In the USSR, during the second half of the 1930s, many outstanding designers were imprisoned as part of political purges. Among them was Andrei Tupolev, who was sent to the Lubyanka prison. From 1939, he headed a special (prison) design bureau. There he also received the order to develop a fast dive bomber.
The outbreak of war in 1939 changed priorities and Tupolev’s team turned to developing a fast front-line bomber with dive-bombing capability. The design was completed very quickly, and in March 1940 it was approved for production under the name “103”. The prototype’s first flight took place at the end of January 1941. It was a four-seat, cantilever mid-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, powered by two inline engines.
In May 1941, it was decided to conduct trials with high-power radial engines. For this purpose, another prototype, “103W”, was built. It was this aircraft that became the model for serial production. In March 1942, it was officially designated Tu-2. The first serial examples were sent to the front in 1942. It was not until 1943 that the structurally improved and technologically simplified Tu-2S appeared, equipped with new ASh-82FN radial engines. Its mass production began in 1944. By 1947, 2527 examples in various versions had been built.
Tu-2 aircraft served in Soviet aviation from 1942 until the mid-1950s. After the war, they constituted the primary equipment until the introduction of the jet-powered Il-28. After 1950, the Soviet Union transferred some aircraft to Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China. In Poland, Tu-2s were operated between 1950 and 1957, probably numbering 7 examples. Their first public display took place during the May Day celebrations in 1950.
During their service, these aircraft were also part of the Naval Aviation, where they performed reconnaissance missions. In the mid-1950s, Tu-2s being withdrawn from service were formed into a unit specialising in aerial target towing. The last Tu-2 examples flew in Poland until 1957.
The Tu-2S currently in the collection of the Polish Aviation Museum was built in 1947. In the mid-1950s, the airframe was modified for ejection seat testing. After decommissioning, it was transferred to the Museum collection in 1964.
| Wingspan | 18.9 m |
| Length | 13.8 m |
| Takeoff weight | 11400 kg |
| Maximum speed | 550 km/h |
| Ceiling | 9000 m |
| Range | 2180 km |
| Armament | 2 x 20 mm cannons, 3 flexible 12.7 mm machine guns, 3000 kg of bombs |
| Engine | 2 x Shvetsov ASh-82FN, 1850 hp (1362 kW) |
