The Yakovlev Yak-18 was a trainer monoplane, which was used by the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1991. Today, it is still in service with the North Korean Air Force. More than 2,000 aircraft were produced, with the Yak-18U and Yak-18T being the main variants. It would become the official trainer of communist countries air forces during the Cold War.
Technical Characteristics
The Yakovlev Yak-18 was a two-seat, single-engine monoplane. Its fuselage was all metal and the seats were arranged in tandem in the cockpit. It was fitted with dihedral, cantilever, low wing. The original version, the Yak-18A, featured a retractable, two-wheeled landing gear, with a fixed tail-wheel. However, the Yak-18U featured tricycle undercarriage.
The early version was powered by one 160-HP, Shvetsov M-11, which was equipped with a "helmet" cowling over each cylinder. However, the last variants of the aircraft would be fitted with one Ivchenko AI-14R, 9-cylinder, piston engine, which delivered 300 HP.
Specifications
Type: trainer aircraft
Length: 8.35 m (27 ft, 5 in)
Wingspan: 10.6 m (34 ft, 9 in)
Wing Area: 17.8 square meters (192 sq. ft)
Height: 3.35 m (11 ft.)
Maximum Speed: 300 km/h (190 mph)
Range: 700 km (430 miles)
Ceiling: 5,060 m (16,600 ft)
Below, two Yakovlev Yak-18 in flight in 1948.
The blue-print drawing of this Soviet trainer.
