Difference between revisions of "Ar-2"

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−
{{Specs-Card|code=ar_2}}
+
{{Specs-Card
 +
|code=ar_2
 +
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
 +
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
+
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
−
=== Flight Performance ===
+
=== Flight performance ===
−
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Maximum speed, maneuverability, speed and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''
+
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}
 +
<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
 +
 
 +
The Ar-2 is a pleasant aircraft to fly with a good climb and turn rate, as well as a low stall speed and takeoff requirement.
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
 +
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
 +
! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 4,700 m)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
 +
! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds)
 +
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres)
 +
|-
 +
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
 +
|-
 +
! Stock
 +
| 490 || 477 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 22.8 || 23.4 || 10.0 || 10.0 || rowspan="2" | 366
 +
|-
 +
! Upgraded
 +
| 536 || 512 || 21.3 || 22.0 || 15.4 || 12.5
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== Details ====
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | Features
 +
|-
 +
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
 +
|-
 +
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X    <!-- ✓ -->
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | Limits
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
 +
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
 +
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
 +
|-
 +
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
 +
|-
 +
| 650 <!-- {{Specs|destruction|body}} --> || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 315 || 309 || 280 || ~9 || ~5
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
 +
|-
 +
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
 +
|-
 +
| < 320 || < 320 || < 300 || > 350
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured. Describe the armour, if there is any, also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''
+
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}
 +
<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' -->
 +
 
 +
* 6mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat & headrest.
 +
 
 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
−
=== Offensive armament ===
+
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
−
''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.''
+
=== Suspended armament ===
 +
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}
 +
<!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
 +
{{main|FAB-100 (100 kg)|FAB-250M43 (250 kg)|FAB-500 (500 kg)}}
  
−
=== Suspended armament ===
+
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
−
''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''
+
 
 +
* 6 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (600 kg total)
 +
* 10 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (1,000 kg total)
 +
* 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (500 kg total)
 +
* 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (1,000 kg total)
 +
* 6 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (1,500 kg total)
 +
* 1 x 500 kg FAB-500 bomb (500 kg total)
 +
* 3 x 500 kg FAB-500 bombs (1,500 kg total)
  
 
=== Defensive armament ===
 
=== Defensive armament ===
−
''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available remove this subsection.''
+
{{Specs-Avia-Defensive}}
 +
<!-- ''Defensive armament with turret machine guns or cannons, crewed by gunners. Examine the number of gunners and what belts or drums are better to use. If defensive weaponry is not available, remove this subsection.'' -->
 +
{{main|ShKAS (7.62 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:
 +
 
 +
* 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, nose turret (500 rpg)
 +
* 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg)
 +
* 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, ventral turret (600 rpg)
 +
 
 +
== Usage in battles ==
 +
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
Ar-2 is quite fast, and is faster than most other bombers at a similar BR (like [[B-18A]] and [[He 111 H-3]]). Use this as an advantage. Go directly for the enemy bases, then go back to the airfield and restart a bombing run. If an enemy plane targets you, keep flying straight and have a slight climb. Use your defensive turrets to scare away enemies tailing you. In Mixed battles, its armament of 3 x 500 kg bombs is quite the loadout for the battle rating and can be used to carpet-bomb a point. However, only spawn in the Ar-2 if there are no enemy fighters up and don't go low altitude- SPAA and roof-mounted MGs will easily chew this plane up.
  
−
== Usage in the battles ==
+
=== Manual Engine Control ===
−
''Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
 +
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
 +
! colspan="3" | Radiator
 +
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
 +
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
 +
|-
 +
! Oil
 +
! Water
 +
! Type
 +
|-
 +
| Controllable || rowspan="2" | Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Not controllable<br>Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Controllable<br>Not auto controlled || rowspan="2" | Combined || rowspan="2" | Controllable<br>2 gears || rowspan="2" | Not controllable
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* It is pretty fast (able to outrun [[Bf 109 (Family)|Bf 109s]])
 +
* The air brakes allows for easy landings (even with critical damage), and excellent diving capabilities
 +
* Excellent mobility for a bomber (expanded further with the use of combat flaps and air brakes)
 +
* Good frontal turret aiming range
 +
* Adequate payload for its speed and mobility (able to take one base and a half when fully loaded)
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
 
  
−
== Historical part ==
+
* Lightly armoured and easily taken down by anything from 20 mm and above
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
* Prone to flat spins with engine damage or when pushed too far
 +
* Most components are located in the front which makes it easy to destroy in frontal attacks
 +
* Despite the ShKAS machine guns having great belts, they are not very effective against more armoured fighters
 +
 
 +
== History ==
 +
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''-->
 +
The SB-2, the work of aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev, was the one of the world's best bomber when it first flew in 1934. In the Spanish and Chinese battlefields, the SB-2 was so fast that even fighter aircraft could not catch up. In the late 1930s, the concept of the dive bomber began to appear, and its representative is the famous German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. Luftwaffe operations over Poland in the early years of World War II demonstrated that dive-bombing was highly accurate and effective against small, sturdy targets, and the Red Army did not have such aircraft. Therefore, around 1940, the Soviet Army requested the development of a new dive bomber, SB-RK, based on the existing SB-2.
 +
 
 +
The Soviets had already done some early work on the dive-bomber. In 1939, TsAGI (Central Aeronautic and Hydrodynamics Research Institute) developed a dive-bomb system named PB-3. The results of conventional SB-2 tests show that the bomb can be dropped into a circle with a radius of 57 m at a height of 2000 m at an angle of 80°. If the projectile is dropped at the same angle from a height of 4,000 meters, it can hit a circle with a radius of 126 meters. After the pilot releases the bomb, the plane will pull up automatically. In order to prevent excessive overload when changing out, overload limiter is also developed. Regardless of the angle, speed, pole position of the aircraft, always maintain the overload at 3G.
 +
 
 +
In July 1940, the Soviet Union changed the naming rules of aircraft. Instead of naming aircraft according to the service category, it changed to the abbreviation of the designer's surname. After that, the numerical numbers of fighter aircraft were singular, and bombing, attack, transport and reconnaissance aircraft were even. So when the prototype was completed later that year, the SB-RK (hence the "SB-RK" designation where "SB" means "high-speed bomber" and "RK" means "radiators-wing") was renamed AR-2, and it was the only plane in Archangsky's life to bear his family name. However, due to the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, only a small number of AR-2 were produced. Early in the war, a large number of AR-2s were destroyed on runways.
 +
 
 +
{{break}}
 +
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
 +
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
 +
Arkhangelsky Ar-2 (SB-RK) twin-engine front-line dive bomber (Tupolev OKB).
 +
 
 +
An all-metal, twin-engine monoplane dive bomber with a retractable landing gear system including a tail wheel. Its crew consisted of three persons.
 +
 
 +
This aircraft was designed under the direction of A. A. Arkhangelsky and was a further structural development of the high-speed SB bomber.
 +
 
 +
It differed from the SB in its shorter wing and its streamlined, spindle-shaped nose section and modified nacelles, with water-cooled radiators removed from them and placed on the wing (hence the "SB-RK" designation where "SB" means "high-speed bomber" and "RK" means "radiators-wing"). The SB-RK prototype was tested in 1939. Full-scale production of the aircraft designated the Ar-2 started in 1940 at Factory No. 22, in Moscow.
 +
 
 +
Production Ar-2s were equipped with 1,100 hp Klimov M-105R twelve-cylinder, V-type, geared water-cooled engines.
 +
 
 +
The plane's defensive armament included an NU nose mount with a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 500 rounds. The machine gun was fitted in a special sphere that enabled it to fire forward within a 50-degree cone-shaped region.
 +
 
 +
The TSS-1 upper rear machine gun mount ("TSS" standing for "high-speed aircraft turret") had a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 1,000 rounds and a K-8T collimator sight. When firing, the upper canopy (nicknamed the "turtle") was moved back on rollers along rails and partially raised upward to protect the gunner from the incoming flow.
 +
 
 +
In order to protect the plane from below, the aircraft had a retractable MV-2 turret which housed a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 600 rounds and an OP-2L periscope sight.
 +
 
 +
The aircraft's standard bomb capacity was 600 kg (carried internally), which was the same as that of the SB, its predecessor, while its maximum bomb capacity could reach 1,500 kg with various combinations of internal and external loads. More advanced NP-1 racks were fitted under the Ar-2's centre wing section to carry bombs weighing 250 or 500 kg. The bombs were fastened in one central holder near the plane's center of gravity, and the plane's hold on them was reinforced with the help of side stops.
 +
 
 +
The Ar-2 entered service with the Red Army Air Force in the spring of 1940. The plane was in service from the beginning of the war until late 1944, with the units of the Red Army Air Force and Soviet naval aviation, as a dive bomber and a reconnaissance aircraft. The Ar-2's production was discontinued in early 1941. A total of about 200 aircraft were produced.
 +
{{Navigation-End}}
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
 
 +
;Skins
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ar_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Videos
 +
{{Youtube-gallery|ElWz1Tl6BwY|'''The Shooting Range #109''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 05:01 discusses the Ar-2.}}
  
−
== Read also ==
+
== See also ==
−
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
+
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
−
''ETC.''
+
 
 +
;Related development
 +
 
 +
* [[SB 2M (Family)]]
  
−
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''page on aircraft encyclopedia;''
 
 
* ''other literature.''
 
* ''other literature.''
 +
 +
{{AirManufacturer Tupolev}}
 +
{{USSR bombers}}

Latest revision as of 06:01, 6 May 2024

Rank 7 USA
F-5C Pack
Ar-2
ar_2.png
GarageImage Ar-2.jpg
Ar-2
USSR flag.png USSR
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.7 2.3 2.7
Class:
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Ar-2 is a rank I Soviet bomber with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB/SB) and 2.3 (RB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight performance

Air brakes
Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps
Max speed
at 4 700 m512 km/h
Turn time22 s
Max altitude9 900 m
Engine2 х Klimov VK-105R
TypeInline
Cooling systemWater
Take-off weight8 t

The Ar-2 is a pleasant aircraft to fly with a good climb and turn rate, as well as a low stall speed and takeoff requirement.

Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 4,700 m) 		Max altitude
(metres) 		Turn time
(seconds) 		Rate of climb
(metres/second) 		Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 490 477 9900 22.8 23.4 10.0 10.0 366
Upgraded 536 512 21.3 22.0 15.4 12.5

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
650 350 315 309 280 ~9 ~5
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 320 < 320 < 300 > 350

Survivability and armour

Crew4 people
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear350 km/h
  • 6mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat & headrest.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB354 → 473 Sl icon.png
RB581 → 777 Sl icon.png
SB871 → 1 165 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications5 970 Rp icon.png
4 500 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost410 Ge icon.png
Crew training1 800 Sl icon.png
Experts6 300 Sl icon.png
Aces80 Ge icon.png
Research Aces135 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
30 / 60 / 100 % Sl icon.png
106 / 106 / 106 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Research:
400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
450 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
450 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Research:
500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
640 Rp icon.png
Cost:
480 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods metanol.png
Engine injection
Research:
640 Rp icon.png
Cost:
480 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
640 Rp icon.png
Cost:
480 Sl icon.png
105 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
NP-1
Research:
400 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
65 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
shkas_turret_belt_pack
Research:
450 Rp icon.png
Cost:
340 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods turret gun.png
shkas_turret_new_gun
Research:
500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
380 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Suspended armament

Main articles: FAB-100 (100 kg), FAB-250M43 (250 kg), FAB-500 (500 kg)

The Ar-2 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • 6 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (600 kg total)
  • 10 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (1,000 kg total)
  • 2 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (500 kg total)
  • 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (1,000 kg total)
  • 6 x 250 kg FAB-250M43 bombs (1,500 kg total)
  • 1 x 500 kg FAB-500 bomb (500 kg total)
  • 3 x 500 kg FAB-500 bombs (1,500 kg total)

Defensive armament

Main article: ShKAS (7.62 mm)

The Ar-2 is defended by:

  • 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, nose turret (500 rpg)
  • 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg)
  • 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, ventral turret (600 rpg)

Usage in battles

Ar-2 is quite fast, and is faster than most other bombers at a similar BR (like B-18A and He 111 H-3). Use this as an advantage. Go directly for the enemy bases, then go back to the airfield and restart a bombing run. If an enemy plane targets you, keep flying straight and have a slight climb. Use your defensive turrets to scare away enemies tailing you. In Mixed battles, its armament of 3 x 500 kg bombs is quite the loadout for the battle rating and can be used to carpet-bomb a point. However, only spawn in the Ar-2 if there are no enemy fighters up and don't go low altitude- SPAA and roof-mounted MGs will easily chew this plane up.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer Pitch Radiator Supercharger Turbocharger
Oil Water Type
Controllable Controllable
Not auto controlled 		Not controllable
Not auto controlled 		Controllable
Not auto controlled 		Combined Controllable
2 gears 		Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • It is pretty fast (able to outrun Bf 109s)
  • The air brakes allows for easy landings (even with critical damage), and excellent diving capabilities
  • Excellent mobility for a bomber (expanded further with the use of combat flaps and air brakes)
  • Good frontal turret aiming range
  • Adequate payload for its speed and mobility (able to take one base and a half when fully loaded)

Cons:

  • Lightly armoured and easily taken down by anything from 20 mm and above
  • Prone to flat spins with engine damage or when pushed too far
  • Most components are located in the front which makes it easy to destroy in frontal attacks
  • Despite the ShKAS machine guns having great belts, they are not very effective against more armoured fighters

History

The SB-2, the work of aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev, was the one of the world's best bomber when it first flew in 1934. In the Spanish and Chinese battlefields, the SB-2 was so fast that even fighter aircraft could not catch up. In the late 1930s, the concept of the dive bomber began to appear, and its representative is the famous German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. Luftwaffe operations over Poland in the early years of World War II demonstrated that dive-bombing was highly accurate and effective against small, sturdy targets, and the Red Army did not have such aircraft. Therefore, around 1940, the Soviet Army requested the development of a new dive bomber, SB-RK, based on the existing SB-2.

The Soviets had already done some early work on the dive-bomber. In 1939, TsAGI (Central Aeronautic and Hydrodynamics Research Institute) developed a dive-bomb system named PB-3. The results of conventional SB-2 tests show that the bomb can be dropped into a circle with a radius of 57 m at a height of 2000 m at an angle of 80°. If the projectile is dropped at the same angle from a height of 4,000 meters, it can hit a circle with a radius of 126 meters. After the pilot releases the bomb, the plane will pull up automatically. In order to prevent excessive overload when changing out, overload limiter is also developed. Regardless of the angle, speed, pole position of the aircraft, always maintain the overload at 3G.

In July 1940, the Soviet Union changed the naming rules of aircraft. Instead of naming aircraft according to the service category, it changed to the abbreviation of the designer's surname. After that, the numerical numbers of fighter aircraft were singular, and bombing, attack, transport and reconnaissance aircraft were even. So when the prototype was completed later that year, the SB-RK (hence the "SB-RK" designation where "SB" means "high-speed bomber" and "RK" means "radiators-wing") was renamed AR-2, and it was the only plane in Archangsky's life to bear his family name. However, due to the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, only a small number of AR-2 were produced. Early in the war, a large number of AR-2s were destroyed on runways.


Archive of the in-game description

Arkhangelsky Ar-2 (SB-RK) twin-engine front-line dive bomber (Tupolev OKB).

An all-metal, twin-engine monoplane dive bomber with a retractable landing gear system including a tail wheel. Its crew consisted of three persons.

This aircraft was designed under the direction of A. A. Arkhangelsky and was a further structural development of the high-speed SB bomber.

It differed from the SB in its shorter wing and its streamlined, spindle-shaped nose section and modified nacelles, with water-cooled radiators removed from them and placed on the wing (hence the "SB-RK" designation where "SB" means "high-speed bomber" and "RK" means "radiators-wing"). The SB-RK prototype was tested in 1939. Full-scale production of the aircraft designated the Ar-2 started in 1940 at Factory No. 22, in Moscow.

Production Ar-2s were equipped with 1,100 hp Klimov M-105R twelve-cylinder, V-type, geared water-cooled engines.

The plane's defensive armament included an NU nose mount with a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 500 rounds. The machine gun was fitted in a special sphere that enabled it to fire forward within a 50-degree cone-shaped region.

The TSS-1 upper rear machine gun mount ("TSS" standing for "high-speed aircraft turret") had a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 1,000 rounds and a K-8T collimator sight. When firing, the upper canopy (nicknamed the "turtle") was moved back on rollers along rails and partially raised upward to protect the gunner from the incoming flow.

In order to protect the plane from below, the aircraft had a retractable MV-2 turret which housed a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 600 rounds and an OP-2L periscope sight.

The aircraft's standard bomb capacity was 600 kg (carried internally), which was the same as that of the SB, its predecessor, while its maximum bomb capacity could reach 1,500 kg with various combinations of internal and external loads. More advanced NP-1 racks were fitted under the Ar-2's centre wing section to carry bombs weighing 250 or 500 kg. The bombs were fastened in one central holder near the plane's center of gravity, and the plane's hold on them was reinforced with the help of side stops.

The Ar-2 entered service with the Red Army Air Force in the spring of 1940. The plane was in service from the beginning of the war until late 1944, with the units of the Red Army Air Force and Soviet naval aviation, as a dive bomber and a reconnaissance aircraft. The Ar-2's production was discontinued in early 1941. A total of about 200 aircraft were produced.


Media

Skins
Videos
The Shooting Range #109 - Pages of History section at 05:01 discusses the Ar-2.

See also

Related development

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Tupolev Design Bureau (Ту́полев Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Bombers  TB-3M-17-32 · SB 2M-100 · SB 2M-103 MV-3 · SB 2M-103 · SB 2M-103U · SB 2M-103U MV-3 · SB 2M-105
  Tu-2 · Tu-2S · Tu-2S-44 · Tu-2S-59 · Tu-4
Arkhangelsky Bomber  Ar-2*
Strike Aircraft  Tu-1
Jet Bomber  Tu-14T
Export  ␗SB 2M-103U · ␗Tu-2S-44 · ␗Tu-4
  ◔Tu-2S-59
  * While Andrei Tupolev was imprisoned, Alexander Arkhangelsky, second in command at Tupolev OKB was able to append his name to the final production series of the SB bomber.

USSR bombers
SB and Ar  SB 2M-100 · SB 2M-103 · SB 2M-103 MV-3 · SB 2M-103U · SB 2M-103U MV-3 · SB 2M-105 · Ar-2
Yer-2 (petrol)  Yer-2 (M-105) · Yer-2 (M-105) TAT · Yer-2 (M-105R) TAT · Yer-2 (M-105R) LU
Yer-2 (diesel)  Yer-2 (ACh-30B) (e) · Yer-2 (ACh-30B) (l)
Tu  Tu-2 · Tu-2S · Tu-2S-44 · Tu-2S-59 · Tu-4
Pe  Pe-2-1 · Pe-2-31 · Pe-2-83 · Pe-2-110 · Pe-2-205 · Pe-2-359 · Pe-8
IL  DB-3B · IL-4
Po  Po-2 · Po-2M
Other  MBR-2-M-34 · TB-3M-17-32 · Yak-4 · Be-6
Lend-Lease  ▂PBY-5A Catalina · ▂Hampden TB Mk I · ▂A-20G-30 · ▂B-25J-30

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