Yak-28: A Versatile Turbojet Aircraft Of The Cold War

Following World War II, the Soviet Union began to experiment with more aircraft, and the Yakovlev Yak-28 has become one of their more famous examples. Due to its ability to wear several hats, it was used in a variety of ways whether that's as a bomber, an interceptor, or for reconnaissance. 

There were several predecessors to this aircraft, starting with the aptly titled Yak-1, and it wasn't until 1958 that the first Yak-28 took flight. It was adopted into the air force in 1960 and remained in service with the Soviet Union before transferring over to Russia. A total of 1,180 of them were built, and they are all expected to have been out of service as of 1992 when the Soviet Union dissolved. Some Yak planes did carry on following the collapse, like the Yak-130, but production was never the same as it was. The Su-27, a plane that dated back to 1980, eventually overtook the Yak-28 as production slowed down. Its future successor, the Su-35, is known as one of the best fighter jets in the world. As of today, the Yak Aircraft Corporation is a private Russian aviation company. 

The Yak-28 came in many versions that allowed it to become one of the most versatile crafts in the Soviet Union's repertoire during the Cold War. The NATO codenames referred to the variants with the Brewer being the bomber, Maestro for the trainer, and Firebar for the interceptor. Considering the 1960 service date, the Yak-28 never saw any combat, but that didn't stop the Soviet Union from rolling out more and more models.

Speaking of the variants, these were split into further subcategories. The Brewer, as just one of the examples, came with five different versions ranging from the Brewer-A all the way to the Brewer-E designation, all of which had more features than the last. The Brewer-E had an estimated 30 in use in 1986, down from the estimated 150 of the Brewer-D, so it didn't necessarily mean they outright replaced each other. As for variants with combat capabilities, you'd have to look to the Firebar. These flew in pairs and came equipped with two air-to-air missiles each.

As of today, the Yak-28 line of planes is no longer in active service. The legacy lives on, however, as the Yak-28 bomber variant is a playable aircraft in the free-to-play video game "War Thunder," alongside several other ships, planes, and tanks from the Cold War era.