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The Yakovlev UT-1 was a single-seater trainer advanced trainer and aerobatic airplane used by the Soviet Air Force from 1937 until the late 1940s. The UT-1 was used as a transitional type between the UT-2 and fighters like the I-16. It was not easy to fly, requiring precise piloting, thus forming an ideal intermediate between basic trainers and the maneuverable but tricky to fly I-16. Soviet pilots broke several records on the UT-1 before the war, some on its floatplane variant. In total, 1,241 aircraft were built between December 1936 and 1940. During World War II, from 1941, the UT-1 was also used for reconnaissance. Some were used as improvised combat machines, after fitting with underwing machine guns or even 2 unguided rockets. In February 1942, about 50 UT-1 were converted in workshops as improvised ground attack planes UT-1B, fitted with two machineguns and 2-4 rockets. They were next used in the Black Sea Fleet aviation in Sevastopol and Caucasus. The survivors were disarmed in December 1942.