The prototype Yak-55 first flew in May 1981 and was unveiled at the Moscow Tushino air show in August 1982, and was displayed (but did not compete) at the 1982 World Aerobatic Championships.
In the late 1980s, work began on a revised version of the Yak-55, the Yak-55M, to meet demands from DOSAAF for an aircraft with further increased rates of roll, and to compete with new designs from the Sukhoi design bureau.