72230 YAK-30 SOVIET TRAINER AIRCRAFT "MAGNUM"

The Yakovlev Yak-30 (NATO code: Magnum) was a prototype Soviet low-wing training aircraft from the Cold War period. The prototype's flight took place in 1960, but the machine did not enter serial production. The drive was provided by a single Tumański RU-19-300 turbojet engine. The machine was 10.14 meters long with a wingspan of 9.38 meters. The plane did not have permanent on-board weapons. The Yak-30 aircraft was created in response to a competition announced in 1959 by the Soviet Air Force Command for a new, jet engine-powered training aircraft, which was to become the basic machine of this type not only in the USSR, but also in all countries of the Treaty Warszawski. Yakovlev's design bureau took the competition very seriously, as it was assumed that winning the competition would ensure the production of machines for many years. In the course of the competition, the Yak-30 turned out to be a machine better than its competitors (the Polish TS-11 Iskra and the Czechoslovak L-29 Albatros) - it was characterized by better piloting properties, better maneuverability and expected lower production costs. However, for political and propaganda reasons, the L-29 Albatros was announced the winner of the competition.