| The Yakovlev Yak-1 was a World War II
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| | and right main landing gear could be of
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| Soviet fighter aircraft and the first
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| | different lengths and different angles
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| among the war's many successful Yakovlev
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| | relative to the aircraft which required
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| fighters.
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| | adjusting their attachments to ensure an
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| Design and development
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| | even stance for the completed aircraft.
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| Although prior to World War II Yakovlev
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| | Parts were often non-interchangeable
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| was best known for building light sports
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| | between aircraft. Production of Yak-1
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| aircraft, the Yak-4 light bomber
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| | ended in July 1944 with somewhere around
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| impressed the Soviet government enough to
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| | 8,700 built.
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| order the OKB to design a new fighter
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| | Operational history
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| with a Klimov M-106 V-12 liquid-cooled
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| | At the onset of Great Patriotic War on 22
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| engine. Formal specifications released on
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| | June 1941, 425 Yak-1 were built, although
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| 29 July 1939, called for two prototypes -
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| | many of these were en route or still
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| I-26-1 with a top speed of 620 km/h (385
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| | disassembled. It was soon discovered that
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| mph) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft), combat range
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| | most air combat took place below 4,000 m
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| of 600 km (375 mi), a climb to 10,000 m
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| | (13,000 ft) which placed the new Soviet
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| (32,800 ft) of under 11 minutes, and
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| | fighters, designed for high-altitude
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| armament of 2x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns
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| | performance at a disadvantage. Still,
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| and 1x 12.7 mm Berezin BS heavy machine
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| | Yak-1s did prove to have a significant
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| gun, and I-26-2 with a turbocharged M-106
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| | advantage over its Soviet competitors. A
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| engine with a top speed of 650 km/h (404
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| | full circle turn took just 17 seconds in
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| mph) at 10,000 m (33,000 ft) and armament
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| | the Yak-1M. The MiG-3, which had the best
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| of 2x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns. The
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| | high-altitude performance, did poorly at
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| design took full advantage of Yakovlev
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| | low and medium altitudes and its light
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| OKB's experience with sports aircraft and
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| | armament made it unsuitable even for
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| promised agility as well as high top
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| | ground attack. The LaGG-3 experienced a
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| speed. Since M-106 was delayed, the
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| | significant degradation in performance
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| design was changed to incorporate Klimov
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| | (as much as 100 km/h (62 mph) on some
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| M-105P with a 20 mm ShVAK cannon in the
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| | aircraft) compared to its prototypes due
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| "vee" of the engine block.
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| | to the manufacturer's inexperience with
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| I-26-I first flew on 13 January 1940. The
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| | its special wooden construction which
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| prototype suffered from oil overheating
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| | suffered from warping and rotting when
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| problems which were never completely
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| | exposed to the elements. The Yak-1's
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| resolved resulting in 15 emergency
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| | plywood covering also suffered from the
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| landings during early testing. Then, on
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| | weather but the steel frame kept the
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| 27 April 1940, I-26-1 crashed, killing
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| | aircraft largely intact.
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| its test pilot Yu.I. Piontkovskiy. The
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| | The aircraft's major problem early in
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| investigation of the crash found that the
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| | deployment was fuel leaks caused by
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| pilot performed two consecutive barrel
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| | disintegration of spot-welded fuel tanks
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| rolls at low altitude which was in
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| | from vibration. Also troublesome was the
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| violation of test flight plan. It was
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| | fact that the canopy could not be opened
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| believed that during the first roll, the
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| | at high speeds, potentially trapping the
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| main landing gear became unlocked,
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| | pilot in a falling aircraft. As the
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| causing it to crash through the wing
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| | result, some pilots had the sliding
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| during the second roll. It has been
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| | portion of the canopy removed altogether.
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| hypothesized that Piontkovskiy's
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| | The notoriously unreliable and
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| deviation from the flight plan was caused
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| | short-ranged radio equipment was also
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| by frustration that his aircraft was
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| | frequently removed to save weight. Like
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| being used for engine testing while
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| | most early carburetor-equipped engines,
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| I-26-2, built with the lessons of I-26-1
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| | M-105 could not tolerate negative G
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| in mind, was already performing
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| | forces which starved it of fuel.
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| aerobatics.
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| | Nonetheless, the Yak-1 was well-liked by
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| Poor quality of subassemblies provided by
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| | its pilots. Twenty-four of these aircraft
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| different suppliers raised the I-26-2's
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| | were sent to the elite all-female 586 IAP
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| weight 400 kg (880 lb) above projected
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| | whose pilots included the world's only
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| figues, which restricted the airframe to
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| | female aces with 11 (Katya Budanova) and
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| only 4.4 G while overheating oil was
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| | 12 (Lydia Litvyak) victories. Yak-1s were
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| still a problem. The many defects caused
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| | also the first aircraft of the 1st Polish
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| I-26-2 to fail government testing in
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| | Fighter Regiment "Warsaw" (Polish: 1 Pulk
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| 1940. Fortunately for Yakovlev, its
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| | Lotnictwa Mysliwskiego "Warszawa") and
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| competitors I-200 (future
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| | French Normandie-Niemen squadron.
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| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3) and I-301 (future
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| | Variants
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| LaGG-3) also failed testing. Requested
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| | Yak-1b - ("b" was an unofficial
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| improvements were incorporated into
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| | designation, after October 1942, all
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| I-26-3 which was delivered for testing on
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| | Yak-1s were built to this standard). New
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| 13 October 1940. Although it passed on 9
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| | bubble canopy with lowered rear fuselage,
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| December 1940, the aircraft was still
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| | increased armor, ShKAS machine guns
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| very much unfinished with unresolved
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| | replaced with a single 12.7 mm Berezin
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| engine problems.
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| | UBS, electrical and pneumatic firing of
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| Troublesome and slow testing and
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| | the weapons instead of the mechanical
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| development must have been quite
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| | system, new control stick based on the
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| worrisome for Soviet officials
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| | Messerschmitt Bf 109 design, new
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| considering the fact that I-26 was
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| | gunsight, airtight fuselage, retractable
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| ordered into production under the name
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| | tailwheel, improved engine cooling,
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| Yak-1 on 19 February 1940 - a mere month
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| | Klimov M-105PF engine with better
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| after I-26-1 made its maiden flight! The
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| | low-altitude performance. The first
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| goal of this gamble was to reduce lag
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| | flight (aircraft No.3560) took place in
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| time between prototype and production
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| | June 1942, with aircraft entering
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| aircraft. [1] As a backup, I-200 and
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| | production in August. A total of 4,188
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| I-301 were also ordered into production.
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| | were built.
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| Although Yak-1 was slower than I-200 and
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| | Yak-1M - Yak-3 prototype with a smaller
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| less heavily armed than I-301, it enjoyed
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| | wing, revised cooling intakes, reduced
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| the advantage of having been started
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| | overall weight and upgraded engine. Two
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| earlier which gave it a consistent lead
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| | were built.
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| in testing and development over its
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| | Several other Yak-1 variants did not
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| competitors. Beginning of the Great
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| | receive special designations. These
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| Patriotic War on 22 June 1941 made
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| | include prototypes with Klimov VK-106 and
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| development and implementation of several
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| | Klimov VK-107 engines, production
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| other upcoming promising designs like
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| | aircraft capable of carrying external
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| Polikarpov I-185 unfeasible. The fact
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| | fuel tanks, production aircraft with the
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| that Yakovlev was Stalin's personal
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| | ability to carry 6x RS-82 rockets or 2x
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| favorite likely also played in the
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| | 100 kg (220 lb) bombs, and lightened
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| Yak-1's favor.
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| | versions for air defense.
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| Simultaneous manufacturing and testing of
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| | I-28 (Yak-5) - High-altitude interceptor
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| a design that required as many
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| | prototype with Klimov M-105PD engine
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| improvements as I-26 wreaked havoc on the
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| | developed from I-26-2. Differed from I-26
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| production lines. Almost 8,000 changes
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| | in having an all-metal fuselage and tail
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| were made to the aircraft's blueprints by
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| | and automatic, leading-edge slats on
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| 1941 with an additional 7,000 implemented
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| | slightly smaller and reshaped wings. One
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| the following year with 5,000 more
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| | aircraft was built, first flying on 1
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| changes coming in 1942. Production was
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| | December 1940. It did not enter
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| further slowed by shortages of engines,
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| | production due to many deficiencies of
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| propellers, radiators, wheels and
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| | the engine but served as the basis for
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| cannons. Shortages of quality materials
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| | high-altitude versions of Yak-7 and
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| resulted in plywood being torn off the
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| | Yak-9.
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| wings on several aircraft. To make the
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| | I-30 (Yak-3) - Development of I-26 with
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| matters worse, Factory No.292 which was
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| | an all-metal wing with leading-edge
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| the main manufacturer of Yak-1s was
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| | slats, weight and space savings were
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| bombed on 23 June 1943 and burned to the
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| | utilized for additional armament and
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| ground. Amazingly, production resumed
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| | greater fuel capacity. Two prototypes
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| among the ruins on 29 June. Due to loose
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| | built - I-30-1 armed with 3x 20 mm ShVAK
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| tolerances, each aircraft was essentially
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| | cannons and 2x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine
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| unique with workers performing the final
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| | guns, and I-30-2 with two additional
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| assembly having the unenviable task of
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| | ShKAS. It did not enter production. The
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| mating what often proved to be very
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| | name Yak-3 was re-used for a different
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| dissimilar components. For example, left
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| | fighter.
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