Yakovlev Yak-6

The Yakovlev Yak‑6 was a twin‑engine light utility aircraft produced by the Soviet design bureau Yakovlev during World War II. First flown in December 1942, the aircraft was developed in response to the Red Army’s need for a simple, rugged transport that could operate from improvised fields and deliver supplies, personnel, and evacuate wounded under combat conditions. Powered by two Shvetsov M‑11D radial engines of 145 hp each, the Yak‑6 featured a mixed construction of a wooden wing and a steel‑tube fuselage covered with fabric, which kept weight low and allowed rapid production with limited resources. Its high‑mounted wings, fixed landing gear, and generous cabin space enabled payloads of up to 600 kg and a range of roughly 750 km. Though initially intended as a liaison and cargo plane, the type was quickly adapted for night‑harassment bombing, carrying up to 250 kg of small bombs and employing low‑altitude, slow‑speed tactics that proved effective against German rear areas. Approximately 1,200 Yak‑6s were built before the end of the war, and the aircraft’s versatility demonstrated the value of inexpensive, multi‑role platforms in wartime logistics and close‑support operations, influencing post‑war Soviet light transport designs.

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