Polikarpov Po-2

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

The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2, for its initial uchebnyy ("training") role as a
flight instruction aircraft) served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane,
nicknamed Kukuruznik (Russian: ??????????, from Russian "kukuruza" (????????)
for maize; thus, "maize duster" or "crop duster"), NATO reporting name "Mule".
The reliable, uncomplicated concept of the Po-2's design made it an ideal
trainer aircraft, as well as doubling as a low-cost ground attack, aerial
reconnaissance, psychological warfare and liaison aircraft during war, proving
to be one of the most versatile light combat types to be built in the Soviet
Union. As of 1978 it remained in production for a longer period of time than any
other Soviet-era aircraft.

It is one of the most produced aircraft, and may be the most produced biplane in
history, with as many as 30,000 Po-2s built between 1928 and 1959. However,
production figures for Polikarpov U-2 and Po-2 bombers and trainers combined are
between 20,000 and 30,000. with production ending as early as 1952. Correct
figures are hard to obtain since low-rate production by small repair shops and
air clubs likely continued until 1959.

The aircraft was designed by Nikolai Polikarpov to replace the U-1 trainer (a
copy of the British Avro 504), which was known as Avrushka to the Soviets.

The prototype of the U-2, powered by a 74 kW (99 hp) Shvetsov M-11 air-cooled
five-cylinder radial engine, first flew on 7 January 1928 piloted by M.M.
Gromov. Aircraft from the preproduction series were tested at the end of 1928
and serial production started in 1929 in Factory number 23 in Leningrad. Its
name was changed to Po-2 in 1944, after Polikarpov's death, according to the
then-new Soviet naming system, usually using the first two letters of the
designer's family name, or the Soviet government-established design bureau that
created it. Production in the Soviet Union ended in 1953, but license-built
CSS-13s were still produced in Poland until 1959.


Role
Utility biplane

Manufacturer
Polikarpov

First flight
24 June 1927

Introduction
1929

Primary users
Soviet Air Force
Aeroflot
DOSAAF

Produced
1928-1952

Number built
20,000–30,000

From the beginning, the U-2 became the basic Soviet civil and military trainer
aircraft, mass-produced in a "Red Flyer" factory near Moscow. It was also used
for transport, and as a military liaison aircraft, due to its STOL capabilities.
Also from the beginning it was produced as an agricultural aircraft variant,
which earned it its nickname Kukuruznik. Although entirely outclassed by
contemporary aircraft, the Kukuruznik served extensively on the Eastern Front in
World War II, primarily as a liaison, medevac and general-supply aircraft. It
was especially useful for supplying Soviet partisans behind the German front
line. Manufacturing of the Po-2 in the USSR ceased in 1949, but until 1959 a
number were assembled in Aeroflot repair workshops.

On 17 June 1951, at 01:30 hours, Suwon Air Base was bombed by two Po-2s. Each
biplane dropped a pair of fragmentation bombs. One scored a hit on the 802nd
Engineer Aviation Battalion's motor pool, damaging some equipment. Two bombs
burst on the flightline of the 335th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. One F-86A
Sabre (FU-334 / 49-1334) was struck on the wing and began burning. The fire took
hold, gutting the aircraft. Prompt action by personnel who moved aircraft away
from the burning Sabre prevented further loss. Eight other Sabres were damaged
in the brief attack, four seriously. One F-86 pilot was among the wounded. The
North Koreans subsequently credited Lt. La Woon Yung with this damaging attack.

UN forces named the Po-2's nighttime appearance Bedcheck Charlie and had great
difficulty in shooting it down – even though night fighters had radar as
standard equipment in the 1950s. The wood-and-fabric material of the Po-2 had
only a small radar cross-section, making it hard for an opposing fighter pilot
to acquire his target. As Korean war U.S. veteran Leo Fournier remarked about
"Bedcheck Charlie" in his memoirs: "... no one could get at him. He just flew
too low and too slow." On 16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from VMC-1 piloted by Major
George H. Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S. Kramer shot down a Soviet-built
Polikarpov Po-2 biplane, the only documented Skyraider air victory of the war.
The Po-2 is also the only biplane credited with a documented jet-kill, as one
Lockheed F-94 Starfire was lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below
its stall speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying Po-2.

Specifications (U-2)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 8.17 m (26 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 11.4 m (37 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 33.2 m2 (357 sq ft)
Empty weight: 770 kg (1,698 lb)
Gross weight: 1,030 kg (2,271 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 1,350 kg (2,976 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-11D 5-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 93 kW
(125 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance
Maximum speed: 152 km/h (94 mph, 82 kn)
Cruise speed: 110 km/h (68 mph, 59 kn)
Range: 630 km (390 mi, 340 nmi)
Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 2.78 m/s (547 ft/min)
Wing loading: 41 kg/m2 (8.4 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.060 kW/kg (0.036 hp/lb)

Armament
(U-2VS / LNB only)
Guns: One 7.62×54mmR (0.30 in) ShKAS machine gun
Bombs: Six 50 kg (110 lb) bombs




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