The Lisunov Li-2: The Soviet Cousin of the DC-3/C-47
This…. Is not a DC-3/C-47….. But it’s long lost Soviet Cousin! The Lisunov Li-2.
Now as we all know, the Douglas DC-3/C-47 is considered to be one of the most important and iconic aircraft of all time. During World War 2, the passenger plane was pressed into military service and became the workhorse of the Allied Air Forces as a cargo/transport aircraft.
Manufacturing Beyond the United States
But what most people don’t know is that Douglas had actually given out licenses to other aircraft manufacturers to build the aircraft outside of the United States. One of these companies was GAZ of the Soviet Union, which had been tasked with securing the rights to produce the aircraft in the USSR. In 1935, the Soviet Government acquired 18 DC-3s for the state-owned Aeroflot, and 11 more the following year. While good aircraft, the Soviets wanted to build their own versions that were more optimized for Soviet use. This included fitting locally-built Shvetsov M-62 radial engines to the airframe.
Military Service and Modifications
When Germany invaded in 1941, the Li-2 was quickly pressed into military service and newer models were given some interesting modifications. While the C-47s used by the Western Allies were only used as transport aircraft, the Li-2 was used for much more.
Some were actually converted into bombers and were armed with 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns (Li-2T / Li-2VV) and/or 1× 12.7 mm Berezin UBK machine gun (Li-2T / Li-2VV), all the while being able to carry a max payload of over 5700 lbs of bombs.
Post-War Legacy and Continued Use
After the war, the Li-2 was still produced and became the backbone of the civil aviation industry in Eastern Europe. Even after they were gradually phased out by the 1960s, a number of them were exported to other nations for use as both civilian and military aircraft, with some still being flown in China and Vietnam up until the 1980s.
In total, just under 5000 aircraft were built, but only one Li-2 is said to still be in flying condition in Hungary. Though it is rumored that a handful are still in operation with the North Korean Air Force.
~NC
