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Yakovlev Yak-38 Shipborne VTOL Combat Aircraft Family

The Yakovlev Yak-38 was a single-seat Soviet naval combat aircraft built for vertical or short takeoff and landing from Kiev-class aviation cruisers. Its lift-and-cruise arrangement paired a forward propulsion engine with dedicated lift engines, making the Forger a distinctive and technically important Cold War experiment in practical shipborne VTOL operations.

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Identity

Aliases
Yakovlev Yak-38Yak-38Yak-38MForger
Family Name
Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger
Full Name
Yakovlev Yak-38 Shipborne VTOL Combat Aircraft Family
Roles
militaryexperimental
Status
retired
Type
aircraft

Details

Aircraft Specs
Configuration
fixed_wing
Crew Capacity
1
Operating Modes
land
Takeoff Landing Capabilities
vtol
Description
The Yakovlev Yak-38 was a single-seat Soviet naval combat aircraft built for vertical or short takeoff and landing from Kiev-class aviation cruisers. Its lift-and-cruise arrangement paired a forward propulsion engine with dedicated lift engines, making the Forger a distinctive and technically important Cold War experiment in practical shipborne VTOL operations.

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Creation Time
August 7, 2026 at 04:29:03 UTC
Updated Time
August 7, 2026 at 04:29:03 UTC