The Yak-242 was intended to be the most economical and modern aircraft of the Soviet Union — a direct competitor to the Boeing 757 and the "gravedigger" of the Tu-154. But the airliner's story ended before it even began. "Perviy Technicheskiy" tells why this aircraft remained on paper and how its ideas later were embodied in the MC-21.
The Aircraft That Never Was
In the late 80s, the USSR was looking for a replacement for the fuel-guzzling Tu-154 and Il-62. The world was already flying on economical Boeings and Airbuses, and Soviet industry needed its own response. This was to be the Yak-242 — a project by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, which decided to enter the mainline level for the first time.
The new airliner was conceived with two ultra-economical NK-93 turbofan engines, which could provide a 25–30% reduction in fuel consumption compared to the Tu-154M. The cabin was planned to be spacious, with wide aisles and unprecedented silence — the engines were located in the tail, like modern airliners.
Why It Didn't Take Off
The main enemy of the Yak-242 was not aerodynamics at all, but politics. A war for state orders broke out between the Tupolev, Ilyushin, and Yakovlev Design Bureaus. The Tupolev team lobbied for the Tu-204, and the NK-9 engine, the main trump card project, was never brought to the serial stage.
Then came 1991. The USSR collapsed, and with it — the program. Funding ceased, and airlines survived on old aircraft. The project was frozen, and the Yak-242 remained on mock-ups forever.
Predecessor of the MC-21
The design developments of the Yak-242 did not disappear. It was they that formed the basis of the future MC-21, which became a direct heir to the ideas of "Yakovlev". A lightweight airframe, high efficiency, and attention to passenger comfort.
The Yak-242 became a symbol of unfulfilled hopes — an aircraft that could have changed the history of the domestic aircraft industry but did not have time to be born.
Earlier www1.ru reported that UAC showed the Su-57 in the paint shop for the first time.
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