It was, however, the fastest multi-engined aircraft in the Soviet Union, able to reach 567 km/h (352 mph) at 9,900 m (32,500 ft), not least because it lacked heavy military equipment.

[2] Stalin ordered it into production, as the BB-22 (Russian: Ближний бомбардировщик, Blizhniy Bombardirovshchik— short-range bomber), on 15 March 1939 before it could be evaluated by the NII VVS (Naoochno-Issledovatel'skiy Institoot Voyenno-Vozdooshnykh Seel – Air Force Scientific Test Institute).

[2] The task of converting the aircraft to a bomber was formidable and included redesigning the center fuselage to accommodate the gunner/navigator immediately aft of the pilot and provision of two 7.62-millimetre (0.3 in) ShKAS machine guns, one for the gunner and the other fixed in the nose.

The test programme report concluded that it was not combat-capable and reliable and that flights with a 400-kilogram (880 lb) bomb load could be dangerous to the crew.

[4] A remediation program was begun which replaced the single-wheel main landing gear with two-wheeled units and the fuselage upper decking was cut down.

[5] Aviation historian Bill Gunston reports that several prototype variants were built, including the R-12 reconnaissance aircraft which retained the original positioning of the crew, put three cameras in the fuselage and added a bomb bay for eight 20 kg (44 lb) FAB-20 bombs behind the pilot.

[7] Russian aviation historian Yefim Gordon does mention a Yak-2KABB ground-attack variant which might have been confused with the I-29 because it had two ShKAS in the nose and two 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannon in a depressible ventral pack.

[5] When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union on 22 Jun 1941, 73 Yak-2s were in service, mostly with the 316th Reconnaissance Regiment in the Kiev Military District.