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