As early as 1965, when the MiG-25 interceptor was in the midst of its test program, the Mikoyan Design Bureau started work on an even more capable two-seat interceptor meant to provide adequate protection for the huge expanses of Siberia and the Sov…
'Spy in the Sky' matters have long been a source of interest and fascination for aircraft enthusiasts, historians and modellers and none more so than the elusive and secretive Soviet types of the Cold War era. Yefim Gordon presents us here with a ra…
This book charts the development and service history of the Antonov design bureau's heavy transport aircraft. In the late 1950s, the Antonov design bureau began developing the An-22 heavy military transport, intended to carry 50 tons. Powered by fou…
Shrouded in secrecy, output from the Chinese aviation industry was, until recently, largely unknown in the West. In the 1950s, when communist China and the Soviet Union were on friendly terms, the Soviet Union assisted in the establishment of the Pe…
Developed to meet a Soviet Ministry of Defense requirement for a fast bomber that would counter the threat posed by NATO, the Tu-16 was a ground-breaking project. It was the first Soviet medium bomber to feature swept wings, and it was built around…
The Su-25 ground attack aircraft made its first flight on February 22, 1972. After five years of tests the aircraft reached its definitive configuration with new engines, a revised airframe and new armament, entering certification trials which were…
Closed in 1949, the Sukhoi Design Bureau was reborn in 1953 to meet an urgent demand for a fast interceptor that would counter the threat posed by NATO bombers. It wasted no time developing a succession of missile-armed, Mach 2 interceptors characte…
Developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, the Su-24 tactical bomber has become one of the most successful aircraft in its class. Featuring delta wings and auxiliary lift engines meant to improve its field performance, the first prototype turned ou…
Weapons design is as crucial an aspect of a combat aircraft's development as the work of the airframers or propulsion specialists. Soviet and Russian combat aircraft generally have a well-earned reputation as capable fighting machines - a reputation…
By the end of the Second World War the USA and Great Britain had developed viable jet fighters, even if these aircraft came a bit too late to have a significant impact on the course of the conflict. Germany achieved greater success, using the Me 262…
Encompasses the full development and operational history of the Ilyushin IL-28.
Developed in the early 1950s to meet a Soviet Army requirement and first flown in June 1957, the Mi-6 was the largest-yet helicopter created in the Soviet Union. Its notable features included a power-plant consisting of two turbo-shaft engines (for…
Brought out in the late 1970s as a successor to the obsolete Tu-126 airborne early warning aircraft, the A-50 co-developed by the Il'yushin and Beriyev bureaux is one of the most interesting military variants in the field of IL-76 military transport…
A detailed volume uncovering a wide range of Soviet aviation projects that, for a variety of reasons, never progressed beyond the drawing board. Packed with over 800 illustrations including photos, drawings and diagrams, this impressive book will be…
In the late 1950s, the Sukhoi Design Bureau, already an established fighter maker, started work on a successor to its Su-9 and Su-11 single-engined interceptors for the national Air Defence Force. Similar to its predecessors, the new aircraft design…
Under the Lend-Lease agreement with the US during WWII, the Soviet Union received large quantities of war materiel, including many aircraft; the Bell P-39 Airacobra takes a special place among them. The P-39 was dismissed as hardly suitable for comb…
Following the success of Seaforth's Ship Craft series, this new strand of Flight Craft titles are sure to appeal to a broad demographic of model makers. With profiles of the various craft accompanied by a descriptive narrative history of the various…
Designed as a mass-produced and relatively cheap light tactical fighter, the MiG-29 first flew on October 6, 1977. After extensive flight testing, it entered production in 1982 and deliveries to the Soviet Air Force began in 1983. In addition to its…
By the turn of the century China had reaffirmed its position as one of the world's leading military powers. With much importance attached to fleet renewal; the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the Naval Aviation are fielding new types,…
Yefim Gordon has teamed up with Keith Dexter and Dmitriy Komissarov to produce this insight into the Sukhoi fighter bomber family. In the early 1950s the reborn aircraft design bureau headed by Pavel O. Sukhoi started its renewed activities by creat…
From the outset, the export of revolution and Communist ideology had been one of the cornerstones of Soviet Russia's (and later the Soviet Union's) foreign policy and by the mid-1950s the export of Soviet arms expanded into Africa with Algeria being…
Developed in the 1960s/1970s, the Tu-144 was the Soviet Unions only practical venture into supersonic commercial aviation. Though its career was all too brief, it was a major technological achievement for the Soviet aircraft industry. The book provi…
The MiG-31 started life as an advanced derivative of the famous MiG-25P interceptor, becoming the first Soviet fourth-generation combat aircraft. First flown in 1975, it differed from its progenitor primarily in having a crew of two (pilot and weapo…
In both Soviet and modern Russia a multitude of assorted aircraft have been used for test and research purposes - primarily for verifying new avionics, systems, and weaponry. The use of systems being tested was not limited to aviation as aircraft we…
Developed as the answer to the American B-1, the Tupolev Tu-160 was the Soviet Unions most potent strategic bomber. Several project versions were rejected, and a highly controversial contest involving some of the Soviet Unions top-class aircraft des…
When the Myasishchev design bureau was reborn in 1951, it was immediately tasked with creating a high-speed strategic bomber to balance the threat posed by NATO's heavy bombers, notably the B-52. Designated M-4 and code-named "Bison" by NATO, the ne…
Celebrities swear by Yefim Shubentsov and his simple technique to cure cravings. He employs a new perspective on cravings and a heavy dose of common sense mixed with a powerful new discovery: bio-energy. By understanding your cravings and harnessing…
After World War II, the Soviet Union and the USA, who had been allies in the war, started moving towards political and military confrontation. The Soviet Union urgently needed a strategic bomber capable of striking at the USA. Thus, the windfall of…
This book describes the Su-25's development history and its extensive combat career starting with Operation Romb. The type's Afghan War involvement receives extensive coverage as does the Su-25's use in the Chechen Wars. A detailed list is given of…
Founded in 1927, the design bureau headed by Aleksandr S. Yakovlev started out with light aircraft but soon became a "fighter maker" when the prospect of war loomed large. Originally designated I-26, Yakovlev's simple but rugged fighter, first flew…
After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union tried to exert its political influence on the Asian continent. A major pillar of this cold-war policy was the widespread supply of arms to the Continent including many combat, transport, training and u…
The first recipient of Soviet military hardware in the Americas was Cuba in 1959. Since then the Cuban Air Force has operated the MiG-15 to the MiG-29, An-26 and Il-76MD transports and more. Cuban combat aircraft have seen action against the ships a…
Early in the 20th century, shortly after military aviation came on the scene, Imperialist Russia started using aircraft to support the operations of the Russian Navy. Rapid development of naval aviation continued after the October Revolution of 1917…
By the mid-1950s the export of Soviet arms expanded into the Middle East and were immediately sent to war. Forming the backbone of, amongst others, the air forces of Iraq and Syria, Soviet aircraft were involved in major conflicts such as the Suez C…
First flown in 1952, the Tu-95--known to the western world as the Bear--had its share of teething troubles with a change of engine type being necessary before the aircraft could go into production. Eventually, however, it became the backbone of the…
Created by the famous Mikoyan Design Bureau in the early 1950s, the MiG-19 fighter was the Soviet Union's first true supersonic fighter that could exceed Mach 1 in level flight. The baseline version with conventional elevators (known to the West as…
The Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder and Tu-22M Backfire led the Soviet Union's supersonic bomber air force from the 1960s, although the two aircraft were very different. The Tu-22--nicknamed Blinder by NATO--was the pioneering supersonic bomber in the USSR, e…
