Pe-2-31
| This page is about the Soviet bomber Pe-2-31. For other versions, see Pe-2 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Pe-2-31 Peshka is a rank II Soviet bomber with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB) and 3.7 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. In some localisations, this aircraft is known as Pe-2-21, instead of Pe-2-31. There is no difference between them.
General info
Flight performance
The Pe-2-31's flight performance is relatively good for an aircraft at its BR, but remains mediocre among twin-engined light bombers. The climb rate and acceleration are both quite low, but the aircraft is quite fast, capable of reaching ~500 km/h in level flight and over 600 km/h in a dive.
The aircraft's turn performance is quite underwhelming, as is common among twin-engined light bombers, and energy retention is quite lackluster. Given its role as a dive bomber, the Pe-2-31 is equipped with wing-mounted airbrakes.
| 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 | 511 | 495 | 8400 | 29.6 | 31.3 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 326 |
| Upgraded | 550 | 530 | 26.5 | 28.0 | 12.4 | 9.6 | ||
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 | + | - | ||
| 740 | 450 | 508 | 477 | 320 | ~11 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 380 | < 380 | < 440 | > 307 |
Survivability and armour
The Pe-2-31 is actually quite survivable, given its larger size and spaced-out components. The aircraft's fuel tanks are located the wings and behind the cockpit, and are all self-sealing and feature an inert gas pressurisation system to prevent fires. As such, some fuel tank fires are survivable, though this cannot be relied on.
However, the Pe-2-31's engines and cockpit are all quite susceptible to damage, with no armour protecting the engine and just 8 mm of steel behind the pilot and gunner. Lucky shots to the engines can knock them out easily, and given that the Pe-2-31 is quite underpowered, it is quite difficult to make it back to base with a single engine.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
The DZ-40 and RO-132 modifications should be your first priority in order to unlock the Pe-2-31's suspended armament options. After that, focus on flight performance upgrades, especially the engine and engine injection modifications, to improve handling. The weapon belts can be upgraded last as their performance advantage is minimal.
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Pe-2-31 is armed with:
- 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
- 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, nose-mounted (430 rpg)
Suspended armament
The Pe-2-31 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 220 kg BRAB-220 (1930) bombs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| 500 kg FAB-500sv bombs | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| 500 kg BRAB-500 (1938) bombs | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| M-13UK rockets | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| RBS-132 rockets | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| Maximum permissible loadout weight: 1,065 kg | ||||||||||
| Default weapon presets | |
|---|---|
| |
Defensive armament
The Pe-2-31 is defended by:
- 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, ventral turret (230 rpg)
- 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (750 rpg)
- 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, 2 x beam turret (225 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).
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:
- Competitive rate of climb which makes interception far more difficult for the enemy
- Manoeuvrable due to overall light weight and build
- Has a great variety of armament
- Very fast, can outspeed enemies and reach the bombing targets quicker than the average bomber
Cons:
- Relatively low bomb load
- Large silhouette makes this bomber very easy to spot by enemy interceptors
- The rifle-calibre MGs can be ineffective against many of the aircraft it faces
- Airbrakes can break easily if the user is not careful
History
| Archive of the in-game description | |
|---|---|
|
Since the Pe-2's mass production had begun, its defensive armament was recognized by the military as weak for a modern bomber. Beginning with series 13 (launched in April to May of 1941), the ShKAS hatch mount was replaced with a VUB-2 turret with a 12.7mm BT machine gun and a magazine capacity of 200 rounds. The starboard ShKAS machine gun mounted to port forward was replaced with a 12.7mm BK machine gun with 150 rounds. Also, the magazine capacity of the port ShKAS was decreased to 450 rounds. By June 22, 1941, when Germany invaded the USSR, factories had managed to produce 490 new dive bombers. Subsequent upgrades of the Pe-2 were then made based on combat experience. Series 22 saw the installation of M-105RA engines with floatless carburettors, which improved the aircraft's behavior when diving. Beginning with series 23, an extra ShKAS machine gun with 225 rounds was installed in the radio operator/gunner's cockpit. It was designed to fire from side ball mounts and through the upper fuselage hatch. The area of the navigator's and the radio operator/gunner's protective armour was increased, and the robustness of the fuel system was improved. The aircraft was equipped with an inert gas filling system, and duralumin tanks were replaced with fiber ones, which were more effective at dealing with bullets. By series 32, the aircraft could be fitted with guide rails to hold 10 RS-132 unguided rockets under the wings. Some Pe-2s were equipped with RO-82 launchers to fire RS-82 unguided rockets backwards, to defend against any fighters attacking from the aircraft's lower rear. Since September 1941, the Pe-2's bomb load was upgraded by adding KMB-Pe-2 bomblet clusters, which enabled the efficient bombing of soft area-type targets. A total of 1,671 dive bombers were manufactured by four mass production factories during 1941. The new plane served on all front lines from the Barents Sea to the Black Sea. The Pe-2s were received not only by regiments of the Air Force of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army but also by aviation units of the Northern, Baltic, and Black Sea Fleets. From February 1942 (series 64) on, the side ball mounts were replaced with pivot mounts and the turret's sighting angle was increased. Series 80 saw yet another defensive upgrade: the navigator's and the radio operator/gunner's positions were given upgraded armour. On 12 January 1942, chief designer V. M. Petlyakov died in an air crash while flying in a Pe-2. His position was filled by his deputy, A. M. Izakson, who was later replaced by another of Petlyakov's colleagues, A. I. Putilov. | |
Media
- Skins
- Videos
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.
| V.M. Petlyakov Design Bureau (Опытное конструкторское бюро Петлякова) | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Pe-3 (e) · Pe-3 · Pe-3bis |
| Bombers | Pe-2-1 · Pe-2-31 · Pe-2-83 · Pe-2-110 · Pe-2-205 · Pe-2-359 · Pe-8 |
| 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 |
