RUSSIAN PLANE TUPOLEW MP-6

The Tupolev MP-6 was a Soviet reconnaissance plane in the dorsal wing configuration from the interwar period. The prototype flight took place in 1929, and serial production started shortly after. The plane was about 15 meters long with a wingspan of about 23.2 meters. The drive was provided by two M-17F engines, 715 HP each. The top speed did not exceed 230 km / h. The deck armament consisted of three 7.62 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 500 kilograms. At the end of the 1920s, the military aviation of the USSR aimed at acquiring a reconnaissance aircraft capable of carrying out its tasks both over land and over the sea. It was also assumed that one of its versions would be capable of operating in Arctic conditions. The Tupolev Design Bureau, responding to this demand, developed the R-6 aircraft, which in turn was structurally based on the earlier TB-1 bomber, but the new aircraft was significantly smaller. One of the specialized versions of the R-6 was the Tupolev MP-6, which received a float landing gear and was capable of operating in the far North. It was used primarily for reconnaissance and liaison tasks.