G-23 Komsomolyets 2

The G‑23 Komsomolyets 2 was the second prototype of Vladislav Gribovsky’s experimental line of single‑engine sport aircraft, built in the Soviet Union during the early 1930s. Designed to replace the wooden‑ribbed G‑22, the Komsomolyets 2 featured an all‑metal monocoque fuselage, a low‑wing cantilever layout, and a retractable undercarriage—innovations rarely seen on civilian trainers at the time. Powered by a 140 hp Shvetsov M-11 radial engine, it could reach a top speed of 210 km/h and exhibited a modest climb rate that impressed Soviet flight schools. Only two examples were constructed; the first flew in May 1934, and the second, designated G‑23, demonstrated superior handling and structural durability during rigorous testing at the Leningrad Aviation Institute. Although the program was cancelled in 1936 in favor of mass‑produced Polikarpov trainers, the Komsomolyets 2 left a lasting legacy. Its advanced construction techniques influenced subsequent Soviet light aircraft, and its development marked one of the earliest successful applications of all‑metal airframes in a country still dominated by wooden designs. Today a restored Komsomolyets 2 is displayed at the Central Air Force Museum in Monino, where aviation historians cite it as a pioneering step toward the all‑metal fighters that would dominate Soviet skies in World War II.