Tupolev DB-2
| Tupolev DB-2 (ANT-37) | |
|---|---|
 The ANT-37bis in preparation for the record flight on September 24, 1938 |
|
| Type: | bomber |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 16, 1935 |
| Number of pieces: |
3 |
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The Tupolev DB-2 ( Russian Туполев ДБ-2 , factory designation ANT-37 , АНТ-37) was a twin-engine Soviet bomber of the 1930s , but due to unsatisfactory performance in favor of the Ilyushin DB-3, it did not go into series production. The guy became famous in 1938 for a record long-haul flight carried out by three women. The DB-2 should not be confused with the Tupolew SB-2 (ANT-40), which can be distinguished by its much smaller wingspan and was also used in various wars.
history
The DB-2 emerged from the experiences with the Tupolev DB-1 of 1933. The construction work was carried out Pavel Sukhoi , of a development team in that time head of OKB of Andrei Tupolev , was from December 1934. The new type should reach a top speed of 350 km / h and a top height of 3500 m and be able to carry 1000 kilograms of bombs over a distance of 3000 kilometers. The large wingspan was characteristic of this machine. Two M-85 motors should be used as the drive.
The first flight of the prototype took place on July 16, 1935 under the factory designation ANT-37. In the further course of the test, strong vibrations occurred on the horizontal stabilizer during a test flight on July 20 , which caused the rear fuselage to break. In the subsequent crash, one crew member was killed while the other two were able to parachute themselves. This was followed by two more prototypes with a reinforced fuselage and tail unit, which were tested in 1936. Although there were no more flutter phenomena, it soon turned out that the DB-2 did not meet the performance expectations, and so it was decided to forego series production, especially since the Ilyushin DB-3, which was being tested around the same time , far better.
Since the air force did not want to take over the two aircraft, it was decided to use the third prototype for a record flight. For this, the model called ANT-37bis Rodina (Родина, home) was equipped with more powerful M-86 engines, the armament was expanded and the now empty rear armament was redesigned as a navigator's cabin. The equipment and oxygen equipment was changed and additional tanks were installed in the bomb bay. With the second prototype, the pilots Polina Ossipenko , Walentina Grisodubowa and Marina Raskowa carried out the preparatory flights from June 24, 1938, until the ANT-37 had completed the factory tests by the end of August and could be taken over by the crew. On 24./25. In September 1938, this aircraft set an international women's long-distance record from Moscow to Kerbi in the Khabarovsk region . The three pilots covered a distance of 5908.6 kilometers and were in the air for a total of 26 hours and 29 minutes; then the plane had to make an emergency landing near Kerbi on the Amgun River due to lack of fuel . The navigator Marina Raskowa had previously jumped off with the parachute on the orders of her commander. The two pilots, Ossipenko and Grisodubova, were discovered and rescued by their aircraft on October 3, Raskova, who had lost her way in the rough terrain, a day later. The aircraft could be repaired on site and flown to Komsomolsk . After it arrived back in Moscow, Aeroflot took it over and continued to use it on its lines for several years. In 1943 the “Rodina” was finally scrapped.
variants
- ANT-37 (DB-2)
- ANT-37bis
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Tupolev ANT-37bis "Rodina" (Туполев АНТ-37бис "Родина") |
|---|---|
| constructor | Pavel Sukhoi |
| Manufacturer | OKB Tupolev |
| Year of construction (s) | 1935 |
| crew | 3 |
| length | 15.00 m |
| Wingspan | 31.00 m |
| Wing area | 85.00 m² |
| Empty mass | 5855 kg |
| Payload | 6645 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 12,500 kg |
| Wing loading | 147 kg / m² |
| Power load | 6.6 kg / hp |
| drive | two air-cooled 14-cylinder radial engines M-86 |
| Starting power | 699 kW (950 PS) each |
| Top speed | 340 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5000 m |
| Range | 5000 km maximum 7000 m |
| Bomb load | 1000 kg (only ANT-37) |
See also
literature
- Rainer Göpfert: Soviet record flights. Part 2 . In: FLiEGERREVUE X . No. 50 . PPVMedien, 2014, ISSN 2195-1233 , p. 24-28 .
- Heinz A. F. Schmidt: Soviet planes . Transpress, Berlin 1971, p. 148 .
