Yakovlev Yak-7
The Yak-7 was a Soviet fighter of the Second World War that began as the UTI-26, a two-seat advanced trainer developed from the Yak-1. Converted into a single-seat fighter in 1941 as losses mounted, it reached operational squadrons before the end of that year and served most numerously as the Yak-7B; 6,399 aircraft of all variants were built. The type later reverted in part to its training role, its development line led to the Yak-9, and it was retired in 1946.
Why It Mattered
The Yak-7 began as the UTI-26, a two-seat advanced trainer Alexander Yakovlev designed in 1939 so that pilots could gain experience on a high-performance aircraft before moving on to a fighter. When the German invasion of 1941 inflicted huge losses on the Red Army Air Force in the war's first months, the losses had to be made good, and the decision was taken to convert the two-seaters back into single-seat fighters and send them to the front. The improvised fighter exceeded expectations: after brief factory trials, the converted aircraft turned out to be better than the single-seat Yak-1. It went on to serve at the front in its own right, most notably as a close-support fighter, rather than as a stopgap. In all, 6,399 aircraft of the family were built, in fighter and trainer versions alike.
Design Notes
The UTI-26 differed from the Yak-1 in its larger-span wing, set farther back for balance, and in having two cockpits with dual controls and a rudimentary communication system. At Factory No. 301, a team headed by K. A. Sinelshchikov converted a production trainer, fitting an armoured backrest plate over the rear position and self-sealing fuel tanks that filled with inert gas as they emptied. Its armament centred on a 20 mm ShVAK cannon firing through the propeller spinner, with two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns under the cowling. The rear cockpit was retained, so the space could take a second seat without controls for courier and transport duties, or a fuel tank for extended range. The conversion kept the Klimov M-105P engine; the later M-105PF version was 130 hp more powerful and raised the Yak-7B's top speed to 599 km/h. On the Yak-7B the cowling ShKAS guns were replaced by two 12.7 mm UBS machine guns, and one type history records that the cannon and UBS combination fired a salvo of 2.72 kg per second, heavier than that of any other Soviet fighter.
Operational History
Production began slowly: Factory No. 301 had to be evacuated to Novosibirsk, and just 62 aircraft were produced in 1941. Even so, the first batch of 60 reached operational squadrons by the end of 1941. The definitive single-seat variant was the Yak-7B, with about 5,000 built. Its pilots reported that it was easy to fly at all altitudes, stable and easy to maintain, though they faulted it above all as underpowered. Yak-7Bs fought over Stalingrad and the Kuban, where a rear fuel tank fitted behind the pilot was often removed because it was unprotected. A small batch of 22 Yak-7-37s, each fitted with a 37 mm MPSh-37 cannon, was issued to the 42nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, where the source records they proved highly successful in both air-to-air combat and ground attack. Alongside the fighters, the production lines kept building trainers: 186 two-seat Yak-7UTIs in 1941, and 510 fixed-gear Yak-7Vs in 1942/43, with 87 more converted from Yak-7Bs. Free French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron also operated the type. Its long-range development line led on to the Yak-9, which had entered service by 1942 under its new designation.
Afterlife
The Yak-7 was retired in 1946. After the war, some Yak-7V trainers were provided to Poland, and a single Yak-7V was delivered to Hungary to familiarise pilots with the Yak-9. The Polish Air Force had operated Yak-7s from September 1943 until 23 September 1946. A small number of originals survive: one is on display at the Museum of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet at Safonovo in Russia, and others are under restoration. As of March 2026, the only Yak-7B restored to airworthy condition is not an original airframe but a former Egyptian Air Force Yak-11 reconfigured to represent the type.