Yakovlev Yak-18A 'Max' | Planes of Fame Air Museum

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Yakovlev Yak-18A 'Max'

HISTORY

The Yakovlev Yak-18 trainer (NATO code name "Max") was developed from the UT-2 trainer of World War 2. Development began in 1945, with the first flight later that year, and series production began in 1947. It was a low- wing monoplane with tandem seating, and had semi-retractable landing gear. The landing gear didn't re- ally improve performance; it was provided to train student pilots in complex aircraft.
The aircraft evolved over the years, incorporating such changes as a larger engine in a cylindrical cowling, tricycle landing gear, a high-performance aerobatic version, and even a four-seat cabin version. The final trainer versions are the Yak-50 and Yak-52, which are still in production. The design was exported to China, which built versions of the aircraft under the designations CJ-5 and CJ-6.
Yak-18s did have a brief military career during the Korean war. They flew nuisance "Bed Check Charlie" missions over Allied lines at night, dropping small bombs. These did no significant military damage, but disrupted the sleep of the soldiers.