Su-2

This is coolbert:

Here begins a short series of blog entries based on extracts from an article as seen at the Hush-Kit Internet web site.

"The 11 worst Soviet aircraft"

1. Su-2.

"The rather unassuming Su-2 is historically significant in being the first creation of Pavel Sukhoi. The Su-2, both by design and unfortunate circumstances, did not anticipate any of this greatness. Designed at a time when metal was a strategically limited resource, the Su-2 was one of the last frontline aircraft that are not all metal construction  Armed with a meagre four fixed 7.62 light machine guns and a notoriously unwieldy turret armed with a single Shkas. The unfortunate Su-2 was thrown into the meat grinder of Operation Barbarossa where, to the surprise of no-one, it racked up tremendous losses. While faster than its much more famous replacement, the Il-2, it had much lower survivability, armament and payload . . . The first of the Sukhoi’s was a little more than a footnote in aviation history though and, much like other designs of the era, it went from design to obsolescence in the space of 3 years."

"John" armed with four forward firing and two rear-ward firing 7.62 mm machine guns. One of those rear-ward firing machine guns evidently able of downward fire! An internal bomb-load could also be carried?

THAT SU-2 FIGURING PROMINENTLY IN THE CALCULATIONS OF STALIN AS TO THE STRIKING POWER OF THE RED ARMY PRIOR TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR!!

From the comments of the Soviet era defector Suvorov:

"As his main strike aircraft [tactical aviation flying in the close-air support role] Stalin had settled on the 'Ivanov' (one of Stalin's nicknames), later known as the Su-2, a highly effective attack bomber plane that was produced and deployed in large numbers. Stalin ordered construction of more than 100,000 Su-2s, as well as the training of 150,000 pilots. Weighing four tons, the Su-2 had a top speed of 486 km/h, a range of 1200 km, and a bomb load capacity of 400-600 kg. Similar, but superior to the German JU-87 'Stuka' dive bomber,"

"John" never built in "large numbers". ONLY about one-thousand [??] actually operational, and found to be an inferior warplane. Superseded by the Il-2 for the duration of the war [WW2].

coolbert.