Yakovlev Yak-38

what is it?

The Yakovlev Yak-38 (Russian: Яковлев Як-38; NATO reporting name: "Forger") was Soviet Naval Aviation's only operational VTOL strike aircraft in addition to being its first operational carrier-based fixed-wing aircraft. It was developed specifically for, and served almost exclusively on, the Kiev-class aircraft carriers (heavy aviation cruiser in Soviet classification).

🔎How to recognise it: 3 jet engines · 7.3 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 1,050 km/htop speed
• range 1,300 kmwithout refuelling
• size 11.3 tmax take-off weight
• built 231made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 55 years ago, in 1971.
• 🏎️Top speed is 8.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🌍Range of 1,300 km: 7× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1971

introduced

1977

retired

2004

status

retired

number built

231

role

vtol strike aircraft

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Yakovlev, Saratov Aviation Plant

engines

3× Tumansky R-28 V-300 / Rybinsk (RKBM) RD-38

crew

1

length

16.4 m

wingspan

7.3 m

height

4.3 m

max take-off weight

11.3 t

top speed

1,050 km/h

range

1,300 km

ceiling

11,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.