Yakovlev Yak-44

Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft

Soviet Union | 1991

"Only a full-sized mockup of the Yakovlev Yak-44 was ever produced, the fall of the Soviet Empire derailing all further development."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/01/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

During the latter half of the Cold War (1947 - 1991) years, the Soviet Union's naval branch positioned itself to field an all-new nuclear-powered fleet of "supercarriers" (led by the Ulyanovsk) to match the sea-based firepower of American and Western foes. Up to this point, the Soviet Navy was only capable of fielding Yakovlev Yak-38 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) strike fighters from its limited Kiev-class fleet. To help stock the incoming supercarrier line, Yakovlev was charged with design and development of a capable, carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) platform during the late 1970s and this led to the Yak-44 proposal. However, the Soviet supercarrier initiative fell to naught with the fall of the Soviet Empire and the Yak-44 only ever existed in a ful-sized mock-up. The program was cancelled along with the supercarriers and no prototypes existed.

The Ulyanovsk and its kind were set to support some 68 total aircraft, a mix of Sukhoi and Mikoyan fighters, Yak-44 AEW platforms, sub-hunting and Search and Rescue (SAR) Kamov helicopters. The flight deck would have been designed in a rather Western way with four catapult launch positions - two over the bow and two along portside - with an angled receiving deck running from stern to portside. The island superstructure would be offset to the starboard side with three hangar elevators servicing the flight deck.

These qualities fleshed out the requirements to Yakovlev for their new AEW platform. The resulting design held a stark similarity to the competing American Grumman E-2 "Hawkeye" series with little left to the imagination. The design included a length of 66.9 feet, a wingspan of 84 feet and a height of 23 feet. Wings were foldable for improved carrier storage below decks. A large, retractable radome (the NPO "Vega" pulse Doppler) was fitted over the fuselage as in the E-2. The typical operation crew was expected to number five including two pilots and mission specialists. Loaded weight was reported at 88,200lbs. Power was to be served through 2 x Zaporozhye D-227 series "propfans" developing 14,000 horsepower each - combining a gas turbine with an unshielded, twisted-blade propeller assembly. Wings were shoulder mounted to provide the proper clearance for the propeller blades and the undercarriage was of a tricycle arrangement, fully retractable. As in the E-2, the Yak-44 would have sported a twin-tail arrangement. As expected with any naval aircraft, the Yak-44 was to be properly coated and sealed to prevent corrosion on the seas. Additionally, its structure and undercarriage members were reinforced for carrier deck landings.

Performance specifications from the two engines was expected to include a maximum speed of 460 miles per hour, a range of 2,500 miles and a service ceiling of 42,700 feet. All were estimates, however, as no prototype was ever completed.

Work continued throughout the 1980s to which the Soviets were engaged in a costly and bloody war across Afghanistan. This, and other internal matters, eventually led to the fall of the Soviet Empire and many programs fell to extreme budget cuts. Yakovlev managed the aforementioned full-sized mockup but little else before the project was done in. The Yak-44 was given up for good sometime in 1993 as the Russian Navy entered into a period of depression and limited funding.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Yakovlev Yak-44E Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft.

Propulsion
2 x Zaporozhye D-227 propfan engines developing 14,000 horsepower each.

Maximum Speed
460 mph
(740 kph | 400 kts)

Service Ceiling
42,651 ft
(13,000 m | 8 miles)

Operational Range
2,485 miles
(4,000 km | 2,160 nm)

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Yakovlev Yak-44E Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft.

Crew
5
(MANNED)

Length
66.9 ft
(20.40 m)

Width
85.3 ft
(26.00 m)

Height
23.0 ft
(7.00 m)

MTOW
88,185 lb
(40,000 kg)

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Yakovlev Yak-44 Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft .

None. Mission-related equipment to be carried.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Yakovlev Yak-44 family line.

Yak-44 - Base Series Designation

Yak-44E - Known variant designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Yakovlev Yak-44. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): Yakovlev - Soviet Union / Russia

[ Soviet Union (cancelled) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 500mph

Lo: 250mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (460mph).

Graph Average of 375 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING

ELECTRONIC WARFARE

MARITIME / NAVY

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Yakovlev Yak-44 Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft.

Grumman E-2 Hawkeye

Xian KJ-600

Going Further...
The Yakovlev Yak-44 Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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