Lisunov Li-2
Lisunov / GAZ-84 · USSR · first flew 1938 · transport aircraft
The Li-2 is the Soviet licence-built DC-3, extensively re-engineered with metric components, Soviet radial engines, and a relocated door, making it visually and technically distinct from the C-47 despite sharing the same lineage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 19.65 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Passenger door on the STARBOARD side — a C-47's large double cargo door is always on the port side; the Li-2's port side has only a smaller top-hinged freight hatch
- Shorter, narrower engine nacelles — the single-row Shvetsov ASh-62IR is more compact than the C-47's twin-row R-1830, often with Soviet winterisation cowl shutters over the front
- Dorsal gun turret and underwing bomb racks on armed variants — no C-47 ever carried either
The starboard passenger door is the most reliable mark against a C-47, whose big double cargo doors are always on the port side — though beware that many civil DC-3s also had starboard doors, so this cue only discriminates against military Skytrains. The ASh-62IR's single-row nacelles are visibly shorter and narrower than the C-47's twin-row R-1830 nacelles, frequently fitted with winterisation shutters. Armed Li-2s carry a dorsal turret and underwing bomb racks — features no C-47 ever had.
Specifications
- The Lisunov Li-2 has a length of 19.65 m (64 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 28.81 m (95 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 320 km/h (199 mph).
- Typical crew: 4.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The USSR purchased DC-3 production rights in 1936; Boris Lisunov led the adaptation team at Factory No. 84, Khimki, where the first aircraft flew in autumn 1938. The type served as the PS-84 until redesignated Li-2 in 1942; over 6,000 were built by 1952. It served as the Soviet equivalent of the C-47 in every role — transport, paratroop, bomber, and navigator trainer — and remained in Aeroflot service into the 1960s.
Variants
PS-84 (pre-war designation), Li-2 (standard transport), Li-2P (passenger), Li-2NB (night bomber with bomb racks and dorsal turret), Li-2T (dedicated freighter).
Where you'll see it
Soviet VVS and Aeroflot, plus Warsaw Pact air forces (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, China). Survivors in Russian and Eastern European aviation museums; a handful remain airworthy in Russia.
Related aircraft
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