| Yak-50 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter/interceptor |
| Manufacturer | Yakovlev |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Primary user | Soviet Air Forces |
| History | |
| First flight | 15 July1949 |
Yakovlev Yak-50 was an early experimentalturbojetinterceptor aircraft designed in 1948 by theYakovlevOKB in theUSSR. The aircraft was essentially a stretched version of theYakovlev Yak-30 (1948), with a more powerful engine and greater wing sweep. The Yak-50 is perhaps most significant as the first Yakovlev aircraft equipped withvelosipednoye (bicycle) landing gear, a trademark of later Yakovlev designs. TheYak-50 designation was later reused for a propeller-drivenaerobatic and trainer aircraft.[1]
On February 21, 1949 aSovmin order requested the Yakovlev OKB to design a lightweight, radar-equipped, all-weather and night interceptor capable ofMach 0.97 at 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The aircraft was to utilize theKlimov VK-1 engine which first appeared onMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 andMiG-17 fighters. This engine was itself a Soviet copy of the BritishRolls-Royce Nene centrifugal turbojet initially known as the RD-45. The leading fighter OKBs each created a prototype to meet the requirement, which included theLavochkin La-200,MiG I-320,Sukhoi Su-15 (unrelated to the later aircraft with the same designation) and the Yak-50 (again, unrelated to the later aircraft). A major difference was that while Yakolev used one engine, the other design bureaus used two.[1]
The aircraft first flew on 15 July 1949,[1] with test pilot Anokhin achieving supersonic speed (Mach 1.03 at 10,000 m (33,000 ft)) in a shallow dive during one of the test flights.
Ultimately, none of the newly developed aircraft was selected, and an upgradedMiG-17 was eventually employed. Yakolev later used thevelosipednoye landing gear in the Yak-140 fighter and the Yak-120, and later in theYak-25 andYak-28 where it proved highly successful.[1]
The Yak-50 never received an ASCC name or USAF reporting number.[1]
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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