Brief Developmental History

In 1948 the Soviet Air Force began looking into a two seat fighter aircraft that could function in all weather and visibility conditions.  It would also be required to conduct long range patrols to cover the vast Soviet borders.  The requirement was largely a response to US reconnaissance aircraft intruding into Soviet airspace particularly over the poorly developed Soviet Far East and bleak northern regions.

For the next three years the Lavochkin, MiG, and Yakovlev design bureaus began studies on such an aircraft.  On 6 August 1951 a conference with Stalin dictated the direction of Soviet aircraft production.  The Yakovlev design would be adopted as an interceptor while the MiG bureau would concentrate on pure fighter aircraft.  

Four days later the Soviet Council of Ministers ordered the Yakovlev design bureau (OKB-115) to develop and test a twin engined all weather interceptor.  The fighter would mount a large radar controlled by the second crewman, while the pilot would guide the plane to engage the target.  It would also be required to use the AM-5 jet engines in service at the time.  The prototype was to be completed for flight testing by August 1952.

It was known as Yak-120 and took the unusual approach of placing the engines under each wing.  This was done to leave more room in the fuselage for internal fuel, thereby increasing the range of the aircraft and giving it a maximum patrol duration of two and a half hours.  It also featured swept wings.  Armament for the aircraft was two N-37L cannon with 50 rounds each.  Underwing rails for rockets were also included, but removed from the final production aircraft.

The prototype Yak-120 was completed by October 1951 and first flew on 19 June 1952.  Flight tests continued into November 1952 and proved highly encouraging as the aircraft met or exceeded all design perimeters.  By December 1952 it was decided to mount the Izumrud radar into the aircraft.  The aircraft was then tested by the Air Force testing institute from March through June of 1953 after which time the aircraft was accepted as the Yak-25.  The first production model would leave the Saratov aircraft factory in September 1954 and was the first all-weather interceptor to be adopted by the Soviet Air Force.

On 8 September 1953 as the factory began to gear up for production of the Yak-25 the Soviet Council of Ministers issued a requirement for the aircraft to be equipped with new AM-9A afterburning engines.  The new aircraft known as the Yak-25M began testing in September 1954, just as the first Yak-25's rolled off the production line.  The Yak-25M was later equipped with further improved AM-9 engines, its guns were fitted with muzzle brakes, and it was given a  PD-6 radar system  It entered production in 1955.

Attempts were also made to use the aircraft as a tactical bomber.  These variants were known as the Yak-26.  It was not very successful and only 9 were built.  A more successful version was the Yak-27 (designated Mangrove by NATO) reconnaissance variant of which some 180 were built.  Probably the most unusual version were the two Yak-25MW aircraft which were unarmed pilotless drone aircraft.  It was experimental only and did not see series production.

Aviation technology advanced rapidly during the remainder of the decade, and by 1960 the Yak-25 was becoming obsolete.  No suitable aircraft were able to replace it in sufficient numbers, so the Yak-25 and its variants continued to serve though the 1960's.  Some of the jets were placed in reserve in 1963.  By 1967 most units equipped with the Yak-25 had already transitioned to more modern aircraft such as the Su-15 or MiG-19.  Even so, the jet would continue to serve in selected units.  It was only fully retired in the mid-1970's when the Tu-128 entered service with the VVS.

Tactical Use and Limitations

The Yak-25 'Flashlight' marked the first all weather interceptor to serve with the VVS.  The aircraft was a dramatic improvement over the earlier jets and turboprop aircraft which had been pressed into service as interceptors.  The radar set of the Yak-25 was one of the aircraft's chief strengths as it enabled the jet to seek out and engage targets without relying exclusively on ground radar stations.  Its twin 37mm cannon were very powerful and would have enabled it to shoot down approaching bombers.  Ground crews reported that the aircraft was very easy to repair and had a high reliability record.

When the Yak-25 was introduced it had no significant limitations.  The jet was rapidly outclassed by aircraft of increasing sophistication as the years went on, and by the early 1960's it was not a serious threat to any modern aircraft.

Deployment Chronology

The Yak-25 was the result of a special requirement for a long range jet interceptor.  When it entered service it replaced a variety of Soviet fighter aircraft that had been used as interceptors up until that point.  Some of these aircraft were still used as clear weather interceptors, but most continued to serve elsewhere in their original fighter role.  Below you can see what aircraft the Yak-25 'Flashlight' replaced and what aircraft eventually replaced it in the interceptor role.  You can also learn more about these aircraft if they are on our site by clicking the links provided.

Sources Cited

There are very few sources of information about early Soviet jet aircraft and few of those describe the Yak-25 in detail.  Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, by Enzo Angelucci, published by Chartwell Books, Edison, New Jersey, 2001

• Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation, published by Crescent Books, Copyright 1980, 1989 Studio Editions, London, England

• Jet Fighters, Military Forces of the USSR and Russia (in Russian), by M. Arkilova, published by Moscow ACT, 2002