(Petlyakov) Pe-2 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 - Poltava Russia 1944 Petlyakov Pe-2 - Poltava Russia 1944
    Petlyakov Pe-2 - Poltava Russia 1944
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2 Petlyakov Pe-2
    Petlyakov Pe-2
  • Petlyakov Pe-2FT Petlyakov Pe-2FT
    Petlyakov Pe-2FT

Petlyakov Pe-2 "Buck"

The Petlyakov Pe-2, nicknamed Peshka (or "Pawn") was a Soviet dive bomber aircraft used during World War II. It was fast and maneuverable yet durable, and was manufactured in large numbers. Several Communist nations flew the type after the war, when it became known by the NATO reporting name "Buck". The Finnish Air Force serial code was PE- and unofficial nickname "Pekka-Eemeli".

The Pe-2 was designed in a sharashka after Vladimir Petlyakov had been arrested and imprisoned in 1937 for allegedly deliberately delaying design work on the Tupolev ANT-42 bomber. In the sharashka, Petlyakov was put in charge of a team to develop a high-altitude fighter escort for the ANT-42 under the designation VI-100. The first of two prototypes flew on December 22, 1939 and was a very sophisticated aircraft for its time, featuring a pressurised cabin, all-metal construction, superchargers and many electrically-actuated systems. The prototypes proved so pleasing that production was ordered almost immediately. It is said that Petlyakov and his team could see the VI-100 prototype from their prison as it was put through its paces for the crowds watching the annual May Day parade in 1940.

Just as production was ready to begin, the air force ordered a re-design of the aircraft. The value of tactical bombing had just been displayed by the Luftwaffe in the Blitzkrieg, and the need for such an aircraft suddenly became much more important than the need for a high-altitude escort fighter. Petlyakov's team was given 45 days to redesign their aircraft as a dive bomber. The cabin pressurization and superchargers were deleted, and dive brakes and a position for a bombardier were added, among a number of aerodynamic refinements. A fuselage bomb-bay was added, along with smaller bays in each engine nacelle. Initially designated PB-100, Stalin was impressed enough with Petlyakov to free him, and his name was permitted to be used in the aircraft's designation. The first aircraft flew on December 15, 1940, rushed through production without a prototype under severe threats from Stalin if a Pe-2 did not fly by the end of the year. Deliveries to combat units began the following Spring.

While the Pe-2 generally featured favorable flying characteristics when airborne, it took a good amount of force to pull the elevators up to get the plane rotated off the runway during takeoff. Russian night bombing missions often flew with female pilots and some of the women pilots were not strong enough to get the airplane airborne by themselves. When such a situation occurred, the procedure was to have one of the crew get behind the pilot's seat and wrap her arms around the control wheel and help the pilot force the wheel back. Once the aircraft was airborne, the crew returned to her duties and the pilot continued to fly the plane without assistance.

Operational service

The aircraft did not really show its true potential until the end of the year, after the Soviet Air Force had a chance to regroup after the German onslaught during the Winter. The Pe-2 quickly proved itself to be a highly capable aircraft, capable of eluding the Luftwaffe's interceptors and allowing their crews to develop great accuracy with their bombing. Throughout 1942 the design was steadily refined and improved, in direct consultation with pilots who were actually flying them in combat. Western sources use mark Pe-2FT for production series after 83 (where FT stands for Frontovoe Trebovanie (Frontline Request)), although soviet documents do not use this identification. Final versions Pe-2K (transitional version of Pe-2I) and Pe-2I were produced in small numbers, due to unwillingness of Soviet industry to decelerate production numbers.

Finnish Air Force

In 1941, after the outbreak of Continuation War Finland purchased six war booty Pe-2 aircraft from Germany. These arrived to State Aircraft Factory facilities at Härmälä in January 1942, where the airframes were overhauled and given Finnish serial numbers. The seventh Pe-2 was bought from the Germans in January 1944, and it was flown to Finland at the end of the month.

It was initially planned to use these planes as dive bombers in the 1st flight of LeLv 48, which began to receive its aircraft in July 1942, but during the training it was found out that this caused too much strain for the engines. Thus, the role of Pe-2s was changed to fly long-range photographic and visual reconnaissance missions for the Army General Headquarters. These sorties began in late 1942, and were often flown with two 250 kg bombs for harassment bombing and in order to cover the true purpose of missions.

By the time the Soviet Fourth strategic offensive started in June 1944, the secondary bombing role had already ended and the surviving Pe-2s began to be used solely at Karelian Isthmus in escorted (normally by four FiAF Bf 109Gs) photographic reconnaissance flights in order to find out enemy troop concentrations. These vital missions were flown successfully, allowing artillery and Finnish Air Force and Luftwaffe's Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey's bombers to make their strikes against the formations preparing for attack, which had an important effect to the outcome of the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, where the Soviet advance was halted.

During the Continuation War, three Pe-2s were lost in accidents or technical failures, one was destroyed in bombing of Lappeenranta airfield, one was shot down by Soviet fighters and one went missing in action. In the Lapland War the only remaining machine flew a single reconnaissance sortie in October 1944.

Variants

In total, around 11,400 Pe-2s were built, large number of minor variants were also developed.

  • PB-100 : Prototype of the Pe-2.
  • Pe-2 : First production variant.
  • Pe-2B : Standard bomber version from 1944.
  • Pe-2D : Three-seat bomber version, powered by two VK-107A piston engines.
  • Pe-2FT : Main production variant. In Czechoslovakia known as the B-32. Improved defensive armament (7.62mm machine gun in dorsal turret), removal of the dive brakes, and an uprated engine. Nose glazing was also reduced.
  • Pe-2FZ : Built in small numbers.
  • Pe-2I : Improved version designed by Vladimir Myasishchev. VK-107 engines; revised wing profile; remote-controlled tail gun. Top speed 656 km/h. Could carry 1000 kg bombs. Five examples built.
  • Pe-2K : Radial-engined version, small number built.
  • Pe-2K RD-1 : One Pe-2K equipped with additional RD-1 rocket engine. The 661-lb (300-kg) Glushko RD-1 rocket engine was installed in the tail of the aircraft.
  • Pe-2M : Variant of Pe-2I with heavier armament.
  • Pe-2MV : This version was armed with 20-mm ShVAK cannons and two 12.7-mm (0.5-inch) in an underfuselage gondola, it also had one 7.63-mm (0.3-inch) machine gun in the dorsal turret.
  • Pe-2R : Three-seat photo reconnaissance version, with a larger fuel tanks and extended range. small number built.
  • Pe-2S : Two-seat training version.
  • Pe-2Sh : The PB-100 prototype was fitted with two 20-mm ShVAK cannons, and a single 12.7-mm (or 0.5-inch) machine gun was fitted beneath the fuselage.
  • Pe-2VI : High altitude fighter version.
  • Pe-2UTI (or UPe-2) : Dedicated trainer version, small number built. In Czechoslovakia known as the CB-32.
  • Pe-2 Paravan : Anti-barrage balloon version.
  • Pe-3 : Fighter version, small number built.
  • Pe-4 : Fighter version, small number built.

Operators

World War II

  • Czechoslovakian Air Force operated some Pe-2FT aircraft in the 1st Czechoslovakian Mixed Air Division in Soviet Union (1. československá smíšená letecká divize v SSSR). Aircraft were used operationally since 14 April 1945.
  • Finnish Air Force operated seven captured aircraft (given the Finnish serial numbers PE-211 to PE-217).
  • Soviet Air Force.

Postwar

  • People's Liberation Army Air Force.
  • Czechoslovakian Air Force operated 32 Pe-2FT and 3 UPe-2 between May 1946 and mid 1951. First aircraft arrived to Prague-Kbely airfield in April 1946 and formed two squadrons ot the 25 Air Regiment in Havlíčkův Brod. Czechoslovakian aircraft were known under designation B-32 (or Pe-2FT) and CB-32 (or UPe-2).
  • Hungarian Air Force.
  • Air Force of the Polish Army (after 1947 Polish Air Force).
  • Soviet Air Force.
  • SFR Yugoslav Air Force operated 64 Pe-2FT and 89 UPe-2 between 1945 and 1954.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Petliakov Pe-2 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (Petlyakov Pe-2)

  • Crew : Three - pilot, gunner, bombardier.
  • Length : 12.66 m (or 41 ft 6 in).
  • Height : 3.5 m (or 11 ft 6 in).
  • Wingspan : 17.16 m (or 56 ft 3 in).
  • Wing area : 40.5 m² (or 436 sq ft).
  • Wing loading : 186 kg/m² (or 38 lb/sq ft).
  • Empty weight : 5,875 kg (or 12,952 lb).
  • Loaded weight : 7,563 kg (or 16,639 lb).
  • Max takeoff weight : 8,495 kg (or 18,728 lb).
  • Maximum speed : 580 km/h (or 360 mph).
  • Range : 1,160 km (or 721 miles).
  • Service ceiling 8,800 m (or 28,870 ft).
  • Rate of climb : 7.2 m/s (or 1,410 ft/min).
  • Powerplant : Two Klimov M-105PF liquid-cooled V-12.
  • Power : 903 kW (or 1,210 hp) each.
  • Power/mass : 250 W/kg (or 0.15 hp/lb).
  • Armament : Two 7.62 mm fixed ShKAS machine guns in the nose, one of them being replaced by Berezin UB on later versions. Two rearward firing 7.62 mm ShKAS. From the middle of 1942 defensive armament included 1 Berezin UB machine gun in the upper bombardier's turret, 1 Berezin UB in gunner's ventral hatch and 1 ShKAS, which may be fired by gunner from port, starboard or upper mountings (switch between mountings was performed in-flight in less than a minute). Some planes were also equipped with DAG-10 launcher, firing AG-2 parachute timed grenades. The bombload was 1,600 kg (or 3,520 lb).

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Petliakov Pe-2 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Petlyakov Pe-2 : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).