Petlyakov Pe-2
The Petlyakov Pe-2 (Russian: Петляков Пе-2; NATO reporting name: Buick) was a Soviet twin-engine dive bomber used during World War II. One of the outstanding tactical attack aircraft of the war, it also proved successful as a heavy fighter, as a night fighter (Pe-3 variant) and as a reconnaissance aircraft. The Pe-2 was, numerically, the most important Soviet bomber of World War II, at their peak comprising 75% of the Soviet twin-engine bomber force. The Soviets manufactured Pe-2s in greater numbers (11,430 built) during the war than any other twin-engine combat aircraft except for the German Junkers Ju 88 and the British Vickers Wellington. Several communist air forces flew the type after the war, when it became known by the NATO reporting name Buck.
| Pe-2 | |
|---|---|
| Pe-2FT in the Central Air Force Museum, Monino, Russia | |
| Role | Dive bomber |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Plant No.22 (Kazan), Plant No.39 (Moscow), Plant No.124 (Kazan), Plant No.125 (Irkutsk) |
| Designer | V.M. Petlyakov Design Bureau |
| First flight | 22 December 1939 (VI-100) |
| Introduction | March 1941 |
| Retired | 1951 (Soviet Air Force), 1957 (Polish Air Force) |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Force Polish Air Force, Czechoslovakian Air Force, Bulgarian Air Force |
| Produced | December 1940 - December 1945 |
| Number built | 11,070 (+ 360 Pe-3) |
| Variants | Petlyakov Pe-3 |