dexter
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2009
- Messages
- 6,111
- Reaction score
- 25
- Country
- Location
The Yak-141 (Western reporting name Freestyle) was a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) multi-role fighter. Its original designation was the Yak-41, however, this designation was classified by the Soviet military. The Yak-141 was actually a fictitious name, applied to the demonstrator aircraft which set a number of world records. By this name this shipborne fighter was known in the West, it was also applied for promotional purposes by the Yakovlev Design Bureau.
In 1992 the Yak-141 was presented at Farnborough international air show and Le Bourget in 1993. Visitors and appraisers gave the highest marks to this unique aircraft. Some countries showed interest in acquiring this plane, however, no actual orders were made.
In the early 1990s, Lockheed Martin entered into a partnership with Yakovlev Design Bureau for further development of this aircraft. The results of this partnership are unknown, however, Lockheed Martin possibly used the experience gained from this project to develop their own F-35 multi-role fighter. The vertical lift system of the F-35B is very similar to that of the Yak-141. The F-35B multi-role fighter with short take-off and vertical landing capability achieved initial operational capability with the US Marine Corps (USMC) in 2015. In the near future, the USA will operate a large number of these stealthy fighters.
