Po-2
Click the thumbnails to enlarge them
Night light bomber Po-2 loaded with bombs
Po-2 Kukuruznik ambulance
Po-2 with crew
Po2 with bombs
Polikarpov Po-2 engine maintenance
Polikarpov U-2 Кукурузник crew
U-2 biplane trainers in flight
Wounded Russian soldier being loaded onto a U-2 / Po-2 Kukuruznik ambulance plane by nurses
Polikarpov U-2/Po-2 was multi-purpose soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik (“Кукурузник”) or “Sewing Machine” (by Germans).
Specifications
| variant | U-2 trainer | Po2 LNB light bomber |
| crew | 2 | 2 |
| wingspan (m) | 11,40 | 11,40 |
| lenght (m) | 8,17 | 8,17 |
| height (m) | 3,1 | 3,1 |
| wing area (m2) | 33,15 | 33,15 |
| empty weight (kg) | 635 | 773 |
| normal take-off weight (kg) | 890 | 1012 |
| max take-off weight (kg) | 1400 | |
| engine | Shvetsov M-11, 5-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine, 100-150 hp | Shvetsov M-11, 5-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine, 100-150 hp |
| max speed (km/h) | 150 at 0m | 131 at 0m |
| cruising speed (km/h) | 110 | 110 |
| landing speed (km/h) | 65 | 82 |
| ceiling (m) | 3820 | 1550 |
| range (km) | 630 | 450 |
| rate of climb | 2,2 m/s | 0,8 m/s |
| take-off roll (m) | 190-365 | |
| landing roll (m) | 200 | 200 |
| bombs (kg) | 6x50 kg or 2x100 kg | |
| armament | 1x 7,62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS |
Bibliography
- Grzegorz Plonski: Polikarpov Po-2, Kagero Topshots 11005
- Martin Velek: Polikarpov U-2/Po-2, MBI
- Bruce Myles - Night Witches: The Amazing Story Of Russia's Women Pilots in World War II
- Emma Gee - The Night Witches-Combat Pilots WWII. Heroines of the Soviet Union
- Von Hardesty, Ilya Grinberg:Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II