Lisunov Li-2: The Soviet DC-3

When they bought a manufacturing license for the DC-3 in 1935, the Soviet aircraft industry’s decision makers had no way of knowing the place the Douglas airliner would come to occupy in aviation’s hall of fame. Yet, even less did they know of the part the Soviet spin-off would play in the nation’s aviation history. Suitably adapted to make use of Russian engines and structural materials, the DC-3 entered production as the PS-84; and gradually the design drifted further apart from the US original. In 1941 production was moved from Moscow to Tashkent to escape the advancing German troops and the aircraft was redesignated Li2. The Li-2 served an innumerable multitude of tasks, including the night bomber role during the war and flights in support of Soviet polar research in the post-war years. This addition to the ever-popular Red Star series describes all known versions of the PS-84/Li-2 and gives operational details as it explored what is probably the least-known aspect of the history of one of the world’s best-known airliners. Four pages of line drawings are included.