The most agile fighter ever built...

Contentious Claim

Just wondering if there is any information available that supports the claim of the Yak-3U as the most agile fighter ever built?? :icon_eek:

The only information I've seen is that of it's speed, which was clocked in trials at 438mph (705 km/h) at 20,000ft; at a gross weight of 6,155lb (2,792kg), with a engine (ASh-82FN) rated at 1,630 hp at best altitude.

Even Gordon and Khazanov's minutely detailed "Soviet Combat Aircraft of WWII - Single Engined Fighters" contains no more than a passing mention of the trial aircraft. The only addition to the above speed claim is that of " and it's climb rate was excellent". No details on roll rates, turn rates or actual climb rates.

Now the Type Zero Model 21 performance factors are well known.
For example it's maximum speed was 332 mph at 16,570ft, and it could climb from a standing start, under no-wind conditions, to 19,680ft in 7 minutes 27 seconds. It's best climb rate of 4,517 feet was achieved between 9,925ft and 14,104ft. And that with a gross weight of 5,313 lbs and an engine that only produced 950 hp at it's best altitude.

The Model 21 had a radius of turn, in a steady turn,with entry speed at 230 mph, of 1,118ft, completing the turn in 15.2 seconds. At slow combat speed (185 mph) the fighter had a radius of turn of 612ft, with a turn time of just 12.25 seconds.
Entering a 180 degree steep turn with an entry speed of 230 mph, the Model 21 could complete the turn in 5.62 seconds, with an exit speed from the turn of 188.9 mph.

The aircraft had a normal positive-G load factor of 7G, with an safety factor of an additional 1.8G. The normal negitive-G load factor was 3.5G, with a safety factor of an additional 1.8G.

Compared to the Model 21 Zero, the Yak-3 could complete a 360 degree turn at an entry speed on 215 mph in 18.4 seconds. Even the Yak-1M (prototype for the Yak-3 series) could only complete a 360 degree turn in 16.5 seconds.

The Spitfire Mk.1, at a corner speed of 133 mph @ 12,000ft, had a radius of turn of 696 ft, completed in 19 seconds.
 
Pips said:
Just wondering if there is any information available that supports the claim of the Yak-3U as the most agile fighter ever built?? :icon_eek:

The only information I've seen is that of it's speed, which was clocked in trials at 438mph (705 km/h) at 20,000ft; at a gross weight of 6,155lb (2,792kg), with a engine (ASh-82FN) rated at 1,630 hp at best altitude.

Even Gordon and Khazanov's minutely detailed "Soviet Combat Aircraft of WWII - Single Engined Fighters" contains no more than a passing mention of the trial aircraft. The only addition to the above speed claim is that of " and it's climb rate was excellent". No details on roll rates, turn rates or actual climb rates.

Now the Type Zero Model 21 performance factors are well known.
For example it's maximum speed was 332 mph at 16,570ft, and it could climb from a standing start, under no-wind conditions, to 19,680ft in 7 minutes 27 seconds. It's best climb rate of 4,517 feet was achieved between 9,925ft and 14,104ft. And that with a gross weight of 5,313 lbs and an engine that only produced 950 hp at it's best altitude.

The Model 21 had a radius of turn, in a steady turn,with entry speed at 230 mph, of 1,118ft, completing the turn in 15.2 seconds. At slow combat speed (185 mph) the fighter had a radius of turn of 612ft, with a turn time of just 12.25 seconds.
Entering a 180 degree steep turn with an entry speed of 230 mph, the Model 21 could complete the turn in 5.62 seconds, with an exit speed from the turn of 188.9 mph.

The aircraft had a normal positive-G load factor of 7G, with an safety factor of an additional 1.8G. The normal negitive-G load factor was 3.5G, with a safety factor of an additional 1.8G.

Compared to the Model 21 Zero, the Yak-3 could complete a 360 degree turn at an entry speed on 215 mph in 18.4 seconds. Even the Yak-1M (prototype for the Yak-3 series) could only complete a 360 degree turn in 16.5 seconds.

The Spitfire Mk.1, at a corner speed of 133 mph @ 12,000ft, had a radius of turn of 696 ft, completed in 19 seconds.
Click to expand...

The opinion was from a test Soviet pilot that flew almost all Allied and Axis planes. I researched each plane carefully before begining top work the aifile and DP (normally I use cutaways to see fuel tank position and other aspects of the plane). I didn't found his name, but the statement is true. The Yak-3M-82 was a little heavier than a A6M5 with a very powerful engine. Using torque effect it could turn inside all planes avaiable to compare at Soviet Union, including some Japanese fighters captured at Manchuria and Sakhalin islands. They flew it against a Ki-43B and a Ki-84.

Cheers

Pepe
 
Hmmm. So the claim is based upon one Soviet pilot, whose name is unkown. And it's a subjective claim, as there is almost no information available on the performance of the Yak-3U, other than it's weight, engine capacity and speed. No hard test data to support the claim at all.

Very thin indeed.
 
The claim is on a lot of serious book...

...including "The Complete Fighters Encyclopedia" by Bill Guston. The Russian declassified a lot of Soviet documents, may be you can check there and write a new book about the Yak-3.

Cheers

Pepe
 
Got it, flew it, love it. Thanks to Pepe and all those involved.
 
To Pepe and all users of the Yak-3M-82...

... the reason why you get a CTD at the end of a Quick Combat session is because of the allegiance, in the [MISC_DATA] section of the DP file. It is set to 5, which must correspond to some UIRES images of Russian allegiance that do not exist in the original CFS2. If you set it to 3, for US, or 4, for Japanese, you won't get CTDs anymore (thanks again to JapLance who gave me this solution for some other planes).
 
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