Snuffwuzz (Ali)
Yak-38M Forger
The Yak-38 was a VTOL strike fighter which flew with the Soviet Navy. It first flew in 1971 and entered service in 1976. The M variant was inducted to service in 1985. The type saw active service in the Soviet War in Afghanistan where it was employed against guerrilla forces.
The Forger can be compared against NATO's Harrier, but was an inferior platform as it could not carry as great a payload. It was, therefore, also restricted in range when carrying any armament. Nevertheless, as an attack aircraft that could operate from nearly anywhere, it was still a valuable asset to the Soviet Navy, especially when the engines were upgraded on the M variant.
About the model:
So... I've avoided the regular Dark Blue / Green scheme on this model for... obvious reasons! Instead I've used a scheme as found at the MAKS airshow in 1993. As such, it might not *quite* fit the timescale of the rest of the series. I've been a bit slow to get these strike fighters onto Flickr despite having had them ready all week. Just wasn't at the computer every evening, I guess. I'm also a bit late on the bookend model for this series, but it'll definitely be posted before Christmas. Those of you who've been paying attention will know what it's going to be!
Yak-38M Forger
The Yak-38 was a VTOL strike fighter which flew with the Soviet Navy. It first flew in 1971 and entered service in 1976. The M variant was inducted to service in 1985. The type saw active service in the Soviet War in Afghanistan where it was employed against guerrilla forces.
The Forger can be compared against NATO's Harrier, but was an inferior platform as it could not carry as great a payload. It was, therefore, also restricted in range when carrying any armament. Nevertheless, as an attack aircraft that could operate from nearly anywhere, it was still a valuable asset to the Soviet Navy, especially when the engines were upgraded on the M variant.
About the model:
So... I've avoided the regular Dark Blue / Green scheme on this model for... obvious reasons! Instead I've used a scheme as found at the MAKS airshow in 1993. As such, it might not *quite* fit the timescale of the rest of the series. I've been a bit slow to get these strike fighters onto Flickr despite having had them ready all week. Just wasn't at the computer every evening, I guess. I'm also a bit late on the bookend model for this series, but it'll definitely be posted before Christmas. Those of you who've been paying attention will know what it's going to be!