Aircraft:Polikarpov Po-2.
Manufacturer:State Industries.
Type:instruction.
Year:1928.
Engine:M.11 5-cylinder radial, air-cooled
110 hp.
Wingspan:11.40 m.
Length:8.15m.
Height:3.02 m.
Take-off weight:981 kg.
Maximum speed:146 km/h.
Maximum operating altitude:4,000 m.
Range:430 km.
Armament:1 machine gun, 250 kg of bombs.
Crew:2 people.
It was born as an instruction and general liaison aircraft but proved to be one of the most agile light combat machines made in the Soviet Union. The Russians built more than 20,000 examples of the Polikarpov Po-2 from 1928 to 1952 and the most remarkable period of this long career was during the Second World War, when thousands of these fragile biplanes served without respite in missions intended to disturb the enemy, night raids and reconnaissance all along the border. The Po-2 received this name in 1944, in honor of its inventor, Nikolai Polikarpov, who made it in 1927. The aircraft was in the form of a biplane of the classic type, with a mixed structure and coating canvas, powered by a 110 hp M.11 radial. Its high flight characteristics and its safety of employment, so appreciated in time of peace, contributed in a fundamental way to its success during the war. The Po-2 remained in production longer than any other Soviet aircraft.