Shcherbakov Shche-2
Shche-2 | |
---|---|
Role | Light transport |
Manufacturer | OKB-47 |
Designer | Alexei Shcherbakov |
First flight | 1942 |
Primary users | Yugoslav Air Force
Aeroflot |
Produced | 1943–1946 |
Number built | 550 (according to some sources, 567) |
The Shcherbakov Shche-2 (
Design and development
The
A cabin monoplane of
Test-flown in late 1942 and early 1943, the aircraft, by now having been redesignated Shche-2,[2] proved to be capable of meeting the requirement, and production began in October 1943[2] at OKB-47, the bureaux being established at Chkalov (Orenburg)[4] for use by Yakovlev, but being transferred to Shcherbakov's control for the manufacture of his type.[1]
Operational history
The Shche-2 was capable of transporting up to 16 troops, with an alternative
In 1945, the improved Shche-2TM variant entered flight test, powered by uprated M-11FM engines of 108 kilowatts (145 hp) each, and fitted with a modified wing.[1] Despite the improvements in the design, the decision was made not to produce the aircraft due to a reduction in requirements for the type with the end of the war in May of that year.[1] A proposed diesel-engined version, which began flight tests in July 1945, met the same fate.[1]
Proving in service to be underpowered yet still easy to fly,
It is estimated that at least 550 Shche-2 aircraft were completed before the close of production in 1946,[2] the OKB-47 factory being closed down at the conclusion of production.[4] After the end of the war, the aircraft remained in service for several years, with the air forces of Yugoslavia and Poland making use of the type,[1] in addition to the aircraft being extensively utilised in transport and air ambulance duties in civilian service within the Soviet Union.[1] In addition, the Shche-2 was operated by Aeroflot on several local airline routes within the Soviet Union for several years after the end of the war, before its replacement by the Antonov An-2.[1]
Operators
Civil operators
Military operators
- Polish Air Force – 5 aircraft, used 1945–1947.[6]
- Soviet Air Force
- Yugoslav Air Force – 5 aircraft, delivered in 1945, used through 1952.[7]
Specifications (Shche-2)
Data from [2]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Capacity: up to 16 troops or 11 stretcher cases
- Length: 14.27 m (46 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 20.54 m (67 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 64 m2 (690 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,235 kg (4,927 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,700 kg (8,157 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Shvetsov M-11d radial engines, 86 kW (115 hp) each
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 155 km/h (96 mph, 84 kn)
- Range: 980 km (610 mi, 530 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
- Rate of climb: 1.20 m/s (236 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 53 kg/m2 (11 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.05 kW/kg (0.03 hp/lb)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Avro Anson
- Beechcraft Model 18
- de Havilland Dominie
- Yakovlev Yak-6
Related lists
- List of aircraft of World War II
- List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and CIS
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Sche-2". airwar.ru. (in Russian). Accessed 2010-05-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Donald 1997, p. 829.
- ^ "Aircraft of the Soviet and Russian forces". Marshall University History Dept. via ibiblio.org archive. Accessed 2010-05-10.
- ^ a b Dexter 2000.
- ^ Aircraft engineering, Volume 20. Bunhill Publications. 1948. p. 310.
The Shche-2 was also used for dropping supplies to the partisans in 1944–45, and for taking out the sick and wounded from small, moderately inaccessible ..
- ^ "Polish Air Force". Archived 2009-06-27 at the Wayback Machine worldairforces.com. (in Polish) Accessed 2010-05-19.
- ^ "Yugoslavia Air Force – Utility", aeroflight.co.uk. Accessed 2010-05-19.
- Bibliography
- Dexter, Keith. The Numbered Factories and Other Establishments of the Soviet Defence Industry, 1928 to 1967: a Guide, Part II. Research & Design Establishments: Version 1.0. University of Warwick, Department of Economics, July 2000. PDF link.
- Donald, David, ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Orbis, 1997. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.