Yakovlev Yak-17

infobox Aircraft
name =Yak-17
type =Fighter aircraft
manufacturer =Yakovlev

---

caption =Yak-17 in Central Air Force Museum
designer =
first flight =June 1947
introduced = 1948
retired = early 1960s
status =
primary user = Soviet Air Force
more users = Polish Air Force Romanian Air Force PLA Air Force
produced = 1948-1949
number built = 430
unit cost =
developed from = Yakovlev Yak-15
variants with their own articles = Yakovlev Yak-23

The Yakovlev Yak-17 (Russian: Як-17 , originally known to US intelligence as the Type-16 and later by the NATO reporting name Feather) was an early Soviet jet fighter, developed from the Yak-15.

Design and development

Developed in 1947. A prototype designated Yak-15U, converted from Yak-15, first flew in June 1947. Main visible difference was a new tricycle landing gear. A less obvious difference between Yak-17 and its predecessor Yakovlev Yak-15 was that the former was largely a metal aircraft while the latter was still largely built from wood like its propeller ancestor in World War II. In March 1948 the it was ordered for series production and its designation was changed to Yak-17. Only two variants were built: Yak-17 single-seat fighter and Yak-17UTI (Type-26/Magnet) two-seat trainer. 430 were built in total, in 1948–1949.

Operational history

Yak-17 was first publicly displayed at the Soviet Aviation Day of 1949, at Tushino.

Yak-17, being one of first Soviet jet fighters, had faults, like relatively low speed and range and unreliable engine (based upon the German Junkers Jumo 004), with a complicated starting procedure. On the other hand, its handling was very simple and similar to popular propeller fighters Yak-3 and Yak-9, what made it an excellent transitional machine to jet fighters, especially in a trainer variant.

Variants

;Yak-17:Fighter version, serial built.;Yak-17UTI / Yak-17VTwo-seat training version first seen at 1949 Soviet Aviation Day, Tushino.

Operators

;PRC
*People's Liberation Army Air Force;CZS
*Czechoslovak Air Force tested one Yak-17 aircraft.;POL
*Polish Air Force operated 3 Yak-17 (transcribed as "Jak-17") and 1 Yak-17UTI (known as "Jak-17UTI" or "Jak-17W"), from 1950 and were withdrawn by 1955.
*"Instytut Lotnictwa" received one Jak-17 from Polish Air Force and used it with civilian markings SP-GLM for tests between 1957 and 1960.;ROM
*Romanian Air Force operated 4 Yak-17UTI as trainers for the Yak-23s from 1951 until 1958;USSR
*Soviet Air Force operated Yak-17 aircraft from 1948 to early 1950s.

pecifications (Yak-17)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=jet
crew=one, pilot
length main=8.70 m
length alt=28 ft 6 in
span main=9.20 m
span alt=30 ft 2 in
height main=2.30 m
height alt=7 ft 7 in
area main=14.9 m²
area alt=160 ft²
empty weight main=2,081 kg
empty weight alt=4,578 lb
loaded weight main=2,890 kg
loaded weight alt=6,358 lb
max takeoff weight main=3,240 kg
max takeoff weight alt=7,128 lb
engine (jet)=Klimov RD-10A
type of jet= turbojet
number of jets=1
thrust main=8.9 kN
thrust alt=2,000 lbf

max speed main=748 km/h
max speed alt=468 mph
range main=395 km
range alt=247 miles
ceiling main=12,750 m
ceiling alt=41,820 ft
climb rate main= 12 m/s
climb rate alt= 2362 ft/min
loading main=194 kg/m²
loading alt=40 lb/ft²
thrust/weight= 0.31

armament=
* 2x 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 machine guns with 60 rounds each

References

External links

* [http://www.aviation.ru/Yak/#17 Description page on aviation.ru]

ee also

aircontent
related=
Yak-3 -
Yak-15 -
Yak-23

similar aircraft=
Lavochkin La-152 - Lavochkin La-156

sequence=

lists=

see also=