Editing Yakovlev Yak-3 (section)

==Origins==
The origins of the Yak-3 went back to 1941 when the I-30 prototype was offered along with the I-26 ([[Yakovlev Yak-1|Yak-1]]) as an alternative design. The I-30, powered by a [[Klimov M-105]]P engine, was of all-metal construction, using a wing with [[dihedral (aircraft)|dihedral]] on the outer panels. Like the early Yak-1, it had a {{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[ShVAK cannon]] firing through the hollow-driveshaft nose spinner as a ''motornaya pushka'' (моторная пушка - Literally: 'Motor Cannon'), twin {{convert|7.62|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] [[ShKAS machine gun]]s in [[cowling]] mounts and a ShVAK cannon in each wing.

During the [[Battle of Stalingrad]], [[Luftwaffe]] fighters exhibited significant speed, climb rate, and armament advantages over those of the [[Soviet Air Forces|VVS]]. The Yak-1 then in service was understood to be in urgent need of a modernization were it to fight on equal footing against the latest models of German fighters, as well as better energy retention and higher firepower.

Then, in 1943, a group of designers headed by [[Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev]] designed the Yak-3, a further development of the proven Yak-1 aimed at improving survivability, flight characteristics and firepower, which required a lower weight, a higher-power engine and therefore, faster speed.