The American Transport Turned Soviet Bomber - Lisunov Li-2

A rather unusual conversion from the famous Douglas DC-3 into a versatile Soviet military aircraft, the Lisunov Li-2 would serve as a transport, bomber, medical evac, paratrooper platform and everything in between in it's fascinating service life.
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Sources:
Aviation and Time 1999-05. Stanislav Smirnov, Konstantin Udalov, Rostislav Maraev. Douglas Lisunova
Zeichhaus. Mikhail Maslov. Li-2 - Air cabman
Yauza. Mikhail Maslov. "Eternal" Li-2
World of Aviation 1999-04. Vladimir Kotelnikov. From DC-3 to Li-2
0:00 - 0:54 Introduction
0:55 - 2:47 Early Development and Production
2:48 - 8:59 Service Life
9:00 - 11:02 Post-War Use & Outro

[@aviationdeepdive]

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[@karoltakisobie6638]

Soviets were in process of acquiring license for DC-2 when DC-3 became available. Fokker was Douglas distributor in Europe and was essential in making metric drawings of plane for Soviets. List Lisunov was tasked with simplifying Ps-84 for mass production. In process he included number of steel stamped parts mainly in engine neceless,center wing section and fuselage floor.

[@michaelusswisconsin6002]

You mean the C-47

[@marckyle5895]

10:28 The front of the engine cowls look the same as the Polikarpov i-15 and i-16

[@TheLateBird7]

Thanks, that filled some of my knowledge gaps in again, while generously serving eye candy. And the last line was gold!!

[@aviationdeepdive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marckyle5895]

Here's something extra: The Japanese also had their version of the DC-3. It was nicknamed 'Tabby'.

[@verysilentmouse]

Thanks knew about it but this filled in all the gaps

[@mohabatkhanmalak1161]

Nakajima and Showa also built the DC 3 under licence in Japan before WW2. Their versions were called the L2D's and had a few changes to the American DC 3s.

[@thiscouldntblowmore]

More than 300 dc-3/c-47 still flying and most of those are actually doing COMMERCIAL WORK, not just being flying museum pieces..

[@allangibson8494]

And one Li-2 still rattling around Europe.

[@hessu4410]

Lisunovs were used when Soviet Union bombed Helsinki in February 1944.

[@neilrobinson3085]

The Li-2 was often nicknamed the "DC-3ski" in the west. Since, as seen at 7:40, they were operated on skis in the wintertime, this meant that someone was building DC-3ski skis.

[@JGCR59]

There's a hungarian Li-2 flying the air show circuits in Europe so you can see this variant flying

[@robertbalazslorincz8218]

I've actually seen and checked out a non-flying Lisunov Li-2 in Vecsés near Budapest, at the 'Aeropark' Aviation Museum.

[@Curious-Minds]

Great video as always.

[@aviationdeepdive]

Thanks!

[@zainmudassir2964]

Great video as always

[@davidvavra9113]

Thanks

[@MarkkuKoljonenwTinja]

Thanks!

[@mpetersen6]

Douglas took the same wings built the B-18 Bolo. Useful only for anti submarine patrol by 1941.

[@ivanhicks887]

Very VERY Interesting !

[@pierredecine1936]

" Schoolbus made of lead " = Hahaha

[@user-uj2nt9hi9v]

I held the curtain for you parker.spiderman the animated series episode turning point.

[@rapidthrash1964]

Soviets during WWII: we turned a Douglas variant into a bomber Americans during Vietnam: we turned ours into a gunship

[@azelkhntr4992]

Bwaahahahahaha! Those engineers were in no hurry to go back home I'll wager.

[@i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b]

I was thinking they were gathering intelligence on US aircraft secrets? Maybe.

[@i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b]

They went out of favor in the Cold War 1950s and 60s, nicknamed as the Flying Capitalist Pig. Just joking. Thanks for such interesting videos!

[@JohnnySmithWhite-wd4ey]

Didn't Douglas do this same thing with the B 18 Bolo?

[@LastGoatKnight]

Maybe I'm wrong but the Americans had the same idea (or just a similar design) which was called B-18 (though maybe it's a C-47 which looks similar to the DC-2)

[@robertbalazslorincz8218]

The gunship variant of the C-47 that was used in I think Korea and Vietnam? Also the UH-1 Huey.

[@oldmech619]

Back in the Vietnam war, Air America was operating DC3 in Cambodia. One day three Russians came walking out of the jungle and asked if they could borrow a cylinder. They returned the cylinder a couple weeks later. The CIA and KGB can work together.

[@CathodeRayNipplez]

😀

[@Narses_the_aremnian]

Weren't they also used by soviet paratroopers and also c47 was also used by yugoslav paratroopers

[@robertbowers9856]

North Korea? I think you're right on that one!

[@michaelusswisconsin6002]

DC-3? You mean C-47.

[@williamzk9083]

I would regard the bomber version as a wasted effort. A large amount of engineering and drafting time was wasted that could have been spent on proper bombers. Lost too was the transport value of these aircraft.

[@robertbalazslorincz8218]

Easy to dismiss an aircraft as sh*t if you've never depended on it now isn't it? The 'bomber conversion' in concept is somewhat similar to the idea of arming UH-1s in Vietnam.

[@williamzk9083]

@@robertbalazslorincz8218 Russia had plenty of options for proper bomber aircraft by the time LI 3 production was resumed in late 1942. This is just a dumb Soviet idea like killing all the Kulak farmers and collectivising agriculture and causing a genocidal famine or invading Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A political decision that doesn’t make sense. The only thing the LI 2 accomplished was bombing “Helsinki” at night. So they depended on it for bombing border city. It’s obvious if they hadn’t had C47 from lend lease the Russian would have shot themselves in the foot. Using the LI 2 was totally dumb.

[@geordiedog1749]

Jesus. I sitting duck if intercepted.

[@cultureshock5000]

did u get screwed into buying this in il 2 yet i think its fucking demented how theychareg you 25 dollars for the same plane as the skytrain with diff paint.... i cant stand 1 cc

[@cultureshock5000]

if you played the game youd know if you do and still dont you have issues with context... @@bfc3057

[@cultureshock5000]

i spelled charge wrong so sorry, theres only one ellipse too i usually use at least 3 ...@@bfc3057

[@cultureshock5000]

a skytrain is a c-47 il 2 is a flight sim.... yea thats not english....in the game the western allies have teh c-47...the li -2 is identical in almost every way but the game devs 1c company.... feel the need to charge for every plane they add to the game because ms flight sim x did it 20 years ago so they call it industry standard.... they try to act like its like dcs and a military grade sim but its a fucking game not a sim ... should be game money not sim money.... war thunder and world of warships charge like they are a military grade sim too and its a joke....@@bfc3057

[@robertkalinic335]

I believe you can go to north korea, there is few years old video from two guys going to get haircut and i am sure some very clever people will be surprised by this but...its a normal boring country.

[@oreticeric8730]

Robertkalinic335•Nort Korea is Not “Boring Country”, 🐒 !

[@user-uj2nt9hi9v]

I held the curtain for you parker.spiderman the animated series episode turning point.

[@user-uj2nt9hi9v]

I held the curtain for you parker.spiderman the animated series episode turning point.

[@user-uj2nt9hi9v]

I held the curtain for you parker.spiderman the animated series episode turning point.

[@user-uj2nt9hi9v]

I held the curtain for you parker.spiderman the animated series episode turning point.