Antonov A - 7 The Antonov A - 7 was a Soviet light troop military glider of World War II . Development . Shortly after the German attack in 1941 , Soviet headquarters realized a need for transport gliders and ordered the development of several designs . Oleg Antonov offered a light glider , of which preliminary sketches had been drawn in 1939 . It was first named RF - 8 ( " Rot Front - 8 " ) and was essentially an enlarged variant of a sports glider , the RF - 7 . Following trials , its capacity was increased from 5 to 7 persons ( including pilot ) . The A - 7 was an all - wooden high - winged monoplane , with a retractable undercarriage . It was evaluated in late 1941 and ordered for production , under the designation A - 7 ( Antonov , 7 persons ) . Approximately 400 were built . In late 1942 – early 1943 , an unusual variant was tested – a tanker glider , fitted with 1000 litre fuel tank , hauled by DB - 3 bomber , which was refuelled during flight in order to increase range . It was not produced . Operational history . The A - 7 , along with the Gribovski G - 11 , constituted the majority of Soviet transport gliders . They were mainly used for supplying Soviet partisans with provisions , weapons , equipment and trained men . The most intensive use was from April to November 1943 in Belarussia , in the Polotsk - Begoml - Lepel area . Several hundreds of Soviet gliders ( of all types ) were used in night supply flights at this time . After landing , gliders were destroyed and pilots were sometimes taken back by aircraft . Gliders were also used to supply partisans in some areas in 1944 . They were also used to transport sabotage groups behind enemy lines , though the small capacity of the A - 7 made it not very suitable for such actions . A - 7s were towed mainly by SB or DB - 3 bombers ( The DB - 3 could tow two A - 7s ) . A less typical action was an air bridge from Moscow to the Stalingrad area in November 1942 , in order to quickly deliver antifreeze cooling liquid for tanks , during the battle of Stalingrad . The A - 7 was considered a successful design , but it had less capacity than the other light glider , the G - 11 . Moreover , a place for cargo was limited by an arrangement of seats and a presence of cantilevers of a retractable landing gear in the center of a transport compartment . It could transport 7 troops ( including pilot ) or up to 900 kg of cargo . Description . High - wing , mixed construction ( mostly wooden ) . Fuselage semi - monocoque , rectangular in cross - section . Single - seat pilot ' s cab in front . Behind it , a transport compartment , with six seats : two on sides in front ( heading towards each other ) , two on sides in back , and two in the middle ( heading towards front and back ) . There were double doors in the left side in front , and in the right side in back ( left front and right back seats must be raised prior to opening door ) . There were small round windows in doors and sides opposite to doors . Wings were three - part , plywood and fabric covered . Landing gear was manually retractable , its cantilevers were in transport compartment between two central seats . In order to shorten landing , the glider could seat on a skid under a fuselage .