Po-2 Night Witch
| This page is about the event Soviet bomber Po-2 Night Witch. For the gift version, see Po-2. For the premium version, see Po-2M. |
Contents
Description
The Po-2 Night Witch is a special race event variant of the legendary Po-2 gift Soviet biplane.
General info
Flight Performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 10,667 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 130 | 126 | 1500 | 30.5 | 31.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 258 |
| Upgraded | 138 | 134 | 29.6 | 30.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | X | X | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 600 | 500 | N/A | N/A | N/A | ~5 | ~3 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 200 | < 200 | < 200 | > 95 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | |
| 700 m | 114 hp | |
Engine performance
| Engine | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine Name | Number present | ||||
| Shvetsov M-11D 5-cylinder | 1 | ||||
| Engine characteristics | |||||
| Weight (each) | Type | Cooling | |||
| 170 kg | Radial | Air | |||
| Engine power (Stock) | |||||
| Mode | Take-off | ||||
| Arcade | 117 hp | ||||
| Realistic/Simulator | 116 hp | ||||
| Engine power (Upgraded) | |||||
| Mode | Take-off | ||||
| Arcade | 123 hp | ||||
| Realistic/Simulator | 120 hp | ||||
| WEP Duration | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcade | Realistic/Simulator | ||
| 25 seconds | Infinite | ||
Survivability and armour
The Po-2 has a 13 mm steel plate in the nose, which is something but not useful as if you are attacked from the front you cannot retaliate. In Air RB, the Po-2's airframe is surprisingly reliable and is perfectly controllable even with serious damage, however, past a certain amount of damage (yellow all over and worse) you will not have enough power to keep airborne for much longer. At this point, you can make an emergency landing and act as an anti-aircraft gun for the rest of the match.
It also has a small, self-sealing fuel tank, as well as a tiny oil tank in from of it, both just behind the engine. This leads to a low chance of catching on fire, however, if you are set on fire you have very little chance of putting it out due to your slow speed.
- 13 mm Steel plate in the nose.
- Small, single, self-sealing fuel tank.
Armaments
Defensive armament
The Po-2 Night Witch is armed with:
- 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (200 RPG) but can be reloaded by the rear gunner, making the ammo count practically infinite.
Usage in battles
When playing the Halloween race event, you will spawn in the air at the start of the race line. To gain speed accelerate as fast as you can, however keep an eye out on other PO-2's which will be in the event. If either of you hit each other, you will both get knocked out. Going around the island, do not go to fast around the caves or hills, if you do you could crash into it, knocking you out.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Not controllable Not automatic pitch |
Not controllable | Not controllable | Combined | Not controllable | Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- A race variant of the Po-2
- A lot of fun to fly in the Halloween race events.
Cons:
- None, perfect for racing
History
The U-2, or Po-2, was a multi-role biplane, created by Nikolay Polikarpov in 1928. The U-2 was designed as a primary civilian trainer and was forgiving and easy to fly. Its inaugural flight took place on 7th January 1928, with M. M. Gromov at the controls. As designed, the U-2 was a conventional biplane with an air-cooled 100-HP M-11 engine. The aircraft was widely used in agriculture, transport and other roles. Staff plane and ambulance variants also existed, as well as reconnaissance, passenger, floatplane and many other versions.
By 1932, a new military trainer variant, U-2VS was designed. It could carry six 8-kg dummy bombs on underwing pylons and had a gunner turret in the rear seat. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, many existing U-2s were converted to light night bombers. Modifications were made by both the Polikarpov Design Bureau, directly at the factories, and even in the field, by mechanics at front-line squadrons. As a result, the number of operational variants was high. The plane could carry from 100 to 350 kg of bombs. By 1943, the number of frontline Po-2 regiments reached its peak of up to 70 night bomber regiments. After Nikolay Polikarpov died in 1944, the aircraft was redesignated Po-2 in his memory. The aircraft remained in serial production until 1953, with over 33,000 built.
Media
- Videos
See also
- Related development
- Other race event vehicles
