07289 YAKOVLEV YAK-9U SOVIET FIGHTER

The Yakovlev Yak-9 is a Soviet, single-engine low-wing fighter with a mixed design with a classic tail. It was a development of the Jak-7 machine and was the most widely produced plane from the Jak-1 family. More than 16,500 Yak-9s were produced. The prototype flew in 1942, and serial production continued in 1942-1948. A dozen or so versions of the aircraft were made in the course of production. The first, mass-produced, was the Yak-9. Powered by the 1180HP WK-105PF engine, it was almost indistinguishable from the Yak-7b. The next version is the Yak-9D, it was created in 1943 as a long-range fighter, but in practice it was used as a regular front-line fighter. In the same year, the Yak-9T was introduced with a strong armament, acting de facto as an attack aircraft. In 1944, the Jak-9M and Jak-9U versions were created. The first of them used the WK-105PF2 unit as the engine, and the second - the WK-107. The Yak-9U, as one of the few Soviet fighters, could fight the Bf-109G and the Fw-190A on an equal footing. However, the low quality of serial production and problems with the engine clearly influenced the actual performance of the machine. In 1945, the training version-Jak-9T was created. Technical data (Yak-9 version): length: 8.5 m, wingspan: 9.74 m, height: 3 m, maximum speed: 599 km / h, practical ceiling: 11000 m, maximum range: 875 km, armament: fixed - 1 machine gun 12.7mm caliber and 1 20mm cannon.