72120 ARKHANGELSKY AR-2 SOVIET WW2 DIVE BOMBER

The Arkhangelsk Ar-2 is a Soviet bomber, sometimes referred to as a dive bomber with an all-metal dorsal wing structure from the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place in 1940 - the serial production of this machine started in the same year. The drive was provided by two M-105P engines with 1100 HP each. The machine was 12.5 meters long with a wingspan of 18.5 meters. The top speed does not exceed 480 km / h. The deck armament consisted of four 7.62 mm machine guns. The plane could also take on board a load of bombs weighing up to 800 kilograms. The Arkhangelsk Ar-2 was based on the design of the SB-2 bomber as a very far-reaching development, which in fact led to the creation of a new bomber with significantly better parameters and performance. The main changes concerned the use of different engines, completely differently designed and constructed wings and a new front part of the fuselage. During the tests, the machine showed good maneuverability for this class of aircraft, but also had a good top speed. Despite the aircraft entering mass production, it lost the competition with Pe-2 and Tu-2 aircraft. In total, about 200-250 aircraft of this type were built. They served in the line until 1943, and a large part of them was destroyed in the first weeks of the German-Soviet war (1941-1945).