# ww094 TB-3 with I-16

Almost 8 inches TB-3 bomber wing span miniature detailed model of famous Zveno TB-3 heavy bomber with two I-16 fighters.Please check availability prior ordering.History of this unique project you can read below:
Not only were the Soviets never idle in their research for composite aircraft, but they can even be considered pioneers in this domain as can be witnessed by the different tests they conducted in the thirties, especially those with their heavy four-engine Tupolev TB-3s. In the thirties, this airplane was the first strategic bomber in the history of aviation. It was also utilized for other diversified missions: sometimes equipped with gliding torpedoes, sometimes transporting paratroopers, sometimes performing polar expeditions, or transporting tanks??¦But, its most original utilization was that of an aircraft carrier, under the name `Samolyot Zveno`.
Beginning in 1931, engineer V.S. Vakhmistrov understood the fallacies of G. Douhet`s theories, more than ten years before the Americans invested, and felt over confident in the invulnerability of their heavy bomber groups because they were equipped with powerful defense armament.
Understanding that those slow and not very maneuverable airplanes would make an easy prey for the fighters even when operating at high altitude, he considered placing among the bomber formations composite aircraft, namely some heavy bombers transporting fighters, thus developing the airplane `aircraft carrier` concept.