The Zveno Project: The Soviet Union's Airborne Aircraft Carrier

Uncover the extraordinary story of Vladimir Vakhmistrov's Zveno Project, a radical plan to turn bombers into airborne aircraft carriers. Explore the challenges, innovations, and the fascinating history of this visionary concept!
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[@angelitabecerra]

Petition to end the TV edits across *all* of Simon's channels.

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

I'd sign it. I have no idea why he's doing it, but it'd done nothing to me but break my immersion in the video.

[@jamesblackwell4020]

I absolutely hate it. I can't stand the edits he does on his new channel places either

[@astro9378]

Preach!

[@IanPendleton-gh6ox]

Ah, if that is the case then I can live with them when they show up.@Mika-ph6ku

[@momolovesyou9969]

Please

[@dorsk84]

Launching from a Dirigible is giving me Crimson Skies flash backs.😂

[@Observer_Effect]

Cool video as usual. You probably already know this - but just in case: something is really muted color/contrast wise in the shots of you on this video via KZbin.

[@garyclark3843]

Fly through the air with the greatest of ease, those daring young men on the flying trapeze.

[@mjelves]

I think they forgot to grade the footage of Simon lol

[@alexwallach7683]

Weirdly this concept is coming back with the advent of drones and AI. The concept of a 'mothership' with 4-5 drones performing air-strike, air-defence, and surveilance/recon

[@kaltaron1284]

Wanted to say the same. Some ideas will always return in a way. And having a larger vessel carry smaller ones is pretty old.

[@79huddy]

I just want the military attack drones to have RGB L.E.D'S so you can program them to swarm into a formation and light up and spell Your Fu-ked right before they attack L.E.D light show drone battles would be lit 😂

[@kaltaron1284]

@@79huddy Similar things habe been done with smoke pods but I guess drones could bring this to a new level.

[@Boo-se7wi]

That looks more plausible

[@zaco-km3su]

Not quite. Drones aren't exactly that planes. They're far smaller. Also, drones appear to start having on long ranges which will make them bigger so....the idea of a "mothership" aircraft is not looking that viable. Air strikes and reconnaissance require range and a "mothership" will not help because the drones themselves will have to be large.

[@roscoemclean4761]

I really think your editor needs to drop the "old-timey TV" visual and auditory filter. It's distracting, seems to have no discernible pattern of being used, and certainly does not add any value to the video... I've seen a bunch of comments about not liking it. Please listen.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

The TV thingy is to avoid getting strikes by the copyright bot so it makes a bit of sense, but the audio filter.. no so much. I do listen those as a podcast and since he doesn't use any music, editor-chan could lose that part.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaaaaah.

[@Chris_Shoaf]

What’s up with the picture with the washed out or gray huge with Simon

[@mjelves]

Forgot to apply a LUT it seems like

[@lowtdave]

I love this video. I feel like i know quite a bit about history but I had never heard about the successful missions conducted by the Soviets. Genuinely impressive I do appreciate the pointing out there were no real testing methods other than just going for it and seeing what happens. Those were truly interesting times. Well, sad, but interesting.

[@nivision]

in Soviet Russia, planes test you! literally, you better have skills or you'll die.

[@hooks4638]

You and your channel are great but, these cuts to you on a tv with the sound effect are awful.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

It’s like the editor learned the technique and felt the need to use it everywhere.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

Nah, it's to fool the copyright robot from striking the video.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaaah.

[@Shirocco7]

Awesome. Had not heard of it, what an impressive idea.

[@ZMB-on5ub]

Thank you for turning down the volume on the old time TV effect. Still not a huge fan of the effect but I no longer hate it. Thanks!

[@CosRacecar]

I still do. I'm not sure what was said, but I don't care.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaah.

[@JayGee1]

Pretty sure the Editor forgot to Color grade the vid clips with Simon. Other than that another good video.

[@thegreatwhitedope]

I'm so over the crap TV voice thing. It makes me think something is wrong with the audio and is overly distracting.

[@marcbeebee6969]

😂 you sound like a old man now mate.

[@PhreekPestilence]

I come here to say this.

[@jordi0011]

I agree, I hate it.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaaaah.

[@jordi0011]

@@MthFknIceCream it’s ok bro, you don’t have to cry, it’s not that bad after all.

[@markwheeler4417]

And what about Cloudbase used by Captain Scarlet? It surely influenced Sky Captain and the Avengers more than anything else.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was unique and informative, ...about that Soviets project ( airborne fighter careers ), which was absent in WW2 historical records ..

[@zaco-km3su]

Carriers, not careers.

[@NOOBIFIER1337]

Someone forgot to do the LUT

[@HexLabz]

The desaturation makes fact boy look like AI.

[@rubiconnn]

I don't think his editors understand color grading

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasallen2743]

Simons too busy hosting his plethora of channels. Meet “I-Simon” your new holographic host

[@Lanka0Kera]

"Ages ago" aka early 2000s, there was a simulator game called IL-2 sturmovik: 1946 that had this and other weird tech from the ww2 era. Took ages but in one online game we (me + 4~5 friends) decided we'd give it a go since the game actually supported it. Made quite a few fellow pilots comment on how ridiculous it was :D

[@charlesurrea1451]

Those daring young men in their flying machines

[@Redacted2898]

They go niaooowww kersplat

[@tom23rd]

What a story!

[@the.amazing.spatterman]

Hey Simon! How does doing a video about the I-16 sound to you?　🙏 It’s been a much-forgotten, though revolutionary fighter, and the same goes for its designer, Nikolai ‘the King of Fighters’ Polikarpov!

[@antonykuo3809]

How about the po-2

[@the.amazing.spatterman]

@@antonykuo3809 The Po-2, to the I-16, and beyond! The entire Polikarpov line, all the way to the tragic drama behind the I-225. But the I-16 is a must though! If not the I-180, the venerable “Flying Squirrel” was Polikarpov’s masterpiece - the I-16. A freakin shredder with her blazing four-gun ShKAS/ShVAK configurations, a rapid turn-fighter and snap-roller that was notoriously difficult to land, because she NEEDED to fly! With that wingspan wider than the fuselage length at a 2:3 ratio, and wing roots blending their chord all the way back into the empennage, she’s SO unique! And I think I just gave myself away as here.. She’s my favourite, yes.

[@the.amazing.spatterman]

Oh and she IS NOT UGLYꓺ.! I don’t even care what the haters say! ca.super-hobby.com/zdjecia/9/6/3/19374_rd.jpg ..Except only from the side view is she ugly.. Pretty much like a flying Cuban cigar or whatnot.

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Wasn't it the first monoplane fighter in active service? Also, the first with retractable landing gear, I think.

[@jamess3241]

To all the people who keep complaining about the TV edit: take your unwanted criticism of high-quality free content these people are giving us elsewhere please

[@bradspeed69]

Complaining about other people complaining is paradoxical. Also I pay for KZbin premium, and those who don't pay via their eyeballs (ad revenue). The TV edit is annoying, and the comments section is specifically for opinions to be expressed. If you don't like that, take your unwanted criticism of the criticism of others elsewhere. Cheers👍🏼

[@gregduff6135]

love the videos, but the "Simon in the T.V" bit is a little odd.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaaaah.

[@xBruceLee88x]

Hello everyone hope you're all having a great new year so far! Another great video fact boi and crew

[@Yellowpikachu1]

Man. It seems that we tried dancing with the angels with this.

[@robertlugo3388]

Editor- please stop the lo-fi tv cuts.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaah

[@soooluscious5636]

Note to editor: I'm definitely not enjoying the cuts to Simon on a TV with the filter on his voice. Doesn't really add anything and it's pretty annoying.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaah

[@Silverwing2112]

It's surprising how small the XF-85 is, I got a picture standing next to one at the Air Force museum in Ohio.

[@Silverwing2112]

@@DEADG6D Okay but I have to ask why you felt the need to put that here instead of in your own comment that Fact Boy might actually see.

[@DEADG6D]

@@Silverwing2112 hmm that was purely an accident, idk how i did that sorry mate

[@YousufAhmad0]

You need to fire your audio and video editor(s) asap.

[@slavchobrusev]

Why are you so desaturated? its like you have a mask on and dialed down the saturation to 0? I dont get it?! Old videos have more contrast and color.

[@xaderalert]

Simon recorded this video live when the plane was designed, and color hadn't been invented yet.

[@xlukas93]

It looks like they forgot to do any post processing. Looks like raw footage or HDR footage on classic display.

[@rustyc6805]

Agreed, colour is totally off

[@Tkon321]

I agree it's very off, but honestly I kind of like it

[@Its_The_Jondus]

He finally actually replaced himself with AI

[@handybanana2274]

Have you ever done anything medical megaproject? sequencing the genome? MRI machine? largest medical trauma center with helopads? cancer treatment? implantable defibrillator? NIH research project?

[@MrW1LL14M]

Good god the TV filter or whatever it is, is bloody irritating now.

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaah

[@zaco-km3su]

At the time fighters didn't have that much range. Basically they needed to take off or be launched quite near the target. This is why this kind of worked for a while. It was also an aerial refueling tank. Fighters were also lighter back then. Now they're heavier and have longer ranges. Also, aerial refueling tankers have been developed. This is why an airborne aircraft carrier isn't viable anymore. Currently there are some ideas of launching drones from some aircraft but we shall see how that works out. Drones will have long ranges which makes any "motherships" not that viable.

[@hughbarton5743]

That was fun!

[@Hillbilly001]

I wonder if a pilot shot down one of these, would he be credited with one kill or 5?

[@javidaderson]

Hello, somebody forgot to throw a lut on this video.

[@donnyb6888]

i was thinking the same exact thing... looks like s log before color corrected

[@jamesr792]

The one inaccuracy I saw was that the Soviets and the Nazis worked together and split Poland before Barbarossa.

[@dwaynne_way]

This idea is crazy, but what do you expect from a country that made things like the Ekranoplan and Zubr Hovercraft.

[@PetrSojnek]

Well, crazy... but what is more crazy is, it actually worked for the time :)

[@dwaynne_way]

@@PetrSojnek sometimes thinking so far out of the box creates something truly amazing

[@zaco-km3su]

It wasn't crazy. The Ekranoplan is a ground effect vehicle. It's functional but it won't have that many applications....because of buildings. The Zubr is a hovercraft. Nothing more, nothing less. Look them up.

[@dwaynne_way]

@@zaco-km3su I meant crazy as it being a huge r and d project and out of the box thinking. And with the Zubr it's size was kind of its problem, being a big target and if something went wrong on an operation it would be a big problem.

[@zaco-km3su]

@@dwaynne_way The Soviets had some interesting concepts. Of course Stalin came in and took out most of these early visionary designers and aeronautical engineers. Also, it was the early days of aviation so they tried anything that worked. This project itself was not that much R&D because it was primitive. Also, the Zubr was not that much of a target if there were no weapons systems nearby.

[@sebastienboisvert8561]

Disliked because of the cutout to the old television and the weird filter over the video.

[@watcherit1311]

Editor's idea was to use randomly colorized historical BW footage with randomly colorized narrator. Bad idea.

[@Jatheus]

I love the concept, but it seems that missiles, which are, sort of, like parasite aircraft, have killed the manned parasite fighter idea... Still... really cool.

[@sudhanshurastogi1502]

now its alive in guided missiles and drones

[@dougpine]

Your audio is ringing around 1245 Hz on all the videos you shoot in this position on your set.

[@DAVISION-YT]

Video of you looks like LOG Footage and someone forgot to apply the LUT in grading. Or is this intentional?

[@davidkelley1812]

Great video and very informative, but why so grey?

[@Hello_there_obi]

Did you get a soviet computer to do the colour effects your own footage 😂

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

They never made their own computers.

[@Hello_there_obi]

@@extragoogleaccount6061 exactly hahaha

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Remember Billy Mitchel? He was "court martialed" for speaking out against "crazy wastefull" Aerial Aircraft carrier ideas with little return of value. Then later understood, almost honored.

[@kickflipthis]

Stop the TV effect please.

[@LPB2008]

Simon, do you have the Bristol Brabazon and the Dornier Do X in your backlog?

[@Hello_there_obi]

He did the brabazon just search it!

[@LPB2008]

@@Hello_there_obi Ah, I see, it is in the Highlight History channel. That's why I wasn't finding it in the Megaprojects channel. Thanks!

[@ReekieReels]

Looks about -30 saturation, and -20 contrast

[@zacharyroy6170]

Teach me about Route du Littoral in Reunion

[@brysonbaker2314]

Imagine becoming a famous admiral, only to get a famously crappy ship named after you. They done Kuznetzov dirty.

[@Mrgunsngear]

🇺🇸

[@TheKalaxis]

Enough with the old time radio effect. It's shit, annoying and adds nothing. It makes that part of the video harder to heard 😑

[@matwyder4187]

Not that god forsaken TV effect again... Why? Why?! These are otherwise quite informative videos, but I simply refuse to watch it like this. Not anymore.

[@briantruck2284]

This will come back in future with drones

[@joeyfatoni438]

Okay which ever editor is doing all the tv edits and radio voice cuts and then this absolutely horrible desaturated video please for the sake of my sanity and everybody else that loves to watch Simon. Stop just stop it’s not good

[@nickthompson9697]

And it has never appeared in any movie or video game.

[@heartofdawn2341]

Virgin Galactic launches a spaceship from it mother craft, so the idea isn't completely dead, it just looks nothing like what it once did

[@DD-wr4lv]

What’s going on with the lighting in this??????

[@BukkakeeNinja]

Why is there no movie or show about these beasts haha

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Probably a lack of footage and interest...Hollywood prefers "superhero" rubbish.

[@donnyb6888]

whats wrong with the color>? u shooting in s log?

[@NainakaiAyita]

does this video have very low saturation, or is it just me

[@jibberism9910]

In soviet Russia, bomber drops another bomber.

[@Zerglingviking]

3 minutes gang

[@hunterhalo2]

I bet!

[@TheGillhicks]

Can you please make a video about the waterway from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean.

[@4G12]

Sooner or latter, with the help of drone AI tech, we'll wind up with Protoss Carriers.

[@zaco-km3su]

Not necessarily.

[@frstesiste7670]

Do you grade your videos?

[@JayGee1]

Seems they forgot to do it on this one...

[@paulmc7068]

This is what Simon will look like in his coffin

[@joeboggio4002]

Who is the audio distortion for exactly? 🙄

[@MthFknIceCream]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaahh

[@djwindkind]

Please STOP WITH THE AUDIO EFFECT! It deos NOTHING for the content, it just hurts ears and kills speakers. PLEEEEEASE!

[@jamesoverholt878]

May-cun, like bacon.

[@EAWanderer]

Anything giant and Soviet isnt gonna end too well 😅 All show and no tell! I can only think of 3 exceptions to this

[@jtjames79]

Yes but it ends hilariously. 😂

[@EAWanderer]

​@jtjames79 Yes it does! 😅

[@ArheIy]

Well, this particular thing had participated in WW2 and even been quite effective. It was cancelled mostly because of change in air superiority concept, not the problems of the aircraft itself. Though, it may return with the extensive usage of drones in modern combat (Russian "lancets" and other kamikaze drones included).

[@jrgaskin01]

manned cruise missiles. brilliant.

[@watcherit1311]

What with all those randomly colored historical images? If the editor wants to grab attention he can equally generate random images with plane-like anime girls via the same AI

[@anthonymccormick2029]

At 9:20, is it flying toward you or away from you? what do you see?

[@Nathan-vt1jz]

Wait till we have drone swarm ships.

[@weldonwin]

Arsenal Bird, 1940's edition

[@sundragon7703]

Soviet test pilot...now there's a decades long career.

[@angel102ify]

up there with Experimental Parachute Tester,

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

If you are good….just don’t get involved in their space program

[@christiansmith-of7dt]

The holy trinity

[@harrymu148]

I'm already watching on what's effectively a TV lmfao I don't need a TV in a TV that's much harder to understand.

[@theawesomeman9821]

Looks like something from a steam punk anime

[@countryboy3424]

Living in Akron, Ohio I really appreciate how you said that 😂

[@LittleManFlying]

Residents of Macon, Georgia, on the other hand... 😂

[@michaeltelson9798]

@@LittleManFlyingBut he put an “r” in it. He said Macron.

[@SrSilverstars]

Please stop using these crappy hurtful-to-our-ears-radio segments

[@seanbrazell7095]

PLEASE don't do that ultra high treble old timey tv effect it litterally gave me a migraine.

[@nickmanganello6614]

The old time radio voice is brutal. Please stop.

[@NASWOG]

Big plane poop small plane. Da

[@nickhagen6175]

One again the crap tv audio edit. And once again I stop watching there. Don’t spend thousands on audio equipment and use a crap distorter

[@davevann9795]

Stop the TV outtakes with the weird sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@magnificentfailure2390]

"Macon" rhymes with "Bacon".

[@_Sami_H]

Love the video but the colors of video... is abit... off...

[@ROGER_DEVINE]

Great story. really bad vfx

[@rukeyazu8669]

Please stop doing the weird audio thing like your coming through an old TV…

[@ryanmiller8273]

Please, please, pretty please with sugar on top stop doing the weird and jarring audio edits. I'm not the only one who feels this way. Thank you.

[@Ubique2927]

I think that maybe you are the only one or one of a few.

[@CosRacecar]

​@@Ubique2927look thru the rest of the comments. Far from the only one.

[@MZ-bl6wg]

I’d never heard of this, amazing how so much of history is bieng eliminated by choice and/or just lack of info

[@jhin8054]

AI isn't doing these channels any favors. Terribly inaccurate photos, to the point where the viewer can't even trust the validity of them. What's the point in watching them, anymore?

[@rh661]

Still waiting for a deep dive into "Operation Paperclip".

[@fpsninja1]

Please stop the old TV effect. It adds literally nothing