Yakovlev Yak-18: differenze tra le versioni

Versione delle 17:37, 30 set 2010

Versione delle 17:49, 30 set 2010

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Impiegato negli anni successivi principalmente dalla [[Sovetskie Voenno-vozdušnye sily]] (VVS), l'[[Aeronautica militare]] dell'[[Unione Sovietica]], e da molte forze aeree del [[Patto di Varsavia]] e filosovietiche, rimase in servizio nelle sue varie versioni per gran parte della seconda metà del [[XX secolo]].

== Storia ==

=== Sviluppo ===

A member of the second generation of Russian aircraft designers, and best known for fighter designs, [[Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev]] always retained a light aircraft design section. In May 1945, Yakovlev initiated design of the Yak-18 two-seat primary trainer. He designed it to replace the earlier [[Yakovlev UT-2]] and [[Yakovlev Yak-5|Yak-5]] in service with the [[Soviet Air Force]]s and [[DOSAAF]] (Voluntary Society for Collaboration with the Army, Air Force and Navy, which sponsored aero clubs throughout the USSR). In 1944, an advanced version of the UT-2 had been built and featured an enclosed canopy and fixed landing gear which bears a striking resemblance to the new Yak-18. The new aircraft flew a year later, powered by a 119 kW (160 hp) [[Shvetsov M-11]] five-cylinder radial engine and featuring pneumatically operated retractable main landing gear and a fixed tailwheel. It entered service as a trainer later that year and was built by Yakovlev up until 1956. Examples were exported to China in kit form beginning in 1950. The Chinese began producing license built copies in 1954 with the designation '''CJ-5'''.

The Yak 18's greatest claim to fame is its use as a night bomber by the North Korean Air Force during the Korean War. The aircraft were modified with bomb racks on the wing center section and flew over UN troop locations at night to drop bombs and harass UN forces. The single most successful attack of the North Korean aviation during the war was destroying of a fuel dump with nearly 5.5 million gallons of fuel in Inchon area in June 1953 by 4 or 5 Yak-18s<ref>Richard P. Hallion (1986), ''The Naval Air War in Korea'', ISBN 0-933852-47-9, p.186</ref>. The five-cylinder engine reminded many of the US troops of the sound made by early gasoline powered washing machines earning them the name: "Washing Machine Charlie". The name "Bed Check Charlie" was also used for these night intruders. The Yak-18's along with Polikarpov [[Po-2]]'s became quite a nusiance until US night fighters began shooting them down.

Other claims to fame for the Yak-18 are an international speed record for class in 1951 as well as being the aircraft used for initial flight training by Yuri Gagarin (1st human in space) and Ken Rowe (No Kum-Sok: defected with a Mig-15 during the Korean War).

Later, as the need for conventional landing gear trainers abated Yakovlev re-designed the Yak-18 with retractable tricycle landng gear and a Ivchenko AI-14RF radial, 224&nbsp;kW (300&nbsp;hp)and was designated the Yak-18A. The design proved exceptionally easy to build and maintain, and it continues in production today, 55 years later, in two of its many variants, the four-seat Yak-18T and two-seat Yak-54.

There are an estimated 40 original Yak-18's in existence worldwide. Three are currently flyable in the USA and three are flyable in Europe. Approximately four other aircraft worldwide are currently being restored for flight. Many are found in major aviation museums worldwide including the National Air and Space Museum in the USA.

The '''CJ-6a''', produced in [[China]], is sometimes quoted as a variant but is a completely different aircraft designed in China by Bushi Cheng and built by Nanchang Aircraft Company.

=== Impiego operativo ===

Lo Yak-18 e le sue numerose versioni divennero gli addestratori standard sovietici, utilizzati nelle scuole di volo della [[Sovetskie Voenno-vozdušnye sily]], l'[[aeronautica militare]], e della paramilitare [[DOSAAF]]. Inoltre venne adottato da numerose aeronautiche militari aderenti al [[Patto di varsavia]] e nazioni rette da governi filosovietici. La Cina ne produsse una versione su licenza.

== Versioni ==