Art Model AM 7203 Yakovlev Yak-36 “Freehand” Soviet Experimental VTOL Aircraft

Yakovlev Yak-36 “Freehand” Soviet Experimental VTOL Aircraft

In the late 1950s, the OKB-115 design bureau, led by Alexander Yakovlev, initiated research into vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) concepts. This effort was significantly influenced by British advancements, specifically the Short SC.1 and Hawker P.1127 experimental aircraft observed at Farnborough. By 1961, the bureau received authorization to construct a dedicated VTOL technology demonstrator. The resulting aircraft was powered by a pair of R-27-300 turbojets equipped with swiveling exhaust nozzles capable of vectoring thrust through 90 degrees. Low-speed control during hover and transition was maintained via a reaction control system, utilizing thrusters mounted on a prominent nose boom and within the tail cone. To mitigate hot gas re-ingestion, retractable baffles were installed beneath the fuselage. The dense placement of the powerplants dictated a bicycle landing gear configuration, featuring a single-wheel nose strut, a twin-wheel main strut, and wingtip outriggers that retracted aft into streamlined fairings.

Factory No. 115 completed four airframes: one dedicated static-test article and three flight prototypes numbered 36, 37, and 38. Tethered and free-hover trials commenced in 1963. To evaluate the airframe's baseline aerodynamic stability, test pilot Valentin Mukhin conducted the type's maiden conventional flight—taking off and landing utilizing a standard runway roll—on aircraft No. 38 on July 27, 1964. The complete VTOL transition envelope, progressing from a vertical takeoff to wing-borne forward flight and concluding with a vertical landing, was successfully demonstrated in 1966.

The Yak-36 made its public debut at the Domodedovo Air Show in July 1967. Aircraft No. 37 was utilized for flight rehearsals, while No. 38 executed the official aerial demonstration, equipped with dummy UB-16 rocket pods on underwing pylons. The revelation of a Soviet jet-powered VTOL platform surprised Western intelligence, resulting in the assignment of the NATO reporting name "Freehand." Although severe payload and range limitations, coupled with demanding handling characteristics during transition, precluded operational deployment, the Yak-36 flight-test program generated critical aerodynamic data. This foundation was instrumental in the subsequent development of the production Yak-38 "Forger" carrier-based attack aircraft.