Yakovlev UT-2

Yakovlev UT-2
Company type	Aircraft
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	July 11, 1935; 91 years ago
Founder	Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev
Products	Trainer aircraft
Parent	Yakovlev Design Bureau (OKB-115)

Template:Infobox aircraft

The Yakovlev UT-2 (Russian: Яковлев УТ-2; known by NATO as "Mink") is a low-wing monoplane featuring a single engine and tandem seating for two. It served as the principal trainer aircraft for the Soviet Union throughout World War II. The Soviet Air Force operated it from 1937 until the introduction of the Yakovlev Yak-18 in the 1950s led to its phase-out.

Development

As the older U-2 (Po-2) biplane became inadequate for training pilots on increasingly faster aircraft, a new trainer was required. The UT-2 was created to fulfill this need.

Developed by Alexander Sergeevich Yakovlev’s design bureau OKB-115, the aircraft initially carried the designation AIR-10. It drew inspiration from the AIR-9 but was simplified with tandem open cockpits and omitted both slats and flaps. Its maiden flight took place on 11 July 1935. After winning a competition that same year, minor modifications were made before it became the standard trainer for the Soviet Air Force. Following the political downfall of Alexey Ivanovich Rykov, under whose patronage Yakovlev had worked, the "AIR" prefix was replaced with "Ya," resulting in what would have been AIR-20 being renamed as Ya-20 (Я-20).

The AIR-10’s mixed wood-and-metal construction was simplified to an all-wood design to ease manufacturing. The original 120 hp Renault inline engine was swapped for a 112 kW (150 hp) Shvetsov M-11E radial engine on the prototype, while early production models used the 82 kW (110 hp) M-11G variant. Serial manufacturing commenced in September 1937. Upon entering service, the Soviet VVS assigned it the designation UT-2 (uchebno-trenirovochnyi {учебно-тренировочный}, meaning trainer).

Known for its challenging flight characteristics, particularly its tendency to enter spins easily, efforts were made to improve handling. The UT-2 model 1940 introduced a lengthened forward fuselage and upgraded to a 93 kW (125 hp) M-11D radial engine in an attempt to address these issues. Despite these changes, handling remained difficult.

In 1941, a redesigned version called the UT-2M (modernized) was developed and replaced earlier models in production. This variant featured an altered wing planform with a swept leading edge and straight trailing edge, along with a larger vertical stabilizer, enhancing stability and control.

Between 1937 and 1946, a total of 7,243 UT-2 aircraft of all variants were manufactured across five factories. During the 1950s, this model was phased out in favor of newer trainers such as the Yak-18 for primary instruction and the Yak-11 for advanced training.

In addition to military use before and after World War II, civilian organizations also operated UT-2s. Postwar, these aircraft were employed by foreign air forces including those of Poland and Hungarian Air Force.

Variants

File:Yakovlev UT-2M 3-view line drawing.jpg

Yakovlev UT-2M schematic

AIR-10: initial forerunner model
Ya-20: experimental prototype
UT-2: first production version
UT-2 (1940 standard): enhanced spin handling features
UT-2 (1944 standard): also known as UT-2L
UT-2 equipped with MV-4: inline engine utilized for experimental purposes
UT-2L: refined 1940 model featuring enclosed canopy and engine cowling, fuselage resembling early Yak-18 but retaining fixed landing gear
UT-2M: manufactured from 1941 onwards, incorporating redesigned wings and tail assembly
UT-2MV: temporary light bomber variant
UT-2N (SEN): test platform equipped with air cushion landing gear^[1]
UT-2V: bomber training configuration
VT-2: floatplane adaptation of the standard UT-2
Yak-5: single-seat fighter-trainer evolved from the UT-2L