The Sukhoi Su-2 was a Soviet light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II, notable as the first combat aircraft designed by Pavel Sukhoi. Developed in the late 1930s as a multi-purpose aircraft, it was a single-engine monoplane with retractable landing gear, crewed by a pilot and a rear gunner/observer. Armed with multiple 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns and capable of carrying up to 600 kg of bombs, it was powered by Shvetsov radial engines. Entering service just before Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Su-2 suffered heavy losses due to its light armor and modest speed, making it vulnerable to German fighters and anti-aircraft fire. Its production ceased by 1942, as it was quickly superseded by more robust ground-attack aircraft like the Il-2 Shturmovik. Despite its challenging operational career, the Su-2 marked an important step in Soviet aviation development.