The Sukhoi Su-8 or DDBSh (Russian:Су-8 ДДБШ - Двухмоторный Двухместный Бронированный Штурмовик - Twin-engine two-seat armored ground attack aircraft) was a Soviet prototype ground-attack aircraft of World War II.

Development

While Sukhoi was perfecting the light Sukhoi Su-6 attack aircraft, the OKB also developed the massive, heavily armed and armored Su-8. In May 1942, the Soviet military commanders had realized the need for an aircraft to support ground offensives operating at a great distance from their airfields, and capable of striking enemy lines of communication to the rear of the front lines. Design work was conducted at an accelerated pace, with work on the airframe commencing from August 1942, even before the drawings were completed on 20 September 1942.

Two prototypes were completed at Plant Number 19 in Molotov in 1943, the first in May and the second in August, with work hampered by the Nazi invasion and need to evacuate the Sukhoi Design Bureau to Tushino. The first flight test was not made until 11 March 1944, and testing continued to the end of the year. Flight testing was delayed due to unavailability of Shvetsov M-71 engines. Although testing was successful, the Su-8 was not approved for mass production. By this time, the Soviet armies had reached the borders of Nazi Germany, and the need for an aircraft with a longer range than the existing Ilyushin Il-2 was no longer a priority.

An attempt to re-engine the aircraft with Mikulin AM-42 engines did not see further development.

The Su-8 was of mixed construction. The cockpit area was armoured, with an aluminum mid-fuselage and a wooden monocoque tail. The wings were of steel and aluminum construction with plywood outer sections. The twin rudders were of all-metal construction. In addition to the cockpit, the engines, fuel tanks and oil coolers were fully armoured, with a total armour weight of 1,680kg (3,705lb), more than twice the weight of the armour shell on an Ilyushin Il-2.

Specifications (Su-8 / DDBSh)

Data from Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938-1950, and OKB Sukhoi

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 13.58m (44ft 7in)
  • Wingspan: 20.5m (67ft 3in)
  • Height: 5.085m (16ft 8in)
  • Wing area: 60m2 (650sqft)
  • Airfoil: root: NACA 23014; tip: NACA 23007.5
  • Empty weight: 9,168kg (20,212lb)
  • Gross weight: 12,413kg (27,366lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 13,380kg (29,498lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Shvetsov M-71F 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,490kW (2,000hp) each for take-off

1,416kW (1,900hp) at 3,600m (11,800ft)

  • Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers, 4m (13ft 1in) diameter

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 552km/h (343mph, 298kn) at 4,600m (15,100ft)

485km/h (301mph; 262kn) at sea level

  • Combat range: 600km (370mi, 320nmi)
  • Ferry range: 1,450km (900mi, 780nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 9,000m (30,000ft)
  • Time to altitude: 5,000m (16,000ft) in 7 minutes 16 seconds

5,000m (16,000ft) in 9 minutes

Armament

  • Guns:

4 × 37 mm Nudelman N-37 or 4 × 45 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-45 autocannon under the fuselage 9 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns (four in each wing with 2400 rpg, one in an LU-100 ventral mount with 500 rounds) 1 × 12.7 mm UBT machine gun in a UTK-1 dorsal turret

  • Bombs: Up to 1400 kg (3,085 lb) of bombs internally or 2,400kg (5,291lb) with three 500kg (1,102lb) bombs carried externally

External links

  • . Sukhoi Company Museum. Archived from on 2011-08-24.