To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, Rosoboronexport, part of the Rostec State Corporation, has assisted the Central Air Force Museum (settlement Monino, Moscow region) in the restoration of six WWII aircraft.
The DB-3 long-range bomber, SB high-speed front-line bomber, Pe-2 dive bomber, Tu-2 front-line bomber as well as two US bombers, B-25 and A-20, supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease, were restored at Rosoboronexport’s expense.
“There is a unique collection of aviation equipment in the Central Air Force Museum, which clearly demonstrates all the major milestones in the development of the Russian aircraft engineering school. The vast experience accumulated by the generations of outstanding designers still allows Russia to maintain its lead in high-tech aviation industry. We are pleased to contribute to the preservation of priceless artifacts that give evidence of labor and heroism of tens of thousands of people and will inspire our future aircraft builders and pilots,” said Director General of Rosoboronexport Anatoly Isaykin.
Later, Rosoboronexport will continue to assist the museum. In 2015, the following aircraft will be restored at the company’s expense: the first Soviet all-metal aircraft ANT-2, military transport aircraft Li-2 derived from the US Douglas DC-3, Yak-17 and MiG-21bis fighters, as well as the British Sopwith Triplane fighter handed over to Russia in May 1917 for testing and evaluation and is currently one of two surviving examples in the world.
The restoration of the La-7 front-line fighter, on which famous flying ace I.N. Kozhedub fought, will also be completed in the museum by the anniversary of the Victory, which will surely attract the attention of many aviation enthusiasts and history of the Great Patriotic War.
The Soviet bombers restored with the support of Rosoboronexport:
DB-3 – the first Soviet long-range bomber developed under the direction of Sergey Ilyushin. Batch production started in 1936 and a total of 6735 planes of all versions were built, including DB-3F (Il-4). It is on the DB-3Fs that the Baltic Fleet’s 15 crews made the first bombing raid on Berlin on the night of August 8, 1941. A series of raids on the capital of the Reich continued until September 5 and had a strong psychological impact on Germany.
SB (ANT-40) – the first Soviet front-line bomber developed by Andrey Tupolev Design Bureau. Its production began in 1934 and a total of 6831 aircraft of all versions were made. The SB planes were also involved in the Spanish Civil War, in fighting over Khalkhin-Gol and in the Soviet-Finnish war. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, 94% of the Soviet front-line bomber fleet consisted of SB aircraft.
Pe-2 – the most mass-produced Soviet front-line dive bomber of the World War II period. It was developed under the supervision of Vladimir Petlyakov. Its batch production started in 1940 and more than 11,400 planes were manufactured. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Major General Ivan Polbin came up with an effective tactical maneuver for the Pe-2 nicknamed “Polbin’s Spinner.” The maneuver envisaged that a group of 9 Pe-2s run into a target, the bombers formed a circle and dived toward the target one after, covering each other. This provided a continuous fire effect on pinpoint and well-protected targets.
Tu-2 – the best Soviet frontline bomber of World War II in terms of performance. Developed under the direction of Andrey Tupolev, the aircraft was in production with a break since 1942. Due to war time difficulties, a total of 800 bombers were built before the end of the war and another 2527 planes in the postwar years. The Tu-2 became a kind of “bridge” between piston and jet bombers. Later, the first Soviet jet bomber Tu-12 was built around it.
Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of the Rostec Corporation, is the sole state-owned arms trade company in the Russian Federation authorized to export the full range of military and dual-purpose products, technologies and services. Rosoboronexport is one of the leading world arms exporters to the international market. Its share in Russia's military exports exceeds 85 percent. Rosoboronexport cooperates with more than 700 enterprises and organizations in the Russian defence industrial complex. Russia maintains military technical cooperation with more than 70 countries around the world.
The Rostec State Corporation is a Russian Corporation, established in 2007 with the purpose of support the design, manufacture and export of high-tech industrial products of civilian and military designation. It includes 700 organizations, of which nine are currently holding companies in the defense industry and five are holdings in civilian industries. In addition, 22 organizations are directly subordinate. The Rostec portfolio includes such famous brands as AvtoVAZ, KAMAZ, Russian Helicopters, VSMPO-AVISMA, etc. Rostec is located in the territory of 60 federal subjects of the Russian Federation, and it delivers products to markets in more than 70 countries. In 2013, Rostec revenue totaled 1.04 trillion rubles. Tax payments to public coffers at all levels exceeded RUB 138 billion.
