Yak-28 FIREBAR
Yak-28 Brewer
The Yak -28 first entered service in the early 1960s. Four variants saw extensive: the Yak-28 attack version, the Yak-28P Firebar all-weather interceptor, the Yak-28R multi-sensor reconnaissance aircraft, and the Yak-28U dual control trainer. The Yak-28P Firebar interceptor was withdrawn in the 1980s.
The wings are high-mounted, swept-back, and untapered from the engines to the large blunt tips. The wings have wide roots. There are two turbojet engines in pods under the wings. The pods extend well beyond the wings’ leading and trailing edges. The fuselage is long with pointed, glazed nose and is tapered to the rear section. There is a bubble canopy and a belly fin under the rear section. The tail fin is swept-back and tapered with a blunt tip. The tail flats are mid-mounted on the tail fin, swept-back, and tapered with blunt tips.
The Yak-28 was the first tactic strike aircraft capable of flying the super-sound speed with full armament. The aircraft structure was not adapted to the production run capabilities and required substantial modifications. The Irkutsk factory was chosen to produce the Yak-28 that had a vast experience in mastering the production of principally new aircraft types. Higher accuracy requirements to external aircraft lines, the necessity to provide structure strength and rigidity to break the sound barrier called for further production process improvements, introduction of many changes into the structures and implementation of new flight test programmes. After the Yak-28 took part in the air parade in Tushino on May 1, 1961, 'The New York Times' wrote that the USA had nothing to be compared with this aircraft. The Irkutsk factory manufactured the Yak-28 and its modifications fitted with various equipment during 12 years. Totally, 700 bombers, fighters, trainers, reconnaissance and other type of aircraft were produced.
The Yak-28 bomber was a further development of the Yak-25 and Yak-27 aircraft. The first flight was made on March 5, 1958 by test pilot V.M. Volkov.
In 1960, the production Yak-28B front-line bomber was manufactured at the Irkutsk factory. The Yak-28 was the first serial tactic strike aircraft capable of flying the super-sound speed with full armament. The aircraft was equipped with the OPB-115 optic sight and RBP-3 radar bombsight. The production Yak-25Bs were tested by test pilots E.N. Tcheltsov, G.M. Kurkai, G.I. Starostenko, N.N. Ivanov, V.S.Prantskyavitchus, G.E. Bulanov, A,M. Yaroshevitch, V.P. Naurov.
In 1961, the upgraded Yak-28L, and in 1962, -Yak-28I were developed and about 111 and 223 of them, respectively, were manufactured at the Irkutsk Aircraft Factory. The OPB-116 optic sight and the "Initiativa" radar were provided to ensure the autonomous mobile target search. The "Lotos" radio rangefinder bombing system enabling to drop bombs on the fixed target detected earlier. Later on, the Yak-28B was upgraded to the Yak-28BI version (with the "Initiativa" radar), and the Yak-28L were refitted into the Yak-28RR radiation reconnaissance aircraft with the special air sampling pods under the wings. Two R-11AF-300 (2x5750 kgf) engines were mounted in the wing nacelles. The further Yak-28I and Yak-28L were powered by more powerful R-11AF2-300 (2x6200 kgf) engines.
The bomber armament comprised the NR-23 (23 mm) gun and a higher speed firing two-barrel GSh-23Ya (23 mm) mounted on later or upgraded aircraft. The bomber armament was placed in the fuselage bay. The normal armament load was 1000kg, maximum load -3000 kg, maximum bomb calibre - 3000 kg. In 1962, the Yak-28U trainers with two separate cockpits and dual control were manufactured in Irkutsk (183 aircraft).
In 1963, the front-line Yak-28R was developed on the basis of the bomber version. It was powered by the R-11AF2-300 engine, and had a bay with the panoramic camera and two side camera hatches. In the central fuselage the long-focus camera was mounted. The aircraft featured the radio reconnaissance means. The combat radius was 1190 km and the flight range -2 hours 55 min.
The Yak-28 was rather complicated, technologically inefficient and substantial modifications were done in Irkutsk to meet the customers' requirements. According to F.R. Kugel, a veteran of the IAIA "... the manufacture of this aircraft put the biggest number of questions related to the production run at the Irkutsk Factory, in terms of production process, machining, assembly, aerodynamics and flight testing."
The Yak-28 reflected the then tendency to develop the airframe capable of multiple modifications and versions. The Irkutsk factory manufactured about ten Yak-28s (the Yak-28B, Yak-28BI, Yak-28U, Yak-28I, Yak-28L, Yak-28PP) and other modifications, which caused additional difficulties to the Factory.
