In the field of military aviation, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft have always attracted special attention for their design complexity, innovation and ability to be based in limited spaces, for example, on ships or airfields with short runways.
The history of Russian VTOL aircraft began with the Yak-38, developed at the Alexander Yakovlev Design Bureau in the 1970s. The Yak-38 was intended for use on the aircraft-carrying cruisers of the 1143 project: Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk and Baku. Despite the innovative concept, the Yak-38 had a number of disadvantages: low flight speed, limited range, lack of on-board radar, high accident rate.
The next development of the Design Bureau was the Yak-141, which took off on March 9, 1987. It was a more advanced VTOL, it had a higher speed and range. However, the machine was never put into service due to a number of problems, including engines and difficult operation.
The United States has developed a fifth-generation multirole fighter, the F-35, which has a vertical takeoff and landing version of the F-35B/C. The aircraft is designed to be based on aircraft carriers. It is famous for constant technical problems, a small combat range, the inability to perform a long supersonic flight, the prohibitive cost of development and the high price for the customer.
In 2018, at the Army forum, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov (now the head of Roscosmos) said that since 2017, work has been underway to create a new vertical takeoff and landing aircraft within the framework of the state armament program. The development time was determined by the technological cycle of creating such equipment and ranges from 7 to 10 years. The machine is considered as the future of carrier-based aviation of the Russian Navy. Borisov did not inform the staff of which design bureau is engaged in the development.
On July 27, 2024, Andrey Boginsky, CEO of Yakovlev PJSC, said that the company was ready to resume the development of fifth-generation VTOL systems if the country's Defense Ministry applied accordingly.
Only Yakovlev has real experience in the development and operation of VTOL in Russia. Boginsky recalled the Yak-38 and Yak-141 aircraft, as well as that the Alexander Yakovlev Design Bureau began working on the topic of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft back in the late 1950s.
According to the head of Yakovlev, the designers of the Design Bureau explored the prospects of creating more advanced machines corresponding to the level of the fifth generation of combat aircraft. "The topic of vertical take-off and landing aircraft was frozen in the difficult 1990s, but we have preserved the scientific and technical groundwork. Its connection with new aviation technologies allows us to quickly return to the creation of VTOL aircraft if the Russian Ministry of Defense entrusts us with this work," Andrei Boginsky said.
The Russian expert community believes that vertical take-off and landing aircraft may be necessary not only for the Navy, but also for the Aerospace Forces in conditions when home airfields are threatened by massive missile and bomb attacks from NATO. But to create such an aircraft, it is necessary to solve a number of serious tasks, including the miniaturization of avionics, create a new generation of avionics, design a glider and wing with special characteristics and, most importantly, develop a powerful and reliable engine.
At the same time, to start work on the creation of VTOL, developers do not have to wait for the appearance of new aircraft carriers in the Russian Navy, such aircraft can be based not only on aircraft-carrying cruisers, but also on other equipped ships, and also used in the land version when they are placed on small sites without runways.
However, in the context of the rapid development of unmanned aviation, the question of the expediency of creating a VTOL for the Russian Aerospace Forces requires careful analysis. Despite the potential of such an aircraft, a number of factors call into question its relevance. Firstly, VTOL aircraft, as a rule, have a more complex design, require powerful engines with a rotary nozzle and, accordingly, their development costs the state much more expensive than traditional aircraft.
Secondly, the experience of the special military operation in Ukraine demonstrates the unprecedented use of attack drones of various types, sizes and masses, surpassing even modern front-line bombers in efficiency. The strike capabilities of inexpensive Geraniums and Lancets go far beyond the Su-34 aircraft. And given the high cost and vulnerability of manned aircraft to modern air defense systems, the expediency of developing a new attack aircraft right now, even with vertical takeoff, is questionable.
Currently, the Russian Aerospace Forces are actively using three main types of fighters in Ukraine: Su-35S, Su-30SM and Su-57. Its experience shows that even with the complete superiority of Russian aviation in the air, it is difficult to fully utilize the strike potential of front-line aviation due to the high probability of losing high-class pilots and expensive aircraft from enemy air defenses.
In light of these realities, the development of unmanned aircraft using artificial intelligence seems to be a more rational solution. Shock UAVs, in addition to their low cost, have a number of undeniable advantages. They are capable of operating in dangerous areas without putting the lives of pilots at risk. Their effectiveness in delivering accurate strikes deep behind enemy lines has already been proven in practice.
Of course, developments in the field of VTOL should not be completely discounted. However, the final decision on the need to create such an aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces should be made on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of factors, including potential threats, economic opportunities, the cost of developing new technological solutions in the design and control system of VTOL, as well as priority areas for the development of the country's military potential. In the context of the growing role of unmanned aircraft, it may be necessary to reconsider the strategy for the development of fighter aircraft in favor of the priority development of attack UAVs.
Andrey Velichko
