The aircraft managed a good existence during the tumultuous interwar period where it served in both military and civilian markets. It was pressed into wartime service with the arrival of World War 2 in September of 1939 and was used in the defense of Odessa during August-October of 1941 - following the German invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941). By this time, the aircraft was thoroughly equipped to drop light bombs (6 x 110lb drop bombs) and could be used in the ground attack role as necessary. The rear cockpit was typically outfitted with a standard Soviet 7.62mm caliber machine gun for self-defense. Beyond its attack role, the aircraft was a solid reconnaissance platform, night attacker and excellent military-level basic pilot trainer. Because of its slow speed and low-flying attack runs, the Po-2s proved very difficult for enemy fighters to shoot down. The aircraft fulfilled a plethora of roles into the final phase of the war, the eventual Fall of Berlin, which ended the conflict in Europe for good.
Fast-forward several years to the arrival of the Korean War (1950-1953) and Po-2s were still in play, this time for the North Korean Air Force (Korean People's Air Force). Like the Soviets, the North Koreans operated their Po-2 aircraft in daring surprise attack runs at night, often times taking their targets by surprise. Like the Germans in World War 2, the Americans in the Korean Conflict also found the Po-2 a difficult target to bring down owning to its slow-and-low flight regime. During the war, a Po-2 was credited as the only biplane to shoot down a jet, this an American Lockheed F-94 Starfire, which had slowed to just above 100 miles-per-hour. The Po-2 also became the only aircraft downed by a Douglas A-1 Skyraider in the war, this on June 16th, 1953.
Variants of the Po-2 proved plenty beginning with the initial Po-2 mark. U-2 was used to designate two-seat trainer biplanes and this group held a plethora of subvariants all its own. The Po-2 served in the VIP transport role, as an air ambulance, a staff communications platform, aerial photography offering and was even converted to serve on water via floatation gear. Operators ended up ranging from Albania and Bulgaria to Turkey and Yugoslavia. Notable operators included France (the Free French Air Force of World War 2), Nazi Germany (operating captured examples during World War 2) and North Korea.
The basic U-2 trainer mount has an overall length of 26.9 feet, a wingspan of 37.4 feet and a height of 10.1 feet. Empty weight was 1,700lb against an MTOW of 3,000lb. Power was served through a single Shvetsov M-11D series 5-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine of 125 horsepower. Maximum speed was listed at 95 miles per hour through cruising was closer to 70 mph. Range was out to 400 miles and the aircraft's service ceiling reached 10,000 feet. Rate-of-climb was 545 feet-per-minute.
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