Yakovlev Yak-28: Difference between revisions

{|{{Infobox aircraft begin

|national originnational_origin = [[Soviet Union]]

|first flightfirst_flight = 5 March 1958

|introducedintroduction = [[1960 in aviation|1960]]

|primary userprimary_user = [[Soviet Air Forces]]

|more usersmore_users = [[Soviet Air Defence Forces]]<br/>[[Russian Air Force]]<br/>[[Ukrainian Air Force]]

|number builtnumber_built = 1,180<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://aircraft-museum.ucoz.ru/index/jak_28pp/0-36 Самолет РЭБ Як-28ПП]</ref>

|developed fromdeveloped_from =

|variants with their own articles =

The '''Yakovlev Yak-28''' ({{lang-ru|Яковлев Як-28}}) is a [[swept wing]], [[turbojet]]-powered combat aircraft used by the [[Soviet Union]]. Produced initially as a tactical [[bomber aircraft|tacticalmedium bomber]], it was also manufactured in [[reconnaissance aircraft|reconnaissance]], [[electronic warfare aircraft|electronic warfare]], [[interceptor aircraft|interceptor]], and [[trainer aircraft|trainer]] versions, known by the [[NATO reporting name]]s '''Brewer''', '''Brewer-E''', '''Firebar''', and '''Maestro''' respectively. Based on the '''Yak-129''' prototype first flown on 5 March 1958, it began to enter service in 1960.

The Yak-28 had a large mid-mounted wing, swept at 45 degrees. The tailplane set halfway up the vertical fin (with cutouts to allow rudder movement). Slats were fitted on the leading edges and slotted flaps were mounted on the trailing edges of the wings. The two [[Tumansky R-11]] [[turbojet]] engines, initially with 57&nbsp;kN (12,795&nbsp;lbf) thrust each, were mounted in pods, similarsimilarly to the previous [[Yakovlev Yak-25|Yak-25]]. The wing-mounted engines and bicycle-type main [[landing gear]] (supplemented by outrigger wheels in fairings near the wingtips) were widely spaced, allowing most of the fuselage to be used for fuel and equipment. It was primarily subsonic, although [[Mach number|Mach]] 1 could be exceeded at high altitude.

The aircraft is perhaps best known for the heroic actions of Captain Boris Kapustin and Lieutenant Yuri Yanov after the Yak-28 they were piloting suffered a catastrophic engine malfunction on 6 April 1966. They were ordered to divert to attempt a landing in Soviet zone of Germany, but lost control of the aircraft and strayed into the airspace of [[West Berlin]]. The crew managed to avoid a housing estate but crashed into Lake {{Interlanguage link|Stößensee|de}} without ejecting. Their bodies, along with the wreckage, were raised from the lake by [[Royal Navy]] divers (flown in from Portsmouth) and salvage specialists, who also retrieved important top secret material from the plane. This included the engines, which were taken to [[RAF Gatow]] to be inspected by RAF and American engineers. The bodies of the two pilots were returned to the USSR with full military honors from both Soviet and British armed service members, and they were both posthumously awarded the [[Order of the Red Banner]]. The first engine was recovered on 18 April 1966 and the second a week later; both engines were returned to the Soviets on 2 May 1966.<ref>British FO documents down graded and released to the public in 2017.</ref>

*[[Soviet Anti-Air DefenseDefence Forces]]