Tupolev SB
 Tupolev SB. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
| |
| Make | Tupolev |
|---|---|
| Model | Tupolev SB |
| Type | Fast bomber |
| Country |  Soviet Union
|
| First flight | 7 October 1934 |
| Built | 1936–1941 |
| Number built | 6,656 |
| Seats | 3 |
| Engine | 2 × Klimov M-103, 716 kW
|
| More aircraft · For sale | |
The Tupolev SB (ANT-40) is a fast Soviet twin-engine, three-seat bomber that first flew in 1934. SB stands for Skorostnoi Bombardirovschik, "high-speed bomber".[1] In the late 1930s it was the most numerous bomber in the world, and 6,656 were built.[1] None are on the U.S. civil register.[2]
History
The SB was the first modern stressed-skin airplane the Soviet Union built in quantity, and perhaps the most formidable bomber of the mid-1930s.[1] It was advanced but unrefined, which frustrated its crews and mechanics and Stalin himself, who remarked that "there are no trivialities in aviation".[1] It was also built under license in Czechoslovakia.[1]
In the Spanish Civil War it outran most fighters, which were mainly biplanes, and it fought in China, Mongolia and Finland.[1] By 1941 faster fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 had made it obsolete, yet in June 1941 SBs were 94% of the Red Army air force's bombers.[1]
Specifications (SB 2M-103)
| Item | SB 2M-103 |
|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
| Length | 12.57 m |
| Wingspan | 20.33 m |
| Height | 3.6 m |
| Engine | 2 × Klimov M-103, 716 kW (V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines) |
| Propeller | variable-pitch propellers |
| Maximum speed | 450 km/h |
| Range | 2,300 km |
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]
Photos
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Tupolev SB. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain -
Tupolev SB. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain -
An Aeroflot Tupolev ANT-40. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain -
Tupolev SB. Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Gonzolito assumed (based on copyr, CC BY-SA 3.0
.jpg)
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.
Buying a Tupolev SB
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Wikipedia, "Tupolev SB", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
- ↑ Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.