Yak-40: A unique passenger airliner of its kind

The Yak-40 is a unique winged vehicle of its kind. Built in 1966, it was the world's first passenger jet for local airlines, capable of taking off from a runway of just 400 meters.

Tellingly, the Yak-40’s safety factor, which the designers put into it, allowed it to take off/land even from unpaved sites. Although at that time there were no problems with concrete runways in the country.

However, these are not all the features inherent in the unique aircraft, which is in operation in Russia to this day (a modernized version) and is not yet going to “retire.”

The airliner turned out to be beautiful, like most of Alexander Yakovlev’s aircraft, and had outstanding capabilities.

In particular, three engines made the winged vehicle quite powerful and allowed it to be used at high-mountain airfields, as well as in high-temperature conditions. Moreover, even if two units failed, the Yak-40 could continue to fly without loss of altitude on one power plant. At that time, this was an unprecedented achievement by Soviet designers.

By the way, about designers. Yakovlev Design Bureau, as always, approached the development of its apparatus thoroughly.

Thus, even prototypes of the car were built in 6 different modifications, differing in design features and passenger capacity.

In addition, in addition to passenger ones, other modifications were created such as: the Yak-40 “Aqua” for scientists, the Yak-40DTS for the military, as well as various flying laboratories.

Finally, it is worth adding that the plane turned out to be extremely successful. This is evidenced by the fact that in addition to the USSR and modern Russia, it was operated in 20 countries around the world, where about 100 copies of the winged vehicle were sold.

Comments

[KTM-5]

They released him in Saratov. And now the plant no longer exists...

[Angestyr]

Yes. The Yak-40 is an artifact of a disappeared highly developed civilization.

[alexoff]

But its modified engines live, they are installed on a Turkish drone, and they were thinking of installing them on our MiG-ATs

[knn54]

In 1981 I had to fly standing for 45 (out of 1,5 hours), there is something to remember.
The airframe is magnificent, and buyers from Switzerland installed Canadian (I don’t remember exactly) engines.

[Eug]

The thrust-to-weight ratio was high, but the AI ​​-25 engines were very voracious. And the boarding and disembarkation of passengers along the built-in ramp in the tail was very fast - you walk past the luggage racks and put your luggage on them / take them from them.

[runway-1]

It's true that it was gluttonous, but the car was reliable, good...

[vovochkarzhevsky]

The thrust-to-weight ratio was high, but the AI ​​-25 engines were very voracious.

So the Secular Union is not a capitalist “eref”. There were no problems with kerosene, so gluttony, although far from great, did not play a role. Reliability and strength were at the forefront. So that, like on a “watermelon”, working with pedals, the keel does not collapse.

[Vasilenko Vladimir]

Quote: Eug

And boarding and disembarking of passengers using the built-in ladder in the tail was very fast

so why did it take so long, essentially an airbus, 32 seats, one less than in 695 LAZ

[mark1]

Quote: Eug

but the AI ​​-25 engines were very voracious.

This was 60 years ago, but now it would be possible to install other, more modern ones, for example AI 222-25 (2 pcs), and in the future SM-100

[Uncle lee]

Quote: Eug

And boarding and disembarking of passengers using the built-in ladder in the tail was very fast

First flight, impressions after the IL-18, how to transfer from a Moskvich to a Porsche!

[Saburov_Alexander53]

Likewise, on the IL-86 you could go with your luggage, if you wish, and leave it in the cargo compartment at the entrance to the cabin. It’s a pity that now this is not provided on any type of aircraft, I assume due to safety requirements.

[Saburov_Alexander53]

Likewise, on the IL-86 you could go with your luggage, if you wish, and leave it in the cargo compartment at the entrance to the cabin. It’s a pity that now this is not provided on any type of aircraft, I assume due to safety requirements.

[megavolt823]

Well, that’s artillery, until now. Deep Soviet period. Yes, and shells. Achievements today are only......th. About tablets, a Muscovite car. And so on. 30 years of rubbing point. And no matter where you look. Some are patriots. Honest. And just la la.

[svp67]

The airliner turned out to be beautiful, like most of Alexander Yakovlev’s aircraft, and had outstanding capabilities.

Especially in terms of kerosene absorption, that’s why they quickly fell into disuse after the collapse of the USSR. But now they have a real future, in conditions of an acute shortage of domestic aircraft, for local lines, during remonetization, with the replacement of three engines with two, with a total power equal to or even higher and, of course, new avionics. All that remains is to produce such DOMESTIC engines and DOMESTIC avionics

[Stas157]

Quote: svp67

But now they have a real future, in conditions of an acute shortage of domestic aircraft for local lines

There are analogues that are (tried to) be produced. L-610 and Ladoga. Although they are turboprops, the speed is comparable and the efficiency is higher.

[svp67]

Quote: Stas157

There are analogues that are (tried to) be produced. L-610 and Ladoga.

One thing no longer interferes with the other, but helps... Solving the problem of loading enterprises and equipping air squads. Remonetization of the Yak-40 will give time to produce new aircraft in the required quantities. Do not forget that the airframe of these aircraft is not new and has a limited service life.

[Alexey Lantukh]

I suspect that remotorization would give a second life and that it would be cheaper and faster, as the Novosibirsk residents stated, but officials will not allow it because of the private Ural aircraft plant.

[nemec55]

AN-2 is generally a masterpiece. You can rivet every day without being whimsical, and most importantly, you don’t need to replace anything imported. Add a trailer with fuel and here you have a medium-haul one, we don’t need long-haul ones, let all these Europe and America suffocate without our greatness

[Bad_gr]

You should have remembered Po-2. Even under Antonov, a replacement was made for the AN-2 - this is the An-14 “Bee”, which after some time was replaced by the An-28.
An-14

An-28

Why they now decided to revive the An-2, and not an aircraft like the An-28, is not clear.

[vovochkarzhevsky]

Why they now decided to revive the An-2, and not an aircraft like the An-28, is not clear.

Because the An-2 cannot be replaced in its niche. The An-28 is a different car.

[Bad_gr]

Quote: vovochkarzhevsky

Because the An-2 cannot be replaced in its niche. The An-28 is a different car.

That is, the Antonov Design Bureau, led by its general designer, when creating the An-14 and then the An-28 to replace the An-2 (this is how this aircraft was positioned) did not realize what they were doing?

[Bolt cutter]

didn’t realize what they were doing?

Plus the AN-2 piston internal combustion engine, which can be repaired by anyone who has seen the engine from the inside - that is, 2/3 of the male population of the outback. But this will not work with a turbine.

[Maxim G]

In what document was this stated?

Quote: Bad_gr

(this is exactly how this plane was positioned)

[Bad_gr]

Quote: Maxim G

In what document was this stated?

Quote: Bad_gr

(this is exactly how this plane was positioned)

Read the history of the creation of these aircraft.

[Volunteer Marek]

These planes were made for ANOTHER country, which had other goals.

[Volunteer Marek]

And these goals were not to earn as much money as possible, but to ensure the fastest and most inexpensive movement of citizens of the USSR. I am wrong?

[vovochkarzhevsky]

That is, the Antonov Design Bureau, led by its general designer, when creating the An-14 and then the An-28 to replace the An-2 (this is how this aircraft was positioned) did not realize what they were doing?

No, you don’t understand aviation. These machines were not created to replace the An-2, but for a more optimal solution for air transportation on international routes.
For example, a bus can carry passengers, and a tented Ural with folding benches carries passengers. At the same time, comfort is higher on the bus. But it will not always be possible to replace the Ural even in the task of passenger transportation by bus.

[75 Sergey]

It was.
I don’t know how the Yakovlev Design Bureau was able to give birth to the MK-21?
I hope we will also hear about the design bureaus of Mikoyan-Gurevich, Lavochkin and many others, the Likhachev plant will also have a new design, etc.
Maybe in the end we will have a people's state, “where Man breathes so freely!”?

[svp67]

Quote: 75Sergey

I don’t know how the Yakovlev Design Bureau was able to give birth to the MK-21?

How how????? We took folders with the Soviet Yak-242 project from the shelves, blew the dust off them, transferred them to digital form and slightly modified them.
Eh, if only the Yak-201 could be revived...

[Taoist]

We recently vacationed in it... Still, the car is a masterpiece for its time.

[South Ukrainian]

I flew it as a child to visit my grandparents. Flight Odessa - Voronezh, we refueled in Dnepropetrovsk. It’s a good plane and, again, very reliable.

[Eug]

I flew the Yak-40 Dnepropetrovsk-Kharkov, then to Voronezh in 87-89, and at the Dnepropetrovsk airport there was a Yak-40 simulator. The An-24RB flew more often, but sometimes the “plus”, as it was called. The flight connected the most “rocket” cities in the European part of the Union..

[Evgeny_Sviridenko]

Good device. “Attraction” - landing on the runway of the airport in the city of Cholpon - Ata in Kyrgyzstan on this plane was remembered for a lifetime. And in Tajikistan, where I lived at one time, they were widely used in mountainous areas. The landing in Khorog (Pamir) was even more extreme by an order of magnitude, and the Yak-40 coped with it perfectly. In general, the USSR is also remembered for the fact that there were communications, including air, even in the most difficult corners, people actively used aviation, and life was in full swing everywhere.

[Foma Kinyaev]

Quote: Bad_gr

Why they now decided to revive the An-2, and not an aircraft like the An-28, is not clear.

Not true. They were going to produce the An-38 in Novosib with the Omsk TVD-20 engine, but the big-nosed scum of the Pogosians torpedoed the program to please the Americans and the superjet.

[Foma Kinyaev]

Quote: svp67

How how????? We took folders with the Soviet Yak-242 project from the shelves, blew the dust off them, transferred them to digital form and slightly modified them.

The Yak 242 was a 130-seat short-haul aircraft, with a PS-12 engine, to replace the Yak42. But the Americans, through their agents Pogosyan and Chemezov, killed the project, and at the same time the Tu-204 and Tu-334.

[75 Sergey]

The Armenians destroyed the air traffic in Russia, the Armenians destroyed Moskvich....
It is strange.

[Pavel57]

The airliner turned out to be beautiful, like most of Alexander Yakovlev’s aircraft, and had outstanding capabilities.

To complete the historical truth, it must be said that the project was developed in the Beriev and Antonov design bureau, Yakovlev latched on to it and brought it to series.

[Vladimir_Borisovich]

It was possible to do the next one with two engines. This would reduce fuel consumption. I flew on it a lot as a passenger, it was a wonderful plane.

[dump22]

In its time it was a very good plane.
But they stopped producing it in the USSR (in 1981) as completely outdated.

It was also designed with a straight wing, so its cruising speed is only 500 km/h.

[bobnew2017]

I've flown this many times, only good memories. Now I understand what a stately bird it was! Glory to Soviet aircraft manufacturers!