Founded in 1927, the design bureau headed by Aleksandr S. Yakovlev started out with light aircraft but soon became a "fighter maker" when the prospect of war lo

The Yak-1 entered Soviet service in 1941, one of three modern types of aircraft accepted for production just prior to the German invasion of the USSR. Despite i

Alexandr S. Yakovlev was one of the most versatile aircraft designers of his age, but he had the misfortune to work in the USSR which made him almost unknown to

The Red Air Force had just started to re-equip with modern monoplane fighters when the Germans opened Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hu

Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume OneGordon and KhazanovSubtitled: Single-Engined Fighters. Arranged by manufacturer, this authoritative st