DESCRIPTION

Yak-17UTI Soviet Jet Fighter 1947 Year 

1/72 Scale 

Plastic Model Kit 

Amodel 7282

Manufacturer: Amodel

Material: Plastic

Condition: New in original packaging

Historical reference

Yak-17 (according to NATO classification - Feather, Yak-17UTI - Magnet, originally Type 16 and Type 26, respectively) - an early jet fighter of the Yakovlev design bureau of the red scheme. Developed on the basis of the Yak-15, first flew in May 1947. In 1947-1949, 430 aircraft were produced in the USSR. Yak-17 aircraft were mainly used to train pilots for the development of the MiG-15, and were also exported to China and Eastern Europe.

In the conclusion of the act on the state tests of the Yak-15, it was recommended to modify the Yak-15 into a trainer with dual controls and a three-wheeled chassis. The Council of Ministers also issued a decree requiring an increase in speed to 850 km / h at an altitude of 5000 m, and a range from 500 to 700 km. According to the draft design, the general layout of the fighter remained the same as that of the Yak-15, and an increase in speed was expected to be obtained by replacing the thick wing of the Yak-3 with a thinner one with a lower drag coefficient. Since the main landing gear did not completely fit into the thin wing, they had to be redone [1]. Based on these recommendations, the team began to develop a single-seat Yak-15U and a two-seat Yak-21T, which, after being put into service, received the designations Yak-17 and Yak-17UTI, respectively.

In April 1947, at factory No. 464 in Dolgoprudny, the serial Yak-15 No. 01464 was converted into a twin Yak-21T, without weapons, with a cockpit for two pilots and a nose landing gear. The first flight of the Yak-21T (pilot G.S. Klimushkin) took place a month later, on May 6, 1947, due to the fact that due to the repair of the bridge on the road to Ramenskoye, it was not possible to transport the aircraft.

Factory tests lasted two weeks, in the same month the aircraft was transferred to the Air Force Research Institute for state tests, which ended on August 10. Tests showed that the flight data of the Yak-21T was significantly short of those specified in the requirement, however, due to the need for the Air Force in a training fighter, the Yak-21T was recommended for mass production with one NS-23KM cannon and a C-13 camera gun.

The Yak-15U was also made from the serial Yak-15 at factory No. 464. The aircraft was equipped with two NS-23 cannons with an ammunition load of 105 rounds, an ASP-1 sight and a PAU-22 camera gun. Due to the new undercarriage layout, the forward fuselage wing design was somewhat modified. The cockpit was slightly increased in length and height, the aircraft received a new canopy with a better view. The shape of the plumage has also changed, while the keel and horizontal tail unit have been increased. The problem of insufficient fuel supply was solved thanks to the installation of fuel tanks at the wingtips.

In June 1947, the first flight took place, and factory tests ended on August 10. State tests at the Civil Aviation Research Institute of the Air Force began on August 14 and ended on November 15, with a satisfactory mark. After some improvements, in March 1948, the Yak-15U passed repeated state tests and was recommended for mass production. Produced in Tbilisi at factory number 31.

In total, under the designation Yak-17 and Yak-17UTI, 430 fighters were manufactured at the plant number 31 in 1948-1949. Compared to the prototype aircraft, the following changes were made to the production aircraft: the span of the horizontal tail was increased from 3.25 to 3.6 m, instead of the standard NS-23 guns, the NS-23KM with elongated barrels was used, and an additional S-13 camera gun was used. Cars of the later series were equipped with RD-10A engines, which had a 50-hour resource.

With love from Ukraine