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Yak-39 subsonic carrier-based VTOL

The Yak-39 was a project of a multi-purpose subsonic carrier-based vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOL), developed at the Yakovlev Design Bureau as a further development of the serial Yak-38 attack aircraft . Work on the project was discontinued in 1985, when preference was given to the more promising supersonic VTOL Yak-41.

In the summer of 1979, Yakovlev Design Bureau began designing a new GDP multipurpose deck aircraft, which received the Yak-39 index. The aircraft was a development of the Yak-38 , but had several important differences from it. First of all, this is the presence of a multi-mode airborne radar , which made it possible to use medium-range guided air-to-air missiles and anti-ship radio -guided missiles in the final section of the trajectory. The installation of the radar required a complete redesign of the nose of the aircraft with the installation of a larger fairing. In addition, the wing area and the volume of internal fuel tanks were increased. A built-in gun of 30 mm caliber was assumed.

Various options were considered for the aiming complex of the new aircraft, including H019 (used on the MiG-29 fighter ), Shkval (used on the Su-25T attack aircraft and Ka-50 helicopter ) and Kaira (used on the MiG-27 fighter-bomber )

Officially, the development of the aircraft began in 1981. It is noteworthy that three versions of the Yak-39 were being worked on simultaneously with the letters "I" ( fighter ), "Sh" ( attack aircraft ) and "UT" (training aircraft). The design bureau planned to build four single prototypes in 1984-1986 and one prototype Yak-39UT in 1987. However, in 1983, it was decided to abandon the training version, since the Yak-38U already available was quite enough for this purpose.

It was supposed to use the R28V-300 turbojet engine ( “product 59” ), which was also to be installed on the upgraded Yak-38M attack aircraft, as a lifting and marching engine . In 1983, it was proposed to replace it with the promising R30V-300 , which combined the elements R28V-300 and TRDDF R79V-300 , developed for the supersonic VTOL Yak-41 . However, this proposal was rejected, since the R30V-300 existed only on paper, and the R28V-300 was already ready for mass production. It was also decided to modify the lifting motors by adding rotary nozzles.

In May 1983, it was decided that the first prototype of the Yak-39 would be assembled by the second quarter of 1985, then six months later a sample for static tests and by the fourth quarter of 1986 a second prototype. The designers assumed that the new aircraft could be equally effectively used both as an attack aircraft and as an interceptor. However, in 1985, work on the project was discontinued and the design bureau concentrated on a more promising VTOL Yak-41.