SB 2M-105

This page is about the Soviet bomber SB 2M-105. For other variants, see SB 2M (Family).

SB 2M-105

SB 2M-103U MV-3

SB 2M-105

SB 2M-103U MV-3

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	2.7	2.7

Class:

Bomber

Light bomber

Research:3 000

Purchase:6 300

Description

The SB 2M-105 was a sole prototype of an attempt to upgrade the then obsolete SB series bombers. The plane was powered by two Klimov M-105 engines, had redesigned wing that reduced the area and wingspan. The wing itself was later incorporated into Arkhangelskii Ar-2 dive bomber

The SB 2M-105 has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. For its size, the SB features a decent payload options of up to three 500 kg bombs or a mixed loadout of two 250 kg and six 100 kg bombs. The manoeuvrability of the SB is also very impressive, allowing it to dogfight with less agile enemy fighters and damaging them utilizing the front mounted twin ShKAS machine guns. However the rear hemisphere protection is rather weak with just single ShKAS machine gun in a dorsal turret and single ShKAS in a ventral turret.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 4 700 m466 km/h

Turn time21 s

Max altitude10 000 m

Engine2 х Klimov VK-105R

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight8 t

The SB 2M-105 is a fairly manoeuvrable bomber (like its successor, the Ar-2), but with one caveat: the low optimal airspeed of 185 km/h for the elevator. This means that at speeds above 400 km/h, the aircraft becomes extremely sluggish in the pitch axis, which can be dangerous in a steep dive.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,700 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	450	439	10000	21.7	22.2	10.0	10.0	366
Upgraded	486	466		20.8	21.0	15.9	12.7

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
600	350	315	309	280	~6	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 280	< 300	< 185	> 350

Survivability and armour

Crew4 people

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear350 km/h

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB347 → 464

RB580 → 776

SB871 → 1 165

Total cost of modifications5 970

4 500

Talisman cost410

Crew training1 800

Experts6 300

Aces80

Research Aces135 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

20 / 50 / 100 %

106 / 106 / 106 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 400 Cost: 300 70 Radiator Research: 400 Cost: 300 70 Airframe Research: 450 Cost: 340 80 Compressor Research: 450 Cost: 340 80 Wings repair Research: 500 Cost: 380 85 Engine Research: 500 Cost: 380 85 Cover Research: 480 Cost: 360 85 Engine injection Research: 480 Cost: 360 85	EFS Research: 480 Cost: 360 85	shkas_turret_belt_pack Research: 400 Cost: 300 70 Der-33 Research: 450 Cost: 340 80 shkas_turret_new_gun Research: 500 Cost: 380 85 Der-19 Research: 480 Cost: 360 85

Armaments

Suspended armament

List of setups (8)

Setup 16 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bomb

Setup 22 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb

Setup 32 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb
6 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bomb

Setup 42 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb
2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb

Setup 51 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bomb

Setup 62 x 500 kg FAB-500sv (welded) bomb
2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb

Setup 72 x 500 kg FAB-500sv (welded) bomb
1 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bomb

Setup 82 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bomb
1 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bomb

The SB 2M-105 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 6 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (600 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs + 6 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (1,100 kg total)
• 4 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs (1,000 kg total)
• 1 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bomb (500 kg total)
• 2 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bombs + 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs (1,500 kg total)
• 3 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bombs (1,500 kg total)
• 1 x 500 kg FAB-500sv bomb + 2 x 250 kg FAB-250sv bombs (1,000 kg total)

Defensive armament

Turret2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun

Ammunition1920 rounds

Fire rate1800 shots/min

Turret7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun

Ammunition500 rounds

Fire rate1800 shots/min

Turret7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun

Ammunition1920 rounds

Fire rate1800 shots/min

The SB 2M-105 is defended by:

• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, nose turret (960 rpg = 1,920 total)
• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, dorsal turret (1,920 rpg)
• 1 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun, ventral turret (500 rpg)

Usage in battles

Arcade Battles:

This bomber is quite fast for its BR so you should use this as an advantage. For example, you should climb directly at the beginning of the match to 5,000 m and destroy the enemy bases with setup 5 (2 x 250 kg + 2 x 500 kg) which is the heaviest payload you'll have with this plane.

Realistic Battles:

In Realistic battles you should use the same tactics as in Arcade battles. Note that 2 x 500 kg FAB 500 bombs are enough to destroy a base.

Simulator Battles:

In Sim, the overall tactic remains the same as other bombers: base/airfield bombing. However, there are several notes for this particular SB 2M bomber.

Maybe it's because of the design of short fuselage and huge wings, or it's caused by something else, the SB 2M is super hard to control in the pitch. If you leave the stick at the deadzone, the aircraft will automatically climb or dive which will lead to a crash if unnoticed. Trimming doesn't help. For the gunner view, even though you might have the "autopilot when in gunner view" enabled, it won't help either, as it will still continuously pitch up and down like a boat. Also note that when switching to gunner view, it will sometimes uncontrollably roll to one side which will make it enter a spin quickly. Therefore this bomber is extremely frustrating to fly in Sim.

Note: the setup with the most explosive mass is the 2x 250 kg + 2x 500 kg, but this way the two 500 kg bombs are carried under the wing roots and the two 250 kg inside the bomb bay. So if you use the default keybind (space) to open bomb bay and drop bombs, the timing will get messed up when bombing a base, since the two wing-mounted bombs will go first, then the bomb bay opens, dropping the two inside. The time between the two drops are long enough for one drop to completely miss the target. To avoid this, set up a keybind for open / close bomb bay, and drop bomb series (all bombs go at once). When approaching a base, open the bomb bay first, then drop all the bombs, they will now all hit the target.

When bombing airfields, make sure to fly above 2,000 m to avoid the anti-aircraft artillery, as this plane is unprotected and its coolers will often get damaged, leading to the engines overheating. You should familiarise each module of the airfield to maximise the damage. The airstrip is the most visible and the easiest one to hit, however bombing it seems to halve your reward. So it is recommended to bomb everything else: hangar, fuel area, living quarters, etc. The plane hangars are probably easy, since they aren't too small.

Given its huge wings compared to the rather skinny fuselage, it can be tricky to land as it will bounce off the ground and leap into the air again and again, no matter how slow it seems to fly. The trick is to slow it down more than any other twin-engine plane, plus set up key binds for "flaps down" and "flaps up" to replace the default "toggle flaps". This way you can use the wanted flap anytime. When approaching the airfield, make sure to descend to around 400 m when you are approximately 2 km away from the start of the runway. This is an appropriate distance to decelerate. As the airstrip occupies 1/3 of your windscreen, reduce speed to approximately 220 km/h, deploy combat flaps and cancel out that extra lift by pitching down. When you are almost touching down, reduce speed to no more than 160 km/h (seems dangerously slow but it can still glide safely), deploy landing gear, take-off flaps and pitch down even more so the SB 2M remains overall parallel to the ground. At the last second before touch down, make sure you are around 130 km/h and deploy landing flaps. This way the bomber can land gently and softly, and will not bounce off. At last, do not constantly hold the brake. Release brake immediately once the nose starts to dip down to avoid propeller strike.

Against the SB 2M (all modes but mostly in sim):

You should be very careful against bombers since with the Sim control (whether it be mouse joystick or a real stick) the plane will manoeuvre much more gently, making yourself a great target for the bomber's gunners. DO NOT follow behind the SB 2M's six unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind the SB 2M makes yourself pretty much stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with 7.62 mm bullets.

If your plane is an early biplane armed with weak machine gun (2-4 x 7.7 mm or below), you should use deflection shots. That is, imagine yourself as an anti-air missile, predict where you two will meet and fly towards that point. This way it gives the gunners little window to open fire at you. When firing, try to aim for the cockpit for a possible pilot-snipe, as the pilot is very unprotected or aim at its engines to damage it or the cooler. Without an engine the SB 2M won't fly far.

If you are flying an interceptor/heavy fighter that is heavily armed and armoured, you can just sit behind the SB 2M and confidently take out its crew/modules one by one, as its 7.62 mm machine gun has rather weak penetration and damage. This is the most precise way of damaging an aircraft, however, the safest tactic is still and will always be deflection shooting. One accurate burst will critically damage the weak airframe of the SB 2M, or snap off its wing straight away.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Combined	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Adequate speed for a bomber, allowing it to get to targets quickly
• Great turn rate allows it to change direction quickly, or to even dodge attacks
• Nice payload allows it to finish off a base in one go, or destroy tanks / pillboxes easily
• Great defensive firepower at the tail (2 x 7.62 mm MGs) with fast rate of fire, good trajectory and plenty of ammo allows it to deal with enemies on its six effectively

Cons:

• Defensive guns don't cover the belly and the sides well, and are quite light against fighters such as Bf 109 E-1 or Ki-61
• Crew and important parts (e.g. fuel tank, engines, coolers) lack protection, increasing the chance of being pilot-sniped or critically damaged. Combined with its weak airframe, it is vulnerable to heavy fighters like Ju 88
• In Simulator, it is extremely hard to control. No matter how precisely you trim, it will always automatically pitch up and down. Also when switching to gunner view, it will roll, causing a death spin

History

Archive of the in-game description

In the autumn of 1940, the SB 2M-105 variant was launched into full-scale production, equipped with 1,100 hp Klimov M-105 twelve-cylinder, V-shaped, water-cooled engines and VISh-22Ye propellers. Planes of this modification were equipped with MV-3 turrets and LU hatch mounts, and they included all of the improvements which had been applied to machines of previous variants, now implemented to the fullest extent. In particular, landing headlights and cradles for the retractable ski landing gear were mounted. Some SB 2M-105 aircraft had a new type of glazing on the pilot's cockpit's sliding canopy to improve visibility during landing and taxiing around the airfield. A total of 6,831 SBs were produced in all versions, including about 150 SB 2M-105s, until their production ended in early 1941. The SB bomber was the first Soviet aircraft whose licensed production was organized abroad. 110 planes designated B.71 were built in Czechoslovakia. In addition to the USSR, SB bombers were in service with Spain, China, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Germany, Slovakia, and Finland. After their combat debut in Spain, SBs came to be used in China from February 1938 onward. Bombers of this type participated in the Battles of Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. They were used in combat operations against Poland in September 1939 and in the war with Finland in the winter of 1939-40. When World War II began, the SB was the most popular Soviet bomber. They were extensively operated as day and night bombers, as well as scout planes, on the Soviet-German front until late 1943. They took part in the war with Japan in the Far East in August 1945. The Chinese Air Force used SBs until the end of World War II, as well as during the course of China's Civil War. Czechoslovakian B.71 planes were obtained by Germans and used as auxiliary and training vehicles. Bulgarian planes participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. The Finns had about 20 captured SB bombers of various versions, mainly SB 2M-103s, which they used as scouts and anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft. The SB aircraft were withdrawn from service with the USSR in 1946.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the SB 2M-105 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #33 - Pages of History section at 03:10 discusses the SB 2M.

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Ilyushin DB-3B
• Bristol Blenheim Mk IV
• Mitsubishi Ki-21-Ia
• Martin 167-A3 Maryland

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Tupolev Design Bureau (Ту́полев Опытное конструкторское бюро)
Bombers	TB-3M-17-32 · SB 2M-100 · SB 2M-103 MV-3 · SB 2M-103 · SB 2M-103U · SB 2M-103U MV-3 · SB 2M-105
	Tu-2 · Tu-2S · Tu-2S-44 · Tu-2S-59 · Tu-4
Arkhangelsky Bomber	Ar-2*
Strike Aircraft	Tu-1
Jet Bomber	Tu-14T
Export	␗SB 2M-103U · ␗Tu-2S-44 · ␗Tu-4
	◔Tu-2S-59
	* While Andrei Tupolev was imprisoned, Alexander Arkhangelsky, second in command at Tupolev OKB was able to append his name to the final production series of the SB bomber.