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Yak-49M - Buturlinovka Air Base, early 2016

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Some background:
The Yakovlev Yak-49 is a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth attack aircraft, introduced to the Russian Air Force in 2013. The fifth generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack, aerial reconnaissance, and, to a limited degree, air defense missions. A navalized version is expected to appear soon, too.

The Yak-49, designed by the famous JSC A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau, today part of the United Aircraft Building Corporation, is the result of a long development line that dates back to the Yak-141 supersonic VTOL fighter and its side projects.
One of these had been the Yak-43 from 1997, a third generation VTOL/STOL fighter with rudimental stealth properties, to follow and eventually replace the Yak-141M. The Yak-43 remained on the drawing board, though, since even the Yak-141 never made it beyond the prototype stage. Nevertheless, the Design Bureau Yakovlev’s experience was not wasted: some of the project's research and VTOL know how with separate lift jets went into Lockheed Martin's X-35/F-35 program for the US Joint Strike Fighter program, and the feedback was put to use in the most recent operational military aircraft, the Yak-49.

Development of the Yak-49 attack aircraft started in 2002. Its specification was tailored to the Russian Air Force needs, which demanded a stealthy and supersonic successor to the highly successful Su-25 ('Frogfoot') and MiG-27 ground attack aircraft, with the potential for a navalized version that could be operated from the Russian ski jump carriers. The aircraft was to be powered by two jet engines and offer improved performance and esp. stealth capabilities in comparison with its 3rd generation forerunners.

Basis were layouts and studies conducted for the VTOL Yak-43, but, compared with the highly ambitious X/F-35 program, the Yak-49 was a much more modest and conventional approach. Simplicity, robustness as well as ease and economy of operation being in focus beyond the aircraft's operational effectiveness.

In order to improve radar cross section, the Yak-49 was to carry at least a part of its ordnance in an internal weapon bay, so that its stealth properties in clean condition would be superior to anything the Russian Air Force had in in its arsenal at the time. The contemporary benchmark was the new Su-34 bomber, rumored to have a radar signature comparable to a cruise missile. And the targets for the Yak-49 were even higher.

The result was a relatively conservative and compact design, a tailless aircraft with clipped delta wings and only two canted fins as tail surfaces. The broad and flat fuselage was designed around the central ventral weapon bay, large enough to carry a wide range of ordnance.

The air intakes were placed at the lower fuselage flanks, under the wings' LERXs where they are partly shielded from the front by pronounced chines that extend up to the aircraft's pointed nose. Ducts for the tail-mounted pair of Klimov RD-33MK jet engines were led around the weapons bay. An unusual feature for a ground attack aircraft were engines' afterburners - but these had been incorporated for better field performance on short airstrips, supersonic dashes and improved agility in the secondary air-to-air combat role. Another simple reason was the commonality of the RD-33MK with other Russian aircraft, like the MiG-35 fighter, as well as its potential naval use without further modifications.

The Yak-49's clipped delta wing was designed around a large single piece of carbon fiber composite material, and many structural elements were fabricated with this material, too, saving weight, improving stiffness and further reducing radar reflection.
The wing had a span of ~11 meters, with a 55-degree leading edge sweep. Integral tanks held up to 20,000 pounds of fuel. The purpose of the high sweep angle was to allow a thick wing section, to be used while still providing limited transonic aerodynamic drag, and to provide a good angle for wing-installed conformal antenna equipment.

All around the hull, radar-absorbing material and coatings reduced the aircraft's radar cross-section. Figures haven't been published yet, but in clean condition the Yak-49 is supposed to have a frontal radar echo that is comparable with a medium-sized bird.

The cockpit was placed far in the front and the pilot enjoyed a rather high position under a wide bubble canopy, offering excellent vision - probably also with foresight towards a navalized version. The robust tricycle landing gear's main parts retract forwards into the thick wing roots, while the front wheel retracts backwards. All wheel elements rotated 90° to lie flat in the hull and occupy as little space as possible.

The first Yak-49 prototype made its maiden flight in April 2009. A second aircraft, featuring 2D vectoring jet nozzles, followed in January 2010, but this machine was quickly lost in an accident in June. A third machine, again with normal engines, was finished in July 2010 and joined the first prototype in the state acceptance trials, which were successfully finished in March 2011.

Series production of the final aircraft, designated Yak-49M (модифицированный = modified), started quickly in late 2011 and incorporated several minor adjustments and enhancements. These included updated avionics, additional kevlar armor for the cockpit and other vital systems, as well as a sophisticated Sorbtsiya L-006 ECM suite, recognizable through long fairings on the wing tips, reminiscent of the Su-25’s “crocodile” air brakes.

Armament of the definitive aircraft consisted of a fixed GSh-30-1 30mm cannon in the port wing root with 150 rounds, an internal weapon bay plus six optional underwing hardpoints, for a total ordnance payload of 4.500 kg (9.000 lb). Internally, four iron bombs of up to 500 kg (1.100 lb) caliber could be carried, a pair of video or laser-guided KAB-500 smart bombs or, with special bomb bay covers, a single, semi-recessed laser-guided KAB-1500 smart bomb or a nuclear, tactical 'special stores'.

More and bigger loads (including ECM Pods, drop tanks, pods with S-8 and S-24 rockets, iron bombs, Kh-25, Kh-29 or Kh-29 air-to-ground missiles with TV, IR or laser guidance) could be carried externally under the wings. Each of the inner wing hardpoints could carry up to 1.000kg (1.100 lb), while the outer wing hardpoints were primarily reserved for light loads of up to 250 kg (550 lb) like infrared homing air-to-air missiles for self-defense, e. g. the R-60 or R-73 AAM.

The Yak-49M was not outfitted with an active radar, but sensors include an optical Kyra-23 laser-television sighting system, fitted in a fairing under the nose. It is combined with a S-31E2 KOLS, a combined laser rangefinder and IRST in an "eyeball" mount forward of the cockpit canopy.
The capabilities of the aircraft were enhanced by the incorporation of various avionics systems consisting primarily of two Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) Mission and Display Processor (MDP), Sextant Ring Laser Gyros (RLG INSI), combined GPS/GLONASS navigation, HUD with UFCP, Digital Map Generator (DMG), jam-resistant Secured Communication, stand-by UHF communication, data link and a comprehensive Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite.
 A mission planning and retrieval facility, VTR and HUD camera were also fitted. The aircraft retained stand-by (conventional) instrumentation, including artificial horizon, altimeter and airspeed indicator, to cater for the failure of HUD and the MFDs.

The first operational Yak-49Ms arrived at assault air regiments in late 2013, where they were promptly christened 'клин' ('Klin' = wedge) by the crews. The type became quickly popular because of its good handling characteristics, thanks to the low wind loading and the responsive, powerful engines, and the spacious, modern cockpit. These machines replaced early Su-25 sans suffix attack aircraft. Until today about 50 Yak-49Ms have been delivered, distributed among two squadrons (an operational attack squadron and a training unit), and more are to follow. Production is kept up, even though at a rather slow and steady pace, due to the lack of funding. The production program is expected to last until 2018. The potential ship-borne Yak-49K is still on the drawing board, and so far the Yak-49M has not been offered to export customers
.

General characteristics:
    Crew: 1
    Length (w/o pitot): 43.16 ft (13.17 m)
    Wingspan (incl. Sorbtsiya ECM pods): 37,75 ft (11.55 m)
    Height:13.61 ft  (4,16 m)
    Wing area: 590 ft² (54.8 m²)
    Max. takeoff weight: 38,000 lb (17,200 kg)

Powerplant:
    2× Klimov RD-33MK afterburning turbofans with 5,400 kgf, 53.0 kN (11,900 lbf) dry thrust
    each and 9,000 kgf, 88.3 kN (19,840 lbf) each with afterburner

Performance:
    Maximum speed: Mach 1.6 (1,699 km/h, 917 knots, 1,056 mph) at 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
    Combat radius: 908 km (490 nmi, 564 mi) (lo-lo-lo, external fuel)
    Ferry range: 3,524 km (1,902 nmi, 2,190 mi)
    Service ceiling: 14,000 m[137] (45,900 ft)
    Climb to 9,145 m (30,000 ft): 1 min 30 sec

Armament:
    1× 30 mm (0.787 in) GSh-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds
    Internal weapon bay plus six underwing hardpoints for a total of 4.500 kg ordnance,
    including drop tanks, guided and unguided bombs and missiles, unguided missile pods and
    napalm tanks.
    The internal bay can also take pallets with ECM and reconnaissance equipment.
Image size
640x480px 64.51 KB
Make
SONY
Model
DSC-HX60
Shutter Speed
1/100 second
Focal Length
19 mm
ISO Speed
800
Date Taken
Dec 29, 2015, 1:40:29 PM
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