Yak-3U

Yak-3U

Yak-9P

Yak-9UT

Yak-3U

Yak-9P

Yak-9UT

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.7	5.7	6.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:63 000

Purchase:200 000

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

Description

The Yak-3U is a rank IV Russian fighter with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB) and 6.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy".

General info

Flight performance

The Yak-3U is the pinnacle of the Yakovlev piston engine fighter design, combining the amazing agility of the Yak-3 airframe with the excellent Shvetsov M-82FN engine acquired from the Lavochkin line, increasing its top speed tremendously. One can expect a similar playstyle to the feared Yak-3P but turned up a few notches due to the improvement in speed. However, the big elephant in the room is the woefully inadequate armament for the tier; two B-20S 20 mm cannons mounted in the nose are unable to compete with other aircraft in the BR 6.3 range, or even other Soviet aircraft at the same tier such as the I-225. Thus, the pilot should aim for critical components (engines, wings or pilot) in order to secure a kill.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
668	649	10500	18.2	19.4	21.6	21.6	360
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
729	695	10500	17.2	18.0	32	26.5	360

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
0	320	410	~11	~8

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 380	< 420	< 490	> 341

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,550 m	1,630 hp	1,920 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,550 m	1,430 hp	N/A

Survivability and armour

• 64 mm sloped bulletproof glass behind the pilot
• 8.5 mm steel plate behind the pilot seat

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Yak-3U is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm B-20S cannons, nose-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)

Usage in battles

Being an improvement on the Yak-3P, one can expect a similar playstyle to the feared Red Russian Menace, but with more versatility thanks to the improved engine providing a large increase in speed. The -3U provides quite a unique experience, as it can out-turn the enemies it can't out-run, and it can outrun the enemies it can't out-turn, so a smart pilot will use this versatility to their advantage. One should stick with energy fighting for the most part, but can certainly turn-fight with less manoeuvrable opponents, which include the P51 line.

The main drawback of the 3U is its poor armament. The two B-20S cannons provide lacklustre stopping power at this tier and have a nasty habit of sparking, and to top it off, they have a low ammunition count of 120 rounds per gun. The solid performance combined with the weak armament makes the -3U a very volatile plane. A newer or inexperienced player may find the performance enticing, but will struggle to do well if they're too trigger happy and have not used to the Russian 20 mm's very much. However, a good pilot will be able to use the upsides to these cannons (accuracy, high rate of fire and ability to start fires) to their advantage. Also worth noting is that Armored-Target belts from these cannon tend to set fuel tanks on fire quite easily, so aiming at them and at the engines of enemy aircraft will likely yield bright, warm results.

Manual Engine Control

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

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 20 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 20 mm cannons
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very fast for a propeller-driven aircraft, able to out-run the P51 D-5 at low altitude
• Amazing maneuverability that can compete with almost every aircraft at the tier
• Solid climb rate
• Fast firing and accurate cannons concentrated in the nose that are devastating in short, well-placed bursts at close range
• High dive speed for a Russian prop
• Great acceleration

Cons:

• Airframe is quite weak
• Susceptible to fires
• Twin cannon setup provides poor ballistics for its tier
• Despite the high speed for a Russian prop, it's still not enough to keep up with some enemies in a dive, primarily due to wing ripping at lower speeds than those of a diving P51 or Corsair.
• No bulletproof glass in the front of the plane, so hard to use against planes with defensive turrets
• Very limited ammunition load combined with the fast fire rate makes a trigger happy player run out of ammo very quickly
• No Combat Flaps option, just like all Yak propeller fighters

History

The last piston-engined fighter to be produced by Yakovlev was the Yak-3U. Retaining the light alloy stressed-skin metal wing and tail surfaces of the second-generation Yak-3, it mated these elements with an entirely new fuselage and an ASh-82FN 14-cylinder two-row radial engine rated at 1,850 hp. The engine was extremely close cowled, careful attention was given to the hermetic sealing of the fuselage. Armament consisted of twin synchronized 20 mm B-20 cannons, these were interchangeable with a pair 23 mm NS-23 cannons. The Yak-3 was considered to be the best low altitude (below 13,000 feet) fighter of WWII and could easily out climb, outrun and out turn its two major adversaries, the Bf 109 and Fw 190. With its 20 mm cannon it also could destroy any of the German tanks of that era. The Yak-3U replaced the V-12 engine of the earlier Yak-3s with a 1,850 HP radial along with many other changes. The Yak-3U first flew in May 1945, but with the end of the war and development of jet-powered aircraft, it was not put into production.

Media

The Shooting Range #160 - Metal Beasts section at 00:39 discusses the Yak-3U.

See also

• Yak-3 (Family)

External links

• The suggestion post for the aircraft

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