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Tupolev MTB-2

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Tupolev MTB-2, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 20256 sources
Tupolev MTB-2 (ANT-44)
Company typePrototype aircraft
IndustryAviation, Military aviation
Founded1937
Headquarters
Soviet Union
ProductsHeavy naval bomber flying boat



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The Tupolev MTB-2 (Морской Тяжелый Бомбардировщик, meaning Heavy Naval Bomber), also identified as the ANT-44, was a Soviet four-engine flying boat developed in the late 1930s. Only two prototypes were constructed; although its performance met expectations, the emergence of long-range, land-based bombers within Soviet Naval Aviation rendered the design obsolete, leading to its cancellation in 1940.

The initial prototype was lost in a crash during flight testing, whereas the second prototype established multiple world records for flying boats later that same year. Following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, this aircraft conducted bombing operations targeting locations in Romania and along the Black Sea coast as Axis forces advanced. In 1942, it shifted focus to evacuating injured personnel while continuing strategic bombing missions against Romanian targets until it was eventually lost that year.

Design and development

By the early 1930s, Soviet Naval Aviation recognized that their existing long-range seaplanes were becoming outdated. Doubtful about domestic capabilities to design and produce modern aircraft swiftly, they considered procuring such planes from foreign manufacturers. In late 1934, British seaplane specialists Short Brothers proposed a four-engine variant of their S.23 flying boat to be built within the Soviet Union. This model promised a maximum speed between 300–320 km/h (190–200 mph) and a range spanning 1,200–1,300 km (750–810 mi). However, after evaluation by the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, it was determined that the Tupolev Design Bureau could deliver a superior design.

In March 1935, specifications were issued for the ANT-44 (factory designation) or MTB-2 flying boat. The requirements called for an aircraft capable of striking both land and naval targets while transporting 35 to 40 personnel along with cargo. Performance targets included a speed of 300 km/h at an altitude of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and a range of 1,000 km (620 mi) carrying a bomb load of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Tupolev responded with an all-metal airframe featuring a shoulder-mounted gull wing. The hull incorporated a two-step planing design divided into seven watertight compartments to accommodate a crew of seven or eight.[1] Defensive armament consisted of two 7.62 mm (0.300 in) ShKAS machine guns positioned in nose and tail turrets, plus a third weapon located in an upper dorsal compartment accessible via a sliding hatch. The aircraft could carry up to 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of bombs or naval mines on external racks beneath the central wing section. Fuel was stored in metal tanks mounted alongside each side of the forward wing spar. Powerplant comprised four 604 kW (810 hp) Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major 14Kdrs M-85 radial engines. Each engine nacelle featured leading-edge panels that folded down to serve as work platforms. The tailplane was supported by bracing wires both above and below.[2]

Its maiden flight occurred on 19 April 1937 from land using a temporary fixed undercarriage; waterborne flight followed on 1 November after installation of underwing stabilizing floats. State trials commenced that month but were paused in December to replace the Mistral Major engines with more powerful Tumansky M-87 units rated at 627 kW (840 hp). Armament upgrades included replacing nose and tail turrets with 20 mm (0.79 in) ShVAK cannon, substituting the dorsal gunner’s position with a turret armed with a ShKAS machine gun, and adding another ShKAS inside the hull. Trials resumed in July 1938 with further modifications such as retractable conventional landing gear and enhanced M-87A engines delivering 709 kW (950 hp). The second phase of state testing began in late September but ended abruptly when the prototype sank following a hard landing that ruptured its hull during the night of 27/28 February 1939.[3]

The second prototype—referred to as ANT-44bis or ANT-44D—entered construction in July 1937 incorporating most adjustments requested during mockup inspection in March as well as improvements applied to the first aircraft, including M-87A engines, retractable landing gear, and revised armament layout. The wing area was slightly increased; empennage dimensions and shape were altered along with tailplane bracing arrangements. Its inaugural flight took place on 26 June 1938, followed by builder’s trials extending until 27 March 1939. State acceptance tests were conducted from 1 to 16 May, concluding with favorable recommendations.[4]

Plans called for production at Factory No. 30 located at Moscow-Khodynka Field. Production models were intended to be equipped with Tumansky M-88 radials rated at 1,100 hp (820 kW), achieving speeds up to 400 km/h (250 mph) and ranges near 2,000 km (1,200 mi) while carrying bomb loads of 2,800 kg (6,200 lb). However, manufacturing was cancelled in January 1940 as the Navy began receiving more cost-effective long-range Ilyushin DB-3 bombers capable of fulfilling similar roles.[5]

With its landing gear removed, the ANT-44bis set multiple world records for flying boats within its class:[6]

  • On 17 June 1940: reached an altitude of 7,595 m (24,918 ft) without payload
  • On the same day: achieved altitude of 7,134 m (23,406 ft) carrying a payload of 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
  • On 19 June 1940: attained altitude of 6,284 m (20,617 ft) with a load of 2,000 kg (4,409 lb)
  • Also on that day: climbed to an altitude of 5,219 m (17,123 ft) while carrying a payload of 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)
  • On 28 September 1940: recorded maximum speed of 277.4 km/h (150 kn;172 mph) over a distance of 1,000 km (620 mi) with a payload of 1,000 kg (2,205 lb)
  • On 7 October 1940: attained maximum speed of 241.9 km/h (131 kn;150 mph) over 1,000 km (620 mi) carrying a payload of 2,000 kg (4,409 lb)

Operational history

Following the Axis powers' invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, the ANT-44bis had its landing gear removed to enhance its bomb-carrying capacity, allowing it to transport up to 7,000 kg (15,000 lb) on short-range sorties. Initially, it conducted nocturnal bombing raids targeting Romanian cities such as Bucharest, Constanța, and Ploiești. As Axis forces pushed forward along the Black Sea coastline, the aircraft shifted focus to night attacks on military positions near Odessa, Kherson, and Nikolaev. The encirclement of Sevastopol in late 1941 compelled the ANT-44bis to relocate its base to Gelendzhik in the North Caucasus area. From there, it undertook missions evacuating wounded personnel from Sevastopol while continuing strategic bombing operations against Romanian targets. Typically, fighter escorts accompanied these missions; however, during a mid-1942 sortie, a coordination failure resulted in the absence of fighter cover as the ANT-44bis was taking off. Heavily loaded and vulnerable, the aircraft was detected by German fighters and subsequently destroyed, with all crew members lost except for the pilot, who was ejected during the explosion. Rather than acknowledging this operational error, Soviet command attributed the crash to pilot misjudgment caused by a wing contacting the water and reassigned surviving witnesses to service with the Northern Fleet in the Arctic region.

Specifications (ANT-44D)

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See also

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Notes

  1. ↑ Gordon & Rigamant, p. 77
  2. ↑ Gunston 1995b, p. 104
  3. ↑ Gordon & Rigamant, pp. 77–78; Kulikov, part 1, pp. 29–31
  4. ↑ Gunston 1995a, p. 407; Gunston 1995b, p. 105; Kulikov, part 1, p. 31
  5. ↑ Gordon & Rigamant, p. 78; Kulikov, part 1, p. 31
  6. ↑ Gunston 1995a, p. 407

Bibliography

  • Gordon, Yefim & Rigamant, Vladimir (2005). OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-214-4.
  • Gunston, Bill (1995a). The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875–1995. London: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-405-9.
  • Gunston, Bill (1995b). Tupolev Aircraft since 1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-882-8.
  • Kulikov, Victor (July 1996). "ANT-44, la mouette de Tupolev (1ère partie)" [Tupolev's Seagull]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in français) (40): 28–31. ISSN 1243-8650.
  • Kulikov, Victor (August 1996). "ANT-44, la mouette de Tupolev (2ème partie)". Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in français) (41): 41–42. ISSN 1243-8650.

Further reading

  • Shavrov V.B. Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR, 1938–1950 gg. (3rd ed.) (in Russian). Moscow: Mashinostroenie, 1994. ISBN 5-217-00477-0.

Template:Tupolev aircraft Template:Soviet bomber-attack designations

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