The Myasishchev DB-108 (also designated as the DB-2VK-108) was an experimental Soviet aircraft developed between 1944 and 1946. Designed by Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev and his design bureau, the project began in the summer of 1944 following an order from the People’s Commissariat of Aviation Industry (NKAP) dated May 27, 1944. The NKAP tasked the OKB with creating two high-speed day bomber prototypes for state testing by December 1944. The aircraft was developed as a derivative of the Pe-2I dive-bomber, utilizing its refined aerodynamic foundation to achieve high performance.
Manufacturing took place at Plant No. 482 in Kazan, the facility that would eventually become the Kazan Aircraft Production Association (KAPO). The DB-108 was powered by two liquid-cooled Klimov VK-108 inline V-12 piston engines. The design specifications were exceptionally demanding for the era; the aircraft was required to reach a maximum speed of 700 km/h at an altitude of 6,000 meters and maintain a range of 2,000 km while carrying a 1,000 kg internal bomb load. Technical data indicates a service ceiling of 10,000 meters and a maximum range of 2,400 km.
The DB-108 was notable for its versatile offensive capabilities. It could carry 1,000 kg or 2,000 kg bombs internally, and with internal modifications, it could accommodate a single 2-ton bomb. When including under-wing stores of up to 1,000 kg, the total maximum bomb load reached 4,000 kg. A representative armament configuration included three 20 mm UB-20 cannons and one 12.7 mm UBT machine gun. Furthermore, the project included derivatives—internally coded as VM-16, VM-17, and VM-18—that could be configured as long-range escort fighters (DIS). These variants were envisioned with heavy ventral packs containing 37 mm, 45 mm, or 57 mm cannons.
Despite these capabilities, the DB-108 never entered series production. Only a small number of prototypes were built, with the DIS derivative remaining a single copy. Flight tests for the DIS variant were conducted toward the end of 1945, but the rapid emergence of jet aircraft shortly after World War II rendered the piston-engined DB-108 obsolete. No examples of the aircraft are known to survive today, but the project remains a significant technical stepping stone in Myasishchev's career, preceding his later work on strategic heavy bombers.