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35-623: In April 1942, the Yakovlev design bureau was instructed to design a twin-engined utility transport aircraft to supplement smaller single-engined aircraft such as the Polikarpov U-2 . The design was required to be simple to build and operate. Design and construction work proceeded extremely quickly, with the first prototype Yak-6 flying in June 1942. It passed its state acceptance tests in September that year and

70-450: A flight instruction aircraft) was an all-weather multirole Soviet biplane , nicknamed Kukuruznik ( Russian : Кукурузник , NATO reporting name " Mule "). The reliable, uncomplicated design of the Po-2 made it an ideal trainer aircraft , as well as doubling as a low-cost ground attack , aerial reconnaissance , psychological warfare and liaison aircraft during war, proving to be one of

105-532: A Russian nickname of Kerosinka, or kerosene lantern. Finnish troops called it Hermosaha (Nerve saw) . North Korean forces used the Po-2 in a similar role during the Korean War . A significant number of Po-2s were fielded by the Korean People's Air Force , inflicting serious damage during night raids on United Nations bases. During one such attack, a lone Po-2 attacked Pyongyang Air Base . Concentrating on

140-502: A few meters above the ground, climbing for the final approach, throttling back the engine and making a gliding bombing run, leaving the targeted troops with only the eerie whistling of the wind in the wings' bracing-wires as an indication of the impending attack. Luftwaffe fighters found it extremely hard to shoot down the Kukuruznik because of two main factors: the pilots flew at treetop level where they were hard to see or engage and

175-416: A hit on the 802nd Engineer Aviation Battalion's motor pool, damaging some equipment. Two bombs burst on the flightline of the 335th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. One F-86A Sabre (FU-334 / 49-1334) was struck on the wing and began burning. The fire took hold, gutting the aircraft. Prompt action by personnel who moved aircraft away from the burning Sabre prevented further loss. Eight other Sabres were damaged in

210-518: A proposal for a new fighter, the I-200 , and received approval to create a new Design Bureau under the leadership of Artem Mikoyan , whose brother Anastas Mikoyan was a senior politician under Joseph Stalin . On his return, Polikarpov found that his Bureau no longer existed, with his engineers at the new MiG bureau. Nine years after his death, in 1953 his plant was given over to the Sukhoi bureau. Polikarpov

245-546: A single night. The women pilots observed that the enemy suffered a further degree of demoralization simply due to their antagonists being female. As such, the pilots earned the nickname "Night Witches" (German Nachthexen , Russian Ночные Ведьмы /Nočnye Ved’my). The unit earned numerous Hero of the Soviet Union citations and dozens of Order of the Red Banner medals; most surviving pilots had flown nearly 1,000 combat missions by

280-430: A small radar cross-section, making it hard for an opposing fighter pilot to acquire their target. As Korean war U.S. veteran Leo Fournier remarked about "Bedcheck Charlie" in his memoirs: "... no one could get at him. He just flew too low and too slow." On 16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from VMC-1 piloted by Major George H. Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S. Kramer shot down a Po-2, the only documented Skyraider air victory of

315-631: Is believed to have continued until 1959. The aircraft was designed by Nikolai Polikarpov to replace the U-1 trainer (a copy of the British Avro 504 ), which was known as Avrushka to the Soviets. The prototype of the U-2 , powered by a 74 kW (99 hp) Shvetsov M-11 air-cooled five-cylinder radial engine, first flew on 7 January 1928 piloted by M.M. Gromov. Aircraft from the preproduction series were tested at

350-571: The Gotha Go 145 and Arado Ar 66 biplanes) and parasol monoplane aircraft, eventually building up to larger Nachtschlachtgruppe (night attack group) units of a few squadrons each. The Polish Air Force used these slow and manoeuvrable aircraft for air reconnaissance and COIN operations against UPA detachments in mountainous area of Bieszczady . Pilots and navigators were dispatched to look for concentrations of UPA forces and if needed, engage them with machine guns and grenades. On several occasions,

385-689: The Kukuruznik served extensively on the Eastern Front in World War II , primarily as a liaison, medevac and general-supply aircraft. It was especially useful for supplying Soviet partisans behind the German front line. Manufacturing of the Po-2 in the USSR ceased in 1949, but until 1959 a number were assembled in Aeroflot repair workshops. The first trials of arming the aircraft with bombs took place in 1941. During

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420-528: The defence of Odessa in September 1941, the U-2 was used as a reconnaissance aircraft and as a light, short-range, bomber. The bombs, dropped from a civil aircraft piloted by Pyotr Bevz, were the first to fall on enemy artillery positions. From 1942 it was adapted as a light night ground attack aircraft. Nikolay Polikarpov supported the project, and under his leadership, the U-2VS ( voyskovaya seriya - Military series)

455-515: The five-year plan for experimental aircraft design, Polikarpov was assigned to develop the primarily wooden I-6 fighter for delivery by mid-1930. The plan was unrealistic and failed. As such, in October 1929, Polikarpov and around other 450 aircraft designers and engineers were arrested on fabricated charges of sabotage and counter-revolutionary activities, after which he was sentenced to death . In December, after two months of waiting for execution, he

490-769: The stall speed of both the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was similar to the U-2s maximum speed, making it difficult for the fighters to keep a Po-2 in weapons range for an adequate period of time. The success of the Soviet night harassment units inspired the Luftwaffe to set up similar Störkampfstaffel "harassment combat squadrons" on the Eastern Front using their own obsolete 1930s-era, open cockpit biplanes (most often

525-407: The 8th Fighter-Bomber Group's parking ramp, the Po-2 dropped a string of fragmentation bombs squarely across the group's lineup of P-51 Mustangs . Eleven Mustangs were damaged, three so badly that they were destroyed when Pyongyang was abandoned several days later. On 17 June 1951, at 01:30 hours, Suwon Air Base was bombed by two Po-2s. Each biplane dropped a pair of fragmentation bombs. One scored

560-474: The Soviet Union during the 1920s, including the I-1 fighter (1923), R-1 reconnaissance plane (1927), U-2 utility biplane (1927–1928), I-3 fighter (1928), R-5 reconnaissance bomber (1928). Notably, the U-2 , Russian nickname Kukuruznik, loosely translated: crop-duster , (post 1944 designation Po-2), remained in mainstream production until 1952 and over 30,000 examples were produced. In 1928 under provisions of

595-575: The UPA managed to bring down some of the Po-2s, but never captured or operated them. The U-2's 5-cylinder engine had an unusual exhaust manifold arrangement that gave the engine a peculiar rattling or popping sound which made the airplane easily identifiable even at night. German soldier Claus Neuber listed in his war diary six different German nicknames for the plane, the most common of which were Nähmaschine (sewing machine) or Kaffeemühle, (coffee mill), both due to

630-412: The beginning, the U-2 became the basic Soviet civil and military trainer aircraft, mass-produced in a "Red Flyer" factory near Moscow. It was also used for transport, and as a military liaison aircraft , due to its STOL capabilities. Also from the beginning it was produced as an agricultural aircraft variant, which earned it its nickname Kukuruznik . Although entirely outclassed by contemporary aircraft,

665-406: The brief attack, four seriously. One F-86 pilot was among the wounded. The North Koreans subsequently credited Lt. La Woon Yung with this damaging attack. UN forces named the Po-2's nighttime appearance Bedcheck Charlie and had great difficulty in shooting it down – even though night fighters had radar as standard equipment in the 1950s. The wood-and-fabric material of the Po-2 had only

700-453: The distinctive engine sound. Neuber added that some German troops derisively called it the "Runway Crow" or "Fog Crow." He also cited the nicknames "Iron Gustav," for the belly armor the plane carried to protect it from ground fire, and "The Duty NCO" because the plane almost always came at night at the same time. The fabric and wood construction of the airplane made it extremely vulnerable to catching fire when hit by tracer rounds, resulting in

735-612: The end of 1928 and serial production started in 1929 in Factory number 23 in Leningrad. Its name was changed to Po-2 in 1944, after Polikarpov's death, according to the then-new Soviet naming system, usually using the first two letters of the designer's family name, or the Soviet government-established design bureau that created it. Production in the Soviet Union ended in 1953, but license-built CSS-13s were still produced in Poland until 1959. From

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770-523: The end of the war and took part in the Battle of Berlin . The material effects of these missions may be regarded as minor, but the psychological effect on German troops was noticeable. They typically attacked by surprise in the middle of the night , denying German troops sleep and keeping them on their guard, contributing to the already high stress of combat on the Eastern front. The usual tactic involved flying only

805-677: The head of production at the Russian Baltic Carriage Factory . While working for Sikorski, Polikarpov helped design the massive Ilya Muromets four-engine bomber for the Imperial Russian Air Force . Polikarpov stayed in Russia after the Russian Revolution and rose to become head of the technical department Dux Aircraft factory in 1923. Polikarpov was responsible for some of the first indigenous aircraft designs in

840-526: The modified version sometimes known as the Yak-6M. The Yak-6M led to the larger Yak-8 which flew in early 1944. The Yak-6 was used with great effect at the front lines in the Great Patriotic War both as a transport and as a bomber, proving popular with its crews, although the potential for the aircraft to enter a spin if overloaded or carelessly handled resulting in production ending in 1943 in favour of

875-423: The most versatile light combat types to be built in the Soviet Union. As of 1978 it remained in production for a longer period of time than any other Soviet-era aircraft. Production figures for Polikarpov U-2 and Po-2 bombers and trainers combined are between 20,000 and 30,000 with production ending as early as 1952. Precise figures are hard to obtain since low-rate production by small repair shops and aero clubs

910-918: The similarly powered Shcherbakov Shche-2 . By 1944, most operational units of the VVS had a Yak-6 as a utility aircraft. In the Battle for Berlin , the Yak-6 was fitted with rocket launchers under the wings for ten 82-mm RS-82 missiles for use against ground targets. After the end of the Second World War, some Yak-6s were supplied to allies, while it remained in large scale service with Soviet forces until 1950. Data from Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Polikarpov U-2 The Polikarpov Po-2 (also U-2 before 1944, for its initial uchebnyy , 'training', role as

945-514: The use of scarce resources, the aircraft's fuel tanks were made of chemical-impregnated plywood rather than metal or rubber. Many Yak-6s were fitted with fixed landing gear. The aircraft appeared in two versions, one as a transport and utility aircraft for the supply of partisans, transport of the wounded, and for liaison and courier services. It could accommodate two crew side-by-side in an enclosed cockpit with capacity to carry four passengers or 500 kg (1,100 lb) or cargo. The second version

980-611: The war. The Po-2 is also the only biplane credited with a documented jet-kill, as one Lockheed F-94 Starfire was lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below its stall speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying Po-2. Data from General characteristics Performance Armament (U-2VS / LNB only) Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Nikolai Polikarpov Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov ( Russian : Никола́й Никола́евич Полика́рпов ; 9 June [ O.S. 28 May] 1892 – 30 July 1944)

1015-517: Was a Soviet aeronautical engineer and aircraft designer, known as the "King of Fighters". He designed the I-15 series of fighters, and the I-16 Ishak ( Russian : ишак , lit.   'donkey' phonetically close to its Russian : И-16 or Russian : И-шестнадцать , romanized :  I-shestnadtsat' , lit.   'I-sixteen' designation) "Little Donkey" fighter. Polikarpov

1050-439: Was a light night bomber (designated NBB - nochnoy blizhniy bombardirovshchik - Short Range Night Bomber), capable of carrying up to 500 kg of bombs on racks under the wing centre sections and with a defensive armament of a single ShKAS machine gun in a dorsal mounting. A total of 381 examples were built with production ending in 1943. A few examples of an improved version of the Yak-6 with swept outer wings were flown, with

1085-656: Was born in the village of Georgievskoye near Livny in Oryol Governorate . He was the son of a village priest in the Russian Orthodox Church . He initially also trained for the priesthood and studied at the Oryol Seminary before moving to Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University in 1911, where he became fascinated with the fledgling aviation work being carried out under the shipbuilding department. Polikarpov graduated in 1916 and went to work for Igor Sikorski ,

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1120-601: Was created. This was a light night bomber, fitted with bomb carriers beneath the lower wing, to carry 50 or 100 kg (110 or 220 lbs) bombs up to a total weight of 350 kg (771 lb) and armed with ShKAS or DA machine guns in the observer's cockpit . The U-2 became known as the aircraft used by the 588th Night Bomber Regiment , composed of an all-woman pilot and ground crew complement. The unit became famous for daring low-altitude night raids on German rear-area positions. Veteran pilots Yekaterina Ryabova and Nadezhda Popova on one occasion flew eighteen missions in

1155-623: Was not until de-Stalinization in 1956 that the criminal charges were officially dropped posthumously. After the release he initially worked with Pavel Sukhoi since 1931, developing the I-16 in 1933 and I-15 in 1934. Then he worked under Ilyushin in 1937. In 1938 he established an independent design bureau. In 1939 he completed work on the I-153 . In 1939 he was ordered to make a trip to Nazi Germany . In his absence, his plant director and chief engineer, along with design engineer Mikhail Gurevich put forth

1190-488: Was quickly cleared for production. The Yak-6 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-wood construction with fabric covering. It had a retractable tailwheel undercarriage , with the main wheels retracting rearwards into the engine nacelles. The horizontal tail was braced. It was powered by two 140 hp Shvetsov M-11 F radial engines driving two-bladed wooden propellers, with the engine installation based on Yakovlev's UT-2 primary training aircraft. In order to minimise

1225-519: Was transferred to a Special Design Bureau of OGPU set at Butyrka prison and had the sentence changed to 10 years of forced labor . Polikarpov and the others were moved to Central Design Bureau 39 (TsKB-39) to complete the I-5 project. After a successful demonstration of the new design, the sentence was changed to a conditional one, and in July 1931 he was granted amnesty together with a group of other convicts. It

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