Tupolev TB-3

Tupolev · Soviet Union · first flew 1930 · bomber

The Tupolev TB-3 (OKB designation ANT-6) was a Soviet four-engined heavy bomber of the 1930s. It was one of the world's first cantilever-wing four-engine heavy bombers.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Fixed main undercarriage and gun turrets in the nose, on top of the fuselage and retractable under the wings
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Four-engined all-metal monoplane with a thick cantilever wing and corrugated metal skin
Four Mikulin M-17 engines in the wing leading edges, driving two-blade fixed-pitch propellers
Fixed main undercarriage and gun turrets in the nose, on top of the fuselage and retractable under the wings

A huge corrugated-skinned monoplane with four engines in the wing, a fixed undercarriage and gun turrets along the fuselage.

Specifications

The Tupolev TB-3 has a length of 24.4 m (80 ft).
It has a wingspan of 41.8 m (137 ft).
Its maximum speed is 212 km/h (132 mph).
Typical crew: 8-10.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The prototype first flew on 22 December 1930 with Mikhail Gromov at the controls, and mass production was approved in February 1931. It was developed from the Tupolev TB-1, and 818 were built.

Variants

Early aircraft used Mikulin M-17 engines, and later ones the M-34. In 1934 the wingspan was increased from 39.5 m to 41.85 m, and later variants moved one top fuselage turret aft of the tail fin.

Where you'll see it

Officially withdrawn from bomber units in 1939, the TB-3 still served as a bomber and transport through much of the Second World War. It also flew as a fighter mothership in the Zveno project and carried light tanks.

Related aircraft

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