Yakovlev Yak-17

Yak-17
	Yak-17 in Central Air Force Museum
Role	Fighter aircraft
Manufacturer	Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing
Designer	Yakovlev
First flight	June 1947
Introduction	1948
Retired	early 1960s
Primary users	Soviet Air Force; Polish Air Force; Romanian Air Force; PLA Air Force
Produced	1948-1949
Number built	430
Developed from	Yakovlev Yak-15
Variants	Yakovlev Yak-23

The Yakovlev Yak-17 (Russian: Як-17 NATO reporting name "Feather"^[1])), was an early Soviet jet fighter. It was developed from the Yak-15, the main difference being tricycle landing gear. The trainer version, known as the Yak-17UTI, was the Soviet's most numerous and important early jet trainer.

History

Following testing of the Yak-15U, Yakolev ordered a major redesign, incorporating a nosewheel, while putting aside commonality with the Yak-3.^[2]

Design and development

In addition, the main gear had to be redesigned to place the wheels behind the aircraft's center of gravity. The main gear were moved behind the front spar, and when retracted they filled most of the space between the spars. This caused a major redesign of the fuel tanks and reduced their capacity to just 680 liters (150 gallons). This necessitated the addition of two 200 liter (44 gallon) jettisonable tanks, which hung under the tip of each wing. The addition of the tip tanks required a redesign of the structure of the wing so that the aircraft could still maintain a load bearing of 12g. The vertical stabilizer was enlarged and a periscope was also added above the windscreen on most series aircraft. Armamenent, systems, and equipment were virtually unchanged.^[2]

Operational history

Yak-17 was first publicly displayed at the Soviet Aviation Day of 1949, at Tushino.

In operation the Yak-17 had most of the same faults as its predecessor, including relatively low speed and range, and an unreliable engine (still based upon the German Junkers Jumo 004) with a complicated starting procedure. On the other hand, its handling was very simple, and similar to popular propeller fighters such as the Yak-3 and Yak-9. This made it an excellent transitional machine to jet fighters. As a result, the trainer version Yak-17UTI accounted for the majority of production, and almost all series-built Yak-17s were of this tandem, dual-control trainer version, which filled an important need in all Soviet air arms.^[2]

Surviving Yak-17 can be viewed at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino. outside of Moscow and the Prague Aviation Museum at Kbely Airport, near Prague, Czech Republic. Surviving Yak-17UTI include one example at the Polish Aviation Museum near Krakow and the Chinese Aviation Museum, near Beijing.

Yak-17UTI

The most produced variant of the Yak-17, the Yak-17UTI (NATO reporting name "Magnet"^[1]) was a tandem-seat, dual-control trainer.^[2]

Fuel capacity was greatly reduced, owing to the elimination of the wing tip tanks. Initially it was planned to include a single UBS machine gun, but this was omitted on series produced aircraft. In the U.S. this aircraft was known as the "Type 26", and given the ASCC reporting name "Magnet".^[2]

Production began in 1948. Total production of all Yak-15 and Yak-17 variants was 717, with the Yak-17UTI the most numerous of all variants of this early Soviet jet.^[2]

Variants

Yak-17: Fighter version.
Yak-17UTI / Yak-17V: Two-seat training version.

Operators

+ Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force operated a small number of Yak-17UTI from 1951-1954.

People's Republic of China

People's Liberation Army Air Force one Yak-17UTI received for Mig-9 pilot training. Imported 43 Yak-17 from 1950-1951. Late, PLAAF used Yak-17 training pilots of La-9 and La-11 to refit Mig-15.

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovak Air Force tested one Yak-17 aircraft.

Poland

Polish Air Force operated 3 Yak-17 (transcribed as Jak-17) and 1 Yak-17UTI (known as Jak-17UTI or Jak-17W), from 1950 and were withdrawn by 1955.
Instytut Lotnictwa received one Jak-17 from Polish Air Force and used it with civilian markings SP-GLM for tests between 1957 and 1960.

Romania

Romanian Air Force operated 4 Yak-17UTI as trainers for the Yak-23s from 1951 until 1958

Soviet Union

Soviet Air Force operated Yak-17 aircraft from 1948 to early 1950s.

Specifications (Yak-17)

General characteristics

Crew: one, pilot

Performance

Thrust/weight: 0.31

Armament

2x 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 machine guns with 60 rounds each

References

^ ^a ^b Parsch, Andreas (2008). "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles". Designation-Systems.net. Retrieved 2010-04-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gunston, 1997

Bibliography

Gordon, Yefim. "Early Soviet Jet Fighters". Hinkley: Midland. 2002. ISBN 1-85780-139-3
Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon. "The Complete Book of Fighters". London: Salamander Books. 1994. ISBN 1-85833-777-1
Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875-1995. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.

External links

Description page on aviation.ru

[DS1-1] Parsch, Andreas (2008). "Designations of Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft and Missiles". Designation-Systems.net. Retrieved 2010-04-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[Gunston-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Gunston, 1997

[1]

[2]

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

v t e Soviet straight-winged jet fighters
Alekseyev	I-21 I-212
Lavochkin	La-150 La-152 La-154 La-156
Mikoyan-Gurevich	MiG-9
Sukhoi	Su-9 (1946) Su-11 (1947) Su-13
Yakovlev	Yak-15 Yak-17 Yak-19 Yak-23 Yak-25 (1947)