What did the USSR build from the DC-3?

Short answer

The USSR built a version of the DC-3 under a licence granted to its government on 15 July 1936. It was designated PS-84 and, in 1942, renamed Lisunov Li-2. Between 1940 and 1954, 4,937 aircraft of all Li-2 variants were produced, built in Moscow-Khimki and, after the 1941 evacuation, in Tashkent.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Douglas DC-3

From licence to the PS-84

The USSR government was granted a production licence on 15 July 1936. The Soviet version was designated PS-84, from Passazhirskiy Samolyot 84, passenger aircraft 84. The first PS-84s began leaving the GAZ-84 production line in 1939. The aircraft was built at State Aviation Factory No. 84, in Moscow-Khimki, and, after the plant's evacuation in 1941, at the Tashkent Aviation Production Association, in Tashkent. Before the Second World War, the PS-84 flew with Aeroflot mainly as a passenger transport.

The Li-2 at war

When Germany invaded the USSR on 22 June 1941, 237 PS-84s had been built at GAZ-84. Following the German attack of 1941, many PS-84s were transferred to military use, and in 1942 they were redesignated Lisunov Li-2. The aircraft were used for transport, supplying partisans, bombing, and as medical evacuation aircraft.

Production and longevity

A total of 4,937 aircraft of all Li-2 variants were produced between 1940 and 1954. The last survivors still in use were recorded in China and Vietnam during the 1980s.