The Tairov Ta-3 was a twin-engined, single-seat heavy escort fighter developed in the Ukrainian SSR between 1939 and 1941. Designed by Vsevolod Konstantinovich Tairov at the OKO (Experimental Design Department), the aircraft was intended to fulfill a Soviet Air Force requirement for a long-range escort fighter that could also operate as a fighter-attack or anti-tank platform. The design was notable for its centerline-concentrated armament, which allowed for the installation of large-caliber guns to improve accuracy during ground-attack missions.
Development began with the OKO-6 prototype, which first flew on December 31, 1939, piloted by Yu. K. Stankevich. This initial version featured a short fuselage, a single fin and rudder, and was powered by two M-88 radial piston engines producing between 950 and 1,000 hp each. Its armament consisted of four 20 mm ShVAK cannons and two 12.7 mm BS machine guns. Testing conducted by the Flight Research Institute (LII) through mid-1940 led to the OKO-6bis, which featured a lengthened fuselage, twin fins, and Tumansky M-88R engines producing 1,000 hp each. This version was later redesignated as the Ta-3.
Further refinements resulted in a third prototype, the Ta-3, which utilized M-89 radial engines and an increased wingspan. This configuration shifted the armament to a more powerful layout consisting of one 37 mm cannon and two 20 mm ShVAK cannons. A fourth prototype, the Ta-3bis, was planned with Shvetsov M-82 engines producing 1,250 hp each and a projected service range of 2,065 km, but construction was abandoned.
Technical evaluations by TsAGI pilots were positive, noting that the aircraft was easy to control, capable of all standard aerobatics, and could maintain flight on a single engine up to an altitude of 4,100 m. In its M-88R configuration, the Ta-3 reached a maximum speed of 595 km/h and a service ceiling of 11,000 m. Despite its promise, the project never entered series production. Development ceased following the German invasion of Ukraine in 1941 and the death of Vsevolod Tairov in a plane crash on October 29, 1941, while traveling to Kuibyshev. No examples of the Ta-3 are known to survive today.