View source for Petlyakov Pe-2

{{Short description|Soviet dive bomber aircraft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name = Pe-2
  |image = Unmarked Petlyakov Pe.2FT (7985693559).jpg
  |caption = Pe-2FT in the [[Central Air Force Museum]], [[Monino]], Russia
  |type = [[Dive bomber]]
  |national_origin = [[Soviet Union]]
  |manufacturer  = [[Kazan Aircraft Production Association|Plant No.22]] ([[Kazan]]), Plant No.39 ([[Moscow]]), Plant No.124 ([[Kazan]]), [[Irkutsk Aviation Plant|Plant No.125]] ([[Irkutsk]])
  |designer  = [[Petlyakov|V.M. Petlyakov Design Bureau]]
  |first_flight = 22 December 1939 (VI-100)
  |introduction  = March 1941
  |retired  = 1951 ([[Soviet Air Force]]), 1957 ([[Polish Air Force]])
  |status =
  |primary_user = [[Soviet Air Force]]
  |more_users  = [[Polish Air Force]], [[Czechoslovak Air Force]], [[Bulgarian Air Force]]
  |produced  = December 1940 - December 1945
  |number_built = 11,070 (+ 360 Pe-3)<ref>Medved', Khazanov 2007, p. 152</ref>
  |unit cost  =
  |variants = [[Petlyakov Pe-3]]
}}

The '''Petlyakov Pe-2''' ({{langx|ru|Петляков Пе-2}} — nickname «Пешка» ('''Pawn''');  [[NATO reporting name]]: '''Buck''')<ref>Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1955-56 p. 188</ref> was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] twin-engine [[dive bomber]] used during [[World War II]]. One of the outstanding tactical attack aircraft of the war,<ref name="Ethell p. 152.">Ethell 1996, p. 152.</ref> it also proved successful as a [[heavy fighter]], as a [[night fighter]] ([[Petlyakov Pe-3|Pe-3]] variant) and as a [[reconnaissance aircraft]].<ref name=" Angelucci and Matricardi p. 234.">Angelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 234.</ref> The Pe-2 was, numerically, the most important Soviet bomber of World War II, at their peak comprising 75% of the Soviet twin-engine bomber force.<ref name="Smith pp. 155.">Smith 2003, pp. 155.</ref> The Soviets manufactured Pe-2s in greater numbers (11,430 built) during the war than any other twin-engine combat aircraft except for the German [[Junkers Ju 88]] and the British [[Vickers Wellington]].<ref name=" Angelucci and Matricardi p. 234."/><ref name="Guston p. 173.">Guston 1980, p. 173.</ref> Several [[Soviet bloc]] air forces flew the type after the war, when it became known by the [[NATO reporting name]] '''''Buck'''''.

==Development==
In 1937, [[Vladimir Petlyakov]] was the leader of the Heavy Aircraft Brigade at the [[Tupolev]] [[OKB]] responsible for the development of the ANT-42 four-engined long-range bomber (which eventually entered service as the [[Petlyakov Pe-8|TB-7/Pe-8]]). However, that same year [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]'s [[Great Purge]] started, and none were spared suspicion; [[Andrei Tupolev]], the head of the OKB, was coerced into signing a "confession"  in October 1937 that he had formed an anti-Soviet group that included Petlyakov, and both men along with many others were arrested.<ref name="Smith pp. 9-10.">Smith 2003, pp. 9–10.</ref>

Too valuable to be simply executed, unlike many others arrested during the Great Purge, Petlyakov and other weapons designers were instead sent to ''[[sharashka]]s'', special prisons run by the [[NKVD]] where such valuable prisoners could continue their work under close scrutiny. In 1938, Petlyakov was tasked with leading the first Special Technical Department (STO — ''SpetsTekhOd'yel'') for aviation that also included other designers who became well-known such as [[Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev|Vladimir Myasishchev]], a colleague of Petlyakov's at the Tupolev OKB.<ref name="Smith pp. 9-10.">Smith 2003, pp. 9–10.</ref>

=== VI-100 ===
Because the Russian word for "100"  is "sto"("сто"), the STO was later renamed KB-100, and there Petlyakov proposed the development of a twin-engine interceptor against high-altitude long-range bombers, particularly those being developed in Germany such as the [[Junkers Ju 86]]P and [[Henschel Hs 130]]. His proposal was accepted in March 1938, with the requirement that the first prototype be ready for its first flight before the end of 1939. The project was initially given the name '''''Samolyot''''' '''''100''''' ({{lit|Aircraft 100}}) and later called '''VI-100''' (''Vysotnyi Istrebitel'' — "High-Altitude Fighter").<ref name="Smith pp. 11.">Smith 2003, pp. 11.</ref>

The VI-100 project was an ambitious one for its time, with advanced features such as a pressurised cabin, all-metal construction, [[Turbosupercharged|turbo-superchargers]], and many electrically actuated systems. The performance requirements were also quite demanding: it was to be capable of reaching 630&nbsp;km/h (391 mph) at an altitude of 10,000&nbsp;m, a ceiling of 12,500&nbsp;m, and a range of 1,400&nbsp;km. The aircraft would also need a reinforced structure in order to withstand the Mach stresses of making diving attacks from high altitude against enemy bomber formations. In order to assist with the challenging development of the "100", other OKBs such as those of [[Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev|Yakovlev]], [[Artem Mikoyan|Mikoyan]] and [[Mikhail Gurevich (aircraft designer)|Gurevich]], and [[Pavel Sukhoi|Sukhoi]] were also enlisted. The first full-scale VI-100 mock-up was completed in May 1939, and the first flight of the prototype occurred on 22 December 1939.<ref name="Smith pp. 10-12.">Smith 2003, pp. 10–12.</ref>

The VI-100 was an all-metal [[low-wing]] [[cantilever]] monoplane powered by two [[Klimov M-105]]R engines, licence-built [[Hispano-Suiza 12Y]] engines that were the most advanced then available in the Soviet Union, driving VISh-42 three-blade [[Variable-pitch propeller (aeronautics)|variable-pitch propellers]], enhanced by two TK-3 turbo-superchargers fitted in the engine nacelles. Its primary armament were two [[ShVAK cannon|20&nbsp;mm ShVAK]] cannon and two 7.62&nbsp;mm [[ShKAS machine gun]]s, with another ShKAS in a fixed mounting in the tailcone for self-defence. The first prototype VI-100 was also designed to carry KS-76 (48 modified 76&nbsp;mm artillery shells with timed fuses) or KS-100 (96 AO-25 bomblets) cassettes in the fuselage for dropping on enemy bomber formations. The second prototype was instead fitted with external bomb racks for 1,000&nbsp;kg of bombs and internal bomb bays for 600&nbsp;kg of bombs.<ref name="Smith pp. 11-13.">Smith 2003, pp. 11–13.</ref>

The first VI-100 prototype was demonstrated publicly during the 1940 [[International Workers' Day|May Day]] parade, flown by [[Pyotr Stefanovsky|Maj. Stefanovsky]], as Petlyakov and his team watched on from the roofs of their ''sharashka''.<ref name="Smith pp. 15.">Smith 2003, pp. 15.</ref> During testing in 1940, the second prototype VI-100 suffered a cockpit fire due to an improperly tightened nut in the fuel supply, and crashed into a kindergarten, killing a group of young children and a teacher.<ref name="Smith pp. 14.">Smith 2003, pp. 14.</ref> Despite the loss of the second prototype and several defects being found in the first prototype, the VI-100 was judged satisfactory and suitable for further development. Its performance was superior to other Soviet high-altitude fighters such as the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-200 (the future [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3|MiG-3]]), and compared favourably with contemporary aircraft such as the [[Potez 630]], [[Messerschmitt Bf 110|Messerschmitt Bf 110 C]], and [[Bristol Beaufighter|Bristol Beaufighter Mk. I]].<ref name="Smith pp. 15-16.">Smith 2003, pp. 15–16.</ref> However, events led to substantial changes in the direction of the VI-100 project.

=== PB-100 ===
The value of tactical dive bombing had been proven by the [[Junkers Ju 87]] ''Stuka'' dive bombers of the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' during the [[Blitzkrieg]] campaigns of 1939 and 1940, and the need for such an aircraft in the VVS-RKKA ([[Red Army|Workers & Peasants' Red Army Air Force]]) suddenly became very apparent. Furthermore, following the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact|Molotov–Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact]], Soviet experts were able to visit German aircraft factories, where they discovered that Germany had no large-scale development of high-altitude long-range bombers underway. Existing aircraft were also judged to be within the capabilities of single-engined fighters like the I-200.<ref name="Smith pp. 17.">Smith 2003, pp. 17.</ref>

Consequently it was decided in May 1940 that a dive-bomber using the good aerodynamics of the VI-100 would be designed and put into production. The new aircraft, now designated the '''PB-100''' (''Pikiruyushchiy Bombardirovshchik'' — "Dive-Bomber"), was required to achieve a maximum speed of 535&nbsp;km/h at an altitude of 4800–4900&nbsp;m, a range of 1,600&nbsp;km at an altitude of 5,000&nbsp;m, and a ceiling of 8000&nbsp;m.<ref name="Smith pp. 17.">Smith 2003, pp. 17.</ref> Petlyakov and his team were instructed to redesign the two-seat high-altitude fighter into a three-seat dive-bomber within 45 days.<ref name="Khazanov and Medved pp. 8.">Khazanov and Medved 2013, pp. 8.</ref> In order to meet this deadline, Petlyakov's team were assisted by some 300 specialists from other OKBs.<ref name="Smith pp. 17.">Smith 2003, pp. 17.</ref>

The fuselage of the VI-100 had to be redesigned for the dive-bombing role. Initially, the PB-100 had three pressurised cabins for the three-man crew, but the VVS judged that pressurisation was an inessential luxury for the dive-bombing role, and was dropped. Furthermore, the high-altitude performance provided by the turbo-superchargers was also unnecessary, and these too were dropped. Extensive glazing was added to the lower portion of the nose to give the pilot maximum visibility during a dive-bombing attack. A bomb bay for a single 100&nbsp;kg bomb was added in each engine nacelle, while the engines remained the same. The wing was modified, with dive brakes added. The cockpit was redesigned, bringing the navigator and pilot together, and given extensive glazing, while a defensive machine gun was added in the ventral position, operated by a gunner.<ref name="Smith pp. 17.">Smith 2003, pp. 17.</ref>

The redesign was completed in time, and the PB-100 was ordered into production without the construction of a prototype (only static tests were conducted for new components such as the fuselage), with the first two series production PB-100s completed by Zavod 39 in the late autumn of 1940.<ref name="Smith pp. 18.">Smith 2003, pp. 18.</ref> The trials of the lead machine (No. 390101) began on 15 December 1940. In accordance with the new rules also adopted in December 1940, the aircraft was also redesignated '''Pe-2 2M-105'''.<ref name="Smith pp. 18.">Smith 2003, pp. 18.</ref>

== Design features ==
The Pe-2 inherited the basic low-wing twin-engine monoplane configuration of the VI-100. It had an all-metal stressed-skin structure, with cloth only used to cover the ailerons and control surfaces. The tail had twin fins and rudders with a pronounced 8-degree dihedral on the tailplane; this had been added to the PB-100 to correct the poor lateral stability found on the VI-100 during testing.<ref name="Smith pp. 27.">Smith 2003, pp. 27.</ref>

The wing design of the Pe-2 was also inherited from the VI-100, but this had been optimised for high altitude performance at the cost of lower lift at low altitude, resulting in suboptimal manoeuvreability and take-off and landing characteristics.<ref name="Smith pp. 11.">Smith 2003, pp. 11.</ref> For example, while the Pe-2's flying characteristics were generally good once it was airborne, it took a good amount of force to pull the elevators up to rotate the plane for takeoff. Russian night bombing missions often flew with female pilots, and some of the women were not strong enough to get the airplane airborne by themselves. When such a situation occurred, the procedure was to have the navigator get behind the pilot's seat and wrap her arms around the control wheel and help the pilot pull the wheel back. Once the aircraft was airborne, the navigator returned to her duties and the pilot continued to fly the plane without assistance.<ref name="popova">{{cite web|title=Interview with L. L. Popova, Navigator of the 125th Guards Bomb Air Regiment|url=http://www.airforce.ru/history/ww2/popova/page_05.htm|access-date=2008-09-12|language=ru}}</ref> In addition, the Pe-2 had a reputation for hard landings, as well as for its notorious "bounce" on landing due to the inadequate shock absorbers in the landing gear.<ref name="Smith pp. 36.">Smith 2003, pp. 36.</ref> This could be fatal if the pilot was not prepared for it.<ref name="Smith pp. 12.">Smith 2003, pp. 12.</ref><ref name="Smith pp. 94.">Smith 2003, pp. 94.</ref> As designed, the wings were also fitted with "Venetian blind"-type slatted dive brakes for the dive-bombing role.<ref name="Smith pp. 28.">Smith 2003, pp. 28.</ref>

Pe-2s were equipped with an inert gas fire-suppression system for the self-sealing fuel tanks, which progressively filled the fuel tanks with nitrogen in order to reduce the risk of ignition when hit by enemy fire.<ref name="Smith pp. 27.">Smith 2003, pp. 27.</ref>

=== Armament ===
[[File:Экипаж пикирующего бомбардировщика Пe-2 «За великого Сталина» бомбардировочного авиаполка Черноморского флота после выполнени.jpg|thumb|The crew of the Pe-2 dive bomber "For the Great Stalin" of the Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Black Sea Fleet after completing the mission]]
The Pe-2 had an internal capacity for six 100&nbsp;kg bombs, for a total of 600&nbsp;kg; this was no better than that of the older [[Tupolev SB]] bomber. The internal capacity consisted of a fuselage bomb bay capable of carrying four 100&nbsp;kg bombs or an additional fuel tank, with two small internal bomb bays in the rear of the engine nacelles for a single 100&nbsp;kg bomb each.<ref name="Smith pp. 28.">Smith 2003, pp. 28.</ref> This was supplemented by four external underwing racks. These were capable of carrying four 100&nbsp;kg or 250&nbsp;kg bombs, or two 500&nbsp;kg bombs in overload configuration, giving a maximum bombload of 1,000&nbsp;kg.<ref name="Smith pp. 28.">Smith 2003, pp. 28.</ref> Only the bombs in the external racks could be used in a dive-bombing attack; the internally carried bombs had no dive release gear and could not be dropped in a steep dive.<ref name="Smith pp. 21.">Smith 2003, pp. 21.</ref>

The offensive armament originally consisted of two  7.62&nbsp;mm ShKAS fixed forward-firing machine guns in the nose.<ref name="Smith pp. 28.">Smith 2003, pp. 28.</ref> The right ShKAS was replaced by the more powerful [[Berezin UB|12.7 mm UBK]] heavy machine gun from Series 13 production aircraft onwards.<ref name="Smith pp. 100.">Smith 2003, pp. 100.</ref> From Series 32 onwards, provisions were made for underwing guide rails for up to ten [[RS-82 (rocket family)|RS-132]] or RS-82 unguided rockets.

The defensive armament originally consisted of a single ShKAS machine gun in a dorsal TSS mounting, later MV-3 turret, manned by the navigator in the cockpit behind the pilot, and a ventral 7.62&nbsp;mm ShKAS machine gun in a mounting in the fuselage behind the bomb bay aimed by a periscope.<ref name="Smith pp. 12.">Smith 2003, pp. 12.</ref><ref name="Smith pp. 100.">Smith 2003, pp. 100.</ref> This defensive armament was found to be totally inadequate: from Series 13 onwards, the ventral ShKAS was replaced by one 12.7&nbsp;mm UBT in an MV-2 mounting,<ref name="Smith pp. 102.">Smith 2003, pp. 102.</ref> while the dorsal ShKAS was also replaced by a UBT in various different mountings, some modified in the field and others from the factory:
* MV-7 turret: Turret mounting tested in September 1941. Unsatisfactory and not adopted.<ref name="airwar">{{cite web|title=Airwar.ru's Pe-2 FZ article|url=http://www.airwar.ru/enc/bww2/pe2fz.html|access-date=2020-01-25|language=ru}}</ref>
* FT (''Frontovoye Trebovaniye'' — "Frontline Demand") mounting: designed by Leonid Selyakov at Zavod 22 in response to the requests of Pe-2 crews to fit the standard Pe-2 with minimal changes to production and can be fitted in the field.<ref name="Smith pp. 102-103.">Smith 2003, pp. 102-103.</ref> Standardised from Series 83 onwards.<ref name="Smith pp. 100.">Smith 2003, pp. 100.</ref><ref name="Smith pp. 102.">Smith 2003, pp. 102.</ref> This mounting required the canopy over the navigator to be removed, resulting in reduced comfort for the navigator manning the gun.
* VUB-1 turret: Turret mounting, standardised from Series 110 onwards.<ref name="Smith pp. 12.">Smith 2003, pp. 12.</ref><ref name="Smith pp. 102.">Smith 2003, pp. 102.</ref><ref name="airwar"/> Pe-2s with this mounting are often known as "Pe-2FT" in Western literature, even though the VUB-1 turret has no connection to the actual FT mounting whatsoever.<ref name="Smith pp. 202.">Smith 2003, pp. 202.</ref>
* FZ (''Frontovoye Zadaniye'' — "Frontline Mission") turret: Experimental turret mounting introduced in 1943. Uses magazines for the UBT instead of belts for easier and faster handling of the turret. Tests were successful, recommended for production, but not adopted in order to not disrupt Pe-2 production.<ref name="airwar"/>

The replacement of the ShKAS defensive guns with the UBT was reported to increase the life expectancy of a Pe-2 from 20 sorties to 54.<ref name="Williams and Gustin pp. 114-115.">Williams and Gustin 2003, pp. 114–115.</ref>

==Operational service==
[[File:Petlyakov Pe-2 at Poltava, Russia.jpg|thumb|Soviet pilots and ground crew pose in front of a Pe-2 dive bomber at [[Poltava]], June 1944.]]

The Pe-2 was first publicly demonstrated in the May Day Parade of 1941.<ref name="Smith pp. 22.">Smith 2003, pp. 22.</ref> Testing of the Pe-2 was completed and it was accepted for service in June 1941, shortly before the [[Operation Barbarossa|German invasion of the Soviet Union]].<ref name="Smith pp. 18.">Smith 2003, pp. 18.</ref> During the early stages of the invasion, Pe-2 crews, who were poorly trained and unfamiliar with their new aircraft, were often sent on near-suicidal low-level bombing missions against advancing German forces, where they were highly vulnerable to light anti-aircraft guns and German fighters, or bombed from altitude with minimal accuracy and effectiveness against moving troops.<ref name="Smith pp. 50-53.">Smith 2003, pp. 50-53.</ref>

The aircraft did not show its true potential until the end of 1941, after the Soviet Air Force had a chance to regroup after the German onslaught, during the Winter. The Pe-2 quickly proved itself to be a highly capable aircraft, able to elude the Luftwaffe's interceptors and allowing their crews to develop great accuracy with their bombing. It could give German fighters fits when it could outrun them, at times reaching over {{cvt|400|mph|km/h|order=flip}}.<ref name="Ethell p. 152.">Ethell 1996, p. 152.</ref>
[[File:Эскадрилья советских бомбардировщиков Пе-2 в полете над Карельским перешейком 2.jpg|thumb|Pe-2s of the 34th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment over the Karelian Isthmus during the [[Vyborg–Petrozavodsk offensive]], June 1944]]
The records of the 16th and 39th BAPs of the Western Front Air Force note that the Pe-2's crews had the greatest success in repelling the attacks of enemy fighters in June and July 1941. On 1 July, for example, six Pe-2s fended off attacks by four Messerschmitt Bf 109s, shooting down two of them. A week later a group of Pe-2s was attacked by four Bf 109s and again brought down two of the attackers. On both occasions the Petlyakovs suffered no losses. On the southern front, a bombing mission against [[Ploiești]], in [[Romania]], by six Pe-2s, led by Capt. A. Tsurtsulin, was a great success: {{convert|552,150|lb|kg|order=flip}} of petroleum were burnt in the raid. The Romanian information agency claimed that at least 100 Soviet planes had bombed Ploiești.

The Pe-2 regiments' operations were not always successful and the service pilots complained about insufficient defensive armament and survivability: there was a great risk of fire and insufficient armour protection, especially for the navigators and gunners. German pilots soon discovered the limited sighting angles of the ventral gun mounting and its poor reliability. The ammunition belt of the UBT machine-gun often jammed after the first burst of fire when shooting in extreme positions. The navigator and the radio operator were poorly protected. On average, ten Pe-2 gunners were wounded for every pilot, and two or three were killed for the loss of one pilot.

Throughout 1942 the design was steadily refined and improved, in direct consultation with pilots who were actually flying them in combat. Improved armour protection and a fifth ShKAS machine-gun was installed and fuel tanks modified. Despite anecdotal reports by Soviet fliers, Pe-2s were daylight bombers, often crewed by comparative novices in the early years of the war, and took significant losses, even when well protected by fighters. In December 1942 General {{ill|Ivan Turkel|ru|Туркель, Иван Лукич}} of the Soviet Air Force estimated the life expectancy of a Pe-2 was 30 combat flights. An example of loss rates after the Soviets gained the upper hand can be gained by the losses suffered by the 1st and 2nd BAK. The former started the month of July 1943 with 179 machines, and lost 52 that month, and 59 the next, ending August with 156 bombers after receiving replacements. The 2nd BAK started July with 122 Pe-2s, with monthly losses of 30 and 20, ending August 1943 with 114 Pe-2s after replacements arrived.  Most of these losses were at the hands of the thinly stretched German fighter groups, which continued to inflict significant losses when present in strength, even in the closing months of the war. For example, in the Baltic where [[Jagdgeschwader 54|JG54 Grünherz]] were the main opposition, and greatly outnumbered, the Soviet 1st Gv BAK lost 86 Pe-2s shot down (another 12 to other causes), mostly to German fighters between 23 July 1944 and 8 February 1945.  Western sources use mark Pe-2FT for production series after 83, where FT stands for Frontovoe Trebovanie (Frontline Request), although Soviet documents do not use this identification. Final versions Pe-2K (transitional version of Pe-2I) and Pe-2I were produced in small numbers, due to the unwillingness of Soviet industry to decelerate production numbers.<ref name="Gordon pp. 368-369.">Gordon 2006, pp. 368–369.</ref>

Starting on 14 April 1945, some Pe-2FT aircraft were operated by the [[1st Czechoslovak Mixed Air Division]] made up of exiled Czechoslovak pilots in the Soviet Union. After the war, the reinstated [[Czechoslovak Air Force]] operated 32 Pe-2FT and 3 UPe-2 between May 1946 and mid 1951. The first aircraft arrived at Prague-Kbely airfield in April 1946 and formed two squadrons of the 25 Air Regiment in [[Havlíčkův Brod]]. Czechoslovak aircraft were known under the designation B-32 (Pe-2FT) and CB-32 (UPe-2).

===Finnish Air Force===
In 1941, after the outbreak of the [[Continuation War]], Finland purchased six captured Pe-2 aircraft from Germany. These arrived at [[Valtion lentokonetehdas|State Aircraft Factory]] facilities at Härmälä, near [[Tampere]], in January 1942, where the airframes were overhauled and given Finnish serial numbers. The seventh Pe-2 was bought from the Germans in January 1944, and it was flown to Finland at the end of the month.

It was initially planned to use these planes as dive bombers in the 1st flight of LeLv 48, which began to receive its aircraft in July 1942, but during the training it was found out that this caused too much strain for the engines. Thus, the role of Pe-2s was changed to fly long-range photographic and visual reconnaissance missions for the Army General Headquarters. These sorties began in late 1942, and were often flown with two 250&nbsp;kg (551&nbsp;lb) bombs for harassment bombing and in order to cover the true purpose of missions.

By the time the Soviet [[Fourth strategic offensive]] started in June 1944, the secondary bombing role had already ended and the surviving Pe-2s began to be used solely over the [[Karelian Isthmus]] on photographic reconnaissance flights in order to find out enemy troop concentrations, usually escorted by four [[Finnish Air Force]] [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109 Gs]]. These vital missions allowed artillery and bombers of the Finnish Air Force and the ''Luftwaffe''{{'}}s [[Detachment Kuhlmey]] to strike against formations preparing for attack, which had an important impact on the outcome of the [[Battle of Tali-Ihantala]], where the Soviet advance was halted.

During the Continuation War, three Pe-2s were lost in accidents or technical failures, one was destroyed in bombing of Lappeenranta airfield, one was shot down by Soviet fighters and one went missing in action. In the Lapland War the only remaining machine flew a single reconnaissance sortie in October 1944. On average, the aircraft flew some 94 hours per plane during the war.

The Finnish Air Force also operated one Petlyakov Pe-3 (PE-301) that had been captured in 1943.

PE-301 and PE-215 were destroyed when Soviet aircraft bombed the Lappeenranta airfield on 2 July 1944. PE-212 went down in 1943, PE-213 was destroyed in an emergency landing in 1942. PE-214 was destroyed in a failed take-off attempt at Härmälä on 21 May 1942. As Härmälä airfield was quite short, the pilot had to tried to lift off with too little speed, which caused the aircraft to stall and crash, killing the crew. PE-217 managed to shoot down a Soviet fighter in 1944. PE-216 was destroyed in a forced landing in 1944. PE-211 survived the war and was removed from FAF lists in 1946. It was still standing beside the Kauhava airfield in 1952, but further information on its fate is unknown.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

==Variants==
[[File:Petlyakov Pe-2 (early production) two-view silhouette.png|thumb|Top view of an early production prototype Pe-2.]]
In total, around 11,400 Pe-2s were built; a large number of minor variants were also developed.

;PB-100
:Prototype of the Pe-2 modified from the [[Petlyakov VI-100|VI-100]] in 1940.
;Pe-2
:First production variant.
[[File:Petlyakov Pe-2 3-view silhouette.jpg|thumb|Bottom view of a Production Prototype Pe-2.]]
;Pe-2B
[[File:Petlyakov Pe-2 (M-82FN engines) top-view silhouette.png|thumb|Top View of a Pe-2 with the M-82FN engines.]]
:Standard bomber version from 1944.
;Pe-2D
:Three-seat bomber version, powered by two VK-107A piston engines.
;Pe-2FT
:Main production variant. In Czechoslovakia known as the '''B-32'''. Improved defensive armament (7.62&nbsp;mm machine gun in dorsal turret), removal of the dive brakes, and an uprated engine. Nose glazing was also reduced.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Błażewicz|first1=Sławomir|title=Samolot bombowy PE-2FT|url=http://www.muzeumwp.pl/emwpaedia/samolot-bombowy-pe-2ft.php|website=Muzeum Wojska Polskiego|access-date=4 September 2017|language=pl}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2017}}
;Pe-2FZ
:Built in small numbers.
;Pe-2I
:Improved version designed by Vladimir Myasishchev. VK-107 engines; revised wing profile; remote-controlled tail gun. Top speed 656&nbsp;km/h (408&nbsp;mph). Could carry 1,000&nbsp;kg (2,204&nbsp;lb) bombs. Five examples built.
;Pe-2K
:Radial-engined version, small number built.
;Pe-2K RD-1
:One Pe-2K equipped with additional RD-1 rocket engine. The 300&nbsp;kg (661&nbsp;lb) Glushko RD-1 rocket engine was installed in the tail of the aircraft.
;Pe-2M
:Variant of Pe-2I with heavier armament.
;Pe-2MV
:This version was armed with [[ShVAK cannon|20&nbsp;mm ShVAK cannons]] and two 12.7&nbsp;mm (0.5&nbsp;in) in an underfuselage gondola, it also had one 7.62&nbsp;mm (0.3&nbsp;in) machine gun in the dorsal turret.
;Pe-2R
:Three-seat photo reconnaissance version, with a larger fuel tanks and extended range. small number built.
;Pe-2S
:Two-seat training version.
;Pe-2Sh
:The PB-100 prototype was fitted with two 20&nbsp;mm ShVAK cannons, and a single 12.7&nbsp;mm (0.5&nbsp;in) machine gun was fitted beneath the fuselage.
;Pe-2VI
:High altitude fighter version.
;Pe-2UTI (UPe-2)
:Dedicated [[Trainer (aircraft)|trainer]] version, small number built. In Czechoslovakia known as the '''CB-32'''.
;Pe-2 Paravan
:Anti-barrage balloon version.
;[[Petlyakov Pe-3|Pe-3]]
:Long-range night fighter version.
;Pe-2 M-82FN
:Pe-2 with [[Shvetsov ASh-82|Shvetsov M-82FN]] engines. Also known unofficially as the Pe-4.

==Operators==
;{{BUL}}
* [[Bulgarian Air Force]]
;{{PRC}}
* [[People's Liberation Army Air Force]]
;{{CZS}}
* [[Czechoslovak Air Force]]
;{{FIN}}
* [[Finnish Air Force]] operated seven captured aircraft (given the Finnish serial numbers PE-211 to PE-217).
;{{HUN}}
* [[Hungarian Air Force]]
;{{POL}}
[[File:PL MWP Pe-2FT.JPG|thumb|Pe-2]]
* [[Air Force of the Polish Army]] (after 1947 [[Polish Air Force]])
* [[Polish Navy]]
;{{USSR}}
[[File:2011. Марка России 1479.jpg|thumb|Pe-2, featured on 2011 [[postage stamp]] of Russia, ''Weapons of Victory'' stamp series]]
* [[Soviet Air Force]]
;{{YUG}}
* [[SFR Yugoslav Air Force]] operated 123 Pe-2FT and 9 UPe-2 between 1945 and 1954.
** [[41st Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1945–1948)
** [[42nd Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1945–1948)
** [[43rd Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1947–1948)
** [[Night Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1948)
** [[88th Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1948–1952)
** [[97th Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1948–1952)
** [[109th Bomber Aviation Regiment]] (1948–1952)
** [[185th Mixed Aviation Regiment]] (1949–1952)
** [[715th Independent Reconnaissance Squadron]] (1949–1952)

==Aircraft on display==
;Norway
* 16/141 – Pe-2FT on display at the [[Norwegian Aviation Museum]] in [[Bodø|Bodø, Nordland]]. Only the cockpit section is on display, with the remainder of the aircraft awaiting restoration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Petlyakov PE-2 FT |url=http://www.luftfart.museum.no/Utstillinger/petlyakov_pe2_snute.htm |website=Norsk Luftfartsmuseum |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019102241/http://www.luftfart.museum.no/Utstillinger/petlyakov_pe2_snute.htm |archive-date=19 October 2011 |language=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cockpit, Petlyakov P-2 |url=http://digitaltmuseum.no/021025644359/cockpit-petlyakov-p-2 |website=DigitaltMuseum |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=no |date=11 December 2014}}</ref>
;Poland
* Pe-2FT on display at the [[Museum of the Polish Army]] in [[Warsaw|Warsaw, Mazovia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wystawa plenerowa|url=http://www.muzeumwp.pl/wystawy/31,wystawa-plenerowa/|website=Muzeum Wojska Polskiego|access-date=4 September 2017|language=pl}}</ref>
;Russia
* Composite – On display at the [[Central Air Force Museum]] in [[Monino]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pe-2 frontal dive bomber |url=http://www.cmvvs.ru/pikiruyushhij-frontovoj-bombardirovshhik-pe-2 |website=Central Air Force Museum |access-date=19 October 2020 |language=ru}}</ref>
* On display at the [[UMMC Museum Complex]] in [[Verkhnyaya Pyshma|Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Aviation |url=http://mkugmk.ru/en/about-complex/military-equipment-museum/collections/aviation/ |website=The Museum Complex UMMC |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref>
;Czechia
* Cockpit on display at the Kbely Museum

==Specifications (Petlyakov Pe-2 - early production)==
[[File:Petljakov Pe-2.svg|thumb|Petljakov Pe-2 3-view drawings. A rare variant with radial engines is depicted.]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=From Sotka to Peshka<ref>''Air International'' August 1979, p. 79</ref>
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=3
|length m=12.66
|length note=
|span m=17.16
|span note=
|height m=3.42
|height note=
|wing area sqm=40.50
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=[[NACA airfoil|NACA 23012]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight kg=5950
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=7536
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=8520
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=[[Klimov M-105]]RA
|eng1 type=V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines
|eng1 hp=1100
|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=3
|prop name=VISH-62 metal [[constant-speed propeller]]s
|prop dia m=3.25<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=540
|max speed note=at {{convert|5000|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}}
|cruise speed kmh=428
|cruise speed note=(max continuous cruise)
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=1315
|range note=(with {{convert|1000|kg|lb|abbr=on}} bombs
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=8800
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=3.76 min to {{convert|3000|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}}
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
<!--
        Armament
-->
|guns=
 *2 × 7.62 mm (0.3 in) fixed [[ShKAS machine gun]]s in the nose
* 2 × rearward firing 7.62 mm (0.3 in) ShKAS machine guns (1 in dorsal mount, one in ventral mount)
** Some aircraft were also equipped with a DAG-10 launcher, firing {{ill|AG-2|ru|АГ-2 (граната)}} parachute timed grenades.
|bombs={{convert|1000|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of bombs

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Petlyakov Pe-3|Pe-3]]
* [[Myasishchev DB-108]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[de Havilland Mosquito]]
* [[Junkers Ju 88]]
* [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]]
* [[Fokker G.I]]
* [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]]
* [[Tupolev Tu-2]]
|lists=
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of bomber aircraft]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS]]
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* And'al, Jozef, Hans-Heiri Stapfer & Peter Novorol'ník. ''Petljakov Pe-2 a Pe-3 (HT Model Speciál no.911)'' (in Slovak with four-page English summary sheet). Bratislava, Slovakia: Magnet Press s.r.o., 2005. ISSN 1335-3667.
* Angelucci, Enzo and Paolo Matricardi. ''World Aircraft: World War II, Volume II'' (Sampson Low Guides). Maidenhead, UK: Sampson Low, 1978. {{ISBN|0-562-00096-8}}.
* "From Sotka to Peshka:The Story of Petlyakov's Pe-2, Its Origins and its Derivatives". ''[[Air International]]''. August 1979, Vol. 17 No. 2. pp.&nbsp;76–83, 93–94.
* Drabkin, Artem. ''The Red Air Force at War: Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow – Recollections of Fighter Pilots on the Eastern Front''. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Military, 2007. {{ISBN|1-84415-563-3}}.
* Gordon, Yefim and Khazanov, Dmitri. ''Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume 2: Twin-Engined Fighters, Attack Aircraft and Bombers''. Earl Shilton, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2006. {{ISBN|1-85780-084-2}}.
* Gunston, Bill. ''Aircraft of World War 2''. London, Octopus book limited, 1980. {{ISBN|0-7064-1287-7}}.
* Gustin, Emmanuel and Anthony G. Williams. ''Flying Guns: The Development of Aircraft Guns, Ammunition and Installations 1933–45''. Ramsbury (MA), Airlife, 2003. {{ISBN|978-1-84037-227-4}}.
* Jackson, Robert. ''Aircraft of World War II – Development – Weaponry – Specifications'' Enderby Le, Silverdale Books, 2003. {{ISBN|1-85605-751-8}}.
* Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. ''Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 9, Venäläiset Pommittajat (Soviet Bombers)'' (in Finnish with English summary). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1982. {{ISBN|952-99432-7-X}}.
* Karhunen, Joppe. ''Taistelulentäjien Jatkosota'' (in Finnish). Tammi, Finland: Kirjat, 1994. {{ISBN|951-31-0132-0}}.
* Khazanov, Dimitry; Vladimir Kotelnikov and Aleksandr Medved. ''Le Petlyakov Pe-2'' (in French). Outreau, France: Lela Presse, 2007. {{ISBN|2-914017-38-3}}.
* Khazanov, Dimitry and Medved, Aleksander. ''Combat Aircraft 96: Pe-2 Guards Units of World War 2''. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2013. {{ISBN|978-1-78096-065-4}}.
* Медведь, А.Н. и Хазанов, Д.Б. ''Пикирующий бомбардировщик Пе-2. «Пешка», ставшая ферзём''. Москва: Коллекция, Яуза, ЭКСМО, 2007. Medved', A.N and Khazanov, D.B. ''Pikiruyushchiy bombardirovshchik Pe-2. "Peshka", stavshaya ferzyom'' (''Pe-2 Dive Bomber. A "Pawn" That Became a Queen''). Moscow, Russia: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2007. {{ISBN|978-5-699-24361-7}}.
* Medved, Aleksandr Nikolaevich and Dmitrij B. Khazanov. ''Pe-2, part 1 (Armada no.13)'' (in Russian). M-Hobby Publishing, 1999.
* Medved, Aleksandr Nikolaevich and Dmitrij B. Khazanov. ''Pe-2, part 2 (Armada no.18)'' (in Russian). M-Hobby Publishing, 2000.
* Passingham, Malcolm and Klepacki, Waclaw. ''Petlyakov Pe-2 and Variants (Aircraft in Profile No. 216)''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1971.
* Smith, Peter C. ''Petlyakov Pe-2 'Peshka'''. Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press, 2003. {{ISBN|1-86126-588-3}}.
* Smith, Peter C. ''Petlyakov Pe-2: Stalin's Successful Red Air Force Light Bomber''. Barnsley, UK: Air World, 2020. {{ISBN|978-1-52675-930-6}} 
* Stapfer, Hans-Heiri. ''Petlyakov Pe-2 in Action (Aircraft number 181)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 2002. {{ISBN|0-89747-439-2}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%200282.html ''Flight'' 10 February 1944 p142-144 "A Russian Dive Bomber"]
* [http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/RAM/pe-2.html Pe-2 variants, by V.M. Petlyakov, V.M. Myasichev, A.M. Izakson and A.I. Putilov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709184728/http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/RAM/pe-2.html |date=9 July 2017 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927211300/http://www.plastikowe.pl/galerie/lotnictwo/petlakow-pe-2ft Photo gallery of Polish Petlyakov Pe-2FT]

{{WWIIUSSRAF}}
{{Czech bombers}}
{{Czech trainer aircraft}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1930s Soviet bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:Petlyakov aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1939]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear]]