By: Mark Episkopos One of the most innovative fighters of its time, the Yak-38 (NATO reporting name “Forger”) was meant to mark a new chapter in Soviet naval doctrine.

The Yak‑38 Forger was the Soviet Union’s answer to Western carrier‑based jets, a vertical takeoff and landing fighter built to defend the fleet. Initially feared by NATO, its first missions revealed ...

Even setting aside these reliability problems, the Yak-38’s performance as a fighter was underwhelming. The first Yak-38 variant had an ideal range of no more than 320 km, severely constraining ...