Polikarpov Po-2 (Mule)

History

Few aircraft in the history of aviation have been able to secure two primary qualifications for design success - 1) long-term (usually decades) seniority and 2) high production/total numbers. The Soviet-era Polikarpov Po-2 managed to do just that, with a career that began in 1929 and lasted until the late 1970s. Production spanned from 1928 to 1952, with a total of 20,000 to 40,000 aircraft (source unknown).

With that range, the Po-2 had a healthy and long service life in which it played a variety of rolesa versatility that earned it the NATO codename "The Mule." To the Soviets it was simply called "Kukuruznik", which means "corn spreader" or "crop spreader".

The Po-2 uses a traditional two-seat biplane wing configuration. Personnel sit in a row in the open air cockpit, with the pilot in front and the observer/gunner in the back.

The main aircraft is arranged in a typical upper and lower biplane configuration, using N struts, proper propeller/control surface wiring and a separate cabin display. The engine is attached to the bow section in the usual way and drives a two-bladed propeller. The tail has a circular vertical tail with a lower horizontal plane.

The landing gear was fixed, the pilot provided two rubber tire support wheels, and the tail unit was carried by a simple skid structure. This gave the Po-2 a fairly good rough field quality at a time when more complex and inherently refined all-metal monoplane designs were being built.

In addition, the Po-2 is known for its powerful short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities and retains the inherent simplicity in its design.

Eventually becoming a legendary company in Soviet-era aviation, Polikarpov set out to develop a homegrown solution to replace the aging British Avro 504 biplane series that had been in service around the world since 1913. World War I (1914-1918) secured these planes in aviation history, but its era came and went in the 1920s, so a modern, equally low-risk alternative was sought.

It was mainly used for training missions under the name "U-2" in the newly formed Soviet Air Force.

The first flight in Po-2 form took place on June 24, 1927, and testing continued until 1928, when the pre-production aircraft was completed. Service started in 1929 with delivery from the Leningrad factory.

The aircraft performed well during the turbulent interwar period, serving both military and civilian markets. It was forced into service at the start of World War II in September 1939, and was used to defend Odessa from August 1941 to October 1941 - after the German invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). By this time, the aircraft was fully equipped to drop light bombs (6 x 110 lb bombs) and could be used for ground attack if needed. The rear cockpit is usually equipped with a standard Soviet 7.62mm caliber machine gun for self-defense.

In addition to its attack role, the aircraft is a solid reconnaissance platform, night attack aircraft and excellent military-grade base pilot trainer. Due to its slow speed and low-altitude attack, the Po-2 proved difficult to shoot down by enemy fighters.

The aircraft played many roles in the final stages of the war, with the eventual fall of Berlin and the eventual end of the conflict in Europe.

A few years later, until the start of the Korean War (1950-1953), the Po-2 was still in service, this time for the Korean Air Force (Korean People's Air Force). Like the Soviets, the North Koreans used their Po-2 aircraft to conduct daring surprise attacks at night, often surprising their targets.

Like the Germans in World War II, Americans in the Korean conflict found the Po-2 difficult to shoot down targets due to its slow and low flight speed. During the war, the Po-2 was credited with being the only biplane to shoot down a jet, and this American Lockheed F-94 Starfire dropped to just over 100 mph.

The Po-2 also became the only aircraft shot down by the Douglas A-1 Skyraider during the war on June 16, 1953.

Starting with the original Po-2 label, there are countless variants of Po-2. U-2 is used to denote a two-seat trainer biplane, a group of aircraft with a large number of sub-variants.

The Po-2 has served in VIP transport roles, as an air ambulance, as a personnel communications platform, as an aerial bid, and has even been converted to use flotation equipment on water. Operators eventually went from Albania and Bulgaria to Turkey and Yugoslavia.

Notable operators include France (the French Free Air Force during World War II), Nazi Germany (aircraft captured during World War II) and North Korea.

The basic U-2 trainer rack has an overall length of 26.9 feet, a wingspan of 37.4 feet, and a height of 10.1 feet. Curb weight is 1,700 lbs and MTOW is 3,000 lbs. Propulsion is provided by a 125 hp single air-cooled 5-cylinder Shvetsov M-11D series radial piston engine.

Top speed is listed as 95 mph, while cruising is closer to 70 mph. The range is 400 miles, and the aircraft has a service limit of 10,000 feet. The climb rate is 545 feet per minute.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes