The Petlyakov bomber was originally conceived as the VI-100 twin-engine high-altitude fighter, but later it was proposed to convert the VI-100 into a front-line dive bomber. On May 1, 1940, the prototype took part in an air parade over Red Square in Moscow. On November 18, 1940, a production aircraft made its first flight, designated Pe-2 in honor of the chief designer.

The dive speed was limited by brake flaps located under the wings: the safety margin allowed the aircraft to maintain a dive angle of up to 70 degrees. The aircraft was equipped with an unprecedented number of electric systems for the domestic aircraft industry: electric motors operated trim tabs, landing and brake flaps, water radiator shutters, and provided control of the stabilizer and the pump that maintained pressure in the landing gear hydraulic system.

Warfare quickly tested the solutions built into the aircraft, and the experience gained in combat greatly accelerated the process of improving the aircraft. Both the engines and the weapons were improved. As early as July 1941, the 35 series began to arrive at the front.

The Pe-2 of the 35th series was a twin-engine cantilever monoplane with a low-mounted wing, a two-finned tail, and a two-strut landing gear with a tail wheel. The monocoque fuselage consisted of the nose section with the forward cockpit, the fuselage center section and the fuselage tail section (with a bomb bay between the fuselage center section and the fuselage tail), the tail section with the gunner's and radio operator's cabins, and a removable tail cone. The pilot's and navigator's cockpits in front and below had large windows to improve forward and downward visibility during dive bombing. The armor protected the pilot, navigator, and tail gunner only against attacks from the rear.

The 35th series was equipped with improved Klimov M-105RA engines with a takeoff power of 1100 hp. They featured a strengthened crankcase and main connecting rod, a floatless carburetor, and a more powerful alternator.

The defensive armament included a fuselage-mounted ShKAS machine gun and a large-caliber machine gun at the lowest point at the gunner-radio operator position, and a dorsal ShKAS machine gun at the navigator’s position, which in the stowed position was closed with a characteristic "turtle" — in the combat position, it slid along guides down and back inside the fuselage, enabling the navigator the ability to fire the gun. The offensive armament included two machine guns, one of which was of large caliber.

The internal bomb armament consisted of six 100 kg bombs (four in the central bomb bay and one in each of the bomb bays in the rear sections of the nacelles). Four more of the same bombs could be mounted on an external rack near the center section. Bombs of 250 and 500 kg were suspended from the outside only. During a dive, only bombs from an external mount could be dropped.

The Pe-2 was the main frontline bomber of the Soviet Air Force from the first to the last day of the war and was effectively used in almost all major operations of the Soviet forces. The Pe-2 was used as a bomber, a reconnaissance aircraft, and a day and night fighter. The Pe-2, affectionately called the "Pawn" by its crew, fought on all fronts and in the naval aviation of all fleets. In the hands of Soviet pilots, the Pe-2 fully revealed its inherent capabilities — speed, maneuverability, powerful weapons, strength, reliability, and survivability were its distinguishing features. Despite the resistance of air defenses and enemy fighters, the bomber's dive attacks destroyed warehouses, bridges, fortified positions, and other targets.

Used sources:

1. V. Shavrov “History of aircraft designs in the USSR 1938-1950.” 1988

2. V. Kotelnikov, A. Medved, D. Khazanov “Pe-2 dive bomber” 2004

3. Materials from the site airwar.ru