Soviet Air Force

Viktor Belenko, Who Defected to the West in a MiG-25 Foxbat Jet Fighter, has passed away

Viktor Belenko Viktor Belenko, the former Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot who defected to the West in 1976 in a… Read More

6 days ago

Soviet Pilot who test flew captured Tiger against Fishbed and Flogger tells why the F-5 beat the MiG-21 and MiG-23 in every engagement

The F-5 featured in the pictures of this article is not a faux “MiG-28” from Top Gun but a captured F-5E and… Read More

1 week ago

One F9F Vs Six MiG-15s: the legendary dogfight that made Royce Williams the top-scoring Naval Aviator of the Korean War

Royce Williams and his epic, 15-minute dogfight. On Nov. 18, 1952 an epic, 15-minute dogfight involving three F9F-5s and seven… Read More

2 weeks ago

The night 13 MiG-17 fighters failed to shoot down an RB-47 flying a recce mission 1,000 kilometres into Soviet Airspace

The RB-47 During the early part of the Cold War, the US Air Force needed an aircraft to gather information… Read More

3 weeks ago

Here’s why the Tu-16 wing-to-wing in-flight refueling system took a heavy toll on Badger crews’ nerves

The Tu-16 Badger The establishment of NATO posed the need for the Soviet war machine to create a fast jet… Read More

3 weeks ago

The story of Anatoliy Kvochur, the MiG-29 Pilot who Ejected Two Seconds Before the Crash of his Fulcrum. He survived although he ejected outside the seat’s envelope.

The MiG-29 The MiG-29 was designed in response to a new generation of American fighters, which included the F-15 and… Read More

2 months ago

These photos of Viktor Belenko’s defecting MiG-25 buzzing Hakodate rooftops prove that reaching Japan was easy but landing the Foxbat was difficult. Here’s why.

For Senior Lieutenant Viktor Belenko’s defecting MiG-25 Foxbat reaching Japan proved to be the easy part, as touching down on… Read More

3 months ago

Aggressor Fulcrums: the story of the Soviet Air Force MiG-29 Unit Tasked to Simulate USAF F-15 Eagle Fighter jets

Some MiG-29s were painted up to make them resemble the F-15 – the wingtips and stabilator tips were painted yellow… Read More

3 months ago

The story of the Su-15 that crashed after it tried to follow a SH 37 Viggen reconnaissance aircraft performing aerobatic manoeuvres at low altitude to shake off the Flagon

Trying to shake off the pursuer, SH 37 pilot Sven-Olof Larsson started performing aerobatic manoeuvres at low altitude. This is… Read More

4 months ago

The Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets that collided at RAF Fairford 30 years ago during IAT ‘93

Incredibly, both pilots escaped without a scratch, even though one of them had to eject from an inverted position; a… Read More

4 months ago

The story of the Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor that rammed an Iranian Canadair CL-44 carrying smuggled weapons through Soviet Airspace

The Su-15 fighter pilot gave the customary ‘follow me’ signals, but the big turboprop ignored them and started maneuvering dangerously,… Read More

8 months ago

Video shows Soviet Tu-16 Badger bomber Crashing Into Sea After Buzzing USS Essex Aircraft Carrier

The Tu-16 Badger made four passes over the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Essex, and on the last a wing… Read More

11 months ago

Did you know that Soviet helicopter crews’ survival kit during invasion of Afghanistan featured an almost medieval kit with a steel breastplate, greaves for the legs and vambraces on the arms?

Unsurprisingly, this almost medieval kit was immediately rejected as too hot, heavy and cumbersome. Advertise The Soviet Union's invasion of… Read More

11 months ago

The story of the Norwegian Air Force P-3 Orion that was damaged in a collision with a Soviet Su-27 Flanker over the Barents Sea

Lt. (SG) Vasiliy Tsymbal manoeuvred Su-27 Flanker dangerously close to the P-3 Orion and the port fin struck the No.… Read More

1 year ago

Check out these pictures of Viktor Belenko’s defecting MiG-25 Foxbat buzzing Hakodate rooftops before landing at the city’s international airport

Soviet Lt. Viktor Belenko became an instant celebrity when he successfully defected to the West by flying his Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25… Read More

1 year ago