Yakovlev Yak-44

Carrier-based Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Aircraft [ 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.

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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.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1991

Origin

Soviet Union

Crew

5

Production

0
UNITS

Yakovlev - Soviet Union / Russia

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Soviet Union (cancelled)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: Airborne Early Warning (AEW)
Specially-equipped platform providing over-battlefield Command and Control (C2) capability for allied aerial elements.

✓ Special-Mission: Electronic Warfare (EW)
Equipped to actively deny adversaries the ElectroMagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect said spectrum for allied forces.

✓ Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

Length

66.9 ft
(20.40 m)

Width/Span

85.3 ft
(26.00 m)

Height

23.0 ft
(7.00 m)

MTOW

88,185 lb
(40,000 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Yakovlev Yak-44E production variant)

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

Max Speed

460 mph
(740 kph | 400 kts)

Ceiling

42,651 ft
(13,000 m | 8 mi)

Range

2,485 mi
(4,000 km | 7,408 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Yakovlev Yak-44E production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None. Mission-related equipment to be carried.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Yak-44 - Base Series Designation

Yak-44E - Known variant designation

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