| The Yakovlev Yak-3 (Russian language: | | | | mixed-construction prototypes, 48 |
| ??-3) was a World War II Soviet fighter | | | | all-metal production aircraft were built |
| aircraft regarded as one of the best | | | | in 1945-1946. In spite of excellent |
| fighters of the war. As one of the | | | | performance (720 km/h (447 mph) at 5,750 |
| smallest and lightest major combat | | | | m (18,860 ft)), VK-107 was prone to |
| fighters fielded by any combatant during | | | | overheating and it was decided to leave |
| the war, its high power-to-weight ratio | | | | the engine for the better-suited Yak-9. |
| gave it excellent performance. | | | | Yak-3 (VK-108) - Yak-3 (VK-107A) |
| Design and development | | | | modified with VK-108 engine with 1,380 |
| The origins of the Yak-3 went back to | | | | kW (1,850 hp), and armed a single 23 mm |
| 1941 when the 1-30 prototype was offered | | | | Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 60 |
| along with the I-26 as an alternate | | | | rounds of ammunition. The aircraft |
| design to the Yak-1. The I-30, powered | | | | reached 745 km/h (463 mph) at 6,290 m |
| by a Klimov M-105P engine, was of | | | | (20,630 ft) in testing but suffered from |
| all-metal construction, using a wing | | | | significant engine overheating. Another |
| with dihedral on the outer panels. Like | | | | Yak-3 with 2x 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons |
| the early Yak-1, it had a ShVAK 20 | | | | was also fitted with the engine with |
| millimeter cannon firing through the | | | | similar results. |
| prop spinner and twin ShKAS 7.62 | | | | Yak-3K - tank destroyer with a 45 mm |
| millimeter machine guns in the nose, but | | | | Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 cannon, only a |
| was also fitted with a ShVAK cannon in | | | | few built because Yak-9K was a better |
| each wing. The first of two prototypes | | | | match for the weapon |
| was fitted with a slatted wing to | | | | Yak-3P - produced from April 1945 until |
| improve handling and short-field | | | | mid-1946, armed with 3x 20 mm Berezin |
| performance while the second prototype | | | | B-20 cannons with 120 rounds for the |
| had a wooden wing without slats, in | | | | middle cannon and 130 rounds for each of |
| order to simplify production. The second | | | | the side weapons. The three-cannon |
| prototype crashed during flight tests | | | | armament with full ammunition load was |
| and was written off. Although there were | | | | actually 11 kg (24 lb) lighter than that |
| plans to put the Yak-3 into production, | | | | of a standard Yak-3, and the one-second |
| the scarcity of aviation aluminum and | | | | burst mass of 3.52 kg (7.74 lb) was |
| the pressure of the Nazi invasion led to | | | | greater than that of most contemporary |
| abandoning work on the first Yak-3 in | | | | fighters. Starting in August 1945, all |
| the late fall of 1941. | | | | Yak-3 were produced in the Yak-3P |
| In 1943, Yakovlev designed the Yak-1M | | | | configuration with a total of 596 built. |
| which was a smaller and lighter version | | | | Yak-3PD - high-altitude interceptor with |
| of the Yak-1. A second Yak-1M prototype | | | | Klimov VK-105PD engine and a single 23 |
| was constructed later that year, | | | | mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 60 |
| differing from the first aircraft in | | | | rounds of ammunition, reached 13,300 m |
| plywood instead of fabric covering of | | | | (43,625 ft) in testing but did not enter |
| the rear fuselage, mastless radio | | | | production due to unreliability of the |
| antenna, reflector gunsight and improved | | | | engine. |
| armor and engine cooling. The chief test | | | | Yak-3RD (Yak-3D) - experimental aircraft |
| pilot for the project Piotr Mikhailovich | | | | with an auxiliary Glushko RD-1 |
| Stefanovskiy was so impressed with the | | | | liquid-fuel rocket engine with 2,9 kN |
| new aircraft that he recommended that it | | | | (650 lbf) of thrust in the modified |
| should completely replace Yak-1 and | | | | tail, armed with a single 23 mm |
| Yak-7 with only the Yak-9 retained in | | | | Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannon with 60 |
| production for further work with the | | | | rounds of ammunition. On May 11, 1945, |
| Klimov VK-107 engine. The new fighter, | | | | the aircraft reached 782 km/h (485 mph) |
| designated theYak-3 entered service in | | | | at 7,800 m (25,585 ft). During the |
| 1944, later than the Yak-9 in spite of | | | | August 16 test flight, the aircraft |
| the lower designation number. A total of | | | | crashed for unknown reasons, killing the |
| 4,848 aircraft were produced. | | | | test pilot V.L. Rastorguev. Like all |
| The designation Yak-3 was also used for | | | | mixed powerplant aircraft of the time, |
| other Yakovlev projects - a proposed but | | | | the project was abandoned in favor of |
| never built, heavy twin-engine fighter | | | | turbojet engines. |
| and the Yakovlev Yak-7A. | | | | Yak-3T - tank destroyer version armed |
| Operational history | | | | with 1x 37 mm Nudelman N-37 cannon with |
| Lighter and smaller than Yak-9 but | | | | 25 rounds and 2x 20 mm Berezin B-20S |
| powered by the same engine, Yak-3 was a | | | | cannons with 100 rounds each. Cockpit |
| very agile dogfighter and a forgiving, | | | | was moved 0.4 m (1 ft 4 in) back to |
| easy-to-handle aircraft loved by both | | | | compensate for the heavier nose. Engine |
| rookie and veteran pilots. Early combat | | | | modifications required to accept the |
| experience found it to be superior to | | | | weapons resulted in serious overheating |
| all Luftwaffe fighters at altitudes | | | | problems which were never fixed and the |
| below 5,000 m (16,400 ft). It could roll | | | | aircraft did not advance beyond the |
| with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and its turn | | | | prototype stage. |
| rate was far superior; a full circle in | | | | Yak-3T-57 - single Yak-3T with a 57 mm |
| 18.6 seconds. The two biggest drawbacks | | | | OKB-16-57 cannon |
| of the aircraft were its short range and | | | | Yak-3TK - powered by a VK-107A engine, |
| the tendency of the glued-on plywood | | | | and fitted with an exhaust turbocharger. |
| covering the top of the wings to tear | | | | Yak-3U - Yak-3 fitted with Shvetsov |
| away under high-G loads. The pneumatic | | | | ASh-82FN radial engine with 1,380 kW |
| system for actuating landing gear, flaps | | | | (1,850 hp) in an attempt to increase |
| and brakes, typical for all Yakovlev | | | | performance while avoiding the |
| fighters of the time was also less | | | | overheating problems of VK-107 and |
| reliable than the hydraulic or | | | | VK-108. Wingspan increased by 20 cm (8 |
| electrical systems, but it was preferred | | | | in), wings moved 22 cm (9 in) forward, |
| due to significant weight savings. The | | | | cockpit raised by 8 cm (3 in). Armament |
| first 197 Yak-3 were armed with a single | | | | of 2x 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons with |
| 20 mm ShVAK cannon and one 12.7 mm UBS | | | | 120 rounds per gun. The prototype |
| machine gun, with subsequent aircraft | | | | reached 682 km/h (424 mph) at 6,000 m |
| receiving a second UBS for a weight of | | | | (19,680 ft) and while successful did not |
| fire of 2.72 kg (6.0 lb) per second | | | | enter production because it was |
| using high-explosive ammunition. | | | | completed after the war. |
| Variants | | | | Yak-3UTI - two-seat conversion trainer |
| Yak-3 - main production version | | | | based on Yak-3U powered by Shvetsov |
| Yak-3 (VK-107A) - Klimov VK-107A engine | | | | ASh-21 radial piston engine. The |
| with 1,230 kW (1,650 hp) and 2x 20 mm | | | | aircraft became the prototype for the |
| Berezin B-20 cannons with 120 rounds of | | | | Yak-11. |
| ammunition each. After several | | | | |