Ilyushin DB-3

The Ilyushin DB-3, where DB stands for Dalniy Bombardirovshchik, meaning long-range bomber, was a Soviet twin-engined, low-wing monoplane bomber of the Second World War that first flew in 1935. It came out of the BB-2, Sergey Ilyushin's unsuccessful competitor to the Tupolev SB, which he recast as a long-range bomber to meet a requirement to carry a 1,000 kg bombload over 3,000 km. The design used a radial engine built from a French licence the Soviets bought in 1934. The prototype proved stable, easily controllable and highly maneuverable, and performed the first loop by a twin-engined aircraft in the Soviet Union. Forty-five DB-3s were built in the first production year at Voronezh before it entered service with the air force. In all 1,528 were built, and it was the forerunner of the Il-4.