The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a Soviet light bomber and attack aircraft. It was one of the most widely used twin-engine monoplanes of World War II. It was a very efficient and reliable bomber. It had been designed by Vladimir Petlyakov in late 1937, and massively produced by four State-run factories, with a total of 11,080 aircraft built by 1945.
The Petlyakov Pe-2 prototype performed its maiden flight on December 22, 1939. It was introduced into service three months later, on March 20, 1940. It first saw combat action in late June 1941, during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It would become the main Russian light bomber of World War II and the first years of the Cold War.
The first combat operations of the Pe-2 revealed that a number of the aircraft assemblies and systems needed slight design changes, concerning armament and survivability. However, after undergoing modifications and improvement, it became a versatile and fast bomber, which was often used in the ground-attack role to provide fire support to army troops on the front line.
Technical Characteristics
The Petlyakov Pe-2 was twin-engine monoplane, which was fitted with low wings and an all-metal fuselage. Ailrons and control surfaces were covered with cloth. Its tailplane had twin fins and rudders. The cockpit was comfortable for a crew of three men. The landing gear was retractable.
The Pe-2 flying characteristics were excellent but it took a great amount of force to pull the elevators up to rotate the plane when taking off. The aircraft was powered by two Klimov M-105PF, V12, liquid-cooled, piston engine, which put out 1,211 HP each.
Specification
Type: Light bomber
Length: 12.66 m
Wingspan: 17.16 m
Wing Area: 40.5 sq. meters
Height: 3.5 m
Maximum Speed: 580 km/h
Range: 1,160 km
Armament: four ShKAS 7.2-mm machine guns, two mounted in the nose, and two rearward firing. Bomb load was 1,000 kg of bombs.
Photos of the Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber.
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