The Antonov A-7 was a Soviet light troop military glider of World War II.

Shortly after the German attack in 1941, Soviet headquarters realized a need for transport gliders and ordered the development of several designs.

[1] In late 1942 – early 1943, an unusual variant was tested – a tanker glider, fitted with a 1000-litre fuel tank, hauled by a DB-3 bomber which was refuelled during flight in order to increase range.

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.

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.

Landing gear was manually retractable, its cantilevers were in a transport compartment between two central seats.