The Most Important Fighter of WW2?

The Yakovlev Bureau was among the most fruitful aviation design companies in the Soviet Union, and they had one particular aircraft that stood out from all the others, and was also more abundant. Of 22 proposed variants, 15 different versions of the versatile Yak-9 went into mass production, and with each different role, the Soviets gained an upper hand against the Nazis during the technological and engineering race. Still, it could be argued that no other variant was more promising than the Yak-9T, or ‘Tank Buster,’ which was armed with a colossal NS-37 cannon that could theoretically pierce through a tank’s armor. And indeed, the 37-millimeter gun could penetrate armor as thick as 30 millimeters from 500 meters away. Its technological simplicity in terms of production, combined with relatively high flight performance, secured a long and fruitful career for Yakovlev's most prevalent fighter, but the powerful cannon came with its own set of challenges… --- Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between. As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.