DISCONTINUED Valom 72040 Yakovlev Yak-7B (late version) Soviet fighter

In mid-1940. flight tests of the two-seater Yak-1 training version, designated I-26UTI, UTI-26 or No. 27, began. It was an unarmed I-26 with an added second cabin and dual controls. The prototype turned out to be difficult to pilot, so it was subject to modifications. The vertical stabilizer was enlarged, the horizontal tail was reduced, the center of mass was moved forward, and 2 out of 4 fuel tanks in the panel were eliminated. The serial version was to be called Yak-7 or Yak-7 UTI, but production was not started until the outbreak of the German-Soviet war. The shortage of fighters in the first months of the war resulted in the Yak-7 being re-adapted to a single-seat fighter plane. An additional fuel tank was installed in the place of the rear cabin, small loads or a mechanic were transported. The new plane was designated the Yak-7A. In 1941. 166 copies of this version were built in Moscow. Later, as part of the evacuation, production was moved to Novosibirsk and Kamieniec Uralski. At the beginning of 1942 an improved version with improved aerodynamics and a retractable tail wheel was created, designated Jak-7B, some planes received WK-105PF engines with a capacity of 1240 HP. In total, until 1944. 6399 Jaków-7 was built, with the production of the combat version ended in 1943. The first Yak-7s appeared in fighter units in early 1942. Apart from the Soviet air force, they were also used by the French squadron "Normandie". In the Polish aviation, the first Yak-7B and Yak-7W appeared in the 1st Fighter Aviation Regiment (PLM) in September 1943. These planes were also used in the 9th and 11th PLM, the 15th Independent Backup Aviation Regiment and the 1st Mixed Training and Training Aviation Regiment. They were used as training and courier services. Some Yak-7Bs were rebuilt after the war to a two-seater version. The last Yak-7s were withdrawn from use on September 23, 1946. The Yak-7 was a single-seat low-wing, with a truss fuselage, welded from steel pipes, the front part was covered with duralumin sheet (plywood at the height of the cabin), the rear part was profiled with wooden slats, covered with canvas, wooden panel, metal tail. Classic chassis with tail wheel. The drive was a 12-cylinder inline M-105P engine with a capacity of 1100 HP. Metal three-blade propeller. Technical data: length: 8.5 m, wingspan: 10 m, height: 2.75 m, maximum speed: 560 km / h, speed of climb: 12 m / s, practical ceiling: 9200 m, maximum range: 640 km, weapons: fixed - 2 rifles 7.62mm SzKAS machine gun and one 20mm SzWAK cannon.