Yermolayev Yer-2
Encyclopedia
The Yermolayev Yer-2 was a long-range Soviet
medium bomber
used during World War II
. It was developed from the Bartini Stal-7
prototype airliner
before the war. It was used to bomb Berlin
from airbases in Estonia
after Operation Barbarossa
in 1941. Production was terminated in August 1941 to allow the factory to concentrate on building higher-priority Ilyushin Il-2
ground-attack aircraft, but was restarted at the end of 1943 with new, fuel-efficient, Charomskiy ACh-30
B aircraft diesel engine
s.
Although designed as a long-range medium bomber it was flown on tactical ground-attack missions during the Battle of Moscow
with heavy losses. The survivors were flown, in ever dwindling numbers, until August 1943 when the last examples were transferred to schools. However, the resumption of production in 1943 allowed the aircraft to resume combat operations in April 1945. The Yer-2 remained in service with Long-Range Aviation until replaced by four-engined bombers at the end of the 1940s.
had designed and built the Stal-7 airliner whilst he was the chief designer at the ZOK NII GVF (—"Factory for Special Construction at the Scientific Test Institute for the Civil Air Fleet"). The performance of the Stal-7 was extremely good, particularly in respect to its payload; at gross overload weight over 56% of the total weight was payload. During flight trials with maximum all-up weight the prototype crashed on take-off in early 1938, resulting in the arrest of Bartini and his imprisonment in a Siberian Gulag
in February 1938. The Stal-7 lay unrepaired until Vladimir Yermolaev was appointed as chief designer at OKB-240
after Bartini's arrest, with the task of transforming the Stal-7 design into a long-range bomber, a task made easier since Bartini had reserved space for a bomb bay in the fuselage. After repair the Stal-7 carried on with the flight-test programme, including a record-breaking non-stop flight on 28 August 1939 when it flew Moscow
—Sverdlovsk
—Sevastopol
—Moscow; a distance of 5086 km (3,160.3 mi) at an average speed of 405 km/h (251.7 mph).
Preliminary design of the DB-240 (—"long-range bomber"), as the bomber version was designated, was complete by the beginning of 1939 and the construction of two prototypes began the following July. The DB-240 retained little apart from the general layout of the Stal-7 as the structure was almost completely redesigned. The pilot's cockpit was offset to port to improve his downward view and the navigator/bomb aimer sat in the extensively glazed nose with a 7.62 millimetre (0.3 in) ShKAS machine gun, the radio operator sat below and to starboard of the pilot and the dorsal gunner in a partially retractable turret with one 12.7 millimetre (0.5 in) Berezin UB
T machine gun. Another ShKAS was fitted in a ventral hatch. Up to 2000 kg (4,409 lb) of bombs could be carried in the bomb bay and two 500 kilograms (1,102 lb) bombs could be carried externally. Up to 4600 kg (10,141 lb) of fuel could be carried. The DB-240 had been designed to use the experimental Klimov M-106
V12 engine
s, but the less-powerful Klimov M-105
engine had to be substituted because the M-106 was not available.
The DB-240 prototype flew for the first time on 14 May 1940 and began its State acceptance tests on 27 September 1940. The weaker engines prevented the DB-240 from reaching its designed performance. It could only attain 445 km/h (277 mph) at 4250 m (13,944 ft) instead of the expected 500 km/h (311 mph) at 6000 metres (19,685 ft). Its defensive armament was deemed inadequate and other problems included an excessively long take-off run and engine defects. However, these did not offset its virtues of a heavy bomb load and long-range (4100 kilometres (2,548 mi) carrying 1000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs). It was ordered into production at Factory No. 18, in Voronezh
, as the Yermolayev Yer-2.
Manufacture began in March 1941, with approximately 50 aircraft delivered by 22 June 1941. These aircraft were about 5 kilometre per hour slower than the prototype and their normal weight increased 1220 kg (2,690 lb) to 12520 kg (27,602 lb). Production was terminated in August after 128 had been completed to allow the factory to concentrate on the higher-priority Ilyushin Il-2
ground-attack aircraft.
A Yer-2 was modified with experimental Mikulin AM-37 engines, a reinforced undercarriage, armored seats for the navigator and gunner, and 12.7 mm UBT machine guns in place of its original ShKAS weapons. It first flew in July 1941 and was able to reach 505 km/h (314 mph) at 6000 m (19,685 ft), but the range was reduced to (3500 km (2,175 mi) carrying 1000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs. One significant problem with this version was the excessive take-off roll which hindered operations from grass airstrips. The engine was unreliable, however, and had cooling problems that the Mikulin OKB
did not have the resources to resolve so it was cancelled in October when the factory was forced to evacuate from Moscow by the German advance.
The Charomskiy M-40
F diesel engine
was also evaluated in a Yer-2 in 1941. This engine, like all diesels, offered a greatly reduced fuel consumption
compared to a standard gasoline-powered engine, but at a great penalty in weight. These engines increased the gross take-off weight to 13500 kg (29,762 lb) which required the undercarriage to be reinforced and the wing area increased to keep the same wing loading
. The M-40F-powered aircraft reached a maximum speed of 430 km/h (267 mph) at 6050 m (19,849 ft). However, the M-40 was not yet ready for service use and the project was cancelled.
The aircraft/engine combination did have enough potential that development work continued using the closely related, but more mature, Charomskiy ACh-30
B diesel engine. The cockpit was modified to accommodate two pilots side-by-side and the wing and tailplane areas were increased. The 12.7 mm UBT machine gun in the dorsal turret was replaced by a 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) ShVAK cannon
and the nose and ventral ShKAS machine guns were exchanged for 12.7 mm UBT machine guns. Up to 5460 kg (12,037 lb) of fuel could be carried. The Yer-2/ACh-30B was placed into production at Factory No. 39 in Irkutsk
at the end of 1943 and the first production aircraft was submitted to its State acceptance trials the following month. Some excess aircraft were converted as Yer-2ON VIP transports.
s of the 432nd DBAP, attempted to bomb Berlin from Pushkino Airfield near Leningrad
. The airfield was too short to accommodate a fully loaded Yer-2, but three bombers did manage to take-off regardless. Two managed to bomb Berlin, or its outskirts, but only one successfully returned; the other was shot down by 'friendly' Polikarpov I-16
s when it reentered Soviet airspace and the third aircraft went missing. Three crews from the 420th DBAP bombed Königsberg
during the nights of 28–29 August and 30 August–1 September from Ramenskoye Airport
, southeast of Moscow
.
On 1 October 1941 sixty-three Yer-2s were in service, but only thirty-four were operational. The 420th DBAP had flown 154 sortie
s by the beginning of November (6 in August, 81 in September, 67 in October) and had lost thirty of its forty aircraft. Over half of these (nineteen) were due to non-combat losses. Losses were extremely high over the autumn and winter as they were inappropriately committed against German tactical front-line targets during the Battle of Moscow
at low altitudes and only twelve were in service on 18 March 1942. On 4 August 1942 the 747th DBAP had only ten Yer-2s on hand and it was briefly committed during the Battle of Stalingrad
. The survivors were flown, in ever dwindling numbers, until August 1943 when the last few aircraft were transferred to schools by the 2nd Guards DBAP and the 747th DBAP.
The Yer-2 was placed back into production at the end of 1943, but none of the new bombers had been issued to combat units by 1 June 1944. However forty-two were in service on 1 January 1945 and one hundred and one on 10 May 1945 after the war ended. The first combat mission undertaken by Yer-2s after they returned to production was a raid on Königsberg
on 7 April 1945 by the 327th and 329th Bomber Aviation Regiments . It remained in service with Long-Range Aviation units until replaced by four-engined bombers like the Tupolev Tu-4
in the late 1940s.
Yer-2
Yer-2/AM-37
Yer-2/M-40F
Yer-2/ACh-30B
Yer-2ON Two aircraft from the Yer-2/ACh-30B production line were modified with a 12-seat VIP cabin, military equipment removed and long-range fuel tanks in the bomb-bay. A third aircraft was converted from a Yer-2 (1941 production) and used for shuttle flights between Irkutsk and Moscow.
Yer-2N One aircraft was modified as an engine test-bed for captured Argus As 014
pulse jet engine
s.
Yer-2/MB-100
Yer-4
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
medium bomber
Medium bomber
A medium bomber is a bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium bombloads over medium distances; the name serves to distinguish them from the larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers...
used during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was developed from the Bartini Stal-7
Bartini Stal-7
|-See also:-References:* Gunston, Bill. The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9...
prototype airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
before the war. It was used to bomb Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from airbases in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
after Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in 1941. Production was terminated in August 1941 to allow the factory to concentrate on building higher-priority Ilyushin Il-2
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
ground-attack aircraft, but was restarted at the end of 1943 with new, fuel-efficient, Charomskiy ACh-30
Charomskiy ACh-30
-See also:-External links:*...
B aircraft diesel engine
Aircraft diesel engine
The aircraft diesel engine or aero diesel has not been widely used as an aircraft engine. Diesel engines were used in airships and were tried in aircraft in the late 1920s and 1930s, but never "caught on" in a major fashion...
s.
Although designed as a long-range medium bomber it was flown on tactical ground-attack missions during the Battle of Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
with heavy losses. The survivors were flown, in ever dwindling numbers, until August 1943 when the last examples were transferred to schools. However, the resumption of production in 1943 allowed the aircraft to resume combat operations in April 1945. The Yer-2 remained in service with Long-Range Aviation until replaced by four-engined bombers at the end of the 1940s.
Development
Roberto BartiniRobert Ludvigovich Bartini
Robert Ludvigovich was a Russian aircraft designer and scientist. Active mostly in Soviet Union, he was named, because of his noble descent "Red Baron".- Personal life/history :...
had designed and built the Stal-7 airliner whilst he was the chief designer at the ZOK NII GVF (—"Factory for Special Construction at the Scientific Test Institute for the Civil Air Fleet"). The performance of the Stal-7 was extremely good, particularly in respect to its payload; at gross overload weight over 56% of the total weight was payload. During flight trials with maximum all-up weight the prototype crashed on take-off in early 1938, resulting in the arrest of Bartini and his imprisonment in a Siberian Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
in February 1938. The Stal-7 lay unrepaired until Vladimir Yermolaev was appointed as chief designer at OKB-240
Yermolaev
Yermolaev Design Bureau was a Soviet OKB formed in 1939 around Vladimir Yermolaev. Upon his death in 1944, it was absorbed into the Sukhoi OKB....
after Bartini's arrest, with the task of transforming the Stal-7 design into a long-range bomber, a task made easier since Bartini had reserved space for a bomb bay in the fuselage. After repair the Stal-7 carried on with the flight-test programme, including a record-breaking non-stop flight on 28 August 1939 when it flew Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
—Sverdlovsk
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
—Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
—Moscow; a distance of 5086 km (3,160.3 mi) at an average speed of 405 km/h (251.7 mph).
Preliminary design of the DB-240 (—"long-range bomber"), as the bomber version was designated, was complete by the beginning of 1939 and the construction of two prototypes began the following July. The DB-240 retained little apart from the general layout of the Stal-7 as the structure was almost completely redesigned. The pilot's cockpit was offset to port to improve his downward view and the navigator/bomb aimer sat in the extensively glazed nose with a 7.62 millimetre (0.3 in) ShKAS machine gun, the radio operator sat below and to starboard of the pilot and the dorsal gunner in a partially retractable turret with one 12.7 millimetre (0.5 in) Berezin UB
Berezin UB
Berezin UB was a 12.7 mm caliber Soviet aircraft machine gun widely used during World War II.-Development:...
T machine gun. Another ShKAS was fitted in a ventral hatch. Up to 2000 kg (4,409 lb) of bombs could be carried in the bomb bay and two 500 kilograms (1,102 lb) bombs could be carried externally. Up to 4600 kg (10,141 lb) of fuel could be carried. The DB-240 had been designed to use the experimental Klimov M-106
Klimov VK-106
-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9* Kotelnikov, Vladimir. Russian Piston Aero Engines. Marlborough, Wiltshire. The Crowood Press Ltd. 2005. ISBN 1 86126 702 9....
V12 engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
s, but the less-powerful Klimov M-105
Klimov M-105
-See also:-External links:*...
engine had to be substituted because the M-106 was not available.
The DB-240 prototype flew for the first time on 14 May 1940 and began its State acceptance tests on 27 September 1940. The weaker engines prevented the DB-240 from reaching its designed performance. It could only attain 445 km/h (277 mph) at 4250 m (13,944 ft) instead of the expected 500 km/h (311 mph) at 6000 metres (19,685 ft). Its defensive armament was deemed inadequate and other problems included an excessively long take-off run and engine defects. However, these did not offset its virtues of a heavy bomb load and long-range (4100 kilometres (2,548 mi) carrying 1000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs). It was ordered into production at Factory No. 18, in Voronezh
Voronezh
Voronezh is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast. It is located on both sides of the Voronezh River, away from where it flows into the Don. It is an operating center of the Southeastern Railway , as well as the center of the Don Highway...
, as the Yermolayev Yer-2.
Manufacture began in March 1941, with approximately 50 aircraft delivered by 22 June 1941. These aircraft were about 5 kilometre per hour slower than the prototype and their normal weight increased 1220 kg (2,690 lb) to 12520 kg (27,602 lb). Production was terminated in August after 128 had been completed to allow the factory to concentrate on the higher-priority Ilyushin Il-2
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
ground-attack aircraft.
A Yer-2 was modified with experimental Mikulin AM-37 engines, a reinforced undercarriage, armored seats for the navigator and gunner, and 12.7 mm UBT machine guns in place of its original ShKAS weapons. It first flew in July 1941 and was able to reach 505 km/h (314 mph) at 6000 m (19,685 ft), but the range was reduced to (3500 km (2,175 mi) carrying 1000 kg (2,205 lb) of bombs. One significant problem with this version was the excessive take-off roll which hindered operations from grass airstrips. The engine was unreliable, however, and had cooling problems that the Mikulin OKB
OKB
OKB is a transliteration of the Russian acronym for "Опытное конструкторское бюро" - Opytnoe Konstructorskoe Byuro, meaning Experimental Design Bureau...
did not have the resources to resolve so it was cancelled in October when the factory was forced to evacuate from Moscow by the German advance.
The Charomskiy M-40
Charomskiy M-40
-See also:-External links:*...
F diesel engine
Aircraft diesel engine
The aircraft diesel engine or aero diesel has not been widely used as an aircraft engine. Diesel engines were used in airships and were tried in aircraft in the late 1920s and 1930s, but never "caught on" in a major fashion...
was also evaluated in a Yer-2 in 1941. This engine, like all diesels, offered a greatly reduced fuel consumption
Brake specific fuel consumption
Brake Specific Fuel Consumption is a measure of fuel efficiency within a shaft reciprocating engine.It is the rate of fuel consumption divided by the power produced. It may also be thought of as power-specific fuel consumption, for this reason...
compared to a standard gasoline-powered engine, but at a great penalty in weight. These engines increased the gross take-off weight to 13500 kg (29,762 lb) which required the undercarriage to be reinforced and the wing area increased to keep the same wing loading
Wing loading
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. The faster an aircraft flies, the more lift is produced by each unit area of wing, so a smaller wing can carry the same weight in level flight, operating at a higher wing loading. Correspondingly,...
. The M-40F-powered aircraft reached a maximum speed of 430 km/h (267 mph) at 6050 m (19,849 ft). However, the M-40 was not yet ready for service use and the project was cancelled.
The aircraft/engine combination did have enough potential that development work continued using the closely related, but more mature, Charomskiy ACh-30
Charomskiy ACh-30
-See also:-External links:*...
B diesel engine. The cockpit was modified to accommodate two pilots side-by-side and the wing and tailplane areas were increased. The 12.7 mm UBT machine gun in the dorsal turret was replaced by a 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) ShVAK cannon
ShVAK cannon
The ShVAK was a 20 mm autocannon used by the Soviet Union during World War II. It was designed by Boris Shpitalniy and Semyon Vladimirov and entered production in 1936...
and the nose and ventral ShKAS machine guns were exchanged for 12.7 mm UBT machine guns. Up to 5460 kg (12,037 lb) of fuel could be carried. The Yer-2/ACh-30B was placed into production at Factory No. 39 in Irkutsk
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
at the end of 1943 and the first production aircraft was submitted to its State acceptance trials the following month. Some excess aircraft were converted as Yer-2ON VIP transports.
Operational history
The Yer-2 was not in squadron service when Germany invaded on 22 June 1941, but the 420th and 421st Long-Range Bomber Regiments (—DBAP) were formed shortly afterwards. However neither regiment flew any operational missions until later in the summer. On the evening of 10 August Yer-2s of the 420th DBAP, accompanied by Petlyakov Pe-8Petlyakov Pe-8
The Petlyakov Pe-8 was a Soviet heavy bomber designed before World War II, and the only four-engine bomber the USSR built during the war. Produced in limited numbers, it was used to bomb Berlin in August 1941. It was also used for so-called "morale raids" designed to raise the spirit of the Soviet...
s of the 432nd DBAP, attempted to bomb Berlin from Pushkino Airfield near Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The airfield was too short to accommodate a fully loaded Yer-2, but three bombers did manage to take-off regardless. Two managed to bomb Berlin, or its outskirts, but only one successfully returned; the other was shot down by 'friendly' Polikarpov I-16
Polikarpov I-16
The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II...
s when it reentered Soviet airspace and the third aircraft went missing. Three crews from the 420th DBAP bombed Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
during the nights of 28–29 August and 30 August–1 September from Ramenskoye Airport
Ramenskoye Airport
Ramenskoye Airport , also known as Ramenskoye Airfield or Zhukovsky Airfield, is an airport in Moscow Oblast, Russia located 40 km southeast of Moscow and near the town of Ramenskoye. It serves as a major aircraft testing facility since the Cold War years with the majority of the major Russian...
, southeast of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
On 1 October 1941 sixty-three Yer-2s were in service, but only thirty-four were operational. The 420th DBAP had flown 154 sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
s by the beginning of November (6 in August, 81 in September, 67 in October) and had lost thirty of its forty aircraft. Over half of these (nineteen) were due to non-combat losses. Losses were extremely high over the autumn and winter as they were inappropriately committed against German tactical front-line targets during the Battle of Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
at low altitudes and only twelve were in service on 18 March 1942. On 4 August 1942 the 747th DBAP had only ten Yer-2s on hand and it was briefly committed during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. The survivors were flown, in ever dwindling numbers, until August 1943 when the last few aircraft were transferred to schools by the 2nd Guards DBAP and the 747th DBAP.
The Yer-2 was placed back into production at the end of 1943, but none of the new bombers had been issued to combat units by 1 June 1944. However forty-two were in service on 1 January 1945 and one hundred and one on 10 May 1945 after the war ended. The first combat mission undertaken by Yer-2s after they returned to production was a raid on Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
on 7 April 1945 by the 327th and 329th Bomber Aviation Regiments . It remained in service with Long-Range Aviation units until replaced by four-engined bombers like the Tupolev Tu-4
Tupolev Tu-4
The Tupolev Tu-4 was a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid 1960s...
in the late 1940s.
Variants
DB-240- Two prototypes of the Yer-2 series with two 1,050 hp M-105 engines.
Yer-2
- Production version with two M-105 engines, 128 built.
Yer-2/AM-37
- One aircraft re-engined with two prototype 1,380 hp Mikulin AM-37 engines, the fastest of all Yer-2s.
Yer-2/M-40F
- The first diesel-powered Yer-2, with modified wings. One converted with two 1,500 hp Charomskiy M-40Charomskiy M-40-See also:-External links:*...
F diesel engines.
Yer-2/ACh-30B
- Production model of the diesel-engined version. Performance was excellent despite the poor reliability and rough running of the Charomskiy ACh-30B diesel engines. Range increased 1500 km (932.1 mi) from the version with M-105 engines.
Yer-2ON Two aircraft from the Yer-2/ACh-30B production line were modified with a 12-seat VIP cabin, military equipment removed and long-range fuel tanks in the bomb-bay. A third aircraft was converted from a Yer-2 (1941 production) and used for shuttle flights between Irkutsk and Moscow.
Yer-2N One aircraft was modified as an engine test-bed for captured Argus As 014
Argus As 014
|-See also:*List of aircraft engines*Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon*Ford PJ31*Chelomey D-3-Bibliography:*Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9...
pulse jet engine
Pulse jet engine
A pulse jet engine is a type of jet engine in which combustion occurs in pulses. Pulsejet engines can be made with few or no moving parts, and are capable of running statically....
s.
Yer-2/MB-100
- One production aircraft used as a test-bed for the 2200 hp Dobrotvorskii MB-100 engine in 1945.
Yer-4
- The final iteration of the Yer-2 series was a 1941 production aircraft re-engined with ACh-30BF engines and redesignated as the Yer-4. It had a slightly larger wingspan, increased take-off weight and improved armament. The prototype was tested in December 1943, but did not enter production.
Operators
- VVS (—Soviet Air Forces)
- ADD (—Long Range AviationLong Range AviationLong Range Aviation was the branch of the Soviet Air Forces tasked with long-range bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, it was the counterpart to the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force....
)- 420th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 748th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 421st Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 747th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 747th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 748th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment, later the 2nd Guards Long-Range Aviation Regiment
- 327th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment
- 329th Long-Range Bomber Aviation Regiment
- ADD (—Long Range Aviation