Yakovlev YAK-I Well liked by its pilots, the rugged Yak-I was the first Soviet fighter able to take on the German Bf-109 on roughly equal terms at low to medium altitudes. The drawing shows the Yak-I M (featuring a 'bubble' canopy for all round vision) flown by Guards Major Yevemen during the winter of 1942/43. The inscription reads "To the pilot of the Stalingrad Front Guards Major comrade Yevemen. From the collective farm-worker of the Collective Farm 'Stakhanov' comrad F P Golovatov" Yakovlev YAK-I TYPE: single-seat fighter/fighter bomber ENGINE: One 1,120 hp Klimov M-105PF-1 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. DIMENSIONS: Wingspan 32ft 9in (10.00m) Length 27ft 9in (8.47 m) Height 5ft 6 in (1.70m) WEIGHTS: Empty 5,313lb (2,410 kg) Loaded 6,382lb (2,895 kg) ARMAMENT: One 20mm ShVAK cannon (with 120 rounds of ammunition), one 12.7mm Berezin UB machine gun (with 220 rounds of ammunition) and provision for six 82mm RS-82 un-guided rockets or two 220lb (100kg) bombs on underwing racks PERFORMANCE: Maximum speed 364 mph (585 km/h) at 12,467ft (3,800m) Maximum range 528 miles (850km) Service ceiling 31,170ft (9,500m)
