Aircraft, Flying Boat, Tupolev MTB-2

History: The Tupolev MTB-2 (Russian: Морской Тяжелый Бомбардировщик — Heavy Naval Bomber), also known as the ANT-44, was a four-engine prototype flying boat designed in the Soviet Union in 1935.

Only the two MTB-2 prototypes were built by Tupolev: the Soviet Union's entry into World War II interrupted any further development. Both aircraft were pressed into service in the Black Sea region. The ANT-44D, piloted by I. M. Sukhomlin, saw limited use in 1941–1943, both as a bomber and a transport, and performed other tasks, such as emergency supply flights.

Railroad/Company: Tupolev (Russian: Ту́полев, IPA: [ˈtupəlʲɪf]) is a Soviet, and later a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Basmanny District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. Known officially as Joint Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau (OKB-156, design office prefix Tu) headed by the Soviet aerospace engineer A.N. Tupolev. The company celebrated its 90th anniversary on October 22, 2012. The Russian government merged Tupolev with Mikoyan, Ilyushin, Irkut, Sukhoi, and Yakovlev as a new company named the United Aircraft Corporation.

The capabilities of PSC Tupolev include development, manufacturing, and overhaul for both civil and military aerospace products such as aircraft and weapons systems. It is also active with missile and naval aviation technologies. More than 18,000 Tupolev aircraft were produced for the USSR and the Eastern Bloc.