Design and developmentThe 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.
Designed as "Samolyet (aircraft) 103", development took place under prison conditions. The first prototype was completed at factory N156, and made its first test flight 29 January 1941, piloted by Mikhail Nukhtinov. The AM-37 engine was abandoned to concentrate efforts on the AM-38F for Il-2. So Tupolev had to redesign aircraft for an available engine. Modifications of this bomber took ANT-58 through ANT-69 designation slots. A total of 2,257 Tu-2s were built.
Operational serviceBuilt from 1941 to 1948. The Tu-2 was the USSR's second important twin-engined bomber (the first being the Pe-2), the design brought Andrei Tupolev back into favour after a period of detention. It was highly effective, being faster, and more nimble, as well as having a greater bomb load and range than virtually all medium bombers in service during the war with any army.
The Tu-2 remained in service until 1950. Some Chinese Tu-2s were encountered by British and American airman during the Korean War. In the 1958-1962 counter-riot actions in Qinghai-Tibet Platean covering Qinghai, Tibet, south of Gansu, west of Sichuan, Chinese PLAAF Tu-2s took on the roles of ground-attack, reconnaissance and liaison. The Chinese Tu-2s retired at the end of 1970s.
Specifications (Tu-2)
General characteristicsCrew: 4
Length: 13.80 m (45 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 18.86 m (61 ft 10 in)
Height: 4.13 m (13 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 48.5 m² (522 ft²)
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 engines, 1,380 kW (1,850 hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 521 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: 217 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 cannons 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:
Internal 1,500 kg (3,300 lb)
External 2,270 kg (5,004 lb)
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