Soviet Union

The story of the Soviet MiG-21 pilot that rammed an Iranian RF-4C with mixed USAF – IIAF crew flying a clandestine operation inside the USSR

The story of the Soviet MiG-21 pilot that rammed an Iranian RF-4C with mixed USAF – IIAF crew flying a clandestine operation inside the USSR

PVO, the Soviet Air Defence Force In the 1950s the Soviets had managed to grow a major Air Defence Force… Read More

2 days ago

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

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

4 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

4 weeks ago

The story of the U-2 shot down that nearly escalated the Cuban Missile Crisis into World War III

The U-2 and the Cuban Missile Crisis Built in complete secrecy by Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, the… Read More

1 month 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

The Totskoye Nuclear Exercise, the deadliest military exercise in history where Soviets dropped an atomic bomb on their own soldiers

Just few days before the exercise, the Tu-4 crew members were informed that they would not only drop a live… Read More

3 months ago

When the US tried to buy three Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers to convert them as launch platforms for Pegasus Space Launch Vehicle

16 out of 44 Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers would be scrapped, and three would be spared from the guillotine and… Read More

3 months ago

First U-2 pilot recalls when the only U-2 pilot to fly over Moscow nearly died and crashed into Red Square after he almost bit his poison cyanide pill in half

Vito felt his throat go dry as he approached Moscow for the first time—who could blame him? So, he fished… Read More

3 months ago

Here’s how Soviets were able to publish this F-14 “booklet” for their top fighter pilots although Russia never received any (Iranian) Tomcat

Obtaining quite good intel on the F-14 Tomcat – from the USA – proved quite easy for the KGB. No,… Read More

5 months ago

When Soviets faked a flyby of 28 Myasishchev M-4s to pretend they had a credible fleet of bombers, the US built thousands of B-47 and B-52 strategic bombers and hundreds of KC-135 Stratotankers for real

During this event 10 M-4s were flown in view of the public: the formation then flew out of sight and… Read More

6 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

MiG-15 Fagot warbird loses canopy after taking off during the Classic Jet Aircraft Association air show

About 10 a.m. on Saturday Mar. 4, 2023 the MiG-15 Fagot took off from Fairhope Airport and shortly after liftoff,… Read More

9 months ago

Here’s why Soviets never developed their own SR-71 and why the MiG-25 Foxbat was never as fast as the Blackbird

The Soviets did not have the technology to make blades that could tolerate as high temperatures as the J58 turbine.… Read More

9 months ago

The story of the former SR-71 Blackbird pilot who became the first NATO serviceman to fly a Russian Tu-22M3 Backfire long-range bomber

On Aug. 22, 2001 Lt.-Gen. Thomas J. Keck, Commander of the USAF's 8th Air Force and former SR-71 Blackbird pilot… Read More

10 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

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
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