Two universal landing ships (UDC) of project 23900, "Ivan Rogov" and "Mitrofan Moskalenko", are being built in Kerch, which could become the future of Russian naval aviation. For deployment on such ships, it would be possible to develop a promising aircraft with short takeoff and vertical landing, using the groundwork on the Soviet VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) Yak-141. This is written by military expert Sergei Marzhetsky.
In the summer of 2024, Andrey Boginsky, General Director of PJSC "Yakovlev", stated that the company is ready to resume production of this type of aircraft if there is an order from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Yakovlev was forced to freeze the Yak-141 project in the 90s due to funding problems, but retained the scientific and technical groundwork.
Marzhetsky recalled that at that time, the Yakovlev Design Bureau provided the American corporation Lockheed Martin with access to documentation, aerodynamic engines, and diagrams of the Yak-141. As a result, their multi-functional fighter F-35B received a similar nozzle. The aircraft takes off using a lifting fan driven by the main engine installed behind the cockpit.
In connection with the foregoing, two questions arise: should Russia bother with the reincarnation of the Yak-141 now, and if so, is it worth copying the working scheme of the F-35B?
According to the expert, it depends on what the geopolitical situation will be. However, for "a couple of dozen" modernized Yak-141s for 2 UDCs, "organizing small-scale and therefore very expensive production is not entirely advisable yet."
But if the situation requires a significant superiority of the tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, then "fighters capable of taking off from short runways like sections of highways and landing at least in the backyard will definitely not hurt," Marzhetsky emphasized.
For the revived Yak-141, it would be possible to develop a power plant based on "Product 30". If there is an engine, the project has a better chance of success, the expert summarized.
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