Yak-41 Freestyle

[McColm]

The Yak-41/Yak-141  was a VTOL single seater fighter aircraft capable of Mach 1.5 designed to take over the role from the Yak-38.
The aircraft had two lifting engines behind the cockpit and a single  turbofan connected to a vectoring nozzle at the rear. It also had a fly-by-wire flight control system with twin-boom vertical tail fins.
The first flight was in March 9th 1987 and sea trails were carried out on board the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov during September/October 1991.
There were issues about the hot gases scorching the tarmac during the transition to hover mode.
4 aircraft were built, the second prototype crashed due to becoming unstable during the hover for landing stage.
The Russians were looking for a partner to develop the aircraft but there were no takers and the project was cancelled.
There was a proposal for the Yak-43 an improved version with a wing layout similar to the F-18A, but this didn't pass beyond the concept stage.
There are resin and plastic 1/72 and 1/144 kits available.

I've always felt that a second seat should take the place of the pair of lifting jets, keeping the vectoring nozzle to create a ground attack/fighter aircraft.