Tupolev Tu-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-2

The Tupolev Tu-2 (development names ANT-58 and 103; NATO reporting name Bat) was
a twin-engine Soviet high-speed daylight and frontline (SDB and FB) bomber
aircraft of World War II vintage. The Tu-2 was tailored to meet a requirement
for a high-speed bomber or dive-bomber, with a large internal bombload, and
speed similar to that of a single-seat fighter. Designed to challenge the German
Junkers Ju 88, the Tu-2 proved comparable, and was produced in torpedo,
interceptor and reconnaissance versions. The Tu-2 was one of the outstanding
combat aircraft of World War II and it played a key role in the Red Army's final
offensives.

In 1937, Andrei Tupolev, along with many Soviet designers at the time, was
arrested on trumped-up charges of activities against the State. Despite the
actions of the Soviet government, he was considered important to the war effort
and following his imprisonment, he was placed in charge of a team that was to
design military aircraft. Designed as Samolyot (Russian: "aircraft") 103, the
Tu-2 was based on earlier ANT-58, ANT-59 and ANT-60 light bomber prototypes.
Essentially an upscaled and more powerful ANT-60 powered by AM-37 engines, the
first prototype was completed at Factory N156, and made its first test flight on
29 January 1941, piloted by Mikhail Nukhtinov. Mass production began in
September 1941, at Omsk Aircraft Factory Number 166, with the first aircraft
reaching combat units in March 1942. Modifications were made based on combat
experience, and Plant Number 166 built a total of 80 aircraft. The AM-37 engine
was abandoned to concentrate efforts on the AM-38F for the Il-2, which required
Tupolev to redesign the aircraft for an available engine. Modifications of this
bomber took ANT-58 through ANT-69 variants. A further 2527 aircraft were built
at Kazan, with these modifications. Production ceased in 1951 after a total of
some 3,000 aircraft were delivered to various Soviet Bloc air forces.


Role
Medium bomber

Manufacturer
Tupolev

Designer
Andrei Tupolev

First flight
29 January 1941

Introduction
1942

Primary users
VVS, Soviet Naval Aviation
People's Liberation Army Air Force
Polish Air Forces

Produced
1941–1948

Number built
2,257

Variants
Tupolev Tu-1
Tupolev Tu-8

Built from 1941 to 1948, the Tu-2 was the USSR's second most important
twin-engine bomber (the first being the Pe-2). The design brought Andrei Tupolev
back into favour after a period of detention. Crews were universally happy with
their Tupolevs. Pilots could maneuver the aircraft like a fighter, it could
survive heavy damage, and it was fast. The Tu-2 remained in service in the USSR
until 1950.

Some surplus Tu-2s were provided to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air
Force for use in the Chinese Civil War. Some Chinese Tu-2s were shot down by
United Nations airmen during the Korean War. In the 1958–1962 'counter-riot
actions' in the 1959 Tibetan uprising in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau covering Qinghai,
Tibet, southern Gansu, and western Sichuan, Chinese PLAAF Tu-2s took on the
roles of ground-attack, reconnaissance and liaison. The Chinese Tu-2s were
retired at the end of the 1970s.

After World War II, the Tu-2 proved to be an ideal test aircraft for various
powerplants, including the first generation of Soviet jet engines.

Specifications (Tu-2)

General characteristics
Crew: four
Length: 13.80 m (45 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 18.86 m (61 ft 10 in)
Height: 4.13 m (13 ft 7 in)
Empty weight: 7,601 kg (16,757 lb)
Loaded weight: 10,538 kg (23,232 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 11,768 kg (25,944 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Shvetsov ASh-82 radial engine, 1,380 kW (1,850 hp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 528 km/h (281 kn, 325 mph)
Range: 2,020 km (1,090 nmi, 1,260 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,528 ft)
Rate of climb: 8.2 m/s (1,610 ft/min)
Wing loading: 220 kg/m² (45 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 260 W/kg (0.16 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns:
2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) fixed forward-firing ShVAK cannon in the wings
3 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) rear-firing ShKAS machine guns (later replaced by 12.7 mm
(0.50 in) Berezin UB machine guns) in the canopy, dorsal and ventral hatches.

Bombs: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) internally and 2,270 kg (5,000 lb) externally





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