Yakovlev Yak-1000

A June 1950 Council of Ministers directive ordered Yakovlev to develop a supersonic fighter that used the Lyul'ka AL-5 axial compressor turbojet. Based on a recommendation from one of TsAGI aerodynamicists, Yakovlev was directed to use the rhomboid or cropped delta-shaped wing covered in captured German research. The directive was extremely ambitious as it required the maximum speed to be Mach 1.7 at a time when the world speed record was barely over the sound barrier. This requirement had to be revised when the AL-5 was delayed and a substitute engine had to be chosen. No other Soviet turbojet offered the same sort of power as the AL-5 so the project was recast as a technology demonstrator to evaluate the novel wing aerodynamics. The Klimov RD-500 was chosen and the maximum speed was expected to be at a takeoff weight of . The small, three-spar wings were the most significant new feature on the Yak-1000. They had an aspect ratio of only 1.46 with 60° leading-edge sweepback with 51°11' sweepback at quarter chord. The thickness/chord ratio was 3.4% at the root and 4.5% at the tip. The trailing edge was swept forward 11° and consisted of a full-span flap with an inset ailerons. The delta-shaped horizontal stabilizer was set low on the tail and was shaped much like the wing, with 5% thickness. The rudder was tiny, as were the mass-balanced elevators. The tandem undercarriage legs, similar to those of the Yak-50, retracted aft, although the forward wheel remained exposed when retracted. Small outrigger struts retracted aft into underwing fairings set at mid-span. On the ground the Yak-1000 had a pronounced nose-high attitude, and the single nosewheel was steerable. ==Development==

The prototype was completed on 27 February 1951 and it began taxiing trials on 2 March. On the following day it was taxiing at speed up to , but was blown off the runway when a strong crosswind caused the aircraft to bank which compressed the strut on the opposite side. This forced the aircraft to veer off the runway when the ailerons proved ineffective at countering the bank and the consequent damage forced the testing to be suspended. Some development was done to try to remedy the problems with instability already revealed, but Yakovlev was unenthusiastic about the whole project and it was cancelled in October 1951. P-15 Missile on display at the Black Sea Fleet Museum in Sevastopol. The Yak-1000's design and estimated performance ended up being recognized by Alexander Yakovlevich Bereznyak of MKB Raduga, who incorporated the smaller profile and small delta-wing layout into a ship-launched missile proposal that later became the P-15 Termit. The initial P-15 prototype featured a liquid-fuel rocket system and radar that replaced the air-breathing jet engine inlet and exhaust, but it carried over a very similar wing and fuselage configuration. The design would later transition into a folding wing design with a unique inverted Y-tail configuration, but the Yak-1000's features are still recognizable. ==Specifications (estimated)==