The First Soviet Torpedo Bomber 1937-1945: c60 built. The Ilyushin DB-3T (TsKB-53) was basically a torpedo bomber built in 1938, with either the M-86 or M-87 engine, and armed with 45-36-AN or 45-36-AV torpedoes. The idea came from the realization that the Soviet Naval Aviation lacked sufficient shore based airfields in the White and Barents … Read more
1936-45: 778 in service. The Polikarpov I-16 was a revolutionary Soviet fighter aircraft introduced in the early 1930s. Designed by Nikolai Polikarpov. First Flight was in 1933, and it was introducted in 1934 as a Fighter aircraft for Soviet Air Force, but also used by the Spanish Republican and Chinese Nationalist Air Forces. It was … Read more
Tupolev MTB-1 (1934) Patrol flying boat 1934-42: 15 built. The Tupolev MTB-1 was initially started as the MDR-4 (internally by Tupolev, ANT-27) in 1933, a project of patrol flying boat answering a specification for the Soviet Naval Aviation. It was a refined version of the failed Chyetverikov MDR-3, not accepted. The revised design retained the … Read more
1937-43: 44 built. The Chyetverikov MDR-6 was a 1930s Soviet Union reconnaissance flying-boat aircraft, and the only successful aircraft designed by the design bureau led by Igor Chyetverikov. It first flew in July 1937, as a two-engined high-wing monoplane, built in all-metal stressed skin construction. The prototype had two M-25 radial engines replaced in production … Read more
Tupolev MR-6 (1932) 1932-36: 150 converted. Inspired by Heinkel models, the all-metal cantilever monoplane twin engine reconnaissance Tupolev R-6 was also used by the Navy as the MR-6, equipped with floats. MR-6 stands for Morskoj razvyedchik, maritime reconnaissance (also sometimes called “KR-6P”). It was also used as a torpedo bomber version from 1932 and still … Read more
Beriev MBR-2 (1931-45) Multirole Flying Boat used 1932-55: 1,365 built. The Main soviet WW2 seaplane The MBR-2 (Medium Reconnaissance Seaplane, Type II) is a Soviet flying boat developed at the Central Design Bureau of MS under the leadership of G. M. Beriev, the most plentiful of all types during WW2. It Actively used as a … Read more
Tupolev TB-1 P (1930) 1931-34: 66 converted. The Tupolev Saga For that introductory matter into Soviet naval air power, it is important to stress the importance of Andrei Tupolev, not only for the development of bombers, to put in parrallel to Boeing, but in aviation in general. His models, taking the best innovations of its … Read more
1930-52: Up to 1200 built. An amazingly long success story The Shavrov SH-2, affectionately called “Shavrushka”, shares with the Polikarpov U-2 and Antonov An-2 the title of longest serving biplane in aviation history. But she was the only one being tailored as a seaplane, abeit amphibious. He production numbers never reached the scale of the … Read more
Beriev BE-2 (1936) 1937-38: 12 built. The Be-2, light observation biplane In a nutshell, the Beriev BE-2 was a two-seat dedicated biplane observation and reconnaissance catapulted floatplane in service with the Soviet Navy when WW2 broke out. Only 12 has been manufactured, retired from 1942. It was originaly designed as Beriev KOR-2 but designation was … Read more
