The Soviet jet, designated by NATO as the “Forger,” was the Yakovlev Yak-38. It was designed by the Soviets to operate from their initial aircraft carriers, which had unconventional characteristics.

These carriers did not feature a traditional long, flat-top deck for takeoff and landing. Instead, they were hybrid vessels combining elements of carriers and battleships, known as Kiev-class heavy aviation cruisers.

The Yak-38 fighter aircraft from the Soviet Union was their response to the advancements in Vertical Short/Takeoff and Landing (VSTOL) capabilities seen in Western fighter jets.

The Yak-38 was unveiled in 1976, predating the British navy’s Sea Harrier by three years.

It served as the Soviet Union’s inaugural fixed-wing aircraft tailored for its first authentic aircraft carriers, the Kiev-class.

Yakovlev opted for the RD-27 engines to propel the Yak-38, aiming to achieve near-supersonic speeds.

Equipped with two lift jets positioned behind the cockpit and a single vectored-thrust turbofan engine featuring two adjustable nozzles capable of directing downward for vertical flight, the Yak-38 boasted stub wings that could be folded to conserve space.

These wings housed four hardpoints, enabling the aircraft to carry approximately 2,000 pounds of weaponry.

In total, 231 Yak-38s were manufactured.

Despite its innovative design, the jet largely fell short of expectations and was generally deemed unsuccessful.

The Yak-38 was limited by its temperamental power plant, which struggled in humid conditions, and a problematic automatic ejection system that was prone to accidental activations.

The “Forger” faced severe limitations in combat scenarios.

During its deployment in the Soviet-Afghan War, the Yak-38 faced challenges as its engines would ingest significant amounts of dirt and debris from the terrain below, leading to potential engine failures and crashes.

Additionally, the aircraft’s restricted range and poor performance in the harsh Afghan heat further hindered its effectiveness in combat operations.

In the end, Russia retired the jump jet in 1991, and no successor to the Yak-38 was pursued.

Relevant articles:
– Russia’s Yak-38 Aircraft Carrier Fighter Was a ‘Trainwreck’, The National Interest
– Russia’s Yak-38 Forger Fighter Had All the Makings of a Disaster, nationalinterest.org
– Yak-38: The Russian Aircraft Carrier Fighter Jet That Was a Failure, The National Interest
– Aircraft carriers aren’t the Russian navy’s only problem. It has also struggled for decades to build jets for them., Yahoo Finance Canada