Tupolev Tu-2#Aircraft on display

In 1937, Andrei Tupolev, along with many Soviet designers at the time, was arrested on trumped-up charges of activities against the State. Despite the actions of the Soviet government, he was considered important to the war effort and following his imprisonment, he was placed in charge of a team that was to design military aircraft. Designed as Samolyot (Russian: "aircraft") 103, the Tu-2 was based on earlier ANT-58, ANT-59 and ANT-60 light bomber prototypes. A bigger and more powerful ANT-60 powered by AM-37 engines, the first prototype was completed at Factory N156, and made its first test flight on 29 January 1941, piloted by Mikhail Nukhtinov.Bishop 2002, p. 317

Mass production began in September 1941, at Omsk Aircraft Factory Number 166, with the first aircraft reaching combat units in March 1942. Modifications were made based on combat experience, and Plant Number 166 built a total of 80 aircraft. The AM-37 engine was abandoned to concentrate efforts on the AM-38F for the Il-2, which required Tupolev to redesign the aircraft for an available engine. Modifications of this bomber to the ASh-82 engine as well as improving the general design for simpler manufacturing took well into 1943 with production restarting in late 1943. Wartime production of the new variant was about 800 aircraft (up to June 1945) with an overall production of 2460 aircraft until 1952, the majority of them built by aircraft factory number 23 in Moscow.

Built from 1941 to 1948, the Tu-2 was the USSR's second most important twin-engine bomber after the Petlyakov Pe-2. The design brought Andrei Tupolev back into favour after a period of detention. Crews were universally happy with their Tupolevs. The aircraft was fast and maneuverable like a fighter and it could survive heavy damage.Ethell 1995, p. 161. The first Soviet unit to be equipped with the Tu-2 was the 132nd Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Air Army. The aircraft had its baptism of fire over Velikiye Luki, where the bomber flew 46 sorties from November to December 1942. On 11 February 1943, 132 BAP was transferred to 17 VA to support the drive toward River Dnepr and it flew another 47 sorties - attacking airfields and rail junctions - until April 13, when the unit was removed from frontline. In that time, only three Tu-2s were lost in action, while seven were damaged.Bergstrom 2019, p. 191. The Tu-2 remained in service in the USSR until 1950.

Some surplus Tu-2s were provided to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force for use in the Chinese Civil War. Some Chinese Tu-2s were shot down by United Nations airmen during the Korean War. In the 1958–1962 'counter-riot actions' in the 1959 Tibetan uprising in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau covering Qinghai, Tibet, southern Gansu, and western Sichuan, Chinese PLAAF Tu-2s took on the roles of ground-attack, reconnaissance and liaison. The Chinese Tu-2s were retired at the end of the 1970s.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} After World War II, the Tu-2 was used as a testbed aircraft for various engines, including the first generation of Soviet jet engines.

File:TU-2S.jpg

File:Tupolev-Tu-2-at-War-Eagles-Air-Museum-NM-USA.jpg

File:Polish Tupolev Tu-2.jpg

;"Aircraft 103" (ANT-58): The initial three-seat version. Top speed {{cvt|635|km/h|mph}} at {{cvt|8000|m|ft}}. Two {{cvt|1044|kW|hp}} Mikulin AM-37 (water cooled V-12), 1941.

;"Aircraft 103U" (ANT-59): Redesigned for four-seat crew (influenced by Junkers Ju 88). Top speed dropped to {{cvt|610|km/h|mph}}. It used the same engines as the ANT-58.

;"Aircraft 103S" (ANT-61): Final pre-production version of the Tu-2, based on the 103V.

;"Aircraft 103V" (ANT-60): As ANT-59 but powered by air-cooled Shvetsov ASh-82 engines after the AM-37 was cancelled.

;"Aircraft 104": Tu-2S modified for interceptor role.

;ANT-64: Long-range four-engine heavy bomber project developed from the Tu-2, cancelled in favor of the Tu-4.

;ANT-66: 52-seat airliner variant of ANT-64.

;Tu-1 (ANT-63R): Prototype three-seat night fighter version.

;Tu-2: Two {{cvt|1081|kW|hp}} Shvetsov ASh-82 (air cooling) with bigger drag, 1942.

;Tu-2ACh-39VF (ANT-67): A diesel-engined version powered by two Charomskiy ACh-39VF engines, 1946. Despite producing 1900 hp, speed dropped to {{convert|509|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, but range increased to {{convert|4100|km|mi|abbr=on}}. It was also much heavier than most Tu-2s. The ANT-67 was cancelled due to engine problems.

;Tu-2D (ANT-62): Long-range version powered by two 1900 hp Shvetsov ASh-83 engines, it appeared in October 1944. It had an increased span and a crew of five aviators.Jackson 2003, p. 155. Powered by two {{cvt|1380|kW|hp}} Shvetsov ASh-82FN, 1943

;Tu-2DB (ANT-65): High-altitude reconnaissance bomber version developed from the Tu-2D, powered by two turbo-supercharged Mikulin AM-44TK engines.

;Tu-2G: High-speed cargo transport version.

;Tu-2K: Only two aircraft were built for testing ejection seats.

;Tu-2LL: Tu-2's modified as testbeds.

;Tu-2M (ANT-61M): Powered by two {{cvt|1417|kW|hp}} ASh-83 radial piston engines.

;Tu-2N: Engine testbed, built to test the Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine.

;Tu-2 Paravan: Two aircraft built to test barrage balloon cable cutters and deflectors.

;Tu-2P/Tu-2R/Tu-6 (ANT-63): Photo-reconnaissance version of the Tu-2, powered by two ASh-82FN engines. The wingspan was increased by 10.9 feet to 72.9 feet, allowing extra fuel tanks to be fitted, increasing range. Cameras were fitted in the bomb bays and could be daylight or infrared cameras for use at night. Built in small numbers and were in service until the mid-1950s.

;Tu-2RShR: Prototype, armed with {{cvt|57|mm|in|sigfig=3}} cannon in the forward fuselage.

;Tu-2S: Powered by two {{cvt|1380|kW|hp}} Shvetsov ASh-82FN radial piston engines, 1943.

;TU-2SDB (ANT-63): High-speed day bomber prototype.

;Tu-2S RLS PNB-4: Secretive night-fighter prototype developed under leadership of the NKVD special section of V. Morgunov and P. Kuksenko. Equipped with the Soviet Gneiss 5 (Гнейс 5) radar. Armed with two NS-45 autocannons. Development presumed to have started in 1943. Precursor of the Tu-1.{{cite book|author=Н.В. Якубович|script-title=ru:Ту-2. Лучший бомбардировщик Великой Отечественной|publisher=Коллеекция / Яуза / Эксмо|year = 2010|language=ru|page=39}}

;Tu-2Sh: Experimental ground-attack version. Two variants were tested in 1944: one with a {{cvt|76|mm|in|sigfig=3}} centerline gun and another with a battery of 88 {{cvt|7.62|mm|in}} PPSh-41 submachine guns fixed in the bomb bay, directed to fire ahead at a 30-degree angle. Another version under this designation was tested in 1946; this one had a frontal armament consisting of two NS-37 and two NS-45 autocannons.{{cite book|last=Gunston|first=Bill|title=Tupolev Aircraft since 1922|url=https://archive.org/details/tupolevaircrafts1922guns|url-access=limited|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, MD|date=1995|isbn=1-55750-882-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/tupolevaircrafts1922guns/page/n113 119]}}

;Tu-2T (ANT-62T): Torpedo-bomber variant based on the Tu-2S, was tested between February and March 1945, and issued to Soviet Naval Aviation units.

;Tu-2U: Trainer version.

;Tu-8 (ANT-69): Long-range bomber similar to the Tu-2D, but with a larger wing area. Four-blade propellers were fitted, and it was armed with two wing-mounted 23 mm NS-23 cannons and rear-facing 20 mm cannons replacing the previous machine guns. One built at the end of 1946.

;Tu-10 (ANT-68): It was a high-altitude variant that saw limited service, 1943.

;Tu-12: Medium-range jet bomber prototype; first Soviet jet bomber, 1947. Also known as Tu-77.

;UTB: Bomber trainer with Shvetsov ASh-21 engines of {{cvt|515|kW|hp}} created by the Sukhoi OKB in 1946

File:World operators of the Tu-2.PNG

;{{BUL}}

• Bulgarian Air Force

;{{CHN}}

• People's Liberation Army Air Force Imported 33 UTB-2 and 29 T-2U trainers at the end of 1949. The last four UTB-2s retired in 1965. Imported 311 Tu-2s from the end of 1949 to 1952. The last 30 Tu-2s retired in 1982.

;{{HUN}}

• Hungarian Air Force

;{{IDN}}

• Indonesian Air Force{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

;{{PRK}}

• North Korean Air Force

;{{POL}}

• Polish Air Force (eight aircraft in 1949-early 1960s){{in lang|pl}} Marian Mikołajczuk, Paweł Sembrat. Samoloty Tu-2 i UTB-2 w lotnictwie polskim, in: Lotnictwo z Szachownicą No. 33(3/2009), pp. 4–12.
• Polish Navy

;{{flag|Romania|1952}}

• Romanian Air Force (six delivered in 1950: two Tu-2s, two Tu-2 trainers and two Tu-6s)

;{{USSR}}

• Soviet Air Forces

;Bulgaria

• On static display at the Bulgarian Museum of Aviation in Plovdiv.{{cite web |title=OUTDOOR EXHIBITION |url=http://www.airmuseum-bg.com/eng/Ekspozicia/Vanshna_ekspozicia.html |website=Aviation Museum |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021142318/http://www.airmuseum-bg.com/eng/Ekspozicia/Vanshna_ekspozicia.html |url-status=live }} It is a Tu-2T, tactical number 27.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

;China

• On static display at the Beijing Air and Space Museum in Beijing.{{cite web |title=图-2 |url=http://airandspacemuseum.buaa.edu.cn/hkq/296.jhtml |website=北京航空航天博物馆 |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125074250/http://airandspacemuseum.buaa.edu.cn/hkq/296.jhtml |archive-date=25 November 2019}}
• On static display at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.{{cite web |title=4号兵器棚 |url=http://www.jb.mil.cn/zc/cqcl/bqp4 |website=中国人民革命军事博物馆 |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610063815/http://www.jb.mil.cn/zc/cqcl/bqp4 |archive-date=10 June 2013 |language=zh}}
• On static display at the Chinese Aviation Museum in Beijing.{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Tupolev Tu-2S, s/n 0462 PLAAF |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=105060 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608220353/http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=105060 |url-status=live }}
• On static display at the Chinese Aviation Museum in Beijing.{{cite web |title=Airframe Dossier - Tupolev Tu-2 Paravan, s/n 20 KPAF |url=http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=105264 |website=Aerial Visuals |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608220348/http://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=105264 |url-status=live }}

;Poland

• Tu-2S on static display at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, Lesser Poland. It was used for testing ejection seats.{{cite web |title=Aeroplane: Tupolev Tu-2S (NATO: Bat) |url=http://muzeumlotnictwa.pl/zbiory_sz.php?ido=27&w=a |website=Polish Aviation Museum |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=24 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124085239/http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/zbiory_sz.php?ido=27&w=a |url-status=live }}
• Tu-2S on static display at the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw, Mazovia.{{cite web |title=Wystawa plenerowa |url=http://www.muzeumwp.pl/wystawy/31,wystawa-plenerowa/ |website=Muzeum Wojska Polskiego |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=pl |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005210248/http://www.muzeumwp.pl/wystawy/31,wystawa-plenerowa/ |url-status=dead }} It was used by the 7th Independent Dive Bomber Regiment ("7 samodzielny pułk lotniczy bombowców nurkujących").{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

;Russia

• On static display at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino, Moscow.{{cite web |title=Ту-2, Ту-4 |url=http://www.monino.ru/index.sema?a=articles&pid=1&id=4 |website=Центральный Музей ВВС РФ |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=ru |archive-date=24 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424144218/http://www.monino.ru/index.sema?a=articles&pid=1&id=4 |url-status=live }}
• Under restoration to airworthy condition for the Wings of Victory Foundation in Moscow.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

;United States

• On static display at the War Eagles Air Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.{{cite web |title=Tupolev TU-2 |url=http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/exhibit.php?id=90 |website=War Eagles Air Museum |access-date=23 September 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608195153/http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/exhibit.php?id=90 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|title=Tupolev TU-2|url=http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/exhibit.php?id=90|access-date=8 June 2020|website=War Eagles Air Museum|archive-date=8 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608195153/http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/exhibit.php?id=90|url-status=live}}{{citation|title=Featured Aircraft|date=Jan–Mar 2008|url=http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/newsletters/weam_newsletter_2008-1.pdf|website=War Eagles Air Museum|volume=21|issue=1|pages=1–4, 6|access-date=8 June 2020|archive-date=6 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106212355/http://www.war-eagles-air-museum.com/newsletters/weam_newsletter_2008-1.pdf|url-status=live}}
• In storage at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.{{cite web |title=For First Time, Visitors Get Thrilling Look at Treasure Trove of Aviation Artifacts and Even More Legendary Aircraft as Fantasy of Flight Unveils Phase II of "Golden Hill" |url=http://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/about-us/press-room/press-releases/for-first-time-visitors-get-thrilling-look-at-treasure-trove-of-aviation-artifacts-and-even-more-legendary-aircraft-as-fantasy-of-flight-unveils-phase-ii-of-golden-hill |website=Fantasy of Flight |access-date=8 June 2020 |date=11 March 2013 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608225421/http://www.fantasyofflight.com/collection/about-us/press-room/press-releases/for-first-time-visitors-get-thrilling-look-at-treasure-trove-of-aviation-artifacts-and-even-more-legendary-aircraft-as-fantasy-of-flight-unveils-phase-ii-of-golden-hill/ |url-status=live }}

File:Tupolev Tu-2.svg

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Gordon & Rigmant{{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Yefim |first2=Vladimir |last2=Rigmant |title=OKB Tupolev |url=https://archive.org/details/okbtupolevhistor00gord |url-access=limited |year=2005 |publisher=Midland Publishing |location=Hinkley |isbn=1-85780-214-4 |edition=1st |pages=[https://archive.org/details/okbtupolevhistor00gord/page/n84 83]-97}}

|prime units?=met

|crew=4

|length m=13.8

|length note=

|span m=18.86

|span note=

|height m=4.13

|height note=

|wing area sqm=

|wing area note=

|aspect ratio=

|airfoil=

|empty weight kg=7601

|empty weight note=

|gross weight kg=10538

|gross weight note=

|max takeoff weight kg=11768

|max takeoff weight note=

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

|eng1 number=2

|eng1 name=Shvetsov ASh-82

|eng1 type=14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines

|eng1 kw=1380

|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=АБ-5-167А

|prop dia m=3.8

|prop dia note=

, Weight: 178 kg, Pitch range: 23-53°

|max speed kmh=528

|max speed note={{cite web|url=http://ww2warbirds.net/ww2htmls/tupotu2.html|title=WW2 Warbirds: the Tupolev Tu-2|first=Frans|last=Bonné|access-date=2011-08-15|archive-date=2017-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617212736/http://www.ww2warbirds.net/ww2htmls/tupotu2.html|url-status=live}}

|cruise speed kmh=

|cruise speed note=

|stall speed kmh=

|stall speed note=

|never exceed speed kmh=

|never exceed speed note=

|minimum control speed kmh=

|minimum control speed note=

|range km=2020

|range note=

|combat range km=

|combat range note=

|ferry range km=

|ferry range note=

|endurance=

|ceiling m=9000

|ceiling note=

|g limits=

|roll rate=

|climb rate ms=8.2

|climb rate note=

|time to altitude=

|wing loading kg/m2=220

|wing loading note=

|fuel consumption kg/km=

|power/mass={{cvt|0.260|kW/kg}}

|more performance=

|guns=

• 2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannons fixed forward-firing in the wings
• 3 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) rear-firing ShKAS machine guns (later replaced by 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Berezin UB machine guns) in the canopy, dorsal and ventral hatches. Some modified to have the Berezin B-20 cannon

|bombs={{cvt|1500|kg|lb}} internally and {{cvt|2270|kg|lb}} externally

|avionics=

}}

{{aircontent

|related=

• Tupolev Tu-1
• Tupolev Tu-8
• Tupolev Tu-12

|similar aircraft=

• de Havilland Mosquito
• Dornier Do 217
• Junkers Ju 88
• Petlyakov Pe-2

|lists=

• List of aircraft of World War II

}}

{{reflist}}

• Bergström, Christer. Black Cross – Red Star, Air War over the Eastern Front. Volume 4. Stalingrad to Kuban. Vaktel Books, 2019. {{ISBN|978-91-88441-21-8}}
• Bishop, Chris. The Encyclopedia of Weapons of WWII: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships, and Submarines. New York: Sterling, 2002. {{ISBN|1-58663-762-2}}.
• {{cite magazine|last=Collins|first=Jeremy|title='Bat' Perspectives |magazine=Air Enthusiast |date=Spring 1994 |issue=53 |pages=22–23 |issn=0143-5450}}
• Ethell, Jeffrey L. Aircraft of World War II. Glasgow: HarperCollins/Jane's, 1995. {{ISBN|0-00-470849-0}}.
• Jackson, Robert. Aircraft of World War II: Development, Weaponry, Specifications: Leicester, UK: Amber Books, 2003. {{ISBN|1-85605-751-8}}.
• Leonard, Herbert. Encyclopaedia of Soviet Fighters 1939–1951. Paris: Histoire & Collections, 2005. {{ISBN|2-915239-60-6}}.
• Munson, Kenneth. Aircraft of World War II. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1972. {{ISBN|0-385-07122-1}}.

{{commons category}}

• https://web.archive.org/web/20110605015707/http://www.aviation.ru/Tu/#2
• [http://scalemodels.ru/modules/photo/viewcat_cid_180.html Walkaround of Tu-2 from Monino Museum, Russia]
• [http://ww2warbirds.net/ww2htmls/tupotu2.html Tu-2 on World War II Warbirds]
• [http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/tu-2.html Tu-2 aircraft family] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508121019/http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/tu-2.html |date=2018-05-08 }}
• [http://gunmagazine.com.ua/assets/images/archive/34/6/fire_hedgehog-2.jpg Photo of Tu-2 with PPSh in bomb bay]

{{Tupolev aircraft}}

{{Soviet bomber-attack designations}}

{{Soviet trainer designations}}

{{WWIIUSSRAF}}

{{USAF/DoD reporting names}}

{{aviation.ru}}

{{Authority control}}

Tu-0002

Category:1940s Soviet bomber aircraft

Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft

Category:Mid-wing aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1941

Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear