8-1/2 x 11, 400 b/w photos, 16 pgs of color, plus line drawings

Alexandr S. Yakovlev was one of the most versatile aircraft designers of his age, but he had the misfortune to work in the USSR which made him almost unknown to the outside world. In 1926-27 he built his first aeroplane and from then on he designed structures which were, time and again, ahead of their time.

This important case study reports on the V/STOL development activities in the Soviet Union. As in the West, the Soviets also began using flying test rigs in the late 1950s. By combining the lift engines with modifications to existing engines, the Soviets were able to deploy the Yak-38 Forger only two years after the Harrier. The Forger was in service for 15 years before the political situation forced its retirement from service. Packed with illustrations, references, glossaries, and bibliographies, this case study is a necessary resource for the studies of V/STOL aircraft and systems designers.

Soviet aircraft industry was an essential part of the USSR’s campaign for global dominance in the twentieth century. Thanks to the thick fog of secrecy that enveloped it throughout the Cold War, it has long inspired the fascination of analysts and enthusiasts in the West; until the collapse of the USSR in 1991, details of Soviet aircraft were often a matter of conjecture. This book aims to uncover fully the mystery surrounding this topic. Drawing on original and previously unpublished information obtained directly from the former USSR, Soviet Aircraft Industry examines the unique characteristics of Soviet-designed aircraft—particularly military types, which were the cause of great concern to the West. Further, by virtue of the industry’s central role throughout Soviet history, this book provides a rare and important perspective into the broader theme of Russia’s great communist experiment.

The Red Air Force had just started to re-equip with modern monoplane fighters when the Germans opened Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hundreds of fighters were destroyed in the first few days, but many of these were obsolete biplanes. Soviet Fighters of the Second World War details fighter development from the dark days of Barbarossa to eventual triumph over Berlin. Starting with outdated aircraft such as the Polikarpov Po-2 biplane and monoplane fighters, the Soviets then settled on two main lines of development: the inline-engine LaGG-3 and its radial-engine derivatives, the La-5 and La-7, and the inline-engine Yakovlev fighters, which were produced in greater numbers than any other series of fighters. Not only are these aircraft accurately described, but experimental fighters are also dealt with. In addition, colour profiles illustrate these aircraft in terms of design, camouflage and markings. From the I-15bis biplane of the late 1930s to the superb La-7 and Yak-3 fighters of the last year of the war, all Red Air Force fighters are covered in this comprehensive volume.

The first 20 years of Sukhoi supersonic interceptor development from the Su-9 and Su-11 to the Su-15 Charts the history of Sukhoi's early supersonic interceptors, including paper projects, as well as operational details The Su-15 became the true guardian of the Soviet skies—and a symbol of the Cold War

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 range of such types, presenting a collection of photographs, profiles and line drawings together with supplementary text detailing the history of each craft, encompassing the various developmental milestones, successes and pitfalls experienced along the way.??The Soviet Union's two dedicated spyplane types, the Yakovlev Yak-25RV 'Mandrake' (the Soviet equivalent of the Lockheed U-2) and the MiG-25R 'Foxbat' are profiled, supplemented by details garnered from a host of original sources.??Well-illustrated histories and structural analyses are set alongside detailed descriptions of the various plastic scale model kits that have been released, along with commentary concerning their accuracy and available modifications and decals.??With an unparalleled level of visual information - paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs - it is simply the best reference for any model-maker setting out to build a variant of this iconic craft.

Lavochkin, Semyon Alekseyevich (1900-1960) Russian chief designer. Chief Designer of OKB-301 1937-1960. Lavochkin was appointed Chief Designer of OKB-301 in 1937. His office has designed and built thousands of fighter planes during World War II, from Lavochkin LaGG-1 until the Lavochkin La-9. The first fighter Lavochkin was designated I-22 and was also the first of the triad of new Soviet interceptors to take flight, exactly March 30, 1939. As happens from there in 2-3 years with the fighters '5 Series' Italian, and Indeed, as already happened with 'Series 0', the three competitors will all have some success and everyone will be rewarded by production contracts, but without resemble very much less be subject to the same development and operational success. Lavochkin - or Lavochin, depends transilitterazione - together with Gorbunov and Gudkov, had given rise to a hunting simple and robust, relatively good-looking, but he had the problem of the choice of strategic materials, or rather, the choice not to use them . It was in fact the only one of the three that was built entirely of wood, except of course for the basic elements such as the shopping cart, the weapons, the engine, the ailerons (metal and coated canvas). The retractable landing gear and the engine M-105P were signs of a relative modernity, and certainly worthy of note was its top speed of 605 km / h. The weapons were high rates of fire, two and one ShKAS ShVAK. Again designated as I-301, then took the name of LaGG-1. But for the production became LaGG-3.

Beautifully illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs, Soviet Cold War Fighters looks at the main development periods of Soviet fighter designs and covers all the important features and developments for each - a total of four generations of fighter were developed from the late 1940s to the early 1980s - that witnessed the most iconic and powerful fighters such as the legendary MiG-15, MiG-21, Tu-128, Su-9, MiG-23, MiG-25 reach for the skies, followed by the modern day MiG-29, MiG-31 and Su-27, which strike fear in the West for their phenomenal weaponry and blistering performance. All aircraft are described in detail with facts and figures, including their weapons and instances of combat employment, as well as explaining how the Cold War drastically changed Soviet fighter design to counter the West. Researched and written by Alexander Mladenov, a leading aviation journalist, this is a highly detailed testament to leading Soviet fighter design and development.