New Russian "Yak-3 Inspired" Aircraft Spotted Online

Photos of a new Russian training aircraft, reminiscent of the famous Soviet Yak-3 fighter, have appeared online two days before the start of the "Army-2024" forum at the Patriot Exhibition Center. It will be shown there from August 12 to 14, and its characteristics will become known.

This year, the "Army" forum will be held in a new closed format for the first time. It is known that all entertainment events and free access to the expositions for visitors have beencanceled.

The design of such an aircraft has not been officially announced before, but the Ministry of Defense has spoken about replenishing the training aircraft fleet for military pilots. In addition to the Yak-130 combat trainer, future military pilots shouldreceive the new Yak-152 for training in the coming years, the state tests of which were completed at the end of 2023, and the MiG-UTS.

Yak-3

The Yak-3 fighter, created in the A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau during the Great Patriotic War, began to enter the fighter aviation regiments of the Air Force in the spring of 1944. Known as the "Victory aircraft", at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War in the skies of Belarus, the Baltic States, Poland and Germany, it provided Soviet pilots and their allies from the French Normandie-Niemen aviation regiment with an advantage in the air.

Yak-3 characteristics:

• crew - 1 person; 
• engine - ВК-105ПФ-26;
•  power - 1240 hp; 
• wingspan - 9.2 m;
• wing area - 14.85 sq. m; 
• empty weight - 2128 kg;
• maximum take-off weight - 2697 kg;
• full load weight - 569 kg;
• maximum speed at altitude/near the ground - 651 / 567 km/h; 
• practical ceiling - 10 400 m; 
• maximum range - 850 km; 
• armament: 1x20-mm ShVAK aircraft gun; 2x12.7-mm UBS machine guns.

The Yak-3 became practically the most maneuverable and lightweight fighter for its time in the world, it was most strong in air battles at altitudes up to 5,000 m.

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