944, most operational units of theVVS had a Yak-6 as a utility aircraft.[11] In theBattle for Berlin, the Yak-6 was fitted withrocket launchers under the wings for ten 82-mm RS-82 missiles for use against ground targets.[13] After the end of the Second World War, some Yak-6s were supplied to allies, while it remained in large scale service with Soviet forces until 1950.[12][13]
Data from Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft[12]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
