Yak-3P

Yak-3P

Yak-9U

Yak-9P

Yak-3P

Yak-9U

Yak-9P

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.0	5.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:54 000

Purchase:185 000

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This page is about the Soviet fighter Yak-3P. For other uses, see Yak-3 (Family).

Description

The Yak-3P is a rank IV Russian fighter with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB), 5.0 (RB), and 5.7 (SB). This fighter was introduced in Update 1.35.

The Yak-3P is a fantastic all-around fighter. It has the manoeuvrability of an A6M, the armament of an Fw 190, the speed of a P-63, all combined into one fantastic combo.

The armament is fantastic- three 20 mm Cannons mounted in the nose can rip apart pretty much every plane you will face on the 4.3 BR. However, they do not pack the punch of Hispanos or AN/M2 cannons, or the belts, for that matter. Thus, it is recommended you research the belts as quickly as possible because the Ground Targets ammunition will increase performance markedly. One great advantage of the B-20M/S Cannons is that they take much longer to jam than their American/British cannon counterparts. Watch your ammo count, its best to attack at an angle with short bursts due to hit detection problems (sparkling) when firing from a ~0-degree angle.

Unlike the Yak-9s and 7s, the 3P is a fully composite plane. This means the wings have higher durability than the wooden-supported Yak-9, but it is still recommended you do not push the plane's manoeuvres to the limits, as the wings will still break in a high-speed dive or manoeuvres. The engine will also overheat extremely quickly. The durability of the plane is not great. Try not to be shot at all, because even a Spitfire with 8 7.7mms can set you aflame.

Like most Yaks, the 3P has good manoeuvrability, and you can out-turn pretty much everything except for the A6M, some of the Bfs, and Spitfires. Fortunately, the 3P also has another ace-in-the-hole. In arcade mode, WEP provides a very good rate of acceleration, so running away from a battle poses no challenges. However, the climb-rate is also pretty good, but not as great as the Spitfire or Fw 190. Thus, Yak-3P is one of the best "dive-into-battle" and destroy planes. Performance is terrible above 3 km. Below that altitude performance is fantastic.

In Arcade mode, this is one of the best planes available. The wings are not affected by high speeds, so you can push the 3P to the limits. However, in RB or SB, watch your speed if you use Boom & Zoom. Any speed higher than around 410 mph will cause the control surfaces to lock up and any attempt to make a hard turn at this point will break your wings. The 3P also has really bad high altitude performance, so you are limited to around 2000 km before your speed and performance drastically decrease.

To conclude, the Yak-3P is one of those planes that have great armament and all-around specs.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,100 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
623	604	10400	18.40	19.0	17.7	17.7	348
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,100 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
?	?	10400	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	348

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		520	~23	~18

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 380	< 420	< 490	> 270

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power
300 m	1,310 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power
2,600 m	1,240 hp

Survivability and armour

• 8.5 mm Steel - Plate behind the pilot
• 10 mm Steel - Plate above pilot's seat on the canopy
• 64 mm Bulletproof glass - Rear glass/headrest

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Yak-3P is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm B-20M cannon, nose-mounted (120 rpg)
• 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (130 rpg = 260 total)

Usage in battles

The armament is very good. With a relatively fast fire rate and a good punch, they are more than powerful enough to destroy any plane with ease in the Rank 3 level. Bombers may pose a bit of a challenge. However, just aim for the wings and fire. The fuselage will just absorb your shells. Your best shots are side-on or diving in from an angle because the armament is most effective then. The Ground Targets belt is most effective with 3 HE shells/1 API shell per cycle.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not controllable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe	Offensive 20 mm
III	Wings repair	Engine
IV	100 octane fuel usage		Cover	New 20 mm cannons

As mentioned, gaining access to better belts is the priority, afterwards, modules which grant more horsepower are to be focused on.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great armament
• Good acceleration
• Good speed in level flight
• Good climb rate
• Good horizontal energy retention
• Decent roll rate
• Sufficient ammunition capacity
• Intimidating red camouflage

Cons:

• Relatively poor durability
• Cannons weaker than German/British counterparts
• Poor high-altitude performance (+2 km)
• No WEP
• Red paint scheme can be easily seen at long distances
• Low wing rip speed for diving (685 km/h or 426 mph)
• Serious control surface compression above 600 km/h

History

The idea to produce a new fighter for the Red Army Air Force went as far back as 1941. It was then that the Yakovlev Design Bureau presented the I-30 prototype, intended an alternative to the earlier Yak-1 design. However, the German invasion of the USSR, as well as aluminium shortages, meant that the project had to be put on hold. Yakovlev resumed the development in 1943 while working on an upgraded version of the Yak-1 fighter. This time, it was decided that a new aircraft should be produced to completely replace the Yak-1 and Yak-7 models.

By September 1943, yet another improved variant was ready, designated Yak-1M Dubler, on which the canvas skin on the tail section was replaced with 2mm plywood, and oil and water radiators were improved. The Dubler also had a new mastless antenna, a ring sight instead of a reflector sight, improved armour and a new propeller. Test pilots were impressed by the new prototype. Their report stated in part: "Yak-1M possessed excellent horizontal, and especially vertical, manoeuvrability. Top speed greatly improved compared to earlier serial-production Yaks. Despite the improved performance, the aircraft remains easy to fly and does not require extensive pilot training."

The new machine was dubbed as the Yak-3 and entered service with the Red Army Air Force in 1944. The Yak-3 was a further modification of the Yak-1, produced in 1944 and 1945, with a total of 4,848 built, and considered one of the best fighters of the war.

The new fighter quickly became very popular with Soviet pilots. They highly praised its solid armament of two Berezin UBS 12.7 mm machine guns and one ShVAK 20 mm cannon as well as ease of piloting and superb low-altitude performance. Marcel Albert, the top scoring French ace of World War II, cited the Yak-3 as one of the best fighters of the war, along with the P-51 Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire. After the war, the Yak-3 was also used by the Air Forces of Socialist Yugoslavia and Poland.

The Yak-3P was produced from April 1945 until mid-1946, armed with 3 × 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannon with 120 rounds for the middle cannon and 130 RPG for the side weapons. The three-cannon armament with full ammunition load was actually 11 kg (24 lb) lighter than that of a standard Yak-3, and the one-second burst mass of 3.52 kg (7.74 lb) was greater than that of most contemporary fighters. Starting in August 1945, all Yak-3 were produced in the Yak-3P configuration with a total of 596 built.

One of the most memorable air battles for the Yak-3 took place on 16th July 1944, when the plane showed it could confidently engage superior enemy forces. On that day, 10 Yak-3s met 8 Bf-109s and 4 FW-190s, with the battle eventually growing to 18 Soviet and 24 German planes. In the end, 15 German planes were shot down, for the loss of a single Yak-3.

Starting in August 1945, all Yak-3 were produced in the Yak-3P configuration with a total of 596 built.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.