SB
| Country | Russia |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev Design Bureau |
| Primary Role | Light Bomber |
| Maiden Flight | 1 October 1934 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseThe SB (Skorostnoy Bombardirovschik, or High Speed Bomber) light bombers came out of a 1933 specification by the Soviet air force administration for a fast bomber. Alexander Arkhangelsky of Tupolev headed up the design effort, and the prototype took flight in 1934. After several prototypes, the all-metal aircraft entered production in 1935 and entered service in Feb 1936. Starting in Oct 1936, the exporting of SB bombers began, starting with Spain. The first examples of what eventually amounted to 210 SB bombers fought on the side of the Republican air force went to Spain, causing considerable frustration for the Nationalist fighters because the SB bombers could out-run many of their He-51 and Cr.32 biplane interceptors. SB bombers were also sold to the air forces of China, Czechoslovakia (both actual units and the license to build more), and others. During the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939-1940, SB bombers began to show obsolescence as fighter technology rapidly advanced. Efforts were made to improve the design with more powerful engines, variable-pitch propellers, and additional fuel capacity, but none of the upgrades made a significant difference. Production finally came to a stop in 1941; between 1936 and 1941, 6,656 aircraft were built, making the design the most built bomber in the world in the late 1930s. When the war with Germany began in Jun 1941, they still made up 94% of bombers in the Soviet air force. They were used extensively as a day bomber at the start of the campaign, but German Bf 109 fighters were clearly too great a threat for these aging bombers. Very soon, they were relegated to second line duties.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Jul 2007
SB Timeline
| 30 Jun 1943 | While covering the landings on Rendova, Solomon Islands, destroyer USS Ralph Talbot engaged attacking Japanese Mitsubishi G3M 'Nell' bombers armed with torpedoes. Firing 5-inch shells fitted with VT proximity fuzes from her 5-inch/38 caliber guns, Ralph Talbot accounted for three bombers shot down on her own and one more shared with other ships. During the attack, one torpedo struck attack transport USS McCawley causing her to go dead in the water. Ralph Talbot came alongside and took aboard 300 McCawley officers and men. Three hours later, McCawley was sunk by torpedoes from US PT Boats. |
SPECIFICATIONS
SB 2M-103
| Machinery | Two Klimov M-103 liquid-cooled V12 engines (license-built Hispano-Suiza 12Ybr engines) rated at 960hp each |
| Armament | 2x7.62mm nose ShKAS machine guns, 1x7.62mm dorsal ShKAS machine gun, 1x7.62mm ventral ShKAS machine gun, 6x100kg or 6x50kg internal bombs, 2x250kg wing rack bombs |
| Crew | 3 |
| Span | 20.33 m |
| Length | 12.57 m |
| Height | 3.60 m |
| Wing Area | 56.70 m² |
| Weight, Empty | 4,768 kg |
| Weight, Maximum | 7,880 kg |
| Speed, Maximum | 450 km/h |
| Speed, Cruising | 360 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 9,300 m |
| Range, Normal | 1,600 km |
| Range, Maximum | 2,300 km |
Photographs
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Winston Churchill
22 Oct 2020 12:27:22 AM
The Tupolev SB is often incorrectly referred to as the SB-2, which is a Western corruption of the designation SB-2-M100A meaning a SB with two Klimov M100A V-12 engines.