This Yak-70 is the fighter option, in which it is dated April 1950.

This is one of Yakovlev’s most intriguing projects. Featuring a V-tail, this fighter makes for an interesting appearance.

Features

• Unique V-tail (butterfly tail)
• Three 23mm NR-23 cannon
• Bicycle landing gear
• Flaps
  

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Controls

• AG-1 - Landing gear doors
• AG-7 - Navigation lights
• VTOL - Flaps
• Brake - Custom airbrakes
  

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History

In April-May 1950, the Yakovlev OKB worked on a project of a single-seat fighter powered by one 5,000 kg (11,020 lb) thrust Lyulka TR-3A turbojet. It had sharply swept mid-set wings and a fuselage of 15.24 m (50 ft) length with a diameter of 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in which featured a circular intake with a dielectric centrebody housing a radar antenna. Two versions were considered; one of them dated April 1950 had a sharply swept cruciform tail unit, while the other (dated May 1950) had a cropped-delta vertical carrying low-set stabilizers. The aircraft had a bicycle undercarriage similar to that of the Yak-50.* [1]

What the description above did not tell, was that Option 1 of the Yak-70 actually had a V-tail and no radar unit in the nose; just a simple intake splitter located there. Option 2 differed by having a slightly wider and more blunt splitter, but with the radar centrebody located in the center of the intake. It also had a conventional cruciform tail, and swept mid-set stabilizers. Armament for both versions was comprised of either two or three 23mm NR-23 cannon.

*The Yak-50 mentioned here is the all-weather interceptor design from 1948.

• Sources: [1] Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov, Early Soviet Jet Fighters (Hikoki Publishings, 2014), p. #258.

Gallery

Genuine Yak-70 blueprint fragments for Option 1. Yakovlev personally drew these back in March-April of 1950

Clean three-view

Side view