Difference between revisions of "Yak-141"

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[[File:Yak-141.png|left|thumb|668x668px]]
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{{Specs-Card
 +
|code=yak_141
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
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}}
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 +
== Description ==
 +
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
The Yakolev Yak-141 (also known as the "Yak-41", NATO codename "Freestyle") was a prototype Soviet VTOL supersonic fighter designed as a successor to the [[Yak-38]]. While the subsonic "Forger" with limited payload and poor handling was more of a proof of concept than a serious combat aircraft for its time, the heavily evolved Yak-141 was a far more capable one. It was a much larger aircraft with refined aerodynamics and a monstrously powerful Tumansky R-79 turbofan primary engine. With modern avionics and long-range missiles at its disposal, the Yak-141 was poised to be a world-leading supersonic VTOL fighter and a strong asset for the Soviet Navy — however, the collapse and political issues of the USSR prevented the Yak-141 from entering serial production and operational service in real combat situations and operations.
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 +
Introduced in [[Update "Sky Guardians"]], this plane is a fearsome predator despite its slightly awkward appearance. It is in fact a full-featured 4th generation fighter on the same technological level as the [[MiG-29]], its counterpart in the VVS. It does not have the Mach 2+ top speed of contemporary fighters, but its agility is surprisingly good and its acceleration is phenomenal. Carrying R-27ERs and boasting a radar range of 70 km, the Yak-141 is a terrifying opponent with fantastic avionics and sensors able to sling the best missiles of its BR at all ranges.
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== General info ==
 +
=== Flight performance ===
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{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}
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<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
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This jet is shockingly agile, particularly at very high speeds. In addition, being a VTOL jet, it is able to accelerate much more quickly than other aircraft. It is usually the first to reach the end of the runway, only initially outpaced by Harriers. It can bring enough fuel to afterburn to the middle of the largest of locations, strategically deploy its missiles, usually still afterburning, and return home with fuel to spare. It also has the ability to afterburn while thrust vectoring, which, combined with its manoeuvrability, powerful engines, and hovering potential, make it quite versatile at close ranges, able to outperform and elude the most nimble of conventional fighters. The only downside of this aircraft is its roll rate, which can impair its reactivity at close ranges.
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The R-79V-300 is currently the most powerful aircraft engine in War Thunder by a large margin. It yields 45% more thrust than the [[F-14B]]'s General Electric F110 under optimal conditions and allows the Yak to achieve a commendable thrust-to-weight ratio in forward flight despite being a VTOL jet with the associated dead weight.
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
 +
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
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! colspan="2" | Max speed<br>(km/h at 11,000 m)
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! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
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! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
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! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
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! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
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|-
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! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
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|-
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! Stock
 +
| 1,822 ||1,822|| rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 25.6 || 25.7 || 264.6 || 253.9 || rowspan="2" | 550
 +
|-
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! Upgraded
 +
| 1,905 || 1,847 || 24.4 || 25.0 || 359.0 || 310.0
 +
|-
 +
|}
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 +
==== Details ====
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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|-
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! colspan="6" | Features
 +
|-
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! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
 +
|-
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| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || ✓    <!-- ✓ -->
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|-
 +
|}
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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|-
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! colspan="7" | Limits
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|-
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! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
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! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
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! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
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! colspan="2" | Max Static G
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|-
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! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
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|-
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| 1,450 <!-- {{Specs|destruction|body}} --> || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 750 || 648 || 500 || ~11 || ~4
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|-
 +
|}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
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|-
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! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
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|-
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| < 650 || < 850 || < 920 || -
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|-
 +
|}
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==== Engine performance ====
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! colspan="3" | Engine
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! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
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|-
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! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
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! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
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|-
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| colspan="2" | Tumansky R79V-300 (main) || 1
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| colspan="2" rowspan="2" | 10,930 kg || colspan="3" rowspan="2" | 483 kg/m<sup>2</sup>
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|-
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| colspan="2" | Saturn RD-41 (lift jets) || 2
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|-
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! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
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! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross<br>Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
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|-
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! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
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! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 35m fuel
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|-
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| 1,750 kg (main) || colspan="2" | Afterburning vectored-thrust low-bypass turbofan
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| rowspan="2" | 12,250 kg || rowspan="2" | 13,381 kg || rowspan="2" | 14,606 kg || rowspan="2" | 15,330 kg || rowspan="2" | 17,362 kg
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|-
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| 290 kg (lift jet) || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet
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|-
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! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum main engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
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! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio in forward flight @ 0 m (WEP / 100%)
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|-
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! Condition || 100% || WEP
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! 10m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 35m fuel || MGW
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|-
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| ''Stationary'' || 11,179 kgf || 15,582 kgf
 +
| 1.27 || 1.16 || 1.07 || 1.02 || 0.90
 +
|-
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| ''Optimal'' || 11,179 kgf<br>(0 km/h) || 19,740 kgf<br>(1,200 km/h)
 +
| 1.61 || 1.48 || 1.35 || 1.29 || 1.14
 +
|-
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! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum lift engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
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! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio in VTOL (all 3 engines) @ 0 m (WEP)
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|-
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| ''Stationary'' || {{Annotation|4,105 kgf|18,277 kgf total thrust in VTOL (split over 3 engines)}} || {{Annotation|4,152 kgf|18,472 kgf total thrust in VTOL (split over 3 engines)}}
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| 1.51 || 1.38 || 1.26 || 1.20 || 1.06
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|-
 +
|}
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=== Survivability and armour ===
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{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' -->
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Most hits from a missile are fatal, as with any top tier jet, but if used properly, the Yak-141 can dodge even very advanced missiles with its combination of speed and agility. Because of its powerful engine, this aircraft can still fly and manoeuvre effectively even with extensive fuselage damage.
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=== Modifications and economy ===
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{{Specs-Economy}}
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== Armaments ==
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{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
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|-
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! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs) !! EEGS
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|-
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| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
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|-
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|}
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=== Offensive armament ===
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{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}
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<!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' -->
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{{main|GSh-30-1 (30 mm)}}
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The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:
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* 1 x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon, belly-mounted (120 rpg)
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* 60 x countermeasures
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The Yak-141 boasts the same 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon as the MiG-29, albeit with a slightly smaller ammo capacity. It is accurate, fast-firing, and has a high muzzle velocity. Since the Yak-141's advanced avionics offer lead computing, it is a good backup weapon for dogfights or head-ons.
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=== Suspended armament ===
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{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}
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<!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
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The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
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! !! width="11%" | 1 !! width="11%" | 2 !! width="11%" | 3 !! width="11%" | 4
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| rowspan="18" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
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|-
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! [[GSh-23L (23 mm)|23 mm GSh-23L]] cannons (250 rpg)
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
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|-
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! [[OFAB-100 (100 kg)|100 kg OFAB-100]] bombs
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| 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
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|-
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! [[FAB-250M-62 (250 kg)|250 kg FAB-250M-62]] bombs
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
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|-
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! [[OFAB-250Sh (250 kg)|250 kg OFAB-250Sh]] bombs
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
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|-
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! [[FAB-500M-62 (500 kg)|500 kg FAB-500M-62]] bombs
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
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|-
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! [[FAB-500Sh (500 kg)|500 kg FAB-500Sh]] bombs
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
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|-
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! [[ZB-500 incendiary]] bombs
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
|-
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! [[S-5K]] rockets
 +
| 32 || 32 || 32 || 32
 +
|-
 +
! [[S-8KO]] rockets
 +
| 20 || 20 || 20 || 20
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|-
 +
! [[S-13OF]] rockets
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| 5 || 5 || 5 || 5
 +
|-
 +
! [[S-24B]] rockets
 +
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
|-
 +
! [[R-27R]] missiles
 +
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
|-
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! [[R-27T]] missiles
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| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
|-
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! [[R-27ER]] missiles
 +
| || 1 || 1 ||
 +
|-
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! [[R-27ET]] missiles
 +
| || 1 || 1 ||
 +
|-
 +
! [[R-60M]] missiles
 +
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="5" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg
 +
|-
 +
|}
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{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
 +
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
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 +
* Without load
 +
* 2 x R-60M missiles + 2 x R-27R missiles
 +
* 4 x R-60M missiles
 +
* 4 x R-27R missiles
 +
* 4 x R-27T missiles
 +
* 2 x R-27ER missiles
 +
* 2 x R-27ET missiles
 +
* 128 x S-5K rockets
 +
* 80 x S-8KO rockets
 +
* 4 x S-24B rockets
 +
* 20 x S-13OF rockets
 +
* 16 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,600 kg total)
 +
* 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,000 kg total)
 +
* 4 x 250 kg OFAB-250Sh bombs (1,000 kg total)
 +
* 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total)
 +
* 4 x 500 kg FAB-500Sh bombs (2,000 kg total)
 +
* 4 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs
 +
* 4 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 1,000 total)
 +
{{Navigation-End}}
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 +
The Yak-141 has a comparable arsenal to the [[MiG-29]], but with only four hardpoints, it is important to allocate the weapons carefully.
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 +
The main focus is on the air-to-air missiles. The stock R-60Ms are the classic tools of Soviet top-tier jets with high agility, short range, and low flare resistance. R-27 missiles with greater range can be mounted on all four pylons (the Fulcrums can only carry two) and come in four flavours: the R-27T with an IR seeker, the R-27R with a SARH seeker, and the R-27ER and R-27ET extended range variants with incredibly fast and powerful rocket motors. The R-27ERs should always be taken once unlocked because they are outstanding for long-range missile jousts, especially when paired with the Yak's excellent radar, but they are only available on the 2 inboard hardpoints. How to fill the other two is up to personal taste: R-27Rs are weaker but still viable and R-27Ts are good for medium range sneak attacks as they do not trigger any RWR warnings when cued with the Yak's IRST. R-60Ms are good for close-range knife fights, but bringing them has a significant opportunity cost on the Yak-141 and it may be better to leave dogfighting for friendly Fulcrums instead.
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 +
The remaining options are unguided bombs (100 to 500 kg) and rockets (S-5K and S-8KO HEAT rockets, S-13OF and S-24B HE rockets) for ground attack. The Yak-141 has a full-featured ballistic computer and can deliver them accurately, but using this aircraft for a strike role is suboptimal - it has a poor attack payload, no precision or standoff weapons, and no hardpoints reserved for air-to-air missiles.
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== Usage in battles ==
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
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The Yak-141 is a very versatile aircraft, supporting a variety of playstyles. It is effective in long range engagements, with a good radar and almost flawless SARH missiles, as long as an opponent does not notch and chaff your radar, their lifetime is measured in seconds. This jet also excels in close combat, its cannon and infrared R-27s making short work of opponents. For the tough cases, you can transition into relying on your VTOL ability or acceleration to bring the fight to your strengths, stall speed fighting.
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 +
'''Yak-141: The Basics'''
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To understand how to play the Yak-141, one must first know the basic facts about this aircraft.
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 +
Number 1: This jet is slow compared to a ton of it's peers; it's speed, which will under normal circumstances max out at Mach 1.02, is comparable to Phantoms instead of the [[MiG-29]], or it's contemporaries. However, it has great acceleration (and some significant speed bleed when turning) and will reach it's top speed very quickly with full afterburner on. Knowing this, treating it as a delta-wing aircraft similar to the [[MiG-21bis]], or the [[JA37D]] (but with a lot of additional acceleration), may prove worthwhile.
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Number 2: Your cannon is the venerable Gryazev-Shipunov [[GSh-30-1 (30 mm)|GSh-30-1]], with a lower ammo capacity of 120, compared to 150 of the MiG-29s (and that's already pretty low). Trigger discipline is required, and you do not have the fire rate the [[M61A1 (20 mm)|M61A1]] has to hold down the trigger with an already mostly well-led firing solution and score hits as enemies fly through. However, your gun will generally do good damage when rounds connect, and the rounds themselves have good velocity and will retain their velocity for a bit, so shorter bursts of precisely aimed shots are the way to go.
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Number 3: You have access to a very good all-aspect Pulse-Doppler [[Radar]] , plus a second generation [[IRST]] which now also includes rangefinding, as well as relative speed and movement indicators (features not found, or more primitive versions of, on the [[MiG-23 (Family)|MiG-23 family]] of jets) in addition to a feature few jets have at this Battle Rating: Helmet Mounted Sights for both. However, your [[Radar Warning Receiver]] is the SPO-15: A middle-of-the-pack RWR that does not identify specific threats from a specific direction, but instead a number of specified scenarios (such as being tracked by Pulse-Doppler radar, or being launched at by a missile with CW guidance, such as the [[AIM-7M Sparrow]], or the [[Matra Super 530D]]. It will also tell you the rough distance of the scenario (mostly if it's far away, closer or close to you). Thus, we can conclude that your offensively-oriented sensor kit is extremely potent and among the best compared to your peers, but your defensively-oriented sensors leave more to be desired.
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Number 4: You only have 60 countermeasures. While this will get you by when it comes to matches at your own BR and below, when you start facing Fox-3s such as the [[AIM-120A]] or the [[MICA-EM]], or under any circumstances where you need to repeatedly flare or chaff, you may find yourself running out of countermeasures, so take care not to pop too many at any one time.
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Number 5: You only have access to 4 hardpoints to put missiles on, compared to 6 or more on many of your peers. Avoid shooting missiles if there is little chance they score hits. Speaking of missiles, what can you equip?
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[[R-60M]]: These are your most basic missiles, used for when you are stock grinding. You can have up to 4 of them. They are agile off the rail, very lightweight and will pull up to 30Gs. However, they are infrared, with a seeker sharing most of the properties of the American equivalent, the [[AIM-9L]]. Unlike the Lima however, the R-60M's seeker Field of View is significantly larger, meaning it will almost never ignore flares, even from rear-aspect, at sub-1 kilometer ranges. (Exceptions being few and far between). Get rid of them as soon as you unlock the ability to put R-27R on your hardpoints.
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[[R-27R]]: These are the first radar missiles you unlock, and will help you get through the stock grind. You can have up to 4 of them. They are heavy and less agile off the rail, but will start ramping up their pull quickly (up to 35G, can exceed this to about 37G in sustained turn while the motor is burning to provide acceleration). As they are radar missiles using CW Illumination as guidance (on top of a Pulse-Doppler radar set), this means it will ignore enemy chaff from the front aspect (and frequently, also from the rear aspect as well), and defeating them is much harder, as one has to both go perpendicular to your radar, and deploy chaff in sufficient numbers. This increases your kill probability significantly. However, radar missiles are vulnerable to multipathing, which starts taking effect at 60m above ground, and attempts to confuse radar missiles.
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[[R-27ER]]: These are the second (and last) radar missiles you unlock, and are available at Tier 3 (the first R-27E-series missile you can get). You can only have 2 of them (and you should always have an R-27E-series missiles on your inner pylons). They share the seeker with the R-27R, but the difference is in the motor and now, sustainer. The motor has almost double the thrust , and now a sustainer roughly equal to your previous motor's thrust is added. Combined with lower drag, this missile can now easily reach 15-20km when flying near the ground, or 30km when at higher altitudes. This used to be the fastest SARH missile in the game (now only outclassed by the [[Sedjeel]]), and will win jousts against any other missiles as long as there is sufficient range for the ER to accelerate.
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[[R-27T]]:  The first of the infrared R-27s, this missile shares the motor and agility of the R-27R, but with a very sensitive fire-and-forget infrared seeker instead. You can have up to 4 of them. This seeker features InfraRed Counter-Counter Measures (IRCCM, and was the first missile to do so in-game), where the seeker view will decrease from what is visible pre-launch, to a significantly smaller value right after launch. Combined with this being the most sensitive infrared seeker available, it will fairly reliably ignore any flares, so long as it is able to look at the enemy's engine.
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 +
[[R-27ET]]: The second (and last) of the infrared R-27s, this missile shares the motor and agility of the R-27ER, but now also shares the seeker of the R-27T. You can have up to 2 of them just as with the ER. Due to the increased range, however, you can now launch this at aircraft that are beyond the 10km spotting distance normal for Air Realistic Battles, this section's focus. (and in general, can be launched from great distance unspotted as long as it's not Air Arcade.) This missile, unlike the R-27T, is more of a gimmick since it occupies slots usually reserved for the R-27ER, and these can be one-flared by accident at longer ranges.
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 +
'''Engaging the Enemy'''
 +
 
 +
At the start of a match, you will want to stay low: There are several aircraft at your BR or near enough your battle rating (within a BR step) that also have very potent radar missiles presenting an exceedingly high level of danger to you, such as the [[F-14A IRIAF (USA)|F-14A IRIAF]] (and the regular F-14A and F-14B to a lesser extent), the [[AV-8B Plus]], the [[Sea Harrier FA 2]], and the [[J-8F]] (which can sling Active Radar Homing missiles at you, forcing you to drop your lock and go defensive during BVR engagements, or die just to potentially trade kills with them. There is also a distinct possibility of meeting German, Hungarian, Chinese, or even other soviet aicraft (in mirror matches) which can carry the R-27ER as well. Additionally, your low amount of countermeasures means you cannot sustain defensive actions for too long. Staying low will allow you to avoid the early fighting at high altitude, and may limit the number of missiles you need to defend against at the start.
 +
 
 +
Look for targets that are not flying near the ground, and begin launching R-27ERs; Less distance to target, the more likely they are to die from it. Most launches from below 6km on someone flying too high above the ground are going to be kills. At this point, look for rear-aspect shots with the R-27Ts or continue attacking targets nearby with R-27Rs. Defend as necessary; the Yak-141 can handle itself in a dogfight remarkably well, even if it's not the best at it, and can eventually overpower all 3rd generation fighters, and even many 4th generation ones. As a last resort, usage of the Thrust Vectoring system is an option, though usually an incredible risk due to you stalling yourself out with no speed and the Yak-141 needing about 7 seconds to regain speed after.
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 +
As a side note (but one that may very rarely come up): The center of the Yak-141 is full of relatively empty space, fuel tanks, and the generally unimportant VTOL engines. As a last resort if dodging a missile is impossible, one can make an attempt to force the splash damage from shrapnel primarily into that area, potentially avoiding critical damage while retaining any amount of flight worthiness. This is, of course, not too likely to happen and is not to be relied upon unless there is absolutely no other option.
 +
 
 +
=== Pros and cons ===
 +
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 +
 
 +
'''Pros:'''
 +
 
 +
* VTOL/Thrust Vectoring
 +
* Surprising high speed manoeuvrability, excellent acceleration
 +
* Excellent radar range/difficult to notch/IRST
 +
* Sufficient fuel capacity for plenty of afterburning
 +
* Heavy-duty IR missiles with IRCCM.
 +
* Has access to the R-27R and R-27ER missiles, which feature better seekers and are exceedingly difficult to outroll or otherwise dodge kinetically when within range.
 +
 
 +
'''Cons:'''
 +
 
 +
* Fairly low top speed for its BR, will bleed speed when exercising your manoeuverability.
 +
* R-60M is flared off easily
 +
* Only carries four missiles, and cannot feature more than 2 R-27E-series missiles; the other two have to be regular R-27s or R-60Ms.
 +
* Limited strike capability
 +
 
 +
== History ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
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While the [[Yak-38]] and its later modernized [[Yak-38M]] variant fulfilled the role of a fleet defence strike fighter for the Soviet navy, the aircraft were considered obsolete almost immediately due to the many shortcomings they had, such as a very poor range of less than 100 km, difficulty operating in hot weather, inability to operate at night due to lack of radar or advanced targeting systems, horrible controllability and manoeuvrability due to the heavy weight and high wing loading, and a small combat payload among other things. As early as 1973, the {{Annotation|AVMF|Soviet Naval Aviation Fleet}} and OKB-115, led by General Designer Aleksander Yakovlev, went back to the drawing board to create a new generation of VTOL fighters for the Soviet navy. The successor aircraft project outlined a set of requirements: the new aircraft had to be supersonic, incorporate an advanced fire control system and radar/sensor suite, allow for a larger range of operations, and include a larger array of weapons. At the time of the project, no aircraft like this existed in the world, and the only equivalent that came close was the french Dassault Balzac V prototype.
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[[File:Yak-141 at 1992 Farnborough Airshow.jpg|thumb|Yakovlev Yak-141 (code White 141, formerly White 75) performing a vertical take-off at the 1992 Farnborough Airshow.]]
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This new aircraft would be designed around the new Soyuz-Tumansky R-79V lift/cruise afterburning turbofan, starting its life as the Yak-36P heavy VTOL naval interceptor. However, after substantial changes and almost a complete redesign of the aircraft resulting from reconsideration of the project requirements, the project would be redesignated as the Yak-41. In mid 1974, the Communist Party's Central Committee and Council of Ministers would issue a directive for the development of a new Soviet VTOL fighter, officially kickstarting the project. After many years of research and development, the design was finalized and submitted for review in June of 1980<ref>Gordon, Yefim. ''Yakovlev Yak-36, Yak-38 & Yak-41: The Soviet "Jump Jets."'' Midland Publishing, 2008.</ref>. The design invoked many new technologies not yet standardized in the Soviet Union, such as composite materials and advanced radars. Many setbacks with the R-79V engine and the Phazotron S-41 radar development programs caused the development schedule of the Yak-41 to be delayed by a few years. In 1983, the first static (non-flying) prototype was completed, and static ground testing commenced until the radar, engine, and fly-by-wire/power-by-wire systems were completed. The first flying prototype was soon completed and on March 9th, 1987 performed its maiden flight. Many of the important systems such as the S-41 radar and the other important avionics were still not completed fully, and would be incorporated later into the second flyable prototype which was completed in 1989. The second prototype was a more definitive "Yak-41" prototype, this time including most of its avionics and fire control system, such as the Zhuk S-41M radar which was completed by now, and would go as far as to mount mock-up missiles and weapons for flight testing and "simulated" firing during trials. The most notable missing piece of avionics was the {{Annotation|IRST|Infra-Red Search and Track}} system, which was ready to be installed when completed as shown by the cut-out for it on top of the nose on the second flying prototype.
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The Yak-41 showed great promise, and at this stage of flight testing started setting many world records. To keep its development and true identity secret, the Soviet Union registered the aircraft as the "Yak-141" instead of Yak-41 with international record keeping agencies, hence where the 141 designation comes from. The Yak-41 program was proceeding smoothly at that point, with many flight tests scheduled and performed successfully over the next few years. Most notably, by 1991 the Yak-41s had flown to Severomorsk-1 airbase and successfully performed carrier trials and testing, including both VTOL and STOL operations from the carriers ''Baku'' (later renamed ''Admiral Gorshkov)'', in anticipation of future service deployment aboard the new and upcoming Type 1143.5 carrier ''Tblisi'' (later renamed to ''Admiral Kuznetsov'') after the aircraft is accepted into service in the upcoming years.<ref>Gordon, Yefim, and Bill Gunston. "'Yakovlev's Experimental VTOLs' p.213-215." ''Soviet X-Planes'', Midland, Hinckley, 2000.</ref>
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[[File:Yak-141 museum.jpg|thumb|Yak-41 "White 75" (actually White 77 but repainted) with R-73 and R-27R missiles on display at Technical Museum, Arkhangelskoye, Moscow.]]
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However, as promising as the aircraft was, the program was ultimately terminated in 1992 due to lack of funding after the collapse of the USSR. The Yakovlev design bureau then started trying to find foreign investors and buyers for the aircraft. Shortly after, a very unlikely foreign investor appeared at Yakovlev's doorstep, as Lockheed Corporation started negotiations for further funding more Yak-141 prototypes. The two flying prototypes, White 75 and White 77, would both be repainted into identical "White 144" liveries, and the two static non-flying prototypes would be cannibalized for spare parts before being scrapped to ensure that public display of the Yak-41 was flawless. The first public appearance of the Yak-41 occurred famously at the 1992 Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom. However, the Yak-41s would be banned from performing vertical take-offs after a few days at the airshow due to "excessive wear to the runway", a testament to the powerful thrust from the engines in vertical flight. Shortly after, Yakovlev had announced that they had successfully reached an agreement with Lockheed for 4 million $USD in funding for two more flying prototypes, a twin-seat trainer prototype, and a single static (non-flying) testbed to test improvements in avionics. The partnership had actually begun almost immediately after the USSR had collapsed, but was not revealed publicly by Yakovlev and Lockheed until September 6th, 1992.<ref>Gordon, Yefim (1997). ''Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924''. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books.</ref> It is widely believed that many of the technological advancements from the Yak-41 program would be directly applied by Lockheed through their partnership to the upcoming X-35 prototype in the Joint-Strike Fighter program, most notably the later VTOL F-35B variant, which shares many basic features with the Yak-41.
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The two flyable prototypes, now no longer flyable, would be exhibited as static ground displays at the 1993 Moscow airshow. Shortly after, the two prototypes would undergo cosmetic restoration before being placed in museums for permanent display. The first flyable prototype retained its post-soviet "White 141" livery, and is permanently displayed at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino. The second prototype was re-painted into the "White 75" livery originally used by its sister aircraft (the first prototype), and placed in the Technical Museum, Arkhangelskoye, Moscow.
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== Media ==
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=yak_141 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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;Videos
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{{Youtube-gallery|GLhl4uB0QhU|'''The Shooting Range #347''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:51 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|K09goo8T4jM|'''The Shooting Range #345''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:25 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|tTfqkOz_1p8|'''Yak-141: A Basic Review''' - ''Tims Variety''}}
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== See also ==
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<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
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''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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== External links ==
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
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* [[wt:en/news/8128-development-yak-141-freestyle-on-the-deck-en|[Devblog] Yak-141: Freestyle on the Deck]]
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=== References ===
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<references />
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{{AirManufacturer Yakovlev}}
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{{USSR jet aircraft}}

Latest revision as of 09:50, 10 November 2024

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Chinese A-5C Pack
Yak-141
yak_141.png
GarageImage Yak-141.jpg
Yak-141
USSR flag.png USSR
VIII Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
12.7 12.7 12.7
Class:
Research:400 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:1 080 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Yakolev Yak-141 (also known as the "Yak-41", NATO codename "Freestyle") was a prototype Soviet VTOL supersonic fighter designed as a successor to the Yak-38. While the subsonic "Forger" with limited payload and poor handling was more of a proof of concept than a serious combat aircraft for its time, the heavily evolved Yak-141 was a far more capable one. It was a much larger aircraft with refined aerodynamics and a monstrously powerful Tumansky R-79 turbofan primary engine. With modern avionics and long-range missiles at its disposal, the Yak-141 was poised to be a world-leading supersonic VTOL fighter and a strong asset for the Soviet Navy — however, the collapse and political issues of the USSR prevented the Yak-141 from entering serial production and operational service in real combat situations and operations.

Introduced in Update "Sky Guardians", this plane is a fearsome predator despite its slightly awkward appearance. It is in fact a full-featured 4th generation fighter on the same technological level as the MiG-29, its counterpart in the VVS. It does not have the Mach 2+ top speed of contemporary fighters, but its agility is surprisingly good and its acceleration is phenomenal. Carrying R-27ERs and boasting a radar range of 70 km, the Yak-141 is a terrifying opponent with fantastic avionics and sensors able to sling the best missiles of its BR at all ranges.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes
Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps
Drogue parachute
Reduces braking distance when landing on any runway
Max speed
at 11 000 m1 847 km/h
Turn time25 s
Max altitude15 000 m
EngineTumansky R79V-300
Type
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight20 t

This jet is shockingly agile, particularly at very high speeds. In addition, being a VTOL jet, it is able to accelerate much more quickly than other aircraft. It is usually the first to reach the end of the runway, only initially outpaced by Harriers. It can bring enough fuel to afterburn to the middle of the largest of locations, strategically deploy its missiles, usually still afterburning, and return home with fuel to spare. It also has the ability to afterburn while thrust vectoring, which, combined with its manoeuvrability, powerful engines, and hovering potential, make it quite versatile at close ranges, able to outperform and elude the most nimble of conventional fighters. The only downside of this aircraft is its roll rate, which can impair its reactivity at close ranges.

The R-79V-300 is currently the most powerful aircraft engine in War Thunder by a large margin. It yields 45% more thrust than the F-14B's General Electric F110 under optimal conditions and allows the Yak to achieve a commendable thrust-to-weight ratio in forward flight despite being a VTOL jet with the associated dead weight.

Characteristics Max speed
(km/h at 11,000 m) 		Max altitude
(metres) 		Turn time
(seconds) 		Rate of climb
(metres/second) 		Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 1,822 1,822 15000 25.6 25.7 264.6 253.9 550
Upgraded 1,905 1,847 24.4 25.0 359.0 310.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear Drogue chute
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ X ✓
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
1,450 500 750 648 500 ~11 ~4
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 650 < 850 < 920 -

Engine performance

Engine Aircraft mass
Engine name Number Basic mass Wing loading (full fuel)
Tumansky R79V-300 (main) 1 10,930 kg 483 kg/m2
Saturn RD-41 (lift jets) 2
Engine characteristics Mass with fuel (no weapons load) Max Gross
Weight
Weight (each) Type 10m fuel 20m fuel 30m fuel 35m fuel
1,750 kg (main) Afterburning vectored-thrust low-bypass turbofan 12,250 kg 13,381 kg 14,606 kg 15,330 kg 17,362 kg
290 kg (lift jet) Axial-flow turbojet
Maximum main engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) Thrust to weight ratio in forward flight @ 0 m (WEP / 100%)
Condition 100% WEP 10m fuel 20m fuel 30m fuel 35m fuel MGW
Stationary 11,179 kgf 15,582 kgf 1.27 1.16 1.07 1.02 0.90
Optimal 11,179 kgf
(0 km/h) 		19,740 kgf
(1,200 km/h) 		1.61 1.48 1.35 1.29 1.14
Maximum lift engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB) Thrust to weight ratio in VTOL (all 3 engines) @ 0 m (WEP)
Stationary 4,105 kgf 4,152 kgf 1.51 1.38 1.26 1.20 1.06

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff
Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar
Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear500 km/h

Most hits from a missile are fatal, as with any top tier jet, but if used properly, the Yak-141 can dodge even very advanced missiles with its combination of speed and agility. Because of its powerful engine, this aircraft can still fly and manoeuvre effectively even with extensive fuselage damage.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 849 → 4 393 Sl icon.png
RB8 232 → 12 693 Sl icon.png
SB9 708 → 14 969 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications306 300 Rp icon.png
466 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost3 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training310 000 Sl icon.png
Experts1 080 000 Sl icon.png
Aces3 400 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 280 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
90 / 320 / 490 % Sl icon.png
250 / 250 / 250 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods booster.png
New boosters
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
680 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
600 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
680 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
680 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
S-24
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
FAB-250
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods heli false thermal targets.png
Flares/Chaff
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
GSh_301_belt_pack
Research:
10 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon block rocket.png
B-8M1
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
FAB-500
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air type c midrange missile.png
R-27R
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
GSh_301_new_gun
Research:
9 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
15 000 Sl icon.png
400 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon block rocket large.png
B-13L
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
600 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air type c midrange missile.png
R-27ER
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
600 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air missile.png
R-60M
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
600 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods ammo.png
ns23_belt_pack
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
600 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods air to air type c midrange missile.png
R-27ET
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
680 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air type c midrange missile.png
R-27T
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
680 Ge icon.png
Mods weapon.png
ns23_new_gun
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
680 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns) CCIP (Rockets) CCIP (Bombs) CCRP (Bombs) EEGS
Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png

Offensive armament

Main article: GSh-30-1 (30 mm)

The Yak-141 is armed with:

  • 1 x 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon, belly-mounted (120 rpg)
  • 60 x countermeasures

The Yak-141 boasts the same 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon as the MiG-29, albeit with a slightly smaller ammo capacity. It is accurate, fast-firing, and has a high muzzle velocity. Since the Yak-141's advanced avionics offer lead computing, it is a good backup weapon for dogfights or head-ons.

Suspended armament

The Yak-141 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

1 2 3 4
Hardpoints Yak-141.png
23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg) 1 1 1 1
100 kg OFAB-100 bombs 4 4 4 4
250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs 1 1 1 1
250 kg OFAB-250Sh bombs 1 1 1 1
500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs 1 1 1 1
500 kg FAB-500Sh bombs 1 1 1 1
ZB-500 incendiary bombs 1 1 1 1
S-5K rockets 32 32 32 32
S-8KO rockets 20 20 20 20
S-13OF rockets 5 5 5 5
S-24B rockets 1 1 1 1
R-27R missiles 1 1 1 1
R-27T missiles 1 1 1 1
R-27ER missiles 1 1
R-27ET missiles 1 1
R-60M missiles 1 1 1 1
Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg
Default weapon presets
  • Without load
  • 2 x R-60M missiles + 2 x R-27R missiles
  • 4 x R-60M missiles
  • 4 x R-27R missiles
  • 4 x R-27T missiles
  • 2 x R-27ER missiles
  • 2 x R-27ET missiles
  • 128 x S-5K rockets
  • 80 x S-8KO rockets
  • 4 x S-24B rockets
  • 20 x S-13OF rockets
  • 16 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,600 kg total)
  • 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,000 kg total)
  • 4 x 250 kg OFAB-250Sh bombs (1,000 kg total)
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total)
  • 4 x 500 kg FAB-500Sh bombs (2,000 kg total)
  • 4 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs
  • 4 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 1,000 total)

The Yak-141 has a comparable arsenal to the MiG-29, but with only four hardpoints, it is important to allocate the weapons carefully.

The main focus is on the air-to-air missiles. The stock R-60Ms are the classic tools of Soviet top-tier jets with high agility, short range, and low flare resistance. R-27 missiles with greater range can be mounted on all four pylons (the Fulcrums can only carry two) and come in four flavours: the R-27T with an IR seeker, the R-27R with a SARH seeker, and the R-27ER and R-27ET extended range variants with incredibly fast and powerful rocket motors. The R-27ERs should always be taken once unlocked because they are outstanding for long-range missile jousts, especially when paired with the Yak's excellent radar, but they are only available on the 2 inboard hardpoints. How to fill the other two is up to personal taste: R-27Rs are weaker but still viable and R-27Ts are good for medium range sneak attacks as they do not trigger any RWR warnings when cued with the Yak's IRST. R-60Ms are good for close-range knife fights, but bringing them has a significant opportunity cost on the Yak-141 and it may be better to leave dogfighting for friendly Fulcrums instead.

The remaining options are unguided bombs (100 to 500 kg) and rockets (S-5K and S-8KO HEAT rockets, S-13OF and S-24B HE rockets) for ground attack. The Yak-141 has a full-featured ballistic computer and can deliver them accurately, but using this aircraft for a strike role is suboptimal - it has a poor attack payload, no precision or standoff weapons, and no hardpoints reserved for air-to-air missiles.

Usage in battles

The Yak-141 is a very versatile aircraft, supporting a variety of playstyles. It is effective in long range engagements, with a good radar and almost flawless SARH missiles, as long as an opponent does not notch and chaff your radar, their lifetime is measured in seconds. This jet also excels in close combat, its cannon and infrared R-27s making short work of opponents. For the tough cases, you can transition into relying on your VTOL ability or acceleration to bring the fight to your strengths, stall speed fighting.

Yak-141: The Basics

To understand how to play the Yak-141, one must first know the basic facts about this aircraft.

Number 1: This jet is slow compared to a ton of it's peers; it's speed, which will under normal circumstances max out at Mach 1.02, is comparable to Phantoms instead of the MiG-29, or it's contemporaries. However, it has great acceleration (and some significant speed bleed when turning) and will reach it's top speed very quickly with full afterburner on. Knowing this, treating it as a delta-wing aircraft similar to the MiG-21bis, or the JA37D (but with a lot of additional acceleration), may prove worthwhile.

Number 2: Your cannon is the venerable Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1, with a lower ammo capacity of 120, compared to 150 of the MiG-29s (and that's already pretty low). Trigger discipline is required, and you do not have the fire rate the M61A1 has to hold down the trigger with an already mostly well-led firing solution and score hits as enemies fly through. However, your gun will generally do good damage when rounds connect, and the rounds themselves have good velocity and will retain their velocity for a bit, so shorter bursts of precisely aimed shots are the way to go.

Number 3: You have access to a very good all-aspect Pulse-Doppler Radar , plus a second generation IRST which now also includes rangefinding, as well as relative speed and movement indicators (features not found, or more primitive versions of, on the MiG-23 family of jets) in addition to a feature few jets have at this Battle Rating: Helmet Mounted Sights for both. However, your Radar Warning Receiver is the SPO-15: A middle-of-the-pack RWR that does not identify specific threats from a specific direction, but instead a number of specified scenarios (such as being tracked by Pulse-Doppler radar, or being launched at by a missile with CW guidance, such as the AIM-7M Sparrow, or the Matra Super 530D. It will also tell you the rough distance of the scenario (mostly if it's far away, closer or close to you). Thus, we can conclude that your offensively-oriented sensor kit is extremely potent and among the best compared to your peers, but your defensively-oriented sensors leave more to be desired.

Number 4: You only have 60 countermeasures. While this will get you by when it comes to matches at your own BR and below, when you start facing Fox-3s such as the AIM-120A or the MICA-EM, or under any circumstances where you need to repeatedly flare or chaff, you may find yourself running out of countermeasures, so take care not to pop too many at any one time.

Number 5: You only have access to 4 hardpoints to put missiles on, compared to 6 or more on many of your peers. Avoid shooting missiles if there is little chance they score hits. Speaking of missiles, what can you equip?

R-60M: These are your most basic missiles, used for when you are stock grinding. You can have up to 4 of them. They are agile off the rail, very lightweight and will pull up to 30Gs. However, they are infrared, with a seeker sharing most of the properties of the American equivalent, the AIM-9L. Unlike the Lima however, the R-60M's seeker Field of View is significantly larger, meaning it will almost never ignore flares, even from rear-aspect, at sub-1 kilometer ranges. (Exceptions being few and far between). Get rid of them as soon as you unlock the ability to put R-27R on your hardpoints.

R-27R: These are the first radar missiles you unlock, and will help you get through the stock grind. You can have up to 4 of them. They are heavy and less agile off the rail, but will start ramping up their pull quickly (up to 35G, can exceed this to about 37G in sustained turn while the motor is burning to provide acceleration). As they are radar missiles using CW Illumination as guidance (on top of a Pulse-Doppler radar set), this means it will ignore enemy chaff from the front aspect (and frequently, also from the rear aspect as well), and defeating them is much harder, as one has to both go perpendicular to your radar, and deploy chaff in sufficient numbers. This increases your kill probability significantly. However, radar missiles are vulnerable to multipathing, which starts taking effect at 60m above ground, and attempts to confuse radar missiles.

R-27ER: These are the second (and last) radar missiles you unlock, and are available at Tier 3 (the first R-27E-series missile you can get). You can only have 2 of them (and you should always have an R-27E-series missiles on your inner pylons). They share the seeker with the R-27R, but the difference is in the motor and now, sustainer. The motor has almost double the thrust , and now a sustainer roughly equal to your previous motor's thrust is added. Combined with lower drag, this missile can now easily reach 15-20km when flying near the ground, or 30km when at higher altitudes. This used to be the fastest SARH missile in the game (now only outclassed by the Sedjeel), and will win jousts against any other missiles as long as there is sufficient range for the ER to accelerate.

R-27T: The first of the infrared R-27s, this missile shares the motor and agility of the R-27R, but with a very sensitive fire-and-forget infrared seeker instead. You can have up to 4 of them. This seeker features InfraRed Counter-Counter Measures (IRCCM, and was the first missile to do so in-game), where the seeker view will decrease from what is visible pre-launch, to a significantly smaller value right after launch. Combined with this being the most sensitive infrared seeker available, it will fairly reliably ignore any flares, so long as it is able to look at the enemy's engine.

R-27ET: The second (and last) of the infrared R-27s, this missile shares the motor and agility of the R-27ER, but now also shares the seeker of the R-27T. You can have up to 2 of them just as with the ER. Due to the increased range, however, you can now launch this at aircraft that are beyond the 10km spotting distance normal for Air Realistic Battles, this section's focus. (and in general, can be launched from great distance unspotted as long as it's not Air Arcade.) This missile, unlike the R-27T, is more of a gimmick since it occupies slots usually reserved for the R-27ER, and these can be one-flared by accident at longer ranges.

Engaging the Enemy

At the start of a match, you will want to stay low: There are several aircraft at your BR or near enough your battle rating (within a BR step) that also have very potent radar missiles presenting an exceedingly high level of danger to you, such as the F-14A IRIAF (and the regular F-14A and F-14B to a lesser extent), the AV-8B Plus, the Sea Harrier FA 2, and the J-8F (which can sling Active Radar Homing missiles at you, forcing you to drop your lock and go defensive during BVR engagements, or die just to potentially trade kills with them. There is also a distinct possibility of meeting German, Hungarian, Chinese, or even other soviet aicraft (in mirror matches) which can carry the R-27ER as well. Additionally, your low amount of countermeasures means you cannot sustain defensive actions for too long. Staying low will allow you to avoid the early fighting at high altitude, and may limit the number of missiles you need to defend against at the start.

Look for targets that are not flying near the ground, and begin launching R-27ERs; Less distance to target, the more likely they are to die from it. Most launches from below 6km on someone flying too high above the ground are going to be kills. At this point, look for rear-aspect shots with the R-27Ts or continue attacking targets nearby with R-27Rs. Defend as necessary; the Yak-141 can handle itself in a dogfight remarkably well, even if it's not the best at it, and can eventually overpower all 3rd generation fighters, and even many 4th generation ones. As a last resort, usage of the Thrust Vectoring system is an option, though usually an incredible risk due to you stalling yourself out with no speed and the Yak-141 needing about 7 seconds to regain speed after.

As a side note (but one that may very rarely come up): The center of the Yak-141 is full of relatively empty space, fuel tanks, and the generally unimportant VTOL engines. As a last resort if dodging a missile is impossible, one can make an attempt to force the splash damage from shrapnel primarily into that area, potentially avoiding critical damage while retaining any amount of flight worthiness. This is, of course, not too likely to happen and is not to be relied upon unless there is absolutely no other option.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • VTOL/Thrust Vectoring
  • Surprising high speed manoeuvrability, excellent acceleration
  • Excellent radar range/difficult to notch/IRST
  • Sufficient fuel capacity for plenty of afterburning
  • Heavy-duty IR missiles with IRCCM.
  • Has access to the R-27R and R-27ER missiles, which feature better seekers and are exceedingly difficult to outroll or otherwise dodge kinetically when within range.

Cons:

  • Fairly low top speed for its BR, will bleed speed when exercising your manoeuverability.
  • R-60M is flared off easily
  • Only carries four missiles, and cannot feature more than 2 R-27E-series missiles; the other two have to be regular R-27s or R-60Ms.
  • Limited strike capability

History

While the Yak-38 and its later modernized Yak-38M variant fulfilled the role of a fleet defence strike fighter for the Soviet navy, the aircraft were considered obsolete almost immediately due to the many shortcomings they had, such as a very poor range of less than 100 km, difficulty operating in hot weather, inability to operate at night due to lack of radar or advanced targeting systems, horrible controllability and manoeuvrability due to the heavy weight and high wing loading, and a small combat payload among other things. As early as 1973, the AVMF and OKB-115, led by General Designer Aleksander Yakovlev, went back to the drawing board to create a new generation of VTOL fighters for the Soviet navy. The successor aircraft project outlined a set of requirements: the new aircraft had to be supersonic, incorporate an advanced fire control system and radar/sensor suite, allow for a larger range of operations, and include a larger array of weapons. At the time of the project, no aircraft like this existed in the world, and the only equivalent that came close was the french Dassault Balzac V prototype.

Yakovlev Yak-141 (code White 141, formerly White 75) performing a vertical take-off at the 1992 Farnborough Airshow.

This new aircraft would be designed around the new Soyuz-Tumansky R-79V lift/cruise afterburning turbofan, starting its life as the Yak-36P heavy VTOL naval interceptor. However, after substantial changes and almost a complete redesign of the aircraft resulting from reconsideration of the project requirements, the project would be redesignated as the Yak-41. In mid 1974, the Communist Party's Central Committee and Council of Ministers would issue a directive for the development of a new Soviet VTOL fighter, officially kickstarting the project. After many years of research and development, the design was finalized and submitted for review in June of 1980[1]. The design invoked many new technologies not yet standardized in the Soviet Union, such as composite materials and advanced radars. Many setbacks with the R-79V engine and the Phazotron S-41 radar development programs caused the development schedule of the Yak-41 to be delayed by a few years. In 1983, the first static (non-flying) prototype was completed, and static ground testing commenced until the radar, engine, and fly-by-wire/power-by-wire systems were completed. The first flying prototype was soon completed and on March 9th, 1987 performed its maiden flight. Many of the important systems such as the S-41 radar and the other important avionics were still not completed fully, and would be incorporated later into the second flyable prototype which was completed in 1989. The second prototype was a more definitive "Yak-41" prototype, this time including most of its avionics and fire control system, such as the Zhuk S-41M radar which was completed by now, and would go as far as to mount mock-up missiles and weapons for flight testing and "simulated" firing during trials. The most notable missing piece of avionics was the IRST system, which was ready to be installed when completed as shown by the cut-out for it on top of the nose on the second flying prototype.

The Yak-41 showed great promise, and at this stage of flight testing started setting many world records. To keep its development and true identity secret, the Soviet Union registered the aircraft as the "Yak-141" instead of Yak-41 with international record keeping agencies, hence where the 141 designation comes from. The Yak-41 program was proceeding smoothly at that point, with many flight tests scheduled and performed successfully over the next few years. Most notably, by 1991 the Yak-41s had flown to Severomorsk-1 airbase and successfully performed carrier trials and testing, including both VTOL and STOL operations from the carriers Baku (later renamed Admiral Gorshkov), in anticipation of future service deployment aboard the new and upcoming Type 1143.5 carrier Tblisi (later renamed to Admiral Kuznetsov) after the aircraft is accepted into service in the upcoming years.[2]

Yak-41 "White 75" (actually White 77 but repainted) with R-73 and R-27R missiles on display at Technical Museum, Arkhangelskoye, Moscow.

However, as promising as the aircraft was, the program was ultimately terminated in 1992 due to lack of funding after the collapse of the USSR. The Yakovlev design bureau then started trying to find foreign investors and buyers for the aircraft. Shortly after, a very unlikely foreign investor appeared at Yakovlev's doorstep, as Lockheed Corporation started negotiations for further funding more Yak-141 prototypes. The two flying prototypes, White 75 and White 77, would both be repainted into identical "White 144" liveries, and the two static non-flying prototypes would be cannibalized for spare parts before being scrapped to ensure that public display of the Yak-41 was flawless. The first public appearance of the Yak-41 occurred famously at the 1992 Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom. However, the Yak-41s would be banned from performing vertical take-offs after a few days at the airshow due to "excessive wear to the runway", a testament to the powerful thrust from the engines in vertical flight. Shortly after, Yakovlev had announced that they had successfully reached an agreement with Lockheed for 4 million $USD in funding for two more flying prototypes, a twin-seat trainer prototype, and a single static (non-flying) testbed to test improvements in avionics. The partnership had actually begun almost immediately after the USSR had collapsed, but was not revealed publicly by Yakovlev and Lockheed until September 6th, 1992.[3] It is widely believed that many of the technological advancements from the Yak-41 program would be directly applied by Lockheed through their partnership to the upcoming X-35 prototype in the Joint-Strike Fighter program, most notably the later VTOL F-35B variant, which shares many basic features with the Yak-41.

The two flyable prototypes, now no longer flyable, would be exhibited as static ground displays at the 1993 Moscow airshow. Shortly after, the two prototypes would undergo cosmetic restoration before being placed in museums for permanent display. The first flyable prototype retained its post-soviet "White 141" livery, and is permanently displayed at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino. The second prototype was re-painted into the "White 75" livery originally used by its sister aircraft (the first prototype), and placed in the Technical Museum, Arkhangelskoye, Moscow.

Media

Skins
Videos
The Shooting Range #347 - Pages of History section at 03:51 discusses the Yak-141.
The Shooting Range #345 - Metal Beasts section at 00:25 discusses the Yak-141.
Yak-141: A Basic Review - Tims Variety

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the aircraft;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Gordon, Yefim. Yakovlev Yak-36, Yak-38 & Yak-41: The Soviet "Jump Jets." Midland Publishing, 2008.
  2. ↑ Gordon, Yefim, and Bill Gunston. "'Yakovlev's Experimental VTOLs' p.213-215." Soviet X-Planes, Midland, Hinckley, 2000.
  3. ↑ Gordon, Yefim (1997). Yakovlev Aircraft since 1924. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books.


A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau (Яковлев Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Fighters 
Yak-1  Yak-1 · Yak-1B
Yak-3  Yak-3 · Eremin's Yak-3(e) · Yak-3 (VK-107) · Yak-3P · Yak-3T · Yak-3U
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Yak-141  Yak-141
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  MiG-21F-13 · MiG-21PFM · MiG-21S (R-13-300) · MiG-21SMT · MiG-21bis
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  Su-24M
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Tupolev  Tu-14T

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