The Soviets do need a legit bomber, no doubt. Maybe the Tu-2 would be a better "fill in the gap" contender? It was a level bomber, but it also was designed to dive bomb as well.
*from wiki*
General characteristics of the Tu-2:
* Crew: 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 engine, 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:
o 2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) fixed forward-firing ShVAK cannons in the wings
o 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