Yak-52

Also known as

Yakovlev Yak-52
Iak-52
Aerostar Iak-52
Yak-52M
Yak-52B

The Yak-52 is a Soviet-designed, Romanian-produced two-seat primary trainer that became a low-cost counter-UAV aircraft in Ukraine. Originally built for basic and aerobatic flight training, the radial-engine trainer has been used by Ukrainian crews during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War to close with Russian reconnaissance drones and engage them visually with handheld weapons from the rear cockpit.

Yak-52, Two-seat primary trainer aircraft adapted for counter-UAV patrols, Aircraft & UAVs

Image source: Wikimedia Commons YAK 52 Image

Role in Conflicts

Side: Ukraine

Ukrainian Yak-52 crews used the two-seat trainer in southern Ukraine as a visual drone-intercept platform, closing on Russian reconnaissance UAVs and engaging them with handheld small arms from the rear cockpit.

Role details

Counter-UAV Adaptation

The Ukraine-war Yak-52 role is an improvised air-defense task rather than a factory weapon fit. Public reporting describes a pilot using ground radio direction and visual maneuvering to position the aircraft near a Russian drone while the rear-seat crew member fires a handheld weapon from the open cockpit.

Sensor fit

No radar or dedicated onboard targeting sensor is described in the reporting; the crew relies on ground direction, eyesight, and close-range positioning.

Source: TWZ Ukrainian Yak-52 Crews.

Engagement method

Reported engagements use rifles or shotguns from the rear cockpit, typically after the Yak-52 closes to tens of meters behind or alongside a drone.

Sources: TWZ Ukrainian Yak-52 Crews; Army Recognition Orlan-10 Yak-52.

Target set

Public photos and reporting tie the aircraft mainly to Russian reconnaissance UAVs such as Orlan-10/30 and ZALA 421-16E types, with later reporting describing broader drone-hunting sorties.

Sources: TWZ Yak-52 Kill Marks; TWZ Ukrainian Yak-52 Crews.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union / Romania
Built by: Aerostar S.A.
Built in: Romania
Type: Two-seat primary trainer aircraft adapted for counter-UAV patrols
Service note: Introduced during the late Cold War; adapted for Ukrainian counter-UAV use from 2024
Designer: Yakovlev Design Bureau
Designed: 1970s; first flight reported in 1976
Produced: Late 1970s to 1990s Romanian production
Number built: More than 1,800 reported by aviation reference sources

Specifications

Crew: 2
Aircraft class: Single-engine, low-wing primary trainer with tandem cockpit and retractable tricycle landing gear
Engine: 1 x Vedeneyev M-14P radial piston engine
Wingspan: 30 ft 6 in (9.3 m class)
Length: 25 ft 5 in (7.7 m class)
Maximum takeoff weight: 2,877 lb
Maximum speed: 154 kt
Service ceiling: 13,125 ft
Normal armament: None in standard trainer form; Ukrainian counter-UAV use relies on handheld weapons carried by the rear-seat crew member

Variants

Yak-52 designations include the standard Soviet-designed trainer, Romanian Iak-52 production, westernized Aerostar export versions, and limited armed or modernized derivatives.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
Yak-52 / Iak-52	Standard two-seat primary trainer	The aircraft is a Yakovlev-designed trainer produced in Romania by the Bacau/Aerostar line and widely used for basic and aerobatic flying. Sources: AOPA Yak 52, Vasteras Flygmuseum Yak-52
Yak-52B	Light-attack test derivative	TWZ describes the Yak-52B as a Soviet-era counterinsurgency/light-attack derivative tested with strengthened wings, an optical sight, UPK-23 gun pods, and UB-32 rocket pods, but not produced in quantity. Sources: TWZ Russian Yak-52 Drone Hunter
Yak-52M	Modernized trainer	Museum and open aviation references identify Yak-52M as a later modernization with a different engine and updated trainer configuration. Sources: Vasteras Flygmuseum Yak-52, Wikipedia Yakovlev Yak-52
Iak-52W / Iak-52TW	Westernized Aerostar export variants	Open aviation references describe westernized Aerostar versions with western instruments and, for TW configurations, tailwheel and increased-fuel changes. Sources: Wikipedia Yakovlev Yak-52

Timeline

Yak-52 Key Events

Jan 1, 1976
Yak-52 first flight reported
Open aviation references identify 1976 as the Yak-52's first-flight year, placing the aircraft in the late-Cold-War Soviet trainer lineage.
Sources: Wikipedia Yakovlev Yak-52, Military Factory Yak-52
Jan 1, 1978
Romanian production period begins
AOPA and later aviation references place manufacturing at the Bacau/Aerostar production line in Romania rather than as a normal Soviet domestic production aircraft.
Sources: AOPA Yak 52, SafeSmart Aviation Yak-52
Apr 27, 2024
Yak-52 drone-intercept footage appears over Odesa
TWZ and Army Recognition reported footage and Ukrainian media claims of a Yak-52 intercepting a Russian Orlan-series reconnaissance drone in the Odesa region.
Sources: TWZ Ukraine WWI-Style Air Combat, Army Recognition Orlan-10 Yak-52
Jun 25, 2024
Kill-mark photos point to repeated drone interceptions
TWZ reported photographs of a Ukrainian Yak-52 with markings corresponding to Russian ZALA 421-16E and Orlan-10/30-series drones, indicating repeated counter-UAV sorties.
Sources: TWZ Yak-52 Kill Marks
Aug 25, 2025
Detailed reporting describes the visual intercept method
TWZ described a two-person Ukrainian Yak-52 procedure in which ground radio direction brings the aircraft near the drone and the rear-seat gunner engages at close range with handheld weapons.
Sources: TWZ Ukrainian Yak-52 Crews