Yak-7B

Yak-7B

Yak-1B

Yak-9

Yak-7B

Yak-1B

Yak-9

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	2.7	2.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:9 200

Purchase:16 000

Show in game

Description

The Yak-7B is a rank II Russian fighter with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB) and 2.7 (RB/SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight performance

The aircraft has a lightweight body and a good engine making it very capable with dealing with any kind of enemies. It has descent maneuverability for it's BR. It is most efficient up to 4000 m (13123 ft). It's not recommended to turn fight, but if necessary extending the laps helps a lot. It can climb well making flying away not so hard. The Yak 7B can withstand from 10 G to -8 G.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 3,650 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
553	538	9900	22.3	23.0	13.2	13	387
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 3,650 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
585	570	9900	21.0	21.5	18	15.5	387

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		410	~10	~8

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 380	< 420	< 490	> 340

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
700 m	1,260 hp	N/A
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,900 m	1,175 hp	N/A

Survivability and armour

The aircraft can take a few hits in the engine and in the hull. It's not fantastic, like the P-400, but is OK. It has 8 mm (0.31 in) of steel on the seat. You can avoid most of enemy aircraft but stalling is a death wish. Any Bf-110 or a other boom and zoom aircraft will kill you. It's effective to gradually reduce your speed and make circles clockwise to make enemies overshoot.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Yak-7B is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, nose-mounted (120 rpg)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine guns, nose-mounted (260 rpg left + 140 rpg right = 400 total)

Suspended armament

The Yak-7B can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (100 kg total)
• 6 x RS-82 rockets
• 6 x RBS-82 rockets

Usage in battles

The Yak-7B is a versatile aircraft that can destroy ground or air targets:

It' s easiest to destroy AAA or lightly armored vehicles with your cannon, MG-s or suspended armaments. If you can aim your rockets good enough you can even destroy a tank.The easiest tactic for pounding ground targets is flying low and fast.

For destroying air targets you can get rockets and go head on with light vehicles like: I-16, Japanese zero-s and biplanes. If encountering heavily armored airplanes fire rockets from a safe distance and turn away.There is boom and zoom for bombers and ground attack vehicles that come near the ground. Your most common targets should be: Beaufighters, IL-2 s, F-4U-s, Bf 109-s and Hurricanes. To deal with less maneuverable aircraft, force them in to a turn and shred them to pieces with your armaments.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 12 mm	BI-42
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 12 mm MGs
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm	RO-82
IV			Cover	New 20 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Armament is a big step up from Yak-1: Nose-mounted 1 x 20 mm ShVAK & 2 x 12.7 mm UBS Machinegun proves a very effective combination
• Capable of using rockets for both air and ground targets

Cons:

• No WEP, prone to overheating in realistic and simulator battles
• Engine underperforms above 4,000 m; incapable of intercepting high-altitude bombers
• Worse manoeuvrability compared to all other Yakovlev fighter series
• The wooden airframe can't sustain high compression during dive in high speed, resulting in wing rips above 500 km/h
• Any kind of fire will quickly spread across the plane

History

The Yakovlev Yak-7 was originally intended as a two-seat trainer version of the Yak-1 fighter plane for the Soviet Air Force and only armed with 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS MG for gunnery practice. Eventually, engineers at the Yakovlev Design Bureau modified the plane into a single-seat fighter superior to the Yak-1. The plane was armed with a single, propeller-mounted 20 mm ShVAK autocannon and 2 x ShKAS machine guns in the engine cowling and included armour for the cockpit. The plane was quickly adopted by the air force and production was approved by late 1941. Unfortunately, Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the USSR had already begun and the relocation of factories to the Urals and more pressing needs elsewhere meant only 65 were available at the end of the year. Though it would see service as a fighter and interceptor, the aircraft was more often used as a fighter-bomber due to its ability to carry bombs and rockets for use against the Nazi and Italian ground forces. The Yak-7B would be introduced in 1942 and had a reduced wingspan, improved on-board systems, and an easier-to-produce undercarriage compared to the Yak-7A. Production of the Yak-7B would amount to over 5,000 aircraft produced. It would later see service with Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mongolia, Poland, and Yugoslavia, which only received 2 Yak-7V planes. The Free French Air Force Normandie-Niemen squadron would also employ the plane on the Eastern Front, eager to get revenge against the Luftwaffe that had bested them on the home front.

In-game description

This Soviet single-engine fighter was based on the Yak-7UTI, a tandem-seat advanced trainer based on the Yak-1. The first Yak-7B rolled off the production line at Yakovlev in 1942; the last one was made in 1944.

The Yak-7B's armaments consisted of two 12.7 mm Berezin machine guns and one 20 mm ShVAK cannon. In addition, bombs aboard the plane could be suspended. In all, the plane's manufacturer made more than 5,000 Yak-7Bs.

Media

• War Thunder Live Page

See also

• Yak-1
• Yak-1B
• Yak-3
• LaGG-3-11

External links

• Chemins de Memoire - The "Normandie-Niemen", French fighters on the Eastern Front
• Military Factory - Yakovlev Yak-7

A.S. Yakovlev Design Bureau (Яковлев Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Fighters
Yak-1	Yak-1 · Yak-1B
Yak-3	Yak-3 · Eremin's Yak-3(e) · Yak-3 (VK-107) · Yak-3P · Yak-3T · Yak-3U
Yak-7	Yak-7B
Yak-9	Yak-9 · Yak-9B · Yak-9K · Golovachev's Yak-9M · Yak-9P · Yak-9T · Yak-9U · Yak-9UT
Twin-engine fighters	I-29
Jet fighters
Yak-15	Yak-15P · Yak-15
Yak-17	Yak-17
Yak-23	Yak-23
Yak-30	Yak-30D
Yak-141	Yak-141
Strike aircraft
Yak-2	Yak-2 KABB
Yak-38	Yak-38 · Yak-38M
Bombers	Yak-4
Jet bombers	Yak-28B
Foreign use	▄Yak-3 · Challe's ▄Yak-9T · ◔Yak-9P
Captured	▀Yak-1B