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The 'Yakovlev Yak-17' (Russian: 'Як-17 ', originally known to US intelligence as the 'Type-16' and later by the NATO reporting name 'Feather') was an early Soviet jet fighter, developed from the Yak-15.

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Specifications (Yak-17)

References

External links

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Design and development

Developed in 1947. A prototype designated Yak-15U, converted from Yak-15, first flew in June 1947. Main visible difference was a new tricycle landing gear. A less obvious difference between Yak-17 and its predecessor Yakovlev Yak-15 was that the former was largely a metal aircraft while the latter was still largely built from wood like its propeller ancestor in World War II. In March 1948 it was ordered for series production and its designation was changed to Yak-17. Only two variants were built: Yak-17 single-seat fighter and Yak-17UTI (Type-26/Magnet) two-seat trainer. 430 were built in total, in 1948–1949.

Operational history

Yak-17 was first publicly displayed at the Soviet Aviation Day of 1949, at Tushino.
Yak-17, being one of first Soviet jet fighters, had faults, like relatively low speed and range and unreliable engine (based upon the German Junkers Jumo 004), with a complicated starting procedure. On the other hand, its handling was very simple and similar to popular propeller fighters Yak-3 and Yak-9, what made it an excellent transitional machine to jet fighters, especially in a trainer variant.

Variants

;Yak-17
:Fighter version, serial built.
;Yak-17UTI / Yak-17V
Two-seat training version first seen at 1949 Soviet Aviation Day, Tushino.

Operators

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★ People's Liberation Army Air Force
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★ Czechoslovak Air Force tested one Yak-17 aircraft.
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★ Polish Air Force operated 3 Yak-17 (transcribed as ''Jak-17'') and 1 Yak-17UTI (known as ''Jak-17UTI'' or ''Jak-17W''), from 1950 and were withdrawn by 1955.

★ ''Instytut Lotnictwa'' received one Jak-17 from Polish Air Force and used it with civilian markings SP-GLM for tests between 1957 and 1960.
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★ Romanian Air Force operated 5 Yak-17UTI as trainers for the Yak-23s from 1951 until 1958
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★ Soviet Air Force operated Yak-17 aircraft from 1948 to early 1950s.

Specifications (Yak-17)

References

External links

★ Description page on aviation.ru

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