Yak-38 Forger

Yak-38 Forger
Vladimir Rodionov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Yak-38 Forger
Type	VTOL fighter/attack aircraft
Manufacturer	Yakovlev
First flight	10 March 1971
Introduction	1976
Retired	1993 (Soviet Naval Aviation)
Primary user	Soviet Navy
Produced	1971–1983
Number built	~231

Yak-38 Forger The Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger was a Soviet vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet fighter and fighter-bomber developed for Soviet Navy carrier aviation, designed to operate from Kiev-class aircraft carriers and small cruiser-carriers. It entered squadron service in the mid-1970s as a counterpart to Western Harrier operators and represented a distinct design lineage within Soviet aviation alongside platforms such as the MiG-23 and Su-17. The programme intersected with Cold War naval strategy, doctrines influenced by Alexei Kosygin-era planning and procurement decisions shaped by leaders in the Ministry of Defence and the Soviet Navy high command.

Development and design

Development began in the late 1960s at the Yakovlev OKB under chief designers influenced by prior projects like the experimental Yak-36. The Yak-38 programme responded to requirements set by the Naval Aviation branch of the Soviet Navy and was evaluated alongside concepts from Mikoyan-Gurevich, Sukhoi, and the design teams that produced the Yak-36M prototypes. Key milestones included wind tunnel testing at institutes connected to TsAGI and early flight trials at facilities near Khimki. Political oversight came from figures in the Council of Ministers of the USSR and committees coordinating with the Black Sea Fleet and Northern Fleet planners.

The aircraft’s layout featured a single main engine with lift engines, reflecting design choices similar in mission outcome to the Hawker Siddeley Harrier though arising from different technical philosophies influenced by Soviet industrial ecosystems including Ivchenko and Rybinsk engine families. Strategic imperatives during the Cold War and assessments by analysts at organizations such as the Military-Industrial Commission of the USSR shaped the final configuration.

Operational history

The Yak-38 entered service with Soviet Naval Aviation units aboard Kiev-class carriers and shore-based squadrons tied to the Pacific Fleet and Baltic Fleet. Operational evaluation included deployments to Murmansk, Sevastopol, and Vladivostok support bases, and exercises conducted with task groups that included Kresta-class and Slava-class warships. Pilots transitioning from conventional types such as the MiG-21 and Su-25 underwent conversion training at Naval Aviation Schools and test centers associated with Akademiya Voyennogo Vozdushnogo Flota programs.

Incidents and attrition during service prompted investigations by entities including the Military Prosecutor's Office of the USSR and reforms in carrier operations, maintenance procedures overseen by representatives from Ministry of the Shipbuilding Industry (USSR). The platform saw limited export interest but no major foreign operators beyond Soviet client-state evaluations involving delegations from the Warsaw Pact and observers from Indian Navy delegations. Decommissioning followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union with many airframes retired, cannibalized, or stored as budgets reallocated under the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

Variants

Several formal and prototype variants were produced within the Yak-38 family: - Yak-38: baseline production fighter/attack variant developed by Yakovlev Design Bureau and accepted into service by Soviet Naval Aviation. - Yak-38U: two-seat trainer conversion built for conversion training at Naval Aviation Schools. - Yak-38M: proposed upgraded version considered by Yakovlev and debated with the TsAGI institutes and Soviet Ministry of Aviation Industry; included ideas for modified lift systems and avionics compatibility with standards used in the MiG-23 modernization efforts. - Prototypes and testbeds: developmental airframes used at test centers in Akhtubinsk and by institutes such as Gromov Flight Research Institute.

Technical description

The Yak-38 featured a compact delta/straight-wing planform with a single turbofan main engine complemented by twin vertically mounted lift jets in the forward fuselage—a propulsion layout influenced by earlier Yak-36 experiments and analyses by TsKB-60 engineers. The main propulsion unit was the R-27V-300 or related turbojet families produced in facilities linked to Klimov and Ivchenko design lines, while ancillary lift engines were produced by enterprises associated with the Rybinsk industrial cluster.

Avionics suites integrated navigation and attack systems developed by firms in Moscow and Chelyabinsk, influenced by sensor technology trends seen in platforms like the MiG-23 and the Su-24. Armament capability included air-to-air missiles comparable to R-60/AA-8 Aphid family integrations, unguided rockets, and up to medium-weight bombs for strike missions, with store carriage consistent with Soviet shipborne doctrine and interoperable with Kiev-class flight deck handling systems. Structural materials drew on suppliers engaged in the Soviet aviation industry's composite and aluminium workstreams centered in regions including Samara and Voronezh.

Operators

- Soviet Naval Aviation — primary operational user, deploying squadrons aboard Kiev-class carriers and in shore-based naval aviation units across fleets including the Northern Fleet, Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, and Pacific Fleet. - Evaluation detachments from Polish People's Army and delegations from Indian Navy personnel conducted assessments but did not result in sustained operational orders.

Surviving aircraft and displays

Several Yak-38 airframes survive in museum collections and as ground exhibits at aviation museums such as institutions in Monino and museums associated with the Central Air Force Museum (Monino), naval displays in Sevastopol and aviation parks in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Static examples also appear at regional exhibitions in Kiev (Kyiv), at facilities preserving Cold War-era naval aviation history, and on display near former bases including Yeysk and Kulbakino. Preservation and display efforts involve curators from national museums and veterans' organizations connected to Soviet Naval Aviation heritage.

Category:Yakovlev aircraft Category:Soviet military aircraft