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First flown during January 1940, the Yak-1 was one of the most important and successful fighters fielded by the USSR in the course of World War II. Like many other Soviet aircraft it was based on an airframe of mixed light alloy and wooden construction. In configuration the Yak-1 was of typical fighter design with a cantilever low-set wing, enclosed cockpit and retractable main landing gear units. It entered production late in 1940 in a program that saw the delivery of 8 721 aircraft by the summer of 1943. The main models were the baseline Yak-1, the Yak -1B with a cut down rear fuselage, allowing the incorporation of a clear-view 'bubble' canopy, and the Yak-1M model with a number of significant improvements. Developments were the Yak-3 , Yak-7 and Yak-9. This series of fighters were the finest available to the Soviet air forces during the eastern campaign.
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