Yak-9UT

This page is about the Soviet fighter Yak-9UT. For other uses, see Yak-9 (Family).

Yak-9UT

Yak-3U

Yak-15P

Yak-9UT

Yak-3U

Yak-15P

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	5.7	6.3

Class:

Fighter

Research:35 000

Purchase:210 000

Description

The Yak-9UT is a rank IV Soviet fighter with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB), 5.7 (RB), and 6.3 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.37.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 5 000 m672 km/h

Turn time19 s

Max altitude10 500 m

EngineKlimov M-107A

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight3 t

The Yak-9UT has an extremely high acceleration rate which is enhanced compared to earlier Yaks due to using the new Klimov M-107 engine. Unfortunately, like all Yaks, it has a poor engine performance at high altitude, though not as bad as VK-105 powered Yaks. It also has good manoeuvrability that gets better at higher speeds (above 400 km/h), but you will still be outmanoeuvred by Zeroes and Spitfires. Keep in mind that the ailerons will start to compress above 500 km/h

The Yak-9UT doesn't have any the ability to carry bombs, however, it does have access to other gun configuration options many other aircraft do not have. By default, you have twin B-20S 20 mm cannons mounted on the top of the nose cowling and a single 23 mm cannon mounted in the propeller shaft, you have also access to the twin B-20S and an N-37 37 mm cannon with higher damage but less ammo and fire rate. Finally, the last gun setting, a single B-20S and an N-45 45 mm cannon with only HEFI-T rounds (High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary Tracers) that has a benefit of higher bullet speed and an additional round of ammo over the 37 mm configuration.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	651	634	10500	20.2	20.8	14.9	14.9	380
Upgraded	696	672		18.8	19.3	22.3	18.3

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	+	-
720	320	N/A	N/A	280	~11	~8

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 400	< 420	< 490	> 450

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear320 km/h

The aircraft features:

• Single frontal 64 mm bulletproof glass plate.
• Single rear 64 mm bulletproof glass plate located at the headrest of the cockpit.
• 8 mm steel plate located behind the pilot's seat.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 893 → 4 374

RB6 609 → 9 992

SB10 664 → 16 123

Total cost of modifications61 900

103 000

Talisman cost1 800

Crew training61 000

Experts210 000

Aces1 200

Research Aces570 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

110 / 230 / 530 %

178 / 178 / 178 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 Radiator Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 Compressor Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 280 Wings repair Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 Engine Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 Engine injection Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 600 320	Airframe Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 280 Cover Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 600 320	shvak_belt_pack Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 b20_new_gun Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 ns23_belt_pack Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 280 ns23_new_gun Research: 3 500 Cost: 5 800 280 ns37_belt_pack Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 N-37 cannon Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 yak9ut_n37_new_gun Research: 3 100 Cost: 5 200 250 ns45_belt_pack Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 600 320 NS-45 cannon Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 600 320 yak9ut_ns45_new_gun Research: 4 000 Cost: 6 600 320

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 123 mm NS-23 cannon

Ammunition80 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 20 mm B-20S cannon

Ammunition240 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

The Yak-9UT is armed with:

• A choice between three presets:
  • 1 x 23 mm NS-23 cannon, nose-mounted (80 rpg) + 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)
  • 1 x 37 mm N-37 cannon, nose-mounted (28 rpg) + 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)
  • 1 x 45 mm NS-45 cannon, nose-mounted (29 rpg) + 1 x 20 mm B-20S cannon, nose-mounted (170 rpg)

Usage in battles

Since this aircraft has a very high low-to-middle altitude acceleration, you should use this plane primarily as a dogfighter at those altitudes. It is also important to note that this plane like all Yaks and like most other Soviet-built fighters, low high-altitude performance, however, even at higher altitudes, this fighter can be used as a Boom & Zoom aircraft, provided you pay attention to your speed. Turn-fighting and dogfighting above 4500 meters are discouraged as at this altitude, many other aircraft will have superior turn capabilities and engine performance compared to the Yak-9UT, leaving it to struggle for any flight advantage.

While performance tends to suffer at higher altitudes, when kept closer to the ground, the Yak's performance starts to shine. This is especially true with its energy retention, such as performing a ~270-degree turn with minimal kph lost (~30 kph) and the ability to regain this speed extremely fast.

Engaging fighters & bombers

Most enemy fighters will be between 3,000 and 4,500 meters, with bombers being around 4,000 to 5,600 m. It's important to use your height advantage, drop down from your height and get behind the enemy. Once behind the fighter or bomber, do not engage it until you are close enough to see their tails in your crosshairs. Aim forward and fire only a single shot or a short burst, if armed with the 45 mm cannon (which is no longer than two seconds). Using the 37 mm N-37 cannon or the 23 mm NS-23 cannon, use a burst which is around two and half seconds.

If you miss your shot and they turn, depending on how sharp their turn is, follow them. If it's a very sharp turn do not make the turn, instead, open the throttle and climb back up to gain a height advantage. Once here, you can then attempt to line up another shot on them or find a new target to go after.

Ground & Naval Battles

While the earlier Yak-9T/K are able to reliably destroy enemies at their lower BR, the Yak-9UT will struggle to inflict serious damage to medium and heavy tanks with the 45 mm, while the 37 mm is barely capable of penetrating most medium tanks even from high angles of attack, and the 23 mm is all but useless against these targets. Still, it will often require multiple accurate passes with the 45 mm to knock out the crew of such tanks, and with the limited ammunition supply of 29 rounds, a more reliable yet slower strategy is to aim for the engine deck in order to set the tank's fuel alight multiple times and deplete their FPE reserves, this has the added benefit of immobilising the target for a significant period of time, which may allow your team to capitalise on the enemy tank's lack of mobility in certain situations.

The Yak-9UT is ultimately rather unsuitable for CAS at its BR, only truly effective at destroying light tanks and SPAA with the 37 mm and 45 mm. The 23 mm and 20 mm configuration has decent effect against such targets, but a diving attack is necessitated as both cannons will have very little effect at low to medium angles of attack against all but the most weakly armoured enemies.

The Yak-9UT is all but completely useless for attacking naval targets in Naval RB at its BR.

In Ground RB and especially in Naval battles, the Yak-9UT is best suited as an air superiority fighter. As the 37 mm and 45 mm AP shells required to penetrate tanks provide extremely inconsistent damage against enemy air targets, and neither provide substantial post-pen damage against armoured targets, you will find much more success loading full HE belts and destroying enemy CAS.

Manual Engine Control

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent lower speed manoeuvrability that gets even better above 400 km/h (250 mph)
• Flaps are fast to deploy and are helpful if used properly
• Nose-mounted 23 mm and 37 mm cannons are effective against all types of aerial targets
• Able to choose between various cannons
• Decent low-to-mid altitude acceleration and climb
• Decent energy retention at lower altitudes
• Able to exceed 550 km/h IAS at low altitudes and 500 km/h IAS at 4,000 m
• Very short engine spool up and spool down time

Cons:

• Low diving speed (you lose wings over 720 km/h IAS)
• Low ammunition capacity for the cannon
• Engine easily overheats above 96% throttle (use 94 to 95% throttle to cool down)
• 20 mm B-20S cannons are very weak compared to contemporaries
• Engine power drops past 5 km altitude, which means less acceleration, climb, and overall speed
• Ailerons stiffen above 500 km/h
• Flaps break if fully deployed past 280 km/h IAS
• Flaps only have Landing position
• The 45 mm NS-45 cannon is a challenge to effectively use
• Unable to switch between the N-37 and the NS-23 without going back to the hangar

History

Archive of the in-game description

The Yak-9 was a Soviet single-engine fighter of the WWII era. It was the first combat aircraft designed by Alexander Yakovlev's construction bureau. The most mass-produced Soviet fighter of the war, it remained in production from October 1942 to December 1948, with a total of 16,769 built. The Yak-9 was a further modification of the Yak-1 and Yak-7. In its core design, it was a redesign of the Yak-7. With few external differences, Yak-9 was at the same time much more advanced internally. This is not unexpected, as almost two years of design and combat experience of the Yak series went into the Yak-9. Also, at the time aluminium was in much greater supply than it had been two years previously at the start of the war. Amongst other things, the use of metal allowed the plane's weight to be significantly reduced, meaning that more fuel could be stored and that the aircraft could be equipped with more powerful armament and more specialized equipment.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Yak-9UT from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

War Thunder Sub's Choice Ep 40: Yak-9UT [Packing 45 mm Shotgun!]" - Jengar

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

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