Yak-30D

Yak-30D

Yak-23

Yak-38M

Yak-30D

Yak-23

Yak-38M

USSR

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	8.7	8.0

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:135 000

Purchase:380 000

Description

The Yak-30 was Yakovlev's attempt to compete with Mikoyan-Gurevich after the limited success of the Yak-23 and all their jets using the Yak-3 fuselage. The Yak-30 was a completely new design based on the experimental Yak-25, however this variant included a swept wing for better performance at high speeds. The aircraft test trials started after its first flight in 1948 but it proved unsatisfactory, thus a new version with most of the problems fixed was developed, the Yak-30D. This new variant showed good results but the superior MiG-15 was already in production and thus the project was cancelled.

It was introduced in Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows". The Yak-30D is a very capable jet fighter with a playstyle very similar to that of contemporary Soviet fighters like the La-15 and MiG-15. The Yak-30D excels at high speed performance (around 800-900 km/h), it's capable of more than 1,000 km/h at sea level when the thrust is set to 112%, note that this extra power consumes more fuel. However, the engine is better accelerating at lower speeds and at more than 850 km/h it loses energy relatively fast in any manoeuvres. The aircraft compresses significantly at high speeds and control of the aircraft is tricky, thus for avoiding missiles or starting dogfights it is better to lose speed to around 800-900 km/h. However, unlike the Yak-23, the Yak-30D has an airbrake to lose that unnecessary speed when needed.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Max speed

at 1 000 m1 026 km/h

Turn time21 s

Max altitude15 500 m

EngineKlimov RD-500

TypeJet

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight4 t

The Yak-30 is the first plane from the Yakovlev line of fighters to incorporate swept wings. Although it uses the same Klimov RD-500 engine compared to its predecessor due to aerodynamics improvements the maximum level speed is over 100 km/h higher and can reach 1026 km/h at sea level when flying at 112% of power. Its acceleration is better than in many other jet fighters at similar battle rating, for example a F-84G, F2H or M.D.452. Thrust to weight ratio which is 0.45 is comparable to its main real life competitors, the MiG-15 and La-15. The same about the climb rate performance, at sea level it is close to ~40 m/s, better when compared to jet fighters from other nations. The main downside is the engine overheating, it cannot fly at full power for too long, the time limit is 5 minutes and 10 minutes for flying at 100%.

The turn rate performance is very good, it can perform a full horizontal circle in around 20 seconds, which is a very good time, close to propeller driven planes. This along with quite good roll rate which can reach up to 115 degrees per second makes the plane very good in dogfight situations at low and medium speed, but once it starts getting close to transonic speeds the Yak-30 will start to suffer from high speed compressibility and make aiming difficult. The G limits are high for this kind of plane, the player will not have to worry about breaking a wing. It also has access to an airbrake that can keep it from reaching the structural speed limit (1,080 km/h IAS) and flaps which can be extended in three positions that can improve the turning performance a lot, but their speed limit is low, in combat position it is around 500 km/h IAS. Overall the plane is very similar to the La-15, the only difference being slightly worse roll rate, higher speed limit and better turn rate.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	979	950	15500	21.2	22.6	31.4	29.8	520
Upgraded	1,045	1,026		20.8	21.0	45.0	38.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
✓	✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1081	350	500	470	320	~12	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 660	< 540	< 640	-

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Empty mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Klimov RD-500		1	2,600 kg		219 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)			Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		9m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel
567 kg	Centrifugal-flow turbojet		2,820 kg	3,077 kg	3,310 kg	3,870 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (112%)
Condition	100%	112%	9m fuel	20m fuel	30m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	1,349 kgf	1,499 kgf	0.53	0.49	0.45	0.39
Optimal	1,349 kgf (0 km/h)	1,499 kgf (0 km/h)	0.53	0.49	0.45	0.39

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural1 081 km/h

Gear350 km/h

• 64 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 420 → 4 353

RB10 030 → 12 768

SB13 696 → 17 435

Total cost of modifications122 300

195 000

Talisman cost2 300

Crew training110 000

Experts380 000

Aces2 000

Research Aces830 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

120 / 380 / 600 %

208 / 208 / 208 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 8 100 Cost: 13 000 220 Compressor Research: 8 100 Cost: 13 000 220 New boosters Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 380 Wings repair Research: 15 000 Cost: 24 000 410 Engine Research: 20 000 Cost: 32 000 550	Airframe Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 380 Cover Research: 20 000 Cost: 32 000 550	ns23_belt_pack Research: 8 100 Cost: 13 000 220 ns23_new_gun Research: 15 000 Cost: 24 000 410

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 13 x 23 mm NR-23 cannon

Ammunition225 rounds

Fire rate900 shots/min

The Yak-30D is armed with:

• 3 x 23 mm NR-23 cannons, chin-mounted (75 rpg = 225 total)

The two right mounted cannons can be fired independently of the left mounted one, allowing for potential conservation of ammunition.

Usage in battles

If downtiered, Boom & Zoom is the tactic that should be employed with the Yak-30; it is key to keep your speed above 750 km/h at all times to give yourself a chance of running away if the engagement you are partaking in turns into the enemies favour. Although the Yak-30 at the specified speed is able to turn with most of its targets, don't depend on turning with your enemy as you may be caught off guard and unable to react if another enemy player enters the engagement. If you encounter an enemy who is on par or faster than your Yak-30, refer to the paragraph below.

If uptiered, Energy fighting or (if the engagement calls for it) turn fighting may be employed for the Yak-30; It is absolutely vital to know your enemies strengths and weaknesses. Your best tactic to use is deception; never let the enemy guess where you're going to go next. Keep the Yak-30 in its state of compression for as long as possible; At such high speeds, the Yak-30 is still manoeuvrable enough to out turn most of the jets it will face, causing a chasing enemy to overshoot or in rare cases, rip their wings off. A good tactic for engaging faster jets is to let them get onto your tail before baiting them into a turn. continue the turn until the enemy has lost a reasonably large chunk of energy before zooming away; The Yak-30's acceleration at low to medium speeds is still exceptional and will aid you with opening a gap between the enemy and you for setting up an actual dogfight.

Specific enemies worth noting

G.91s, Me 163s and Me 262 C-2bs are all effective matches for the Yak-30. The G.91s are the most comparable fighter to the Yak-30, like a MiG-15's F-86 Sabre or a Spitfire's Bf 109; facing off against one relies on the skill of the pilot and other external factors such as prior damage or altitude. A Yak-30's strength against a G.91 is its ability to compress and airframe strength (it is possible to make a chasing G.91 rip its wings executing the same manoeuvre as you at certain speeds). If you end up in a one-on-one engagement with a G.91, make sure to read your opponent and guess what their next move is going to be. Be patient and wait for your enemy to make a mistake.

Counter-tactics

Defensive flying is a strong point of the Yak-30 due to its relatively high turn rate at all speeds. Its roll rate although not being good at high speeds, can still be used in conjunction with other control surfaces to throw the enemy off and gain neutral ground. Careful throttle/flap control can always be used to great effect against any higher-energy opponent; however- the Yak-30 is no Yak-23- the Yak-30 will not and cannot accelerate and climb to disengage. Effective teamwork and squads can help eliminate most disadvantages a Yak-30 pilot may experience against any opposing fighter. The Yak-30 does not like damage; a single burst of a .50cal weapon is able to cripple the Yak-30's ability to manoeuvre and therefore is an easy target. Although being fast for its BR, its top speed is its downfall in uptier matches where most jets will be able to catch the Yak-30.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Guns are deadly when they work
• Good energy retention
• Good acceleration (up to 600-700 km/h)
• Decent manoeuvrability
• God-like turn rate below 600 km/h, specially when using flaps
• Good zoom-climb rate
• Engine has 112% throttle for added thrust
• Difficult to rip the wings

Cons:

• Control surfaces compress significantly at higher speeds
• Low ammo count
• Guns are hard to aim
• Unreliable guns that are notoriously ineffective at times
• Engine overheats easily at 112% throttle, use with caution!
• Minimal fuel load is usually too little for Air RB matches
• Flaps are easy to break if not careful
• Mediocre acceleration past 600 km/h
• Tends to be uptiered constantly, which faces aircraft that outclasses it in many ways

History

The Soviet Yak-30 was an experimental fighter/interceptor developed from the failed Yak-25 with a swept wing design similar to that found in early cold war fighter jets like the MiG-15 and F-86 Sabre. The design in fact was largely similar to the Yak-25 and the most important change was the addition of the swept wing at 35°. The development of the Yak-25 ended in 1948, the same year the Yak-30 took to the skies.

The Yak-30 was the unsuccessful rival to the MiG-15. Designed by Yakovlev to compete with the MiG-15 for the same contract, it fell behind its competitor and the Yak did not have its first flight until the MiG had already completed service trials. The Yak-30 answered to the Soviet requirement of a new light fighter capable of reaching Mach 0.9 and to operate from unpaved and unprepared airstrips.

The aircraft was fitted with 3 x NR-23 cannons with 75 rounds per gun, better suited for dogfighting than the armament found on the MiG-15 but worse for bomber interception. The Yak-30 also retained the same engine as the Yak-23, a single Klimov RD-500 turbojet engine with a maximum 15.9 kN (3,600 lbf) thrust.

Its first test flight occurred in September 1948, while the second prototype joined the test program in 1949 with several changes to the design, like increased fuel and ammo capacity, changes to the radio system and a new oxygen system (known as the Yak-30D). In testing, the aircraft achieved its goal of Mach 0.9, being capable of Mach 0.935 in a dive, 40 km/h more than the Yak-25 and 1,000 m more in service ceiling.

Most of the flaws found in the first prototype were rapidly fixed in the Yak-30D, with most of the problems being eradicated. However the MiG-15 proved superior for interception of enemy bombers and it was already in production and the project was cancelled in favour of the further development and improvement of the MiG-15.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Yak-30D from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] The Yak-30D: A long anticipated top jet fighter in the Yakovlev fighters branch
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau (Яковлев Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Fighters
Yak-1	Yak-1 · Yak-1B
Yak-3	Yak-3 · Eremin's Yak-3(e) · Yak-3 (VK-107) · Yak-3P · Yak-3T · Yak-3U
Yak-7	Yak-7B
Yak-9	Yak-9 · Yak-9B · Yak-9K · Golovachev's Yak-9M · Yak-9P · Yak-9T · Yak-9U · Yak-9UT
Twin-engine fighters	I-29
Jet fighters
Yak-15	Yak-15P · Yak-15
Yak-17	Yak-17
Yak-23	Yak-23
Yak-30	Yak-30D
Yak-141	Yak-141
Strike aircraft
Yak-2	Yak-2 KABB
Yak-38	Yak-38 · Yak-38M
Bombers	Yak-4
Jet bombers	Yak-28B
Foreign use	▄Yak-3 · Challe's ▄Yak-9T · ◔Yak-9P
Captured	▀Yak-1B