BIPLANES OF THE 1930S-40S

The Polikarpov Po-2 ("Kukurusnik") is a mixed Soviet multipurpose biplane with a classic tail and a fixed landing gear. The flight of the prototype took place in 1928, and serial production lasted from 1928 until 1959! It was originally intended to be the USSR's primary aviation training aircraft. Already the first prototype and serial units showed the advantages of the structure - very simple production technology, low unit cost, considerable structural strength, simple operation, short take-off and landing distance. Due to these features, the Po-2 was in service until the 1970s, with at least a dozen versions. The basic production version is the Polikarpov U-2 with the Szwecow M-11 engine with a capacity of 100 HP, and later up to 150 HP. It was produced in a large number of variants, both for the military and for civilian use (e.g. for spraying farmland). Another version is the U-2SSz, a classic liaison plane. The U-2LSz model, i.e. an attack plane armed with a 7.62 caliber machine gun, bombs (up to 240 kg) and rockets, was very popular. Another variation is the U-2LNB - a light night bomber. The Po-2, despite its backwardness in design, was intensively used by the USSR air forces during World War II. The Po-2 performed multiple missions - as a liaison plane, supporting partisans, reconnaissance, light night bomber. It was on these machines that the famous 588th Night Bomber Regiment flew, the entire staff of which was made up of women, called by the Germans "Night Witches". Po-2 was also used in Polish aviation until 1950. It also served in the Korean War, where, paradoxically, it was difficult to destroy during night actions by American fighters. There were two reasons for this: the low maximum speed of Po-2, which made it difficult to aim, and the canvas cover, which made it very difficult to track radar. Technical data (U-2 version): length: 8.17m, wingspan: 11.4m, height: 3.1m, maximum speed: 152km / h, climb speed: 2.2m / s, practical ceiling: 3000m, range maximum: 630 km, weapons: fixed - 1 SzKAS 7.62 mm machine gun, suspended - up to 240 kg of bombs.The Kawasaki Ki-10 is a Japanese metal-structure single-seat biplane fighter with a solid-classic landing gear from the initial period of the Japanese-Chinese war. It is considered the best Japanese biplane fighter of the 1920s and 1930s. The Ki-10 was a return to the biplane after unsuccessful attempts with the Ki-5 low wing of 1934. The ki-10 biplane was designed by Takeo Doi with the assistance of Isamu Imachi. In March 1935, the first prototype was built, in September the plane was put into mass production as a Type 95 fighter. However, because the military demanded better maneuverability of the plane, in parallel with production, from December 1935, work was carried out on the Ki-10-II variant, which entered mass production after being built in October 1937, 300 aircraft. By the end of production in December 1938, 280 Ki-10-II aircraft were built. The producer was Kawasaki plants. The Ki-10 in both variants was a fighter unit of the Japanese army until 1940. However, it was inferior to enemy planes. Japanese aviation suffered as much as 38% of its losses in air combat. During this period, the USSR provided China with min. 400 modern aircraft and over 200 Soviet airmen died during the fighting on the Chinese side. Four prototypes were used in the Type 95 Fighter's upgrade program. They flew with different engines, changed wings, and a closed pilot's cockpit. They achieved a speed of 425 km / h, then even 445 km / h, but that was the end of their development, as they returned to the monoplane system. Technical data: length: 7.2 m, wingspan: 10.02 m, height: 3 m, maximum speed: 400 km / h, maximum range: 1100 km, maximum ceiling 10000 m, armament: fixed - 2 machine guns type 89, caliber 7.7 mm .The Heinkel He-51 is a German single-engine biplane fighter, training light stormtrooper and mixed seaplane. The prototype's flight took place in 1933, and the machine entered service in 1935. The He-51 was used in combat during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In the course of the conflict, it turned out to be a machine much worse than the Soviet I-15 and I-16, it was also over 100 km / h slower than SB bombers. From 1938, planes were withdrawn from line units and transferred to aviation schools. He 51 seaplane was built in 1934. The modified landing gear had floats instead of wheels. Just like the fighter version, the seaplanes were sent back to training units before the outbreak of the war. In total, about 700 aircraft of this type were built, most of them in the "B" version. Technical data: length: 8.4m, wingspan: 11m, height: 3.2m, maximum speed: 330km / h, rate of climb: 11.9m / s, maximum range: 570km, maximum ceiling 7,700m, armament: fixed-2 7.92mm MG17 machine guns, suspended - up to 60 kg of bombs instruction1.pdfinstruction2.pdfinstruction3.pdf