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Development- the Yak-120
Development of the Yak-25 began in 1948, with Yakovlev, Mikoyan, and Lavochkin all tasked with developing twin-engined twin-seat jet interceptors, armed with 37mm cannons, and fitted with an advanced radar for all-weather and night operations. MiG would create the I-320-II. Lavochkin would develop the La-200 with which players may be already familiar. These two aircraft were rather similar, featuring tandem fuselage-mounted VK-1s, Toriy radar, and side-by-side cockpits, resulting in very large and frankly rather ugly aircraft.
Yakovlev’s bid was the Yak-2AM-5, differing significantly from the other two designs. It featured a pair of wing-mounted AM-5s, with a tandem cockpit, and the much more advanced RP-6 Sokol radar. This created a design that would take longer to develop but would provide much better performance over the other competitors, particularly in terms of range. As the aircraft would need to defend the massive Soviet borders, this was a crucial performance metric. In August 1951, the Yak-2AM-5 was officially selected for production as the Yak-120.
The Yak-120 first flew on 19 June 1952 and quickly proved to be a reliable and easy to fly aircraft. However, the underslung engines were extremely prone to FOD damage, requiring intensive sweeps of the runway before takeoff. During initial testing the Yak-120 proved to exceed design requirements in every metric, and was promptly ordered into service in June 1953 as the Yak-25.
The I-320, Mikoyan’s competitor to the Yak-25
The La-200, Lavochkin’s interceptor bid
The Yak-120 was a much more conventional design
Into Production
The Yak-25 entered production in September 1954, with the first units being equipped with the type in early 1955. At this point the RP-6 was still unfinished, so the basic Yak-25s were equipped with the RP-1 Izumrud. Production got off to a rough start, with only 24 of the intended 100 aircraft produced in 1954. Overall, the base Yak-25 was a rather unremarkable aircraft, and only 67 Yak-25s sans suffix were produced. When the RP-6 became available in January 1955, aircraft equipped with it were designated Yak-25Ms. Besides the radar, the Yak-25M was unchanged. Some sources claim that the Yak-25M had RD-9s, but this was a different prototype designated the Yak-120M. The production Yak-25M retained the AM-5As, later RD-5As. The RD-5A, or AM-5A-2, had identical performance as the AM-5A but had a longer time between overhauls.
The Yak-25’s low-slung engines meant debris could easily be sucked into the intakes at takeoff. Compared to the Yak-120 the Yak-25 had two fences per wing
In service
The Yak-25s were primarily distributed across the northern frontier and in East Germany, intercepting NATO reconnaissance aircraft and bombers, particularly in the Arctic. While significantly different from the MiG-17P, pilots found the conversion to the Yak-25 easy and in general the aircraft was extremely popular with pilots. It was easy to fly, with excellent handling for such a large aircraft, redundant controls to reduce fatigue on long missions, and a spacious cockpit. The Yak-25M with its RP-6 was also the first Soviet aircraft with a limited look-down capability, able to track targets as low as 300m AGL, though this was inconsistent and 1000m was a more consistent minimum tracking altitude. Because of its low-altitude capability, the Yak-25 was intended to intercept low-flying targets while the MiG-17s and later MiG-19s would handle high-altitude ones. Overall, the Yak-25M’s service life was uneventful, and the type never fired a shot in anger.
Interestingly, the Yak-25M was not just intended for use as an interceptor. Starting in the late 50s, Yak-25 crews began training to use their aircraft as ground strike craft, with the 37mm cannons found to be quite effective at destroying ground targets, particularly parked aircraft.
The Yak-25M was the personal favourite aircraft of Air Marshal Yevgeny Yakovlevich Savitsky, a WWII quadruple ace, double Hero of the Soviet Union recipient, and commander of the PVO. He had a habit of showing unexpectedly in an area defended by a PVO unit and challenging the unit to intercept him, as a way of testing the unit’s readiness.
The first western glimpse of the Yak-25, at the 1955 May Day parade
Further development- 25, 26, 27, 28
The first Yak-25 variant actually predated the Yak-25M. This was the Yak-120M, which was intended as a supersonic interceptor powered by afterburning RD-9s and armed with NR-23s and ARS-57s. One prototype was built but the type did not enter service.
The Yak-120M prototype
Following the Yak-25M was the Yak-25K, a testbed for RS-U1 (AA-1 “Alkali”) missiles. This was followed by the similar Yak-25K-8 used as a testbed for R-8 (AA-3 “Anab”) missiles and Yak-25K-75 for the K-75 AAM, which didn’t enter production. Three produced.
One of the Yak-25K-8s with a pair of R-8s, the primary armament of the Su-9
One of the most interesting Yak-25 models was the Yak-25RV “Mandrake”, a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Featuring a massive new unswept wing, this aircraft operated at altitudes of 21km (69,000ft), comparable to the famous U-2! 155 of this type was produced. These would later be developed into the Yak-25RR and Yak-25RRV for radiation and ELINT recon respectively.
The Yak-25RV with its massive wingspan could fly at extreme altitudes. They, paired with the U-2, could be interesting AI targets for air battles
The Yak-25R, originally Yak-125, was a low-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance aircraft. It was not pursued due to the availability of the Yak-27R, and only 10 were built.
The Yak-25R replaced the avionics and armament in the nose with a camera suite
The final Yak-25 models were the Yak-25MSh and Yak-25RV-II target drones. As Yak-25s were retired, they were converted into these drones and used for training on the next generation of interceptors. Unfortunately this means few Yak-25s exist today.
The empty cockpit of a Yak-25MSh target drone in flight
The Yak-25 was followed by the Yak-26, originally Yak-123. This was a supersonic bomber aircraft, not accepted into service. 10 built.
The Yak-26 is IMO the best looking of all the Yak-25-28 family
The Yak-27, originally Yak-121, was the next iteration. Developed in both cannon-armed Yak-27 and missile-armed Yak-27K models, it was outperformed by the Su-9 and not put into service. However, the Yak-27R “Mangrove” reconnaissance aircraft was put into service, and 180 were produced. Finally, there was a rather interesting prototype design in the Yak-27V ultra-high interceptor, featuring a rocket booster in the tail.
The Yak-27R was the first derivative of the Yak-25 to enter service and is instantly recognizable by its glass nosecone
The Yak-27V with its rocket booster, similar to the configuration of the Me 262C-1a
The final and most successful Yak-25 derivate family was the Yak-28. This was produced in bomber, interceptor, reconnaissance, trainer, and electronic warfare models, with numerous other prototypes and testbeds. In total, over 1,100 Yak-28s were produced.
The Yak-28P was the only interceptor derivative of the Yak-25M to enter service
