Production of Tu-2s spanned from September of 1941 to 1951. In June of 1942, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union to open up the East Front and this pressed all manner of Soviet industry to previously unseen levels, requiring entire production lines to be set up in central Russia and many weapons produced in short order. The aircraft went on to have a successful post-war career as well, being showcased in several communist (and Soviet-allied) inventories beyond the Soviet Union. In all, production totaled 2,257 aircraft and stocked the inventories of Bulgaria, China, Hungary, Indonesia, North Korea, Poland and Romania. Amazingly, several managed frontline operational status into the early 1980s (China). Tu-2s saw combat actions in the Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) and Chinese airmen flew sorties in the Korean War against the United Nations. The Chinese also utilized their Tu-2s in forcibly putting down Tibetan upheaval between 1958 and 1962.
It is noteworthy to mention the somewhat "unfriendliness" of Soviet production designations when compared to the basic "A-B-C" or "1-2-3" conventions followed in the West. As such, a "D-model" follows an "S-model" into service while "T" simply signifies a "torpedo" carrying capability.
The Tu-2 spawned into many recognized variants beginning with the ANT-58 3-seat prototype of 1941. This was followed by the ANT-59 four-seat prototype and the ANT-67 five-seater of 1946 outfitted with, interestingly, diesel engines. "Tu-2" was the definitive series marker of 1942 outfitted with 2 x Shvetsov ASh-82 air-cooled engines of 1,450 horsepower. The Tu-2S was an updated design of 1943 with 2 x Shvetsov ASh-82FN radial piston engines of 1,850 horsepower. A long-range variant, the Tu-2D, was unveiled in October of 1944 with larger wings and five crew. The Tu-2DB was a high-altitude reconnaissance bomber variant while the Tu-2F was a photographic reconnaissance platform fielded with camera equipment. The Tu-2G proved a fast cargo hauler with limited capacity and the Tu-2R was a dedicated fast reconnaissance mount. The Tu-2K served as a developmental series for early powered ejection seat testing while the Tu-2N was used to evaluate the British Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine. Another testbed, the Tu-2 "Paravan", served to trial a "cable cutting" facility to be used against tethered ground-based enemy obstacle balloons. The Tu-2M was outfitted with 2 x Shvetsov ASh-83 radial piston engines of 1,900 horsepower. The Tu-2RShR was used to trial a 57mm internal cannon arrangement though this would never see serial production. The Tu-2Sh was a prototype ground-attack platform outfitted with various weaponry that came to naught. The Tu-2/104 became an all-weather interceptor mount and the Tu-2T was born as a dedicated torpedo bomber platform (the latter for Soviet Naval Aviation). The Tu-6 was an evolved reconnaissance variant, the Tu-8 a long-range bomber of 1947 and the Tu-10 a high-altitude version of 1943. Training of Tu-2 crew was handled through the downgraded "UTB" variant of 1946 and these were powered by 2 x Shvetsov ASh-21 engines of 690 horsepower.
"Tu-1" served to designate a one-off prototype that saw cancellation in 1947. This was a dedicated twin-engined, three-seat night-fighter in the same vein as the British de Havilland Mosquito.
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