World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Ya-20 trainer aircraft design was completed by the team led by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Yakovlev at Design Bureau Facility No. 115 (OKB-115) to replace the aging U-2 biplane trainers. Their structure was a mix of wood and metal. The first prototype took flight in Jul 1937. Upon Soviet Air Force acceptance, the design was given the designation UT-2. Mass production began in Sep 1937. In 1940, the forward fuselage was lengthened and a different engine was adopted as an attempt to correct a spinning problem with aircraft completed earlier. In 1941, the UT-2M variant was developed, replacing the original UT-2 design; these aircraft had a different wing design (swept leading edge and straight trailing edge) and enlarged vertical stabilizers. Between Sep 1937 and 1948, a total of 7,243 UT-2 aircraft were built. They were replaced by Yak-18 basic trainer and Yak-11 advanced trainer aircraft in the Soviet Air Force in the 1950s. They were used by Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, and Yugoslavian forces. The air force of the Mongolian separatist state also operated UT-2 aircraft for some time.

UT-2 Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

UT-2

Machinery	One Shvetsov M-11D 5-cyl air-cooled radial engine rated at 125hp
Crew	2
Span	10.20 m
Length	7.15 m
Height	2.99 m
Wing Area	17.12 m²
Weight, Empty	628 kg
Weight, Loaded	940 kg
Speed, Maximum	210 km/h
Speed, Cruising	99 km/h
Rate of Climb	3.30 m/s
Service Ceiling	5,000 m
Range, Normal	1,130 km

Photographs