Yak-38 Forger

The Yakovlev Yak-38, NATO reporting name Forger, was developed for Soviet Naval Aviation to operate from Kiev-class aviation cruisers. It was the Soviet Navy's only operational VTOL strike aircraft and the first Soviet fixed-wing aircraft routinely operated from carrier-like ships. The design grew from Yakovlev's earlier VTOL experiments, especially the Yak-36. Its historical importance is clear even though its performance was limited: it gave the Soviet Navy practical experience operating fixed-wing aircraft from ships before conventional carrier aviation matured.

The Yak-38 used a VTOL arrangement with dedicated lift engines for vertical flight and a main engine with swiveling nozzles for forward propulsion and lift transition. This approach allowed operation from short decks but imposed major penalties. Lift engines consumed space and weight while contributing little in forward flight, reducing range and payload. Public sources list production from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, with single-seat and trainer variants. The aircraft could carry weapons for strike missions, but it lacked the radar, range, and payload flexibility of larger conventional carrier aircraft.

Operationally, the Yak-38 gave the Soviet Navy a fixed-wing shipboard aviation capability, but its combat value was constrained by short range, limited payload, hot-weather performance issues, and dependence on careful VTOL operating procedures. FAS notes production began in 1975 and describes it as the world's second operational V/STOL aircraft after the Harrier series. Its main contribution was experiential: deck operations, maintenance, pilot training, and doctrine. On HiWars, the page should balance importance and limitation: the Forger mattered historically, but it was not a highly capable carrier fighter.