https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-25
The Yakovlev Yak-25 (NATO designation Flashlight-A/Mandrake) was a swept wing,
turbojet-powered interceptor aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft built by
Yakovlev and used by the Soviet Union.
The Yak-25 originated from a need for long-range interceptors to protect the
USSR's northern and eastern territory. The specification for a two-seat,
twin-engine jet fighter and a related reconnaissance aircraft was issued by
Joseph Stalin on 6 August 1951. The aircraft was to use the new Mikulin AM-5
turbojet. The first prototype, the Yak-120, flew on 19 June 1952.
The new design mounted the turbojets in pods in the wings, with bicycle landing
gear, leaving the fuselage volume free for the two crewmen and a substantial
fuel load, giving an unrefueled range (with external tank) of about 2,560 km
(1,600 mi). The large, blunt nose contained the radome for the air-interception
radar. Armament was two 37 mm NL-37L cannon with 50 rounds per gun.
A reconnaissance derivative of the Yak-25, the Yak-25RV (Razvedchick Vysotnyj,
"high-altitude reconnaissance"), was developed in 1959 (NATO codename
'Mandrake'). It had a completely new, long-span straight wing of 23.4 meters
(more than twice that of the Yak-25M interceptor) with a total area of 55 square
meters. Camera and sensor packs were added in the fuselage. Some versions may
have retained one cannon.
Despite its low wing loading, the 'Mandrake's' altitude performance was marginal
at best, with considerable engine problems at high altitudes, excessive
vibration, and primitive equipment that imposed high workloads for the crews.
The Soviet Air Force nevertheless kept the Yak-25RV in service until 1974. A few
were used in the late 1970s for monitoring of radioactive contamination, with
specialized sensors; these were designated Yak-25RRV. Efforts in 1971 to develop
the 'Mandrake' as a high-altitude interceptor (Yak-25PA) proved unsuccessful.
The derivative Yak-26 was developed as a bomber, but only nine were built.
Role
Interceptor fighter and reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer
Yakovlev
First flight
19 June 1952
Introduction
1955
Retired
1967
Primary users
Soviet Air Force
Soviet Anti-Air Defense
Number built
483 + 155
Yak-25 was first displayed at Tushino in July 1955, and received the NATO
designation Flashlight-A. They started to equip air defence units from 1955.
They were considered easy to fly and popular among the crews. Quite common were
engine breakdowns, mostly due to the low engine position when on the ground,
which demanded clean airfields, but thanks to twin-engine arrangement, few such
failures were fatal.
Their withdrawal started in 1963. The last Yak-25 interceptors were retired by
1967; the 'Mandrake' reconnaissance version soldiered on in various roles
through the late 1970s. Like many other PVO interceptors of the Cold War era,
the Yak-25M was not exported to the Warsaw Pact or other nations.
There was also another aircraft named Yak-25 - a light fighter prototype of
1947. After it lost a competition with the MiG-15 and Lavochkin La-15, the first
Yak-25 program was abandoned and the designation Yak-25 was re-used for a new
interceptor. See Yakovlev Yak-25 (1947) for the description of that aircraft.
Specifications (Yak-25)
General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 15.67 m (51 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 10.94 m (35 ft 10 in)
Height: 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in)
Empty weight: 5,675 kg (12,510 lb)
Loaded weight: 8,675 kg (19,125 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 9,450 kg (29,760 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,090 km/h (680 mph)
Range: 2,700 km with external tank (1,687 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,200 m (50,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 30 m/s (5,960 ft/min)
Thrust/weight: 0.53
Armament
*
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