Soviet Flying Aircraft Carriers Were Ingenious

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By the 1930’s it was well understood that military aircraft would play a crucial role in future conflicts. But there was an issue that had challenged aircraft designers since the dawn of flight. Large, heavy aircraft, like bombers, could carry plenty of fuel, allowing them to fly great distances, but smaller planes like fighters needed to be light and agile could carry only a small amount, limiting their range. This mismatch in flight range meant that on long range missions, bombers couldnt rely on the protection of escorting fighters.
In 1932 a pioneering Soviet engineer named Vladamir Vakhmistrov proposed a novel solution to this problem. Vakhmistrov realized that larger aircraft could be used to carry smaller ones to their targets where they could then be deployed to defend the bombers whenever needed. This would solve the short range problem of smaller, lighter aircraft. Normally, such an arraignment would significantly reduce the bomber’s own range, given the extra weight and drag caused by carrying aircraft. But Vakhmistrov's brilliant solution was to have the fighters also operate their engines during flight, contributing to the bomber’s total thrust. In fact, the fighters would help increase the bombers performance by providing more power than without the fighters attached. While connected to the carrier, the fighters would draw fuel from additional fuel reserves fitted inside the bomber’s wings. Vakhmistrov also proposed using the flying aircraft carriers for more than just protection. The fighters could be carried to far away targets to conduct more accurate dive bombing. They could also stay airborne to guard borders and engage incoming aircraft when needed.
Vakhmistrov would call his creation, Zveno (where in Russian the word ‘Zveno’ means ‘Chain Link’ or a ‘flight’ as pertains to a combat unit). The basis of Vakmistrov’s flying aircraft carriers would be the Tupolev TB-1 and later TB-3, the largest bombers of their time. Over a dozen configurations would be tested using various fighter aircraft. But development would be protracted, and it wouldn't be until the summer of 1941 that Zveno carriers would help make a meaningful contribution to the defense of the Soviet Union.
Key Research: “Vakhmistrov's Circus: Zveno Combined Aircraft - the Projects, Developments, Testing and Combat” by Mikhail Maslov (2017)
Thanks for watching!

[@MustardChannel]

As mentioned at the end of the video, my next Nebula topic will be selected by Mustard viewers. Reply to this comment with your pick, and the one with the most likes will be my next feature on Nebula! go.nebula.tv/mustard

[@minliu9999]

More naval videos pls

[@julianmuehlschlegel9540]

Do the german highspeed ICE train, which was the fastest in the world in 1988.

[@andrewthomson]

Edison Trucks in BC would be an awesome topic to cover even though it's a work in progress.

[@gonuhi]

More 60s era soviet engineering

[@gonuhi]

Or about the Mercedes t80 before ww2?

[@Sarnarath]

''Too big and expensive'' has killed many of the coolest ideas ever.

[@ummmhelp]

war is rarely a competition of who can make the best but instead the most

[@davidegaruti2582]

Didn't kill the f35 ...

[@dr.captain1079]

@@davidegaruti2582 Tbf we still were on top of the best air fighters and then we made the gap even bigger of course it didn't kill the F35, not in a time of war where we need to allocate funds properly

[@Gooxsy]

@@davidegaruti2582 except it's not big, unique or unproven it's just expensive

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

​@@davidegaruti2582. And B-2

[@VacationWanter]

It’s incredible that the concept was not only tested, but proven multiple times in combat. I can’t believe I haven’t heard this story sooner. Great video!

[@coloradostrong]

Because they are doing away with truth , history and _who_ made these machines, whether Allied or Axis powers. They want to rewrite history to fit their narrative.

[@PotniMuzik]

yeah, actually there's so many stories about my country, but unfortunately the majority of them are still hiden in shadows

[@billtev9846]

This would make a great movie

[@SofaKingShit]

@@PotniMuzik The west thinks the whole of Russia is always lurking in the shadows, so we hide ourselves away in the darkness like utter losers.

[@mikewlazlinski4309]

​@@PotniMuzik they shoulda developed this instead of those submarines. Like yeah seems like a money sink but like honestly if ya could get this concept to work as well as an American aircraft carrier the Soviet Union might still exist.

[@JAlucard77]

I'm blown away by the fact that they ACTUALLY FLEW COMBAT MISSIONS. I had NO CLUE that they actually existed. I'd always seen things about experimental airborne carriers but never knew that a successful model made it into service and combat. Awesome video, I'm always excited to see and learn about things like this. So thank you again. 😊

[@Wen6543]

I freaking love many of the Soviet and Russian concepts, they look so strange, almost alien, in other parts of the planet, almost like something coming from a sci fi show.

[@sinankurt7109]

They were not successfull

[@--novus-ordo-secrolum-un--8820]

@@Wen6543ikr they were quite genius

[@brentonherbert7775]

@@--novus-ordo-secrolum-un--8820 you have "genius" and then you have "too stupid to realise a bad idea" Tell me again how long aerial aircraft carriers lasted again?

[@velvetmagnetta3074]

@brentonherbert - Soviet aircraft aircraft-carriers lasted until fighter jets could carry enough fuel to reach deep into enemy territory. Then, the carriers became obsolete. Doesn't mean they didn't cleverly fill a much-needed niche at the time. And quite successfully, at that.

[@larkinmayfield2376]

Almost made me cry seeing the planes that had seemed fated to die without ever flying a mission being used so brilliantly and proving that looks aren’t everything.

[@f4ust85]

This is Mustard, not Soysauce...

[@samwisegamgee8318]

You’re a very emotional person

[@viciousKev]

Time to start exercising daily

[@biohazard8295]

​@@samwisegamgee8318bro millions of people died in the war. I don't see nothing wrong in someone experiencing an emotional response to such an inspiring and traumatic historic event.

[@alberteinstein8862]

@@biohazard8295 Old planes participating against odds maybe is a little inspiring but traumatic? No way

[@LastGoatKnight]

Over 30 missions and only one fighter loss?😮 Not bad at all especially that they were outdated already

[@TheEDFLegacy]

The I-16 was the A-Wing of WWII. In both positives and negatives.

[@LastGoatKnight]

@@TheEDFLegacy I like that metaphor. A surprise to be sure, but a velcome one.

[@johnvgrand]

They wasn't outdated. Stop listening to you Rusophobic propaganda of jealous losеrs

[@user-qi6pv9jh7o]

Unusual project, based on outdated planes, doing battle missions and surviving them is already shocking But the fact they _worked_ is next level of completely amazing stuff

[@Quincy_Morris]

Especially for the Russian front

[@KR4FTW3RK]

The bridge in Romania (King Carol I bridge) was actually critically important for the axis war machine since it was one of the few railway bridges over the enormous Danube. It connects the romanian harbor of Konstanza with the Bukarest. Repairs took four months, involving romanian railway engineers from the CFR Resicabánya and specialists coming from MAN in germany. The bridge stands to this day but has been taken ouf of service in 1987.

[@sobolanul96]

The bridge was still somewhat used into the '90's. I clearly remember passing on it as a kid as late as 1991-1992.

[@wingsofwrath4647]

Still perfectly operational and used occasionally if the volume of traffic demands it, as I've passed it a few times even in the last 10 years when one of the spans of the new bridge was undergoing maintenance. The problem with is is that it's single line, whereas the new bridge built in 1987 is double line.

[@johnd2058]

It looks like it could have taken twi ce the tracks, like the rail bridge between the PRC and SRVN. Bombers had trouble with that one, too.

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

Poland? Didn't exist or?

[@sobolanul96]

@@wingsofwrath4647 Interesting, I remember seeing the power lines half dismantled in the early 2000's

[@randomexcessmemories4452]

The idea of having the fighters provide extra power to the bombers while attached is brilliant. It keeps them from being dead weight and boosts the speed and range of the bomber-carriers themselves. Fascinating and well-done as always, Mustard!

[@user-qi6pv9jh7o]

I thought of carried planes to be useless until release, but the fact they can be useful even before that is truly outside-the-box optimisation

[@kingace6186]

Very innovative

[@boyvol6428]

They are not only extra weight, they are also extra horsepower and lift.

[@rc5924]

It didn't give them extra range

[@jamesharding3459]

At the cost of reducing the useful range of the attached aircraft. And since re-attaching in flight was impossible, it would limit the maximum return-flight distance: And thus, operational radius.

[@Frankabyte]

I would pay so much to see a full-fledged movie about this aircraft and its designer and the trials and tribulations they both faced.

[@ManiaMac1613]

Mustard and Paper Skies is a match as natural as Soviet engineers and batshit insane aircraft.

[@termiusprime]

Don't forget Found and Explained!

[@andrewbui1351]

​@@termiusprime Nah, Found and Explained is a wannabee Mustard copycat. It is so blatant that he has been trying so hard to copy Mustard's style and voice for a while now. Doesn't deserve to be anywhere near Mustard.

[@ugochukwueze496]

Mustards is on his own league, he takes his time to release videos, but it is always worth the wait.

[@termiusprime]

@@ugochukwueze496 His videos, truly are the best, and they go by way to quickly

[@iandonnelly6684]

Lol whoever said communisim stifiles innovation never looked at soviet aircraft!

[@tetraxis3011]

The Soviets actually managed to make the concept work. Actually incredible. It’s did pretty good too considering the German aircraft they faced.

[@cristitanase6130]

Are you new on this planet?

[@FranceKilledThomasSankara]

@@HundshuntI have no idea what you're trying to say, this is borderline illegible.

[@peterdenov4898]

@@FranceKilledThomasSankara it's either: “Duh, the Soviets waren't incompetent” or “It's the Soviets we are talking about [Insert the most absurd and worn off propaganda wall of text to ever exist]” In both cases it's childish.

[@tetraxis3011]

@@Hundshunt The USSR was something else.

[@niewiemjaksienazwac1652]

@@Hundshunt The theory of Lebensraum existed before the Operation Barbarossa.

[@hakku9344]

I can just imagine the Zveno just goes "attack them, my children"

[@simon_ghost_rilley252]

laughing my ass of after reading this shit

[@prophetsspaceengineering2913]

I'd love to see a video on the history of German airships in WWI. It was the only time in history when airships were used in large numbers (around 100 throughout the war). There are absolutely bizarre details and anecdotes from that era, like an airship blocking the wind flow against a sailship (and subsequently engaging in piracy against the poor trader). Another fun story involves the issue of landing these behemoths in the fog, which often involved ground crews singing - though at one point an airship almost landed on top of an unrelated singing company on the march. Near the end of the war, there was also a mission to send an airship all the way to the African colonies for a resupply mission. While unsuccessful, they still broke records with that daunting trip. The technical details are also fascinating. They had to invent many safety features regarding electrical lines, access to the engines and simply keeping people from freezing on fully exposed structures at immense heights. They created a tube system with oxygen to keep at least the bridge crew in good shape, tried out a gondola to peek below the clouds, and used melting ice for ballast. The comments from high-ranking officers of the time are also very interesting. Quite a few were fully aware that airships weren't an effective weapon and would soon be surpassed by planes. They pretty much gambled on the allies using more resources to fight airships and that supposedly panned out.

[@Johnny-rj9on]

Melting ice for ballast... good idea!

[@nik.6845]

The collaboration between Paper Skies and Mustard is so cool 😎 Let's hope there are more of them!

[@bubblesofthecoast6393]

Paper Skies did mention he got a video coming out next Thursday so….. maybe

[@Demicron]

There was also an Easter egg me tin of Mustard in last video in regards to his voice and accent

[@CAP198462]

Mustard and paper are kind of an odd combination, but it works.

[@suminshizzles6951]

I heard that russians guys' voice somehere else and it took my head for a spin. I was thinking that people have mulitple channels and that is the case sometimes.

[@kh2b573]

Literally did not expect the cameo

[@Lazidiz]

Mustard never fails to dissapoint , always finding the most intresting and entertaining machines

[@sepalmq1229]

shouldn't it be "always fails to disappoint"? since he is not disappointing?

[@EEE-1409]

@@sepalmq1229 He cannot remove his mistake. Or he loses the heart.

[@johnstuckey262]

Never failing to disappoint us a bad thing bro

[@mmodernzz]

Bro your fricking comment was 1 minute after the video came out

[@kutter_ttl6786]

​​@@mmodernzzHe's been waiting the past two months, eagerly glued to his computer, to pull the trigger on the comment.

[@abissuminvocat]

The first successful flight of Zveno-1, which consisted of a TB-1 heavy bomber carrying two I-4 fighters on its wings, took place on December 4, 1931. One of the I-4 pilots was the famous Soviet test pilot Valery Chkalov. He is known for being the commander of the crew of the ANT-25 aircraft, which made the first non-stop flight over the North Pole from Moscow to America (Vancouver, Washington) on June 18-20, 1937.

[@WindrunnerWargamer]

This is one of those odd circumstances in war where a seemingly obsolete solution to a now technically obsolete problem was used to extremely great effect simply due to a disbelief that such a solution existed. Really interesting stuff. Hadn't heard of the Zvenos before but this was a great summary of their development and usage! Good work chief.

[@PaperSkiesAviation]

As a long-time fan of Mustard, I think this is by far his best video. 😜

[@Lift_CT]

Wonder who that guys doing the soviet voice over was? 😏

[@Owlzz_]

I like to see your content too! Especially the booze carrier video

[@Merok23]

I was surprised to see you! and happy, I enjoy your content a lot :)

[@TheEDFLegacy]

No idea why. Voice sounds familiar though. 😜😏j/k

[@holy3979]

Was about to ask if that was Paper Skies I heard

[@paleoph6168]

So this unique, obscure, seemingly doomed to fail military aircraft: 1. Finished much development before the war, 2. Actually saw combat use during the war, and 3. Was effective in what it was intended to do?! This is now my favorite video by you, Mustard. Success after all the effort done is great to hear! Thank you for talking about Vladimir Vakhmistrov and the Zveno airborne aircraft carriers he envisioned!

[@quannguyenhoangnguyen776]

As the Vietnameses said: "First, where's money?"

[@katherineberger6329]

Unfortunately, the combination of aircraft it was based on, the TB-3 and I-16, was obsolete by 1941.

[@fsexplorer9727]

As usual, the USSR succeeds where the capitalists fail. As a communist I'm not surprised.

[@shoam2103]

​@@katherineberger6329 4. Used obsolete aircraft 30+ years older and (maybe?) outperformed more modern designs with the combination?

[@katherineberger6329]

@@shoam2103 Initially, due to near-total surprise. The video goes on to explain how Soviet records abruptly stopped on the deployment of this carrier-fighter combination, which given Soviet reticence to discuss or document their mistakes, indicates that it wasn't very successful once the Germans caught on.

[@SaltyCalhoun]

I CANNOT tell you how hyped I got when you started to explain how the newer bombers weren't getting anywhere with that bridge. Every dog has his day!

[@adamthethird4753]

I wonder how difficult it would be to rebuild a modernized version of one of those behemoths. That would be fascinating to see fly.

[@redstarling5171]

Yep a nuclear powered aircraft carrier with modern light weight materials

[@biohazard8295]

​@@redstarling5171that would be awesome, imagine a flying cruise ship that travels around the world. With smaller planes that you can use to explore some locations and later go back to the main plane.

[@randallmart92]

"Coughs in Ace Combat 6 and 7" 😅

[@dudu28r81]

​@@biohazard8295Totally would not be a disaster just waiting to happen

[@plinkTM]

Mustard's channel is really the definition of Quality over Quantity.

[@unsatisfiedfans7422]

Zveno is probably the only successful parasite aircraft system ever operated in combat, while the other system (Akron/Macon, Goblin, Tip-Tow, Tom-Tom, FICON, 747 AAC) were all canceled

[@user-qi6pv9jh7o]

Party because aircraft weren't parasitic during the fly

[@cssstylescommand4]

Why are most commentators of this channel experts

[@GeorgeousGeorgeousGeorge]

​@cssstylescommand4 idk, perhaps because people who study history know more than those who don't? Or, some may call this "nerdy" content, and us nerds like to learn and discuss practical things? I'm not verbalizing well, make sense?

[@chedrw]

I’ve watched this channel for over 3 years, it’s honestly a great day when mustard uploads. I’m happy this channel still uploads

[@arsenic3208]

Your animations keep getting better! I love flying carriers. I hope you’ll cover the USS Akron and Macon along with the f9c sparrowhawks in depth someday. Insane to think Goodyear wanted a flying battleship out of the whole thing.

[@BoyRoy18]

I love a underdog story like this. A old and outdadet machine, being pult from storage to try out a stupid idee someone had years ago.... And then WIN! The old boy did it. Love it when old machines can shine one more time to show that they can do it

[@user-sw8wp5dv9u]

на тот момент, те самолеты были новыми.

[@adityasarkar7172]

Mustard is fr the textbook definition of Quality over Quantity

[@horiginsfs7561]

And Lemmino, both of them are godly creators

[@esnevip]

🇫🇷🇫🇷

[@lerbronk]

why under every videos there are always these same boring, inattentive comments.

[@pd28cat]

@@lerbronk🗿🗿🗿you = based

[@kutter_ttl6786]

​@@lerbronkthey wanna be the first to post a likable comment.

[@zarmindrow5831]

In Soviet Russia, plane flies YOU.

[@TheJumpoMan]

Why in the world there isn’t more channels like this?? Please keep the great work man! You’re just a treasure hunter!

[@tony9146]

Mustard x Paper Skies is an elite combination. Thank you both for your collaboration!

[@MustardChannel]

Thank you!

[@shoam2103]

Oh, he was the narrative voice of Vukhmistrov!

[@sukhoilauncher9925]

@@shoam2103 lol i thought he was an AI voice at first

[@singular9]

The voice change is a bit jarring though. @@MustardChannel

[@SirNobleIZH]

@@singular9 but very fitting, plus they snuck in some soviet propoganda which i found to be kind of funny

[@tacticallyconfused2067]

Mustard and Paper Skies have finally collabed my life is complete

[@TheEDFLegacy]

Now we need a Drachinifel collab with either one of them. 😅

[@ucnamnguyen6191]

Fun fact: this project lead to the most produced dive bomber of ww2; the Petlyakov Pe-2

[@fireflygaming7489]

To have Paper Skies and Mustard come together in this video is amazing! Would love to see them do more work together in future videos! Especially on the crazy and legendary soviet aircraft ones. 👌🏻

[@VUfElectrolyticCapacitor]

"Comrade, can we have the Arsenal bird. " "Soviet Union already has Arsenal bird." Arsenal bird at Soviet Union:

[@anotherbacklog]

80 years later we still don’t have arsenal bird :/

[@Weazel1]

I was not aware of this project’s existence, much less it’s use in the war. The fact it worked as well as it did is a testimony to the the designer and the crews of the planes. We need more Paper Skies/ Mustard collaborations. Excellent video

[@heliosex7238]

thanks for taking the time to create this. Ive loved your channel for years now. Keep it up!

[@joshuajones9035]

As a kid I always wondered if something like this was possible but I never thought it would work

[@mr.boomguy]

No wonder this took time. Heck, I'm surprised it only took 2 months to animate all of detailed air battle. Mustard really has expanded his animation skills from plain water and air backgrounds, to dynamic land vehicle movements and now aerial battles

[@kirillholt2329]

the animations are incredible to be honest

[@HowToChangeName]

Soviet aviation never cease to amuse and in fact shock you with how seemingly out of the blue it is

[@archer8849]

they also had the flying tank, literally

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

​@@archer8849and it went nowhere because to make it fly they needed to reduce its weight by removing its guns, ammo, and fuel

[@mortenfrosthansen84]

Much fueled by arrogance and imperialism.. To the dispare of Soviet soldiers. Otherwise they wouldn't have been russians, if they had refused to fly a kamikaze vessel

[@annguyenlehoang7779]

​@@skaniukas but the idea is kinda cool even with how much tech they have in hand but some how it work :P if they have better tech maybe it will be even cooler

[@Edax_Royeaux]

Boeing designed a flying aircraft carrier too, but in the end it was decided that designing unique parasite fighters would have been way too expensive as opposed to just using standard fighters that refueled from airborne tankers.

[@arustwat7766]

I love Mustard because while most of the Invention went like this - problem, need solutions - many designs, chosen one - all looks good, works as intended - ended up built a few And the problem is always : 1. Too expensive 2. Outdated 3. Not practical enough / other solution I love Mustard tho

[@F0urSidedHexag0n]

Oh my god I just watched Paper Skies video and I'm so happy I saw both! It feels like a happy dream seeing both of you in each other's videos!!!

[@winghungyuen2726]

Didn’t expect Paper Skies to make an appearance. A welcome surprise.

[@Desopolis]

I knew I recognized the voice!

[@lolsomeyoutuber.1425]

no wonder the voice sounded familiar

[@TheEDFLegacy]

Both are fantastic channels. Glad to see the collab!

[@ironsights7462]

This concept is so badass, imagine looking into your radar and seeing only 3 Air presence and it suddenly splits into 6 right before attacking

[@NexeL_NKC]

Or, imagine a giant contact the size of a city splitting into hundreds. This and the American attempt at this concept inspired the existence of the Arsenal Bird from Ace Combat 7.

[@koharumi1]

It would be 9. Two for each fighter plus the bomber.

[@MK_ULTRA420]

That's still better than seeing 0 air presence and suddenly your plane tells you to eject.

[@hedgehog3180]

Tbf this concept worked exactly because of the lack of radar which meant that the Zveno fleet could appear suddenly anywhere and release its fighters where you least expect it.

[@ccancosplay]

Amazing work mate! Love your videos, this has become one of my new favourites.

[@DraxTheDestroyer]

I absolutely love hearing about ingenuity displayed in dire situations!

[@Oatfilms]

There’s a lot more flying aircraft carrier concepts/projects than I knew of! Thanks to Mustard for another awesome vid.

[@datathunderstorm]

How odd that I spent 5 years studying in the Soviet Union and while they proudly mentioned their achievements during their Great Patriotic War, they never mentioned this incredible technology once. Was it still a state secret back in the eighties? 😮

[@vladimirsokolov9941]

First edition of Shavrov’s “History of aircraft design in USSR” was printed in 1969 and was covering almost all the projects till early 50’s. I had this book (in fact, two volumes of several hundred pages) when I was schoolboy, and this Zveno project was well described there. If you were interested in aviation in 80’s, you had to know about it. ;) Regards.

[@user-mc8ow8me9o]

How it was to study in aquarium created for western students in ussr by ussr?

[@user-cr5tr8zt8e]

Нет, секрета тогда уже не было. Но не было и интернета, надо было целенаправленно интересоваться историей авиации или Великой Отечественной Войны, чтоб найти эту информацию

[@4200timeB]

That was a great vid. I had heard an seen this an that about these but never anything this descriptive... How cool/crazy/insane was that...thanks for making to this.

[@TheAutisticOwl]

I was not expecting a Paper Skies and Mustard collaboration and i love it!

[@user-id8iy3vm3g]

''Too big and expensive'' has killed many of the coolest ideas ever.. Mustard's channel is really the definition of Quality over Quantity..

[@nicholaszonenberg8023]

Honestly I'm really pleasantly surprised that for how crazy this design is that it actually worked! I knew this design existed but I had no idea it actually saw success!

[@PvtMartin78]

The problem that parasite fighters always seem to run into is that they are rather complicated and require highly trained crews, particularly for redocking. It's far cheaper and safer to use drop tanks and aerial refuelling.

[@robertkalinic335]

Redocking isnt necessary.

[@J4yT3a]

The fact that it was actually effective makes this story so much better. Thanks Mustard!

[@irongeneral7861]

4:55 Didn't know the Soviets envisioned the Arsenal Bird in real life...

[@gapman8357]

I'd absolutely love to see you do a video on the A-10 Warthog, it's a marvel of engineering and the history and story behind it are amazing and I think you would do a superb job of telling it. I also think you would do fantastic doing a video on the F-22 Raptor for the same reasons.

[@giraudy221]

I’m dying to see you do another video on a spacecraft or planned space structures that were canceled. I know it may be too much but if you could do a video on the proposed ways we could have and still can live on other worlds, that’d be epic.

[@MustardChannel]

We're working on a spacecraft topic, and it should be pretty epic.

[@Arceusmemesidk-zk7tm]

​@@MustardChannelnice

[@SirNobleIZH]

@@MustardChannel I can't believe that the soviets actually made working flying aircraft carriers, and that they were actually highly successful! Such a shame no other country ever made their own, bc now you can't make a video on it

[@kutter_ttl6786]

It's good that Vladimir Vahkmistrov's concept was able to proof its worth and defend the Motherland but I wonder what happened to the man afterwards? In 1938 he was demoted from his head designer role and he passed away in 1972 but what happened in between, there doesn't seem to be much info publicly available.

[@gasmask1795]

He was sent to Crimea and took part in preparation process of those successful flights, than he worked on similar interesting projects with Polikarpov till the end of war. In 1949 he designed aerial refueling system. Married to the sister of one of the most famous Soviet engineer's that worked with Sergei Korolev. It's actually sad that even russian speaking sources have little information... modern russian government didn't want to look pathetic compared to Soviet Union, so they don't really want to remember all of the soviet history. This channel have more respect to soviet history than russian ministry of culture.

[@elFulberto]

@@gasmask1795 Hmmmmmm... So Vakhmistrov wasn't purged or murdered or sent to GULAG... Surely there must be a way to shit on Russians anyway? Oh! There's few historical records on him, let's say he was forgotten and Russia hates him!

[@jeb123]

​​@@gasmask1795Is that the first aerial refueling system in the history?

[@gasmask1795]

@@jeb123 No, it was first introduced by Alexander Seversky and performed by US pilots. Probably, It was modern adaptation in our case. I'll try to find more information anyway.

[@jeb123]

@@gasmask1795 Thanks for info!

[@fordson51]

This is an awesome history video. I actually thought this was the Paper Skies channel because the voice of Vakhmistrov sounds like the guy that does that channel. The topic fits his channel as well as this one. Keep up the great work. Edit: I was just listening to this in the background and just read the video description. It is the Paper Skies guy. Awesome collab from two awesome channels. Well done.

[@RedlineVenom]

Amazing content, the incredible art style is simply icing on the cake!

[@RexsHangar]

Mustard and Paper Skies? Fantastic! Your animations are always top knotch :D

[@zf9903]

Nice to see you here, Rex. Love your videos, keep up the good work. Looking forward to someday hearing your voice alongside Mustard and Paper’s. :)

[@Evaunit98]

These videos are consistently phenomenal, in animation and just how endlessly intriguing they are

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

I love this channel so much :) Congrats on another masterpiece!

[@wasteddevelopment]

The past few videos convinced me to sign up for the platform you mentioned. Well worth it! Insane content quality!

[@user-sn8xh9mq6y]

Ive been watching Mustard since the very beggining and somehow i keep on getting surprised by the amount of detail every single time they upload. It's a good day when mustard uploads. i think everyone in this comments group will agree.

[@Skaitania]

So awesome that you got an actual Soviet aircraft engineer to help. Paper Skies and Mustard are a match made in heaven.

[@michaelzewdu9500]

Dear mustard your history content is the bomb and plus the shear video quality is just unbelievable. keep up the good job !!!

[@IVEmeritus]

It's always great when a new Mustard video comes out!

[@skipslash7367]

It's always an awesome day when mustard uploads

[@derek8564]

how many channels do you post that on looking for a like from the channel owner?

[@skipslash7367]

@@derek8564 only mustard so far

[@skipslash7367]

@@derek8564 and i'm not an attention seeking idiot, i just really appreciate mustard and his great content that has actual effort put in, unlike a lot of other youtube videos nowadays

[@idioticed4379]

amen

[@derek8564]

my bad. I apologize. @@skipslash7367

[@TheEDFLegacy]

It's awesome to see you cover this! I used to and occasionally continue to play IL-2 Sturmovik, and it had this very setup modelled and working in the game, both as the pilot of the bomber, and as a pilot of one of the carried aircraft. Was always... interesting... trying to separate without running into the mother plane. 😅

[@volhv2548]

The TB3 was a very old and slow bomber. It could go 220kmh, and was no match for messerschmidt with at least 500kmh speed. But there were a lot of bombers avaliable from the post war period. So they were used. As a bomber for attacking enemy pushes at frontline and enemy breakthroughs As a military transport aircraft As a airborne troops aircraft As a fighter - carrier you see in the video View survived the war, but they did their outermost

[@thickboi7570]

The amount of quality and effort in these videos are insane

[@k427]

So excited for the nebula original later this month, Been following you since your first video and cant wait to see your new ones every month, The rewatchability in them is amazing ❤

[@legoeasycompany]

Of all the crazy things done with the TB-3 it's insane that this is the one that worked best

[@nonridiculousadjective6597]

Glad to be having nebula, and thank you for another amazing documentary.

[@henriquealmeida8401]

Wow, these graphics are beautiful. Very pleasing to look at!

[@RocketGurney]

Your and Paper Skies' work are of such similarly excellent quality that I hardly noticed there was a switch between your narration; it just fit so well it seemed perfectly expected.

[@lenowoo]

The soviet commitment to the "simple is the best" approach has always fascinate me.

[@youmongrel]

More like “bodies are cheaper than research.”

[@techissus7449]

​@@youmongrelwhich wasn't unique to them nor was it common, the red army was on the preceptive of a genocide of their peoples and had to play it safe

[@TheMonkeystick]

It's clever to play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. When you're rich in material but poor in industrial capacity, a design that can get you 80% of the effectiveness at 50% of the cost is well worth it Also, people can come up with some ingenious solutions when they don't have as much to work with

[@atarkus8]

@@TheMonkeystick "Also, people can come up with some ingenious solutions when they don't have as much to work with". Absolutely correct. For example a soviet electronics engineer told me there were only two factories in the entire country that could produce the parts he needed, and those were overbooked. So his team had to come up with some completely unorthodox solutions to do the same thing without them.

[@slavicemperor8279]

​@@youmongrelKeep watching Hollywood bud

[@Zeus11Nova13]

Pretty interesting concept, always wondered why no one developed this in the past, however they could carry the fighter planes deep into enemy territory but how would the planes fair afterwards? Where would they land when they ran out of fuel. The aircraft carriers could only deploy these fighter planes and not collect them once done fighting, in the modern world scenario such carriers can be built like the designs we saw in the marvel movies but the amount of fuel required to run and operate just one carrier would be absurd.

[@paulanthonyjohns]

astounding program with facts I had never heard. Love this thank you

[@LongTran-em6hc]

I got hundreds of hour flying this, both the TB-3 and the I-16 in IL-2 1946 Part of my childhood

[@sickosl1me]

Mustard always trying to talk about the most unknown vehicles and we all love him for that

[@virtualaviator21156]

I have been watching your channel, since i was 12 or thirteen. You never fail to amaze us with so much information. thanks man

[@rocinante6033]

One of the best Animation videos I saw on KZbin so far... keep up bro

[@lifeispain4917]

I'm so glad for this video! After playing IL 2 Sturmovik in my childhood it was one of the most unusual and breathtaking missions in game. I'm very happy to see the full story behind this!

[@aidenmclaughlin1076]

Incredible! Thanks for teaching us about these awesome pieces of technology.

[@fightertales]

Always nice to hear Paperskies!

[@axelmeys9369]

Amazing quality and content. I would truly appreciate one of these documentaries on the B-36 Peacemaker.

[@applechomper2305]

"Babe, wake up. New Mustard video dropped!" ❤

[@jdreyes3745]

I am a fan of both you and Paper Skies, and I gotta say; I was grinning the entire time on his parts of the narration. I found it to be really genius (and appropriate) to bring him in and have him narrate the video in the character of Vladimir Vakhmistrov selling the idea of the Zveno carriers and explaining how they could work. It's a bit sad that as cool as airborne carriers are, they're just simply too impractical to be viable, at least with regards to manned aircraft, which need quite a lot of things for the squishy human piloting them from within. If the concept is truly gonna be a reality, we're probably only likely to see them carrying unmanned aircraft in modest numbers (sad Arsenal Bird noises).

[@VuLamDang]

I see it as a very primitive, man controlled cruise missile carrier, the like of modern day B52 - tomahawk combo

[@mrdwets8952]

We could see something around the size of a B52 carrying drones around the size of a shahed 136. There is already drone swarms that have been deployed by the F16 or F18 if I remember right so we may see them scale it up. I think it was only a proof of concept but it was still cool to see clips of years ago.

[@hedgehog3180]

Well the concept worked before radar because it gave you the element of surprise but fundamentally radar killed the idea because it just ends up being a bigger target.

[@Average_Warthunder_Player]

i love your videos keep up the good work i love learning about military history

[@EpicOrange_Juice]

I’ve fully never knew this. I love learning a lot of things. Especially about Aviation. Love your videos.

[@paulrobertsson8760]

Woah, you got Paper Skies A.K.A. renowned 1920s soviet engineer Vladamir Vakhmistrov?? Talk about production quality!

[@ITZTrudeau23]

The soviets are the legend of crazy engineering.

[@gandalf5895]

Mustard and Paper Skies collab?! Finally! So happy to hear you guys working together ❤❤

[@lavredisgoume]

Animation is spot on, great video!

[@gabrielm.2302]

Hi Mustard! Love the videos! They’re always so informative and presented better than some documentaries! Keep it up :)

[@n.ymp.h]

soviets took "backup engines" to a whole new level

[@IsThisHandleTaken]

What a cool story! I had no idea about this piece of history until now. Excellent content!

[@AshSenpai512]

love your videos , thank you bro

[@marksanders768]

It is SO COOL that you teamed up with @PaperSkiesAviation for this video. I love his work!!!