Yak-3P

This page is about the Soviet fighter Yak-3P. For other versions, see Yak-3 (Family).

Yak-3P

Yak-9U

Yak-9P

Yak-3P

Yak-9U

Yak-9P

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.0	5.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:54 000

Purchase:185 000

Description

The Yakovlev Yak-3P is the second variant of the Yak-3 fighter aircraft family. The Yak-3P, which entered service in 1945, was the most common Yak-3 variant. The initial variant of the Yak-3 was armed with one 20 mm ShVAK cannon and two 12.7mm Berezin UB heavy machine guns; the Yak-3P features serious improvements in firepower. It was equipped with three 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons (one in M modification and two in S modification), significantly increasing its combat efficiency and turning it into an even more formidable air-to-air fighter aircraft. Production began after World War II, and a total of 596 aircraft were manufactured, but none were ever deployed in battle. The three-cannon armament was 11 kg less than the standard Yak-3, and the one-second burst mass of 3.52 kg was heavier than most of its contemporary counterparts.

Introduced in Update 1.35, the Yak-3P is one of the best Yak-3 variants produced for the Soviet Air Force. It can easily shred apart any aircraft with a single hit thanks to its three 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannons. Experienced pilots will be thrilled to get their hands on such a powerful plane, and skilful playing can easily gain players several kills in combat. The Yak-3P is one of the strongest fighter aircraft in its rank, with excellent manoeuvrability, powerful armament, and a high-top speed. It does, however, have the classic drawback of all Soviet Yak fighter aircraft: comparatively poor performance over 3,000 metres. This, combined with the wooden construction of its wing tips and control surface compression above 600 km/h, makes it unsuitable for high-speed diving during combat.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 4 100 m639 km/h

Turn time17 s

Max altitude10 400 m

EngineKlimov VK-105PF

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight3 t

Like most Yaks, the 3P has good manoeuvrability, and you can out-turn pretty much everything except for the A6M, some of the Bf 109s, and Spitfires. Its low rip speed does keep it from escaping enemy fighters in a dive. In arcade mode, WEP provides a very good rate of acceleration, so running away from a battle poses no challenges. The climb-rate is quite good, but not as great as the Spitfire or Fw 190. Thus, the Yak-3P excels at boom-and-zoom tactics. Performance is unfortunately rather terrible above a 3 km threshold. Below that altitude performance is fantastic, comparable nearly to a Spitfire in manoeuvrability.

In Arcade mode, this is one of the best 5.0 planes available. The wings are not affected by high speeds, so you can push the 3P to the limits. However, in RB or SB, watch your speed if you use Boom & Zoom. Any speed higher than around 660 km/h (410 mph) will cause the control surfaces to lock up and any attempt to make a hard turn at this point will break your wings. The 3P also has really bad high altitude performance, so you are limited to around 3,000 m before your speed and performance drastically decrease.

Unlike the Yak-9s and 7s, the 3P is a fully composite plane. This means the wings have higher durability than the wooden-supported Yak-9, but it is still recommended you do not push the plane's manoeuvres to the limits, as the wings will still break trying to manoeuvre near rip speeds. The engine also tends to overheat quickly.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,100 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	622	604	10400	18.4	19.0	17.7	17.7	348
Upgraded	663	643		17.2	17.5	24.0	21.1

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
685	320	N/A	N/A	320	~12	~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 380	< 420	< 490	> 340

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear320 km/h

The Yak-3P does not have a lot of protection in terms of armour plates. It only offers protection from the rear of the cockpit, with a steel plate behind the pilot, a thick bullet proof glass head rest, with a small steel panel installed above it.

• 8.5 mm Steel - Plate behind the pilot
• 10 mm Steel - Plate above pilot's seat on the canopy
• 64 mm Bulletproof glass - Rear glass/headrest

The durability of the plane is not great. The abundance of .50 cals and 20mm cannons at its BR means that fires and otherwise crippling damage are common upon being hit. Thus, your greatest protection is agility, a gift abundant with the Yak-3P.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 650 → 3 937

RB5 998 → 8 913

SB8 928 → 13 267

Total cost of modifications47 000

86 100

Talisman cost1 500

Crew training52 000

Experts185 000

Aces940

Research Aces480 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

90 / 210 / 440 %

166 / 166 / 166 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 4 700 Cost: 8 500 240 Radiator Research: 4 700 Cost: 8 500 240 Compressor Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 400 175 Wings repair Research: 5 900 Cost: 11 000 300 Engine Research: 5 900 Cost: 11 000 300 100 octane fuel usage Research: 5 100 Cost: 9 300 260	Airframe Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 400 175 Cover Research: 5 100 Cost: 9 300 260	shvak_belt_pack Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 400 175 b20_new_gun Research: 5 100 Cost: 9 300 260

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm B-20S cannon

Ammunition260 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

Weapon 220 mm B-20M cannon

Ammunition120 rounds

Fire rate800 shots/min

The Yak-3P is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm B-20M cannon, nose-mounted (120 rpg)
• 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (130 rpg = 260 total)

The armament is fantastic - three 20 mm cannons mounted in the nose can rip apart pretty much every plane you will face. These cannons have good ballistics and are very capable of setting enemies on fire. However, they do not pack the punch of Hispanos or AN/M2 cannons, or the unlockable belts, for that matter. Thus, it is recommended you research the belts as quickly as possible because the Ground Targets ammunition will increase performance markedly. One great advantage of the B-20M/S cannons is that they take much longer to jam than their American/British cannon counterparts. Watch your ammo count, it's best to attack at an angle with short bursts to maximize damage while preserving ammo.

Usage in battles

The Yak-3P is much the same as the Yak-3, however it has some differences such as armament, instead of the one cannon and two machine guns. It has no secondary armament, thus using it as a ground attacker or bomber is not advisable, it lacks the ordnance to perform that role. It should only be used as a fighter, using the boom and zoom tactic, to dominate and own the battlefield of the deep blue sky. A Yak-3P is equipped with three cannons, two B-20S and a single engine mounted B-20M.

The armament provides the Yak-3P with some of the best armament at its rank. The three cannons are able to make quick work of any enemy aircraft, using short bursts of about one second are able to knock the enemy aircraft out. The placement of the three cannons are all located in the front of the fuselage, making accuracy very good, at all ranges.

To get the best out of this legendary aircraft, climb between 3,000 and 4,000 m, it will only take a few minutes to reach this height. Once at this height level off and keep your eyes open, find an enemy target you want to engage and overshoot it then dive down on to it. Cut the throttle back as you dive, if you don't watch your speed, you will rip the wings clean off.

Engaging fighters

Most enemy fighters will be between 3,000 and 3,800 m, using your height advantage, drop down from your height and get behind it. If the fighter is above you, nose-down slightly and turn out of their nose if they choose to engage. Getting behind the diving fighter shouldn't be difficult unless it happens to be a Zero of Spitfire (for which you can use your superior power output at lower altitudes, attempting an energy-trap approach). Once behind the fighter, do not engage until you are close enough to rip them in half with your three 20 mm cannons. If you miss and they turn, pending how sharp the turn is follow them. However, if it's a very sharp turn do not turn with them, instead open the throttle and climb back up to gain a height advantage. Then either try it again or find a new bandit to knock out.

Engaging bombers

Engaging enemy bombers, since the Yak-3P does not have any frontal protection the engine will get shot out or badly damaged. The best line of attack is to dive on the bomber from the front, as the three B-20 20mm cannons you possess can tear apart the bomber's crew or engines. If you have to attack the bomber from behind, try to dive on it from above, and do not travel in a straight line. Instead, zig-zag behind it, the additional benefit of this move is that it makes it harder for the enemy to knock out your pilot. The Yak-3P does not have any bullet proof glass on the front of the canopy, allowing enemy machine gun or cannon fire to penetrate inside of the cockpit from the front.

Since the Yak-3P has three powerful cannons, a short burst on the enemy tail will see that the slight surfaces get ripped off. Then move to one of the wings and fire a two-second burst, this will knock the engines out and cause fuel leaks in the wing, which can turn into fires if you have a HE round on your clip.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good acceleration
• Good speed in level flight
• Good climb rate
• Above-average turn rate
• Good horizontal energy retention
• Good roll rate
• Great armament, accurate and powerful
• Sufficient ammunition capacity (by Soviet standards; still needs trigger discipline to control ammunition usage)

Cons:

• Sub-par durability
• Easily catches fire
• Poor performance above 3,000 m
• No combat flaps, landing flaps cannot be safely used until sub-300 km/h
• No WEP
• Low wing rip speed for diving
• Serious control surface compression above 600 km/h
• Red paint scheme can be easily seen at long distances
• Easy to identify in Simulator battles

History

The idea to produce a new fighter for the Red Army Air Force went as far back as 1941. It was then that the Yakovlev Design Bureau presented the I-30 prototype, intended an alternative to the earlier Yak-1 design. However, the German invasion of the USSR, as well as aluminium shortages, meant that the project had to be put on hold. Yakovlev resumed the development in 1943 while working on an upgraded version of the Yak-1 fighter. This time, it was decided that a new aircraft should be produced to completely replace the Yak-1 and Yak-7 models.

By September 1943, yet another improved variant was ready, designated Yak-1M Dubler, on which the canvas skin on the tail section was replaced with 2 mm plywood, and oil and water radiators were improved. The Dubler also had a new mastless antenna, a ring sight instead of a reflector sight, improved armour and a new propeller. Test pilots were impressed by the new prototype. Their report stated in part: "Yak-1M possessed excellent horizontal, and especially vertical, manoeuvrability. Top speed greatly improved compared to earlier serial-production Yaks. Despite the improved performance, the aircraft remains easy to fly and does not require extensive pilot training."

The new machine was dubbed as the Yak-3 and entered service with the Red Army Air Force in 1944. The Yak-3 was a further modification of the Yak-1, produced in 1944 and 1945, with a total of 4,848 built, and considered one of the best fighters of the war.

The new fighter quickly became very popular with Soviet pilots. They highly praised its solid armament of two Berezin UBS 12.7 mm machine guns and one ShVAK 20 mm cannon as well as ease of piloting and superb low-altitude performance. Marcel Albert, the top scoring French ace of World War II, cited the Yak-3 as one of the best fighters of the war, along with the P-51 Mustang and the Supermarine Spitfire. After the war, the Yak-3 was also used by the Air Forces of Socialist Yugoslavia and Poland.

The Yak-3P was produced from April 1945 until mid-1946, armed with 3 × 20 mm Berezin B-20 cannon with 120 rounds for the middle cannon and 130 RPG for the side weapons. The three-cannon armament with full ammunition load was actually 11 kg (24 lb) lighter than that of a standard Yak-3, and the one-second burst mass of 3.52 kg (7.74 lb) was greater than that of most contemporary fighters. Starting in August 1945, all Yak-3 were produced in the Yak-3P configuration with a total of 596 built.

Archive of the in-game description

A single-seat monoplane fighter with a composite construction, retractable landing gear and a closed cockpit. A modification of the Yak-3 fighter with improved armament consisting of the 20 mm Berezina B-20M engine cannon and two synchronized 20 mm Berezina B-20S cannons installed instead of the synchronized machine guns. Since the B-20 cannons were modifications of UB machine guns with an increased-calibre barrel, the fighter's design required practically no changes. The aircraft's empty weight increased by only 11 kg, while the weight of its armament and ammunition ended up even lower than that of the Yak-3 with its ShVAK cannon and two large-calibre UB machine guns. The change in weaponry had no detrimental effect on the aircraft's flight characteristics. The Yak-3P fighter was armed with one B-20M engine cannon with 120 shells and two synchronized B-20S cannons with 130 shells each. All the cannons were fired using a compressed-air electric mechanism. The PKI-1 sight replaced the PBP-1A sight. The Yak-3P had a strengthened airframe (particularly the wing), and clasps were installed on the extra landing gear panels. The aircraft received the new RSI-6M radio. The experimental Yak-3P completed its maiden flight on 23 March 1945. The fighter went into series production at several aircraft plants only a few days before the end of the war, so it never reached the front. From August 1945 and to the end of series production, all Yak-3 fighters were built exclusively to the standard of the Yak-3P. In total, 596 were produced between April 1945 and the middle of 1946. The last of them served until 1950.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Yak-3P from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #317 - Pages of History section at 03:50 discusses the Yak-3P.

Yak-3P - Red Dead Yak - Using speed correctly in a fight - Green Fury

Yak-3P - Simple Ace And Soviet Teams In General - Napalmratte Review starts at 2:43

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

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

References

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