In the 1930s the Soviet Union was obsessed with the idea of huge planes. So they built a mammoth flying fortress that looked like something out of a Jules Verne novel.
Designed by Konstantin Kalinin, this plane was the size of the Empire State Building lying on its side, but equipped with cannons. It had 12 engines facing front and propellers even on the back of the wings. The propellers were needed to help lift the gigantic fortress because jet propulsion had not yet been invented.
Kalinin wanted to build two more planes but the project was scrapped because the first and only one built flew 11 times before crashing and killing 15 people. So Stalin had Kalinin executed. It was not good to fail on an expensive project under Stalin.
Not many photos were saved from those times because of the high secrecy levels of such projects
Can you imagine what it would be like sitting in this thing when those cannons go off?
Quite an airplane! Makes the B-36 look like a toy. Can you imagine dog-fighting with one of these?
Yes , but was it a hybrid? I mean I would not want to contribute to AGW.
That is probably why got Kalinin whacked.
Bwaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaaa.
When the Army Air Corps became the U.S.Air Force, My dad was a crew chief on the B-36.
This plane above would dwarf a B-52~! And THOSE are Huge in themselves~!
As I look again, can one say, “Millenium Falcon” ???
It probably had to be flown by a committee…and I doubt there was
too much in the way of hydraulics which meant those rudders
and ailerons were operated by muscle and wire….
I remember playing, years ago, a WWI fighter simulator where zeppelins were my favorite things to shoot down. I believe this plane is not much different in terms of speed and ability to be easily spotted
the “spruce goose” the plane built by howard hughes was on the large side also and i believe made out of wood. heck why fly it just drive it onto the battlefield and scare the shit out of your enemy. almost a death star in size.
I have the Spruce Goose as well as that huge Dornier flying boat in my FS 2004 collection of planes, but I would love to have this one.
LOL – Wow, what a beast.
-Dave
Dave, I had TV on the other day and they were talking aircraft carriers. Anyway they were talking about somebody wanted to make an aircraft carrier out of a plane. Maybe it was this one. I don’t think it ever worked out.
Hey “A” for effort.
HEY, Steve, are you talking about UFO MotherShips??? Some day, there may be a Flying Wing Mothership,,, I wouldn’t put it past Human ingenuity, Not in the Least~!
Grouchy I say HA!!!, to all you nay sayers. Me and Calypso Louie know the Mother sip is just waiting. I think if My comrade and brother
Malik Shabazz Barak Hussain Obama is not re-elected we are getting on that Mother ship and are gone. Good Day Sir.