On paper, the idea seems simple enough — just put wings on tanks so that they become a tank-gliders, then tow a fleet of them into the air, fly deep into the enemy’s vulnerable rear area, cut them loose, and their crews can glide them down to land, ready for battle. Although seemingly laughable on first look, the flying tank solves a major problem in airborne warfare by providing heavy weapons and armored support to airborne troops. It offers a means to deploy heavy combat units unexpectedly and quickly where the enemy least expects. It is no surprise therefore that four major nations engaged in flying tank research during the 1930s and 1940s, including the Soviet Union, the USA, Japan and England. Of those, only the Soviets would bring prototypes to the flying stage — and they did it four times with four separate vehicles. Today in history on September 2, 1942, marks the 70th anniversary of the first and only flight of the Soviet Union’s Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka, the most ambitious of the designs and the world’s only true flying tank