Li-2. 'Douglas' in Russian

The work "Li-2: 'Douglas' in Russian" is primarily dedicated to the history of mastering the production and operation in the USSR of the American aircraft DC-3 - one of the best civil airliners of the 1930s in terms of economy, safety, passenger comfort, equipped with a highly advanced complex of piloting, navigation, and radio equipment, autopilot, and other devices significantly facilitating the crew's work. The introduction or "Russification" of the aircraft at the V.P. Chkalov Plant No. 84 in Khimki near Moscow, which began in 1939 after acquiring a license from the company and signing a series of agreements, was not easy. Since the DC-3 design was fully adapted for mass production, even before the war, this aircraft, named PS-84 in our country, became the main passenger aircraft of Aeroflot's main air routes. Shortly after the aircraft was introduced in the Soviet Union, the development of military transport and airborne versions of the aircraft began. Flights to the front lines and enemy territory in 1941 forced the installation of defensive armament. By the spring of the following year, bombing equipment began to be mounted on the aircraft for use as a night bomber. The experience was deemed successful, and the number of parts and connections on these aircraft noticeably increased in 1943-1945. The PS-84, renamed Li-2 after the chief engineer of Plant No. 84, Boris Lisunov, who was evacuated to Tashkent, only slightly lagged behind the Il-4 long-range bomber in terms of the number of operational aircraft. Of course, Li-2 did not fly to bomb Berlin, Königsberg, Budapest, or other political centers of the enemy, but they operated quite successfully on medium distances. The use of Li-2 continued after the Victory. Aircraft equipped with improved equipment were built in large numbers in transport and passenger variants in Tashkent until 1953. They became the most numerous among Soviet transport aircraft. They played a special role in the exploration of the Arctic, the development of Airborne Forces, training of young crews, conducting aerial photography day and night, and solving many other tasks. The work, consisting of 27 sections, is supplemented with numerous tables and historical photographs. It will undoubtedly be of interest to a wide range of readers, especially young people.