Soviet Success Story; the Lisunov Li-2.
My next walkaround is the Lisunov Li-2, which has graduated from a few grainy images taken during the days of 35mm film on a visit to the former Soviet Union many years ago to a broader, clearer walkaround and its own gallery page, thanks to a trip to China in 2017. Remarkably, the Li-2 soldiered on in the PRC for many years after the type had been replaced both in the Soviet Union and in China itself by the Ilyushin Il-14 and the Antonov An-24 (and locally built derivatives), with the last examples being retired from the Chinese military as recently as 1997! It is of no surprise that the Li-2, or PS-84 as it was originally designated was one of the Soviet Union's most successful aircraft programmes; the basic DC-3 design proving almost infinitely adaptable for whatever need its operators required of it, far beyond the expectations of the original American designers. The story of the PS-84 began with a single DC-2 being exported to the Soviet Union in 1936, which was highly regarded for its modernity. The official licence to build the Douglas Sleeper Transport, or DC-3 was signed on 15 July that year, which also saw a number of US built DC-3s transferred to Russian ownership. Military C-47s were also supplied to the Soviet armed forces duiring WW2. Some of these were re-engined and bear the outward appearance of the Li-2 and were redesignated TS-62s and TS-82s. One of these is extant at the China Aviation Museum, wearing the serial XT-115 in the colours of the China National Aviation Corporation.
Construction of Soviet DC-3s began at Plant No.84 at Moscow-Khimki, hence the aircraft's initial designation (for Passazhirskiiy Samolyot 84), in 1939. Some 1,293 engineering changes were made to the original design, including the fitting of the 1,000hp Shvetsov ASh-62IR nine cylinder radial engine, which was a development of the Wright R-1820 Cyclone built in Russia as the M-25. Seeing service both in civil and military hands, the Soviet DC-3's career was as long and varied as the DC-3's; a total of 4,937 Li-2s were built between 1940 and 1954. Comparing the two, despite their similar outward appearance, there were significant performance variations between them; a few Soviet military transport units equipped with PS-84s in WW2 were given Douglas C-47s through Lend-Lease and direct comparisons were made. The C-47 was vastly more reliable than the Li-2; it was faster and had a greater range, proved easier to maintain and took far less time to do maintenance on. For example, the VISh-21 propellers had an average time between overhaul of 50 hours, the Hamilton Standard 23E50 was more than five times that. An ASh-62 engine change on the Li-2 took 62 man-hours, the C-47's Twin Wasps took 10! The C-47s had more comprehensive radio navigation aids and were easier to fly, plus, quality control was far superior on the C-47 over the Li-2, which suffered mechanically as a result. Nevertheless, the Li-2 was a true Soviet workhorse, being employed not only for basic transport duties, but also for strategic reconnaissance, night bombing, weather research, photographic survey, operational training in military disciplines such as radio and gunnery and so on. Its civilian uses were just as diverse. Unlike the DC-3, of which sizeable numbers are still flying around the world, there is believed to be only one regularly airworthy Li-2 at present, Hungarian operated HA-LIX used for joy flights, although there is believd to be a small number still operated by the North Koreans, who don't discard anything of use, despite its age. Click on the image below to go to the Li-2 pages.
