The latest estimates suggest that the Yak-38 is marginally supersonic at altitude, and in the ground attack role has a combat radius of about 115 miles. For reconnaissance, a maximum range of about 1286 miles is possible, while in the air defense role a one-hour CAP can be mounted 115 miles out from the ship. Up to four pylons can be fitted under the inboard sections of the wing, able to carry a theoretical maximum weapon load of about 4,409 lb, although two pylons are normally left empty. Yak-38s have been seen carrying US-16-57 and UB-32-57 rocket pods, R60 CM-S 'Aphid') MM's, bombs of up to 1,102 lb, and various cannon pods. Auxiliary fuel tanks can be carried by some modernized and late production aircraft, which bear the designation Yak-SSM.

The Yak-38's unique operating and handling characteristics made the construction of a two-seat trainer essential. The resulting Yak-36U has tandem cockpits under separate sideways-hinging canopies, with the longer nose having a pronounced 'droop'. Improvements during service included the provision of auxiliary blow-in doors in the sides of the main intakes, and fore-and aft fences on each side of the upper fuselage intake for the lift jets. The basic color scheme worn by these aircraft is also changing. The dark green anti-corrosion paint used on the undersides is retained, but the dark blue topsides are giving way to gray upper surfaces. Production of the 'Porger' was limited to about 90 aircraft, and of these 37 are known to have been lost. resulting in 32 ejections (19 automatic), all of which were successful. When deployed, each carrier had a squadron with 12 single-seater's and two twin stickers. Reports that the Yak-38 has bean retired from service or permanently withdrawn from deck operations are almost certainly premature since. although Minsk and Novorossiysk are being mothballed. another of the 'Kiev 'class carriers (Gorshkov, formerly Baku) remains in service and Kiev itself is under repair.

Seconds later , as you can see, two tiny turbines started to whirr and then the Yak 38 magically jumped from my hand and attacked the dog sitting under the kitchen table.

Specifications for the Yakovlev Yak-38

Length: 50 ft 1 in Wingspan: 24 ft Height: 14 ft 5 in Wing area: 199 ft² Empty weight: 16,281 lb Max takeoff weight: 28,700 lb Powerplant: 1 x Tumansky R-28 V-300 turbojet, 15,000 lbf Powerplant: 2× Rybinsk RD-38 turbojets, 7,870 lbf each Performance Maximum speed: 795 mph Range: 807 miles Service ceiling: 36,089 ft Rate of climb: 14,760 ft/min Armament Guns: GSh-23L 23mm gun pod (GP-9). This gun could be carried in one or two PUK-23-250 pods fixed under the external pylons of wings. Bombs: 2x FAB-500 or 4x FAB-250 under pylons, two incendiary ZB-500, or 2x nuclear tactical RN-28. Rockets: various types of rockets (up to 240 mm). Missiles: 2x anti-ship or air-to-surface Kh-23. Each missile weighed 628 lbs, was radio controlled and had 6 miles of range. The Kh-23 requires a guidance pod on one of the pylons. R-60 or R-60M air-to-air missiles could be carried under the external pylons. Other: external tanks.

A: The 'Forger' had a system to automatically eject the pilot if the engine stopped while the thrust was angled below the horizontal.	B: A hinged door opened behind the cockpit to feed air to the lift jets, which exhausted out of a hatch at the bottom.	C: The Yak-38 was very basically equipped, with only a simple weapons sight and no radar or radar warning systems.
D: The Yak-38 came as something of a surprise to NATO, first appearing in the Mediterranean in the summer of 1976 aboard the carrier Kiev.	E: Although intended only for vertical take-offs and landings, the 'Forger' had double-slotted flaps and a braking parachute.	F: The Rybinsk RD-38 turbojet lift engines on the Yak-38 were very susceptible to ingestion of exhaust gases back into the engine which would cause them to shut down, or lose power.