Yakovlev Yak-3
The Yakovlev Yak-3 was one of the lightest and most agile fighters of the Second World War, built by deliberately stripping weight from earlier Yak designs to maximise manoeuvrability at low and medium altitude, where most Eastern Front air combat took place. Soviet pilots and the famous French Normandie-Niemen squadron that flew them both praised its exceptional agility, which let it out-turn heavier German fighters in close combat. Its light weight came at the cost of range and high-altitude performance, limiting it mostly to front-line air superiority missions rather than long-range escort duty. A number of flying replicas and restorations keep the type visible at airshows today, since few original wartime examples survived.
Did you know?
The Yak-3 was deliberately stripped of weight to maximise low-altitude agility, letting Soviet pilots out-turn heavier German fighters in close combat.
Specifications
| Length | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 9.2 m (30 ft) |
| Height | 2.4 m (8 ft) |
| Crew | 1 |
| Range | 355 NM (657 km) |
| Maximum speed | 335 kt (620 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 35,450 ft (10,805 m) |
| Take-off distance | 345 m (1,132 ft) |
| Engines | 1x Klimov VK-105PF2 |
| Units built | 4,848 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Yakovlev Yak-3 starts as a Very rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
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