Overview

The Yakovlev Yak-26 (NATO reporting name: "Mandrake") was a Soviet twin-engine tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft developed in the mid-1950s. Designed for high-altitude operations, it featured a distinctive tandem bicycle landing gear configuration and long, straight wings optimized for efficient cruise at altitude. Despite promising performance, the Yak-26 saw limited production due to shifting tactical doctrine and competition from the Il-28 jet bomber already in widespread service.

Historical context

In the early 1950s, Soviet tactical aviation sought a replacement for piston-engine light bombers (Tu-2, Il-10) with jet-powered aircraft capable of penetrating NATO air defenses at high altitude. Alexander Yakovlev's design bureau developed the Yak-26 (initially "Yak-123") as a twin-jet tactical bomber emphasizing altitude performance over speed.

First flight occurred in 1956 with prototype testing revealing good high-altitude characteristics but marginal low-altitude performance. The unusual tandem bicycle landing gear—main wheels fore and aft on centerline with outrigger wheels on wingtips—provided high ground clearance but created landing challenges.

Production began in 1957, but shifting Soviet doctrine toward low-altitude penetration tactics (to evade radar-guided SAMs) made the Yak-26's high-altitude specialization less relevant. Total production remained limited to approximately 180 aircraft across bomber and reconnaissance variants before cancellation in 1958. Most served in tactical reconnaissance roles where high-altitude performance remained valuable.

Specifications

Commonly cited specifications (Yak-26 bomber baseline):

Dimensions:

  • Length: 18.20 m (59 ft 9 in)
  • Wingspan: 21.45 m (70 ft 4 in)
  • Height: 5.30 m (17 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 72.5 m² (781 sq ft)

Weights:

  • Empty weight: 9,840 kg (21,693 lb)
  • Normal takeoff: 15,650 kg (34,503 lb)
  • Maximum takeoff: 17,200 kg (37,920 lb)

Powerplant:

  • Engines: 2 × Tumansky RD-9B turbojet engines
  • Thrust: 26.5 kN (5,952 lbf) dry, 37.3 kN (8,378 lbf) with afterburner each

Performance:

  • Maximum speed: 1,100 km/h (684 mph, 594 kn) at altitude
  • Cruising speed: 850 km/h (528 mph) at optimal altitude
  • Combat radius: 1,150 km (715 mi) with 1,000 kg bomb load
  • Ferry range: 2,400 km (1,491 mi)
  • Service ceiling: 15,600 m (51,181 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 35 m/s (6,890 ft/min)
  • Wing loading: 216 kg/m² (44 lb/sq ft)

Armament:

Bomb load: 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) maximum in internal bomb bay

  • Standard: 2 × 500 kg + 6 × 250 kg FAB high-explosive bombs
  • Nuclear: 1 × tactical nuclear bomb (on nuclear-capable variants)

Defensive guns: 2 × 23 mm NR-23 cannons in remote-controlled tail turret

  • Ammunition: 250 rounds per gun
  • Fire control: RP-26V radar-directed fire control system

Crew:

  • Complement: 2 (pilot, navigator/bombardier/gunner)

Design characteristics

Airframe

High aspect ratio wings: Long, straight planform optimized for efficient high-altitude cruise rather than transonic speed

Tandem bicycle landing gear: Main wheels located fore and aft on fuselage centerline with small outrigger wheels at wingtips for lateral stability

  • Advantages: Minimal fuselage width, large internal bomb bay volume
  • Disadvantages: Difficult crosswind landings, precise approach required, tip wheels wear quickly

Pressurized cockpit: Two-seat tandem configuration with ejection seats

Internal bomb bay: Centerline weapons bay with roller-type doors

Propulsion

The RD-9B turbojets provided:

  • Sufficient thrust for high-altitude operations
  • Afterburner for takeoff and combat situations
  • Relatively simple maintenance compared to later engines

Limitations:

  • Thrust insufficient for heavy loads in hot/high conditions
  • Fuel consumption high with afterburner engaged
  • No thrust reversers (landing distance concerns)

Systems

RP-26V tail gun control: Semi-automatic radar-directed system for rear defense

PSBN-M navigation system: Radio navigation with limited accuracy

OPB-5 bombsight: Optical bomb aiming system (pre-digital era)

No terrain-following radar: High-altitude operations didn't require low-level navigation systems

Variants and derivatives

Bomber variants

Yak-26 (baseline): Tactical bomber with 3,000 kg bomb load capacity (1956-1958 production)

Yak-26B: Nuclear-capable variant with specialized shackles and electrical systems for tactical nuclear weapons

Reconnaissance variants

Yak-27R ("Mangrove"): Dedicated reconnaissance development with cameras replacing bomb bay, extended wingtips, increased fuel capacity

  • Ceiling: 17,000+ m (55,774 ft)
  • Range: 2,800 km (1,740 mi)
  • Production: ~160 aircraft (1958-1959)

Yak-27: Further development as tactical reconnaissance platform, became most successful variant

Experimental developments

Yak-26P: Proposed all-weather interceptor variant (not produced, requirements filled by Yak-28P)

Yak-28: Major redesign with swept wings, more powerful engines (R-11 turbojets), becoming successful tactical bomber family (Yak-28B/L/I)—essentially a different aircraft despite numerical designation continuity

Operational deployment

Service timeline

  • 1956: First Yak-26 prototype flight
  • 1957: Limited production begins
  • 1958: Production ends (~180 total including reconnaissance variants)
  • 1957-1962: Operational service with VVS tactical bomber units
  • 1960: Gradual replacement by Yak-28 begins
  • 1962: Final Yak-26 bombers withdrawn from frontline service
  • Yak-27R reconnaissance: Continued service through mid-1960s

Operational units

VVS Tactical Aviation: Limited deployment to bomber regiments in European USSR

Reconnaissance squadrons: More extensive use of Yak-27R variant for photo reconnaissance missions

No exports: Type never transferred to Warsaw Pact allies or other nations

No combat: Yak-26 never engaged in hostilities during brief service life

Evaluation and limitations

Strengths

High-altitude performance: 15,600 m ceiling superior to Il-28 (12,300 m)

Range: 2,400 km ferry range adequate for tactical operations

Payload: 3,000 kg bomb load competitive with contemporary light bombers

Reconnaissance potential: High altitude made Yak-27R valuable for photo reconnaissance

Weaknesses

Doctrine mismatch: High-altitude design contradicted emerging low-level penetration tactics

Landing gear: Bicycle configuration created training and operational challenges

Limited production: Small numbers meant poor logistical support

Competition: Il-28 already widely deployed, proven, more versatile

Obsolescence: Surface-to-air missiles (SA-2) rendered high-altitude bombers vulnerable by late 1950s

Lack of versatility: Specialized design limited multi-role potential

Comparison with contemporaries

vs. Il-28 "Beagle" (Soviet): Il-28 slower (902 km/h vs. 1,100 km/h) but more reliable, better low-altitude performance, conventional landing gear; much larger production (6,000+ vs. 180)

vs. Canberra B.2 (UK): British bomber comparable high-altitude performance, longer range, but similar obsolescence trajectory as SAMs proliferated

vs. A-5 Vigilante (USA): American carrier bomber much more capable (Mach 2, nuclear mission) but also limited production due to doctrine shifts

Legacy and impact

The Yak-26 represented a brief evolutionary dead-end in Soviet tactical bomber development. Its high-altitude specialization became irrelevant as surface-to-air missiles forced bombers to adopt low-altitude penetration tactics. The subsequent Yak-28 family incorporated lessons learned but constituted essentially a clean-sheet redesign.

The most successful outcome of the Yak-26 program was the Yak-27R reconnaissance variant, which served effectively through the mid-1960s exploiting its high-altitude capability for photo intelligence gathering.

No Yak-26 aircraft are known to survive in museums, reflecting the type's limited production and historical significance.

Related equipment

Related sections

Technical glossary

Tandem bicycle landing gear : Main wheels arranged fore-aft on fuselage centerline with outrigger wheels on wings for lateral stability

Tactical bomber : Medium-range aircraft attacking battlefield targets and rear-area installations (vs. strategic bombers targeting enemy heartland)

High aspect ratio wing : Long, narrow wing design optimizing lift-to-drag ratio for efficient cruise at altitude

Remote-controlled turret : Gun installation operated from separate crew position via electronic/hydraulic controls

Service ceiling : Maximum altitude at which aircraft can maintain 100 ft/min (0.5 m/s) rate of climb