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The three engined Yakovlev Yak-42 was designed as a replacement for the twin engined Tupolev Tu-134 jet. It fulfills a role similar to that of the Boeing 727 as a mid-range passenger jet. The Yak-42 was also the first airliner to be produced in the Soviet Union to be powered by modern high-bypass turbofan engines.
To save design time, Yakovlev started with the Yak-40, making it larger and sweeping back the wings, with an 11-degree sweep prototype being rejected in favor of a 23-degree sweep. The Yak-42 was built at Smolensk, and it entered service with Aeroflot in late 1980. Almost 100 had been delivered by 1993.
Shortly after the type's introduction into commercial service, a number of accidents caused by vibrations in the tail section of the aircraft forced a suspension of the type's operations. After the necessary modifications were made, the Yak-42 re-entered service in the Soviet Union circa 1985.
The type was never exported, and only after the political transition of the former Soviet Union, a few Yak-42s were leased out to carriers in Africa and in former Yugoslavia.
Current models include the Yak-42 base version, the Yak-42D with a higher gross weight, and the Yak-142 with western avionics that never entered serial production. Late in 1997, Yakovlev announced the development of the Yak-42A, an improved version of the Yak-42D featuring a higher range and a modernised cabin interior.
Related development:
Comparable aircraft:
Boeing 727Designation sequence:
Yak-39 - Yak-40 - Yak-41 -Yak-42 -
Yak-43 - Yak-44 - Yak-48| List of Aircraft | Aircraft Manufacturers | Aircraft Engines | Aircraft Engine Manufacturers Airlines | Air Forces | Aircraft Weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation |