Yakovlev Yak - 36 The Yakovlev Yak - 36 , also known as " Izdeliye V " , ( NATO reporting name " Freehand " ) was a Soviet technology demonstrator for a VTOL combat aircraft . Design and development . From 1960 , the Yakovlev Design Bureau began work on a VTOL system , using the compact and lightweight Tumansky RU - 19 - 300 turbojet engine , drafting a proposal for the Yak - 104 , a converted Yak - 30 jet trainer with two vertically mounted Ru - 19 engines between the inlet ducts of the standard Yak - 30 powerplant . Work on the Yak - 104 was terminated in favour of an aircraft with a single lift / cruise engine with rotating nozzles , similar to the Hawker Siddeley P . 1127 , which was nearing completion in England . Unable to find a suitable engine or convince the government to order the development of one the Yakovlev bureau was forced to follow a different course . In response to a contract for the development of a single seat V / STOL fighter in 1961 , Yakovlev proposed a twin engined aircraft with a large nose intake , engines in the forward fuselage and swivelling exhaust nozzles , one for each engine either side of the lower fuselage near the centre of gravity of the aircraft . The fighter version was not proceeded with but four technology demonstrators , ( initially designated " Izeliye V " ) based on the fighter studies were ordered . Four prototypes were completed , one of which was used only for static testing . The second was used for takeoff and landing tests , including free hovering . The third incorporated improvements found in testing , including an improved autopilot which automatically selected optimal air flow for hover stability . This prototype crashed , but was later rebuilt . The fourth prototype crashed in February 1971 and was not rebuilt . Construction . The airframe had a semi - monocoque fuselage with bicycle - type landing gear , short cropped delta wings of 37° leading edge sweep , with 5° anhedral , attached to the fuselage in a mid position . The fuselage was rather portly forward of the wing trailing , due to accommodating the engines , cockpit , fuel tanks and equipment bays as close to the c . of g . as possible , tapering sharply to the swept tail surfaces with a high set tailplane . Control of the aircraft was by conventional rudder , ailerons and elevators in normal flight and by compressed engine bleed air blown from control nozzles at the wing - tips , rear fuselage tip and at the end of a long boom extending forwards from the top lip of the air intakes . Two under - wing hard - points could carry bombs , podded machine guns or rocket pods , but the Yak - 36 had insufficient excess thrust and range for effective use as a combat aircraft . Operational history . The first tethered hover flight took place on 9 January 1963 . There were initial problems with hot gas re - ingestion where hot exhaust gasses are sucked back into the intakes causing poor airflow through the engines and loss of thrust . The suction effect of the exhaust on the ground ( which made a higher engine power needed ) and problems with control system caused further difficulties . After modifications , the first untethered vertical flight was made on 23 June 1963 , followed by the first full transition to horizontal flight on 16 September 1963 . On 24 March 1966 was the first complete flight from vertical take - off transition to horizontal flight deceleration to vertical flight and vertical landing . After much testing and practise the first public presentation of the Yak - 36 was on 9 July 1967 at an air show at Moscow - Domodedovo airport , marking the 50th Anniversary of the October Revolution . After the promising results obtained from the flight test programme of the Yak - 36 the next development step was the Yakovlev Yak - 36M which flew for the first time on 27 September 1970 . Survivors . The second Yak - 36 prototype , b / n 35 , is now on display at the Central Air Force Museum at Monino , outside of Moscow , Russia .