| MTB-2 (ANT-44) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Flying boat/Amphibian |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | 19 April 1937 |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Primary user | Soviet Union |
| Number built | 2 |
The Tupolev MTB-2 (Морской Тяжелый Бомбардировщик — Heavy Naval Bomber), also known as the ANT-44, was a Soviet four-engine flying boat built in the late 1930s. Two prototypes were built; performance was satisfactory, but the design was overtaken by the fielding of long-range, land-based bombers by Soviet Naval Aviation and cancelled in 1940.
The first prototype crashed during flight testing and the second aircraft set a series of world records by a flying boat later that year. After the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, it flew bombing missions against targets in Romania and then along the Black Sea littoral as Axis troops advanced deeper into the Soviet Union. In 1942 the aircraft began evacuating wounded troops and also resumed its previous role of strategic bombing Romanian targets until its loss later that year.