Yakovlev Yak-14

The Yakovlev Yak-14 was the largest assault glider ever to enter service with the Soviet Air Force, introduced in 1949 when other air forces were abandoning gliders. In 1948 the Soviet Air Forces asked for a glider able to carry 3,500 kg or up to 35 troops for the airborne troops, including an anti-tank gun with its crew and tow vehicle. The Yak-14 was a high-wing monoplane with a rectangular fuselage of steel tube and dural, a nose that swung to the right and a tail section that pivoted to the left for loading. In 1950 a Yak-14 became the first glider to fly over the North Pole.