Archangelski Ar-2

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=Ar-2


caption=
type=Dive bomber
manufacturer=Zavod 22
designer=Alexander Archangelski
first flight=October 1940
introduced=1940
retired=
status=
primary user=Soviet Air Force
more users=
produced=
number built=ca. 190
variants with their own articles=The Archangelski Ar-2 was a Soviet dive-bomber used in small numbers during World War II. Its design was considered to be a refinement of the earlier Russian Tupolev SB.

The design bureau's name (Cyrillic: Арха́нгельский) is transliterated many ways in English sources, in a variety of combinations of Arch-, Arkh-, -sky, -ski, -skii, -skij).

Development

The Ar-2 represented a final attempt to extend the useful lifespan of the SB design which had first flown in 1934. In early 1940, Archangelski had worked on a refined SB, designated "Archangelski MMN"', but this had proved disappointing, with performance no better than the original SB. The Ar-2 was therefore a greater departure from the Tupolev design, in the hopes of creating an aircraft that could attain a speed of 600 km/h (374 mph) at 6,500 m (21,300 ft), and incorporate the newly-developed PB-3 bombsight to give dive-bombing capability.

The major airframe changes made on the Ar-2 were streamlining of the engine nacelles (which now housed engines with around 15% greater power), completely new outer wing panels of greater span and taper, and a new, glazed nose. The engine cooling system was moved inside the wings, with air inlets on the leading edges and exits on the underwings. Dive brakes were added to allow for the type's new role. Initially designated SB-RK, factory testing of two prototypes commenced in October 1940, and the following month, an example was delivered to the Soviet NII-VVS for evaluation. In December, the NKAP redesignated the aircraft to incorporate Archangelski's name.

The results of the NII-VVS tests were encouraging. While the hoped-for top speed was not attained, the aircraft's handling was an improvement on the SB, and the dive-bombing adaptations worked very well. Weaknesses identified included major problems with engine cooling and lubrication and deficiencies in defensive armament (the latter a common problem with Soviet bombers of the period). The report concluded that the aircraft should be put into production and development continued to eliminate the remaining defects.

Production started in late 1940, but already the machine had been superseded by the Petlyakov Pe-2 and the flight of the Tupolev Tu-2 prototype. Therefore, after only 190 Ar-2s had been constructed, Zavod 22 (the aircraft factory previously devoted to Ar-2 manufacture) was turned over to Pe-2 manufacture in early 1941.

OKB Archangelski continued its attempts to refine the SB, creating a final development, the SBB in 1941. All further work in this direction was teminated at the outbreak of war with Germany and Alexander Archangelski was reassigned to Zavod 156 to oversee maintenance and repair of operational SB aircraft.

Operational history

Beginning in 1940, Ar-2s were assigned to units already operating the SB, and the two types were operated side-by-side. At least half of all Ar-2s built were destroyed during the German offensive of 1941, with a small number still operating until about 1943.

Operators

;USSR
*Soviet Air Force
*Soviet Naval Aviation

Units using this aircraft

oviet Air Force

* 2SBAP of 2SAD
* 46SBAP of 7SAD
* 54SBAP of 54SAD
* 13SBAP of 9SAD
* 33BAP of 19BAD
* 27IAP (fighter unit, used Ar-2 for dive-bombing training)

oviet Navy

* 73BAP of 10SAD, Baltic Fleet

pecifications

aerospecs
met or eng?= met

crew=three
capacity=
length m=12.50
length ft=41
length in=0
span m=18.00
span ft=59
span in=0
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
height m=3.56
height ft=11
height in=8
wing area sqm=48.2
wing area sqft=519
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=4,516
empty weight lb=9,956
gross weight kg=8,150
gross weight lb=17,970

eng1 number=2
eng1 type=Klimov M-105R piston engine
eng1 kw= 820
eng1 hp= 1,100
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
eng1 kn-ab=
eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
eng2 type=
eng2 kw=
eng2 hp=
eng2 kn=
eng2 lbf=
eng2 kn-ab=
eng2 lbf-ab=

max speed kmh=512
max speed mph=319
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
range km=1,500
range miles=940
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=10,500
ceiling ft=34,400
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=12.8
climb rate ftmin=2,510
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

armament1=4 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns
armament2=1,600 kg (3,530 lb) bombs
armament3=
armament4=
armament5=
armament6=

References

*
*
* [http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bww2/ar2.html airwar.ru]
* [http://mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/ar-2/index.html sovietwarplanes.com]

ee also

aircontent

related=
Tupolev SB

similar aircraft=

sequence=

lists=

see also=