Yakovlev Yak-19

In April 1946, the Council of People's Commissars ordered several design bureaux (OKB {{langx|ru|Опытное конструкторское бюро}} – Opytnoye Konstruktorskoye Buro), included that of Alexander Yakovlev, to develop a single-seat jet fighter to be equipped with a single Lyulka TR-1 turbojet engine. The aircraft should have a maximum speed of {{convert|850|km/h|sp=us|0}} at sea level and a speed of {{convert|900|km/h|0|abbr=on}} at an altitude of {{convert|5000|m|sp=us|-1}}. It should be able to climb to that altitude in 3.8 minutes or less and should have a maximum range of no less than {{convert|700|km|sp=us}}. Yakovlev and his team were well aware that any derivative of their earlier Yak-15 and Yak-17 fighters, then under development, could not reach the required speed because of their thick wings and chose to begin a "clean-slate" design. Preliminary work used the same "pod-and-boom" layout as had been used in the earlier Yakovlev designs, although the cockpit was located in front of the engine. The TR-1 engine was plagued by delays and Yakovlev devoted most of his efforts to designs that used the RD-10.Gordon & Kommissarov, pp. 212–18

By late June, Yakovlev had decided to use a more aerodynamically efficient "tubular" layout with the engine buried in the center of the fuselage. After it became clear that neither the TR-1, nor the imported British Rolls-Royce Nene or Rolls-Royce Derwent engines would be available to power the prototypes, Yakovlev settled on the newly available afterburning version of the RD-10. The first prototype was ordered to a very demanding schedule and was completed on 29 November 1946.Gordon & Kommissarov, pp. 218–21

The Yak-19 had a flattened oval-shaped, metal semi-monocoque fuselage with the single-seat cockpit and its teardrop-shaped canopy positioned just forward of the {{convert|1100|kgf|kN lbf|abbr=on|lk=on}} axial-flow RD-10F turbojet engine. Its air intake was in the nose and the afterburner was positioned at the rear of the fuselage, just below the tail structure. Fitted with tricycle landing gear, the main landing gear retracted inwards into the fuselage while the nose gear retracted forwards. The laminar-flow, two-spar, straight wing was mounted in the middle of the fuselage. It was equipped with modified Fowler flaps and Frise ailerons. The rudder was split into two sections by the horizontal stabilizers; the upper portion was fabric-covered while the lower half was metal-skinned. The pilot was protected by a bulletproof windscreen, a forward armor plate and an armored seat back. In addition, he was provided with an ejection seat. The Yak-19 was equipped with four fuel tanks in the fuselage that had a total capacity of {{convert|650|kg|lb}} of fuel. It was armed with two {{convert|23|mm|sp=us|1|adj=on}} Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 autocannon, each with 70 rounds.Gordon & Kommissarov, pp. 221–23

The day after the first prototype was completed, it was trucked to Khodynka Field to begin taxiing trials. On 12 December it caught fire when a defective fuel gasket blew out; the repairs took a fortnight. Immediately before its maiden flight, a pair of experimental 23 mm Shpitalny Sh-3 autocannon replaced the NS-23s. It first flew on 8 January 1947 with Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Ivanov, at the controls, although he was not the primary test pilot. The Yak-19 was grounded from 2 March to 18 May as it awaited a new engine. On 21 May, the afterburner was tested in flight for the first time. While the fighter was the first Soviet aircraft to be equipped with an afterburner, it was not the first one to use one in flight as the Aircraft 156 had done so over a month earlier. The second prototype first flew on 6 June and was almost identical with the first prototype. Changes included five degrees of dihedral to the horizontal stabilizer, a slightly revised vertical stabilizer and plumbing for a pair of {{convert|195|L|impgal USgal|adj=on|sp=us}} drop tanks underneath the wingtips. This increased the fighter's total fuel load to {{convert|980|kg|lb}}.Gordon & Kommissarov, pp. 223–25

During the manufacturer's flight tests, the Yak-19 became the first Soviet aircraft to exceed 900 km/h. Major Sergei Anokhin was the primary test pilot and reported that the aircraft had pleasant and predictable flying characteristics and presented no difficulties for the average pilot. Before the testing was completed, Anokhin led the jets participating in the flypast at Tushino Airfield on 3 August.Gordon & Kommissarov, p. 225

State acceptance tests began on 17 October, using the second prototype, and finished on 30 January 1948. The group of military test pilots concluded that the afterburner was unreliable and the aircraft was difficult to control in roll. Other complaints were focused on the cockpit; it was deemed was too small and lacked sufficient armor and heating or ventilation. They decided that the Yak-19 could not be recommended for service. Rather than modify the aircraft to address these problems, Yakovlev chose to cancel it entirely in favor of designs using the more-powerful ({{convert|1500|kgf|kN lbf|abbr=on}}) Rolls-Royce Derwent-derived Klimov RD-500, like his Yak-23 and Yak-25 fighters then under development.Gordon & Kommissarov, pp. 227–29

File:Yakolev Yak-19 3-view.svg

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Early Soviet Jet FightersGordon & Kommissarov, pp. 226–27

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|crew=1

|capacity=

|length m=8.36

|span m=8.72

|height m=

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|height note=

|wing area sqm=13.56

|airfoil=

|empty weight kg=2151

|empty weight lb=

|empty weight note=

|gross weight kg=3400

|fuel capacity={{convert|650|kg|abbr=on}} (internal), {{convert|973|kg|abbr=on}} (with drop tanks)

|more general=

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Klimov RD-10F

|eng1 type=axial-flow turbojet

|eng1 lbf=2425

|eng1 kgf=

|eng1 note=with afterburner

|power original=

|thrust original=

|perfhide=

|max speed kmh=907

|max speed note=at {{convert|5250|m|abbr=on}}

|range km=580

|range miles=

|range nmi=

|range note=

|combat range km=

|combat range miles=

|combat range nmi=

|combat range note=

|ferry range km=970

|ferry range miles=

|ferry range nmi=

|ferry range note=with drop tanks at altitude of {{convert|8000|m|abbr=on}}

|endurance=

|ceiling m=12100

|climb rate ms=23

|climb rate ftmin=

|climb rate note=at sea level

|time to altitude={{convert|5000|m|abbr=on}} in 4 minutes

|wing loading kg/m2=226

|wing loading lb/sqft=

|wing loading note=

|fuel consumption kg/km=

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|thrust/weight=0.36

|more performance=

|guns= 2 × {{convert|23|mm|abbr=on}} Shpitalny Sh-3 autocannon with 70 rounds per gun

|avionics=

}}

{{aircontent|

|related=

• Yakovlev Yak-25

|similar aircraft=

• Bell XP-83
• Chance-Vought F6U Pirate
• de Havilland Vampire
• Grumman F9F Panther
• Hawker Sea Hawk
• McDonnell F2H Banshee
• North American FJ-1 Fury
• Republic F-84
• Supermarine Attacker

|lists=

• List of fighter aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and CIS

|see also=

}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• Gordon, Yefim & Kommissarov, Dmitry. Early Soviet Jet Fighters. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-902109-35-0}}.

• Gordon, Yefim, Kommissarov, Dmitry & Komissariov, Sergey. OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and Its Aircraft. Hinkley, England: Midland, 2005. {{ISBN|1-85780-203-9}}
• Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. {{ISBN|0-8317-3939-8}}
• Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey, 1995. {{ISBN|1-85532-405-9}}
• Gunston, Bill & Gordon, Yefim. Yakovlev Aircraft Since 1924. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1997. {{ISBN|1-55750-978-6}}

{{commons category|Yakovlev Yak-19}}

• [http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/yak-19.html Russian Aviation Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924124208/http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/yak-19.html |date=2015-09-24 }}

{{Yakovlev aircraft}}

{{Soviet straight-winged jet fighters}}

{{USAF/DoD reporting names}}

{{aviation.ru}}

Category:1940s Soviet fighter aircraft

Yak-019

Category:Single-engined jet aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1947