Tupolev ANT-3
| ANT-3 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Reconnaissance aircraft |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Tupolev |
| First flight | August 6, 1925 |
| Produced | 1926–1929 |
| Number built | 103 |
| Variants | Tupolev ANT-10 |
Tupolev acquired much experience in building his first two aircraft, which he employed for the next one, the ANT-3. By this time, Soviet Air Force leaders were convinced that metal was a highly usable substance in the building of airplanes. Tupolev therefore guided AGOS- TsAGI in creating the first Soviet all-metal aircraft. The ANT-3 was Tupolev’s first practical plane.
On August 1, 1924, design work started for the ANT-3. The following July, the prototype was finished and came out of the AGOS factory. It was a sesquiplane, where the lower wing is somewhat shorter than the upper one. Its first flight was on August 6, conducted by V. N. Fillipov, who tested planes for TsAGI until the upcoming October.
The Air Force ordered several ANT-3s after they were pleased with the results of tests led by Mikhail Gromov. However, they could not have as many as they wanted due to a shortage of metal. Nonetheless, the Soviets used it for propaganda.
Because these ANT-3s were for military usage, they were designated R-3, the R standing for Razvedchik ("Reconnaissance").
The ANT-3 was produced between 1926 and 1929 at Gos Avia Zavod, or GAZ. The factory was later called , and after that, Factory No. 22. There were presumably 102 made in total.
The ANT-3 could hold two people: a pilot and a gunner. The latter was in a different cockpit aft of the pilot. The wings had a support bar and cross-bracing wires. As with the ANT-2, the outer covering was made from duralumin, and the fuselage had a triangular cross-section.
The ANT-3 was powered by one engine, and there were several engines it could use. The prototype used a 298 kW (400 hp) Liberty, and the second one was powered by a 336 kW (450 hp) Napier Lion. Production aircraft first used the 336 kW (450 hp) Lorraine-Dietrich (79 used); one used a 373 kW (500 hp) BMW V-1, and 21 aircraft used the 336 kW (450 hp) Mikulin M-5.
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