The Yakovlev Yak-42 was designed by the Yakovlev design bureau as a narrow-body jet airliner. Introduced on December 22, 1980, it is a mid-range passenger jet powered by three engines and can accommodate one hundred to two hundred passengers. The Yak-42 was the first airliner built and produced in the Soviet Union fitted with improved high-bypass turbofan engines. It was produced from 1979 to 2003.
In 1972, the development of an airliner capable of flying on short to medium ranges while transporting one hundred to two hundred passengers was started by the Yakovlev design bureau. The aircraft was planned to take over the Tupolev Tu-134 narrow-body jet, and the Ilyushin Il-18, Antonov An-24, and An-26 turboprop airliners.
The Yak-42 features low wings with a wingspan of 34.88 meters and a wing area of 150 square meters. The pressurized circular fuselage has an external length of 36.38 meters, a height of 5.5 meters, and a diameter of 3.9 meters. The tail height is 9.83 meters and the wheelbase is 16 meters.
The aircraft can accommodate up to one hundred and twenty passengers in a six-abreast configuration or one hundred passengers with more space for carry-on baggage and coat storage. It has a cabin length of 19.89 meters, a cabin height of 2.08 meters, and a cabin length of 19.89 meters.
The cockpit is flown by two pilots seated side-by-side. It is also fitted with airstairs for easy access one is located under the rear fuselage and the other one is at the forward part of the cabin.
The aircraft is powered by three Lotarey D-36 three-shaft high-bypass ratio turbofan with a single-stage fan incorporating twenty-nine titanium blades and a Kevlar outer shell, and a three-stage turbine. The engine has a six-stage low-pressure compressor and a single-stage non-cooled low-pressure turbine, a seven-stage high-pressure compressor, and a steel blade high-pressure turbine. Each engine produces a maximum thrust of 14,330 lbf.
The Yak-42 has a maximum speed of 440 knots and a cruise speed of 400 knots. The travel range is 2,200 nautical miles. It can fly up to 31,500 feet and can climb at a rate of 2,500 feet per minute. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 57,500 kg, a maximum payload of 13,500 kg, an empty weight of 33,000 kg, and a fuel capacity of 6,115 US gallons.
