Aviation of World War II

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Pegasus
Light Attack Bomber
Tomashevich

Pegasus

Pegasus — a light attack bomber, developed by designer Dmitry Ludvigovich Tomashevich, designed to destroy enemy armored vehicles with the simplest and cheapest design and the minimum amount of equipment. The first flight was in 1942. It was supposed to create an anti-tank air army from these simplest cheap aircraft.

The landing gear on the plane was not retracted, there was no hydraulics and air system, the wiring was very simple. The main gas tanks with a capacity of 209 liters were simultaneously the fairings of the engines, and in the event of a lumbago or fire, they could be dumped. Small armored tanks with a capacity of 16 liters were intended to avoid the target.

After being imprisoned, as an associate of Polikarpov in the case the disaster with the I-180 with V.P. Chkalov, Tomashevich worked on the plane in the notorious TsKB-29.



Pegasus Specification
Crew 1
Dimensions
Wing span, m 14.0
Wing area, m² 26.60
Length, m 10.30
Powerplant
2 × radial PE M-11F, power, hp 2 × 140
Weight, kg:
Empty weight 1,800
Loadede weight 2,320
Performance
Maximum speed, km/h 167
Cruising speed, km/h 142
Service ceiling, m 2,620
Service range, km 400
Armament
2 × 23 mm VYa-23 cannon, 12.7 mm UBK, bombs, kg 500

In the conclusion of the test report, it was indicated that the survivability of the aircraft was insufficient, the aircraft was not accessible to mass pilots in terms of piloting technique, aimed firing from 23 mm cannons was almost impossible due to the strong recoil, and aimed bombing was practically impossible. The aircraft is a good target for anti-aircraft artillery, the aircraft cannot fly on one engine. A total of 4 prototypes were produced.

Photo Description

Drawing Pegasus 4

Pegasus Armament

Bibliography

  • History of aircraft designs in the USSR, 1938-1950 / V.B. Shavrov /