YAK 11 "MOOSE"
  Reg G-BTUB

The most ferocious aircraft in our fleet, the Yak 11 is pure power and speed.

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The Yakovlev Yak-11 (NATO reporting name: “Moose”, Russian: Як-11) was a trainer aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force and other Soviet-influenced air forces from 1947 until 1962.

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The Yakovlev design bureau began work on an advanced trainer based on the successful Yak-3 fighter in mid 1944, although the trainer was of low priority owing to the ongoing Second World War. The first prototype of the new trainer, designated Yak-UTI or Yak-3UTI flew in late 1945. It was based on the  radial-powered Yak-3U, but with the new Shvetsov ASh-21 seven-cylinder radial replacing the ASh-82 of the Yak-3U. It used the same all-metal wings as the Yak-3U, with a fuselage of mixed metal and wood construction. Pilot and observer sat in tandem under a long canopy with separate sliding hoods. A single synchronised UBS 12.7 mm machine gun and wing racks for two 100 kg (220lb) bombs comprised the aircraft’s armament.

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An improved prototype flew in 1946, with revised cockpits and a modified engine installation with the engine mounted on shock absorbing mounts. This aircraft successfully passed state testing in October 1946, with production beginning at factories in Saratov and Leningrad in 1947.

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The Yak-11 entered service in 1947, serving as a standard advanced trainer with the Soviet Air Forces and DOSAAF. Both Yak-11 and C-11 were used in all Warsaw Pact countries and were exported to eighteen countries, including many African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

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North Korean Yak-11s were used in combat in the Korean War, with one Yak-11 being the first North Korean aircraft shot down by US forces when it was shot down by a North American F-82 Twin Mustang over Kimpo Airfield on 27 June 1950. East Germany used the Yak-11 to intercept American reconnaissance balloons.

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Due to its Yak-3 lineage, the Yak-11 has recently seen widespread popularity among warbird enthusiasts and the Yak-11 can be frequently seen at air races. About 120 Yak-11s remain in airworthy condition.