Pe-3 (e)

This page is about the Soviet strike aircraft Pe-3 (e). For other variants, see Pe-3 (Family).

Pe-3 (e)

Su-2 (M-82)

Pe-3

Pe-3 (e)

Su-2 (M-82)

Pe-3

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.0	2.3	2.0

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

Description

The Pe-3 Early is a rank I Soviet strike aircraft with a battle rating of 2.0 (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

Max speed

at 5 100 m535 km/h

Turn time26 s

Max altitude8 400 m

Engine2 х Klimov VK-105R

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight8 t

As with all Pe-2s and Pe-3s, the roll rate is great, but turn time leaves much to be desired. It is quite fast, and can outrun most fighters if downtiered.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,100 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	517	502	8400	27.4	28.7	7.5	7.4	326
Upgraded	555	535		24.6	26.0	13.0	10.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
740	450	500	470	320	~10	~5

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 380	< 380	< 440	> 307

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural740 km/h

Gear450 km/h

• 4 mm steel behind the pilot's butt
• 6 mm steel beside and below gunner
• 12 mm steel in front of gunner*
• 13 mm steel below and behind pilot
• 45 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• Self-sealing fuel tanks, with neutral gas pressurization system (3 in central fuselage, 4 in each wing)

*Note, the gunner is rear-facing

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB167 → 213

RB226 → 289

SB445 → 569

Total cost of modifications4 460

2 700

Talisman cost300

Crew training600

Experts2 100

Aces45

Research Aces110 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 30 / 60 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 180 Cost: 110 45 Radiator Research: 180 Cost: 110 45 Airframe Research: 250 Cost: 150 60 Compressor Research: 250 Cost: 150 60 Wings repair Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 Engine Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 Cover Research: 480 Cost: 290 115 Engine injection Research: 480 Cost: 290 115		shkas_turret_belt_pack Research: 180 Cost: 110 45 shkas_belt_pack Research: 180 Cost: 110 45 DZ-40 Research: 180 Cost: 110 45 shkas_turret_new_gun Research: 250 Cost: 150 60 shkas_new_gun Research: 250 Cost: 150 60 ub_belt_pack Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 RO-132 Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 ub_new_gun Research: 480 Cost: 290 115

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Pe-3 (e) is armed with:

• 2 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine guns, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, nose-mounted (450 rpg)

Suspended armament

The Pe-3 (e) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (200 kg total)
• 4 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (400 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs + 2 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (700 kg total)
• 6 x RS-132 rockets
• 6 x RBS-132 rockets

Defensive armament

The Pe-3 (e) is defended by:

• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (750 rpg)
• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, tail turret (250 rpg)

Usage in battles

The Pe-3 (e) can be used for a variety of roles, depending on what you are comfortable with. In Air RB, the aircraft can be used as a high-speed base bomber, or bomber interceptor. For base bombing, you can choose the heaviest payload (2 x 250 kg and 2 x 100 kg), and, once spawned in, go into a shallow dive towards the base you are going for. Once over the base, drop your payload and break away. Remember to set your bomb fuse to at least 2 seconds, or else you will blow yourself to bits. However, the Pe-3 (e) can also be used as a bomber interceptor, although this may be harder. While the Berezins and the ShKAS both have a high rate of fire, there is limited ammo, and you might not be able to down the bomber before your ammo runs out. Instead, rockets could be a much better choice. You can load 6 x RS-132 rockets, or 6 x RBS-132s. For bomber-hunting, the RS-132 will be better-suited, as it has more explosive filler (4.9 kg vs 1.5 kg). While it is harder to hit moving targets in the air with rockets, with practice, you will be able to down any bomber in your sights.

The Pe-3 (e) can also be used as an attack aircraft in Ground battles. The RBS-132 rocket can penetrate 85 mm of armour, which is enough to penetrate all tanks at this BR form the sides or back. Or, you can load bombs, and dive onto your targets.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High speed
• Great roll rate
• Quite manoeuvrable
• Can carry bombs and rockets ( including powerful anti-tank RBS-132 rockets that can penetrate 85 mm of armour!)
• Defensive ShKAS has a high rate of fire, and the Universal belt contains only incendiary tracers; can set any enemy on fire with careful aim

Cons:

• Low ammo count
• One 7.62 mm MG is rather ineffective against better-armoured fighters
• Turn time can't compete with anything
• Fuel tanks are scattered all over the wings and fuselage, allowing them to be easily hit by any attacking fighter

History

In-game description

Petlyakov Pe-3 Heavy Twin-Engine Fighter.

When the Great Patriotic War began in the summer of 1941, the Air Force of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army urgently needed a patrol/interceptor aircraft to fight the enemy's bombers and scouts. But with a war in progress, troops could only quickly receive a twin-engined fighter if it were based on some plane currently in production. The older Pe-2's fighter design fit this need perfectly.

In August 1941, the Petlyakov Design Bureau was instructed to design a fighter version of the Pe-2. The first prototype Pe-3 fighter, redesigned from the production Pe-2 bomber, series 16, flew for the first time on August 7, 1941. Only seven days passed between the order for the aircraft and its delivery for trials.

Structurally, the Pe-3 fighter differed from the Pe-2 in the layout of its forward and middle fuselage and its armament. Additional fuel tanks were put in the plane's fuselage, with one located in the bomb bay and two others replacing the gunner's cockpit. The plane was modified to be a two-seater.

The fighter had increased offensive armament. The nose weapon mount of the prototype Pe-3 model consisted of two 12.7 mm Berezin BK machine guns with 150 rounds each and one 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 450 rounds. The TSS-1 upper mount in the navigator's cockpit consisting of a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 750 rounds was kept unchanged from the Pe-2. Since there was no one to provide fire from the lower rear of the aircraft, a fixed tail mount with a 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun with 250 rounds, which had been tested before on the VI-100 high-altitude fighter, was installed.

The plane's bombing armament was drastically simplified. Only four bomb racks remained from the Pe-2: two in the engine nacelle bomb bays and two (external) under the fuselage. The total bomb capacity was reduced to 400 kg for standard load and 700 kg (two 250-kg bombs and two 100-kg bombs) when overloaded. The brake covers under the wings were removed together with the gears, and, as a result, the ability to perform dive bombing was gone.

Production Pe-3s had the ShKAS nose machine gun removed, but the magazine capacity of the BK machine guns was increased up to 250 rounds each.

During armament testing of the nose mount, it was found that the Plexiglas fuselage nose section could not withstand the muzzle gas pressure, resulting in its destruction. Plexiglas was first replaced with duralumin and then with steel. The aircraft glazing was reduced when large observation blisters and the upper glass hatch of the gunner's cockpit were removed.

The heavy fighters were delivered from the factory to the front lines with equipment corresponding to the main production Pe-3 aircraft. The total number of Pe-3s built in 1941 was 196; 11 more planes were assembled from available stocks of parts in April 1942.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pe-3 (e) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

(Arcade): Pe-3 (e) - Fits the Bill - tx141TX

See also

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;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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