# Yakovlev Yak-42 (Яковлев Як-42)

The Yakovlev Yak-42 (Як-42) is a Soviet three-engine short- to medium-range jet airliner developed by the Yakovlev design bureau from Yak-40 experience for Aeroflot's regional routes, carrying about 120 passengers and entering scheduled service in 1980.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup> It was the first Soviet jet airliner designed to US FAR 25 airworthiness standards, with the aim of entering international markets.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First flight | 7 March 1975, first of three prototypes (SSSR-1974)<sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup> |
| Entry into service | Scheduled Aeroflot service on the Moscow-Krasnodar route began late 1980<sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup> |
| Engines | Three Lotarev D-36 high-bypass (5.34:1) turbofans, 63.74 kN (6,440 kgf) thrust each; no thrust reversers<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup> |
| Capacity and range | 120 passengers in a six-abreast cabin; 14.5 t payload over 1,500 km, or 4.5 t over 3,800 km at 750-800 km/h<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://elibs.kai.ru/_docs_file/812287/HTML/4/)</sup> |
| Dimensions | Span 34.88 m; length 36.38 m; height 9.83 m; fuselage diameter 3.80 m<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup> |
| Production | 72 basic Yak-42s built by autumn 1990; Yak-42D variant with 2,200 km range delivered from the late 1980s<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup> |
| Design standards | Soviet civil airworthiness standards and US FAR 25; operation from -50°C to +50°C; fatigue life of at least 30,000 flight hours and 30,000 landings<sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup> |

## Development and prototypes

The Yak-42 was intended for the short- and medium-range routes extending north and south from the main east-west trans-Siberian trunk routes, replacing some Aeroflot Tu-134s.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup> Three prototypes were built at Smolensk. The first (SSSR-1974) flew on 7 March 1975 with 11° wing sweepback and a 100-seat local-service cabin with carry-on baggage and coat stowage fore and aft. The second (SSSR-1975) had 23° sweepback, more cabin windows, and a 120-seat layout with three more seat rows and no carry-on baggage areas. The third (SSSR-1976, later SSSR-42303) added small refinements such as hot-air ice protection on the wing and tail and fairings on the main gear. Flight testing proved the 23° wing superior, and it was adopted for production.<sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

The first production series was built at Smolensk, with batch production later at Saratov. Production aircraft replaced the prototypes' twin-wheel main gear units with four-wheel bogies.<sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

## Service history

The first production aircraft left the factory in January 1978, and the type was handed to Aeroflot for route trials in early 1980. Scheduled service on the Moscow-[Krasnodar](https://www.edgepedia.org/krasnodar) route began in late 1980, and by mid-1981 ten Yak-42s were flying that route. The fleet was grounded in 1982 after an accident and returned to line service only in October 1984, on routes including Saratov-Leningrad and Moscow-Bykovo.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

The type did not fully replace the Tu-134, some of which remained in operation as of June 2016.<sup>[4](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/yak-42.htm)</sup> Soviet state safety records for 1990 list three Yak-42 accidents that year: a gear-up landing on 28 February attributed to pilot error, a taxi collision on 15 August attributed to deficiencies in airport organization and flight control, and a premature descent into trees short of the runway on 13 September that killed 4 of the 129 aboard, attributed to crew error and deficiencies in duty distribution among the crew.<sup>[5](https://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_mar91.pdf)</sup>

## Design

The stated design objectives were simple construction, operational reliability, economy, and the ability to operate in remote areas with widely differing climatic conditions. The aircraft is pressurized and air-conditioned, and an auxiliary power unit allows engine starting and ground services without ground equipment.<sup>[2](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)</sup>

**Wing and tail.** The wing is a low-mounted cantilever design with 23° sweep at the quarter-chord line, no dihedral, and a two-spar torsion box. Each wing carries two ailerons, two single-slotted trailing-edge flaps with three spoilers ahead of the outer flap, and full-span leading-edge slats. The tail is a swept all-metal T-tail with variable stabilizer incidence from +4° to -8°.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

**Powerplant.** Three Lotarev D-36 three-shaft high-bypass turbofans (bypass ratio 5.34:1) provide 63.74 kN each; one is buried in the rear fuselage with an S-duct intake, and two are in nacelles alongside the rear fuselage. There are no thrust reversers. Fuel is carried in integral tanks between the wing spars.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

**Cabin.** The standard layout seats 120 passengers six abreast at 75 cm pitch with a 45 cm aisle; an alternative 104-seat layout mixes 96 economy and 8 first-class seats. Two pilots sit side by side, with an optional flight engineer and two or three cabin attendants. The main door with integral airstair is at the rear fuselage, a second passenger door with airstair is on the forward left side, and two lower-lobe cargo holds take six forward and three aft containers of 2.2 m³ each.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

## Variants and derivatives

**Yak-42D.** An increased-fuel variant with interior improvements, extending range to 2,200 km with 120 passengers; 20 had been delivered by early 1991 at a production rate of 15 per year.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup>

**Yak-42M and Yak-242.** Development of the stretched Yak-42M began in 1987, planned for 156 to 168 passengers; it employed an entirely new wing, a digital fly-by-wire control system, a CRT flight deck, and a DC-10-type center engine installation with cruciform tail, powered by three D-436M turbofans. The Yak-42M effort was abandoned in 1993 and replaced by the Yak-242, a twin-engine design with two 118 kN PS-90A12 turbofans for 130 to 180 passengers and an estimated 5,000 km range. The Yak-242 program was halted in 1997 with about 30 percent of design work complete.<sup>[1](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1055)</sup>

**Other conversions.** The propfan-powered Yak-42E-LL testbed first flew in March 1991. The initial Yak-142, a converted Yak-42, was completed in 1995 and purchased by the Russian oil company LUKoil; its interior components were manufactured in the UK, and the aircraft was delivered to Hunting Aviation at [East Midlands](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-midlands) in March 1995.<sup>[6](https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1055)</sup>

## References

1. [雅克(YAK)-42系列介绍, Civil Aviation Administration of China, 23 September 2015](https://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/GYMH/MHBK/HKQJS/201509/t20150923_1871.html)
2. [YAKOVLEV Yak-42, Jane's Information Group (via migavia.com)](https://janes.migavia.com/rus/yakovlev/yak-42.html)
3. [Самолет ЯК-42. Особенности конструкции и технической эксплуатации, Kazan National Research Technical University library](https://elibs.kai.ru/_docs_file/812287/HTML/4/)
4. [Yak-42 Clobber (YAKOVLEV), GlobalSecurity.org](https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/yak-42.htm)
5. [Flight Safety Digest, March 1991, Flight Safety Foundation](https://flightsafety.org/fsd/fsd_mar91.pdf)
6. [Yakovlev Yak-42/MS-21, Forecast International, May 2007](https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1055)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Aircraft › Airliners and civil transport aircraft › Narrow-body jet airliners › Soviet/Russian narrow-body jets (Tu-104, Tu-134, Tu-154, Yak-42, SSJ, MC-21)*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

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