Flying tank invention 'died young' in World War II

During World War II, the Soviet Union attempted to develop flying tanks to get them to their destination quickly, but tests showed poor results.

In conflicts throughout history , humans have invented many strange ways of attacking , from Greek Fire in the Byzantine era to catapults that launched plague victims at enemies in the 14th century. One such invention was the flying tank, conceived by the Soviet Union during World War II, but was short-lived.

Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka flying tank. (Photo: Tempshill/Wikimedia Commons)

Tanks, even small ones, were heavy and bulky, making transporting them to the battlefield a major challenge. Driving tanks all the way would leave them vulnerable to enemy attack. So the Soviets began experimenting with ways to transport them by air.

They experimented with strapping T-27 super light tanks to the undercarriage of bombers, flying them to airfields and dropping them. However, the destructive power of the tanks was not enough to justify the risk of using expensive aircraft. Other methods included dropping the tanks into water by plane or dropping them from very low altitudes. Soldiers would parachute down and climb into the tanks, hoping the enemy would not arrive.

But then, during World War II, the Soviets came up with another idea: attach a tank to a glider and send it flying into battle. The result was the Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka , or "tank with wings . "

In 1940, designer Oleg Antonov attempted to create a hover tank, essentially attaching the wings of a biplane and a long tail to a small, lightweight tank. The idea was that the hover tank would be towed by a larger aircraft and then released. It would then simply glide over the battlefield before removing its wings and tail.

It took several years for the flying tank prototype to be built and tested. " When they were testing the flying tank, they had to take out the ammunition and most of the fuel to save weight. The idea was that as the tank's turret rotated, the pilot would move the joysticks on the wings. Just move the gun left or right," explains Jim Winchester, author of The History of Aviation: A Century of Powered Flight Day by Day.

In 1942, test pilot Sergei Anokhin rode in a tank as it was lifted into the air by a Tupolev TB-3 bomber. However, it was quickly realized that this was not a good idea, as the drag of a flying tank was too great for the bomber. The tank was dropped early, but Anokhin managed to glide it down and land safely in a field, then drove back to base.

Although Japan and Britain both attempted to build their own versions of flying tanks, they were unable to make them aerodynamically efficient, so like the Soviet Union, they quickly abandoned the idea.