Military Aviation (since 1945): Books - Russia / USSR

Russian Tactical Aviation : since 2001

The Tactical Aviation branch (FA - Frontovaya aviatsiya) has always occupied an important place in the structure of the Soviet, and subsequently Russian, Air Force. In the 20-odd post-Soviet years the Russian Air Force has been repeatedly reformed and in the course of the reforms the importance of Tactical Aviation has risen.

Much importance has attached to fleet renewal and upgrading of the Russian Tactical Aviation capability. The Su-35S 'Generation 4++' single-seat fighter is entering full-scale production and service. Deliveries of single-seat Su-27SM3 (a mid-life update) and two-seat Su-30SM and Su-30M2 multi-role fighters are also underway.
The Beriyev A-50 AWACS aircraft, which supports the Tactical Aviation's air defence role, are also being updated. Production and deliveries of the Su-34 tactical bomber are continuing and for want of a next-generation attack aircraft, the Russian Air Force is continuing to upgrade its Su-25 fleet - the latest Su-25SM3 is now in service.

The book, companion to the highly successful Soviet Tactical Aviation, illustrates the current state of the Russian Air Force's tactical aviation as well as its recent history in various overseas conflicts. Details are given of the aviation bases (units), their locations and the principal types currently in service.
"Russian Tactical Aviation" is illustrated throughout with many previously unpublished photos, including air-to-air shots during recent Russian Force exercises, as well as colour profiles of Russian tactical aircraft and helicopters operated by various aviation bases.

Soviet Strategic Bombers : The Hammer in the Hammer and the Sickle

The history of Soviet strategic bombers after the Second World War is a fascinating one: from the reverse-engineering of interned American Boeing B-29 bombers into the first Soviet strategic bomber, the Tu-4; to the huge jet and turbo-prop powered aircraft of today's Russian Air Force.

This comprehensive history of these aircraft will deal not just with the development of aircraft that entered service, but of experimental aircraft as well, and projects that were never even built will also be explored.
The service life of these bombers will be covered, including both active and retired aircraft, and their use outside of the Soviet Union, in places such as the Middle East and Afghanistan, will be described in detail.

The Soviet Union built some of the first jet-powered strategic bombers, and the Tu-95 Bear, the only swept-winged turbo-prop bomber to ever enter service, remains in service to this day.
Less successful aircraft, like the graceful but problem-plagued supersonic Tu-22 Blinder, and the Mach 3 Sukhoi T-4 will also be examined.

Early Soviet Jet Fighters

By the end of World War II, the USA and Great Britain had operational jet fighters, albeit arriving too late to significantly affect the conflict. Germany, however, saw success with operational use of the Me 262 and He 162. The Soviet Union initially lagged behind in jet technology, despite early research. They reversed this by studying captured German jet aircraft and receiving British Rolls-Royce Nene and Derwent V engines in 1946. This boosted Soviet jet fighter capabilities, matching and surpassing Western advancements by the late 1940s.

Due to the secretive Stalinist era, early Soviet jet designs from bureaus like Mikoyan, Yakovlev, and Lavochkin remained largely unknown. Yefim Gordon, a renowned Soviet aviation historian, addresses this gap in his latest work.

Drawing from newly accessible archives, Gordon provides detailed accounts of the development, history, and technical specifications of early Soviet jet fighters. The book includes over 750 photos, 50 color drawings, and numerous line drawings, sourced mainly from previously classified materials.
This volume sheds light on previously obscure aspects of Soviet aviation history, providing a comprehensive overview of their early jet development.

Soviet Cold War Fighters

Beautifully illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs, Soviet Cold War Fighters looks at the main development periods of Soviet fighter designs.
It 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.
This period 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.

A Guide to the Russian Federation Air Force Museum at Monino

Deep in a green pine forest, some 38 kilometers from Moscow is the Russian Federation Air Force Museum at Monino - a truly unique collection. The museum is founded on a rich collection of full-scale aircraft exhibits, as well as helicopters, aircraft engines, armament and search-and-rescue equipment, and reflects the history of Russian and Soviet aviation development from 1909 to the present.

Included in this guide:
- Aviation of the Late 19th and the Early 20th Century: Letatlin, Mozhaisky Flying Aircraft, Wright Brothers Airplane, Bleriot Aircraft, Utimtsev Engine, Grizodubov 1 Aircraft, "Ilya Muromets", Voisin, Sopwith, Farman IV;
- Aircraft of the 1920s & 1930s; ANT-2, ANT-4 (TB-1), ANT-6 (TB-3), ANT-25 (RD), ANT-40 (SB), DB-3 (Il-4), U-2 (Po-2), P-5, I-16;
- Aircraft of World War II and Post-war Rotary Aircraft; MiG-3, Yak-9u, La-7, La-11, Il-2, Il-10m, Pe-2, Tu-2, Tu-4, Il-12, Il-14, AN-2, AN-14;
- Subsonic and Transonic Jet Aircraft: Bi-1, MiG-15, MiG-15UTI, MiG-27, La-15, Su-25, Yak-17, Yak-23, Yak-25, Yak-25RV, Yak-36, Yak-38, Tu-16, Tu-104, Tu-95, Tu-114, Il-28, Il-18, Il-62, 3M, M-17, Yak-40, Yak-42, An-8, An-10A, An-12, An-24, Be-12, Be-32;
- Supersonic Jet Aircraft: MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-21 I ("Analogue"), MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, "Buran", Su-7, Su-9, Su-7b, Su-7L, Su-7Bkl, Su-11, Su-15, Su-17, M, Su-100, Su-24, Su-27, La-250, Yak-27r, Yak-28L, Tu-22, Tu-22M, Tu-128, Tu-144, M-50: Helicopters: Mi-1, Mi-4, Mi-6, Mi-10, Mi-8, Mi-2, Mi-12, Mi-24A, Ka-15, and KA-18. KA-25, KA-26, Yak-24;
- Lightweight Aircraft and Trainers: "Burevestnik", UT-2, Yak-12R, Yak-11, Yak-18, Yak-18U, Yak-18PM, Yak-18T, Yak-30, Tak-50, Yak-52B, L-29 Dolphin, Stock-2;
- and many other examples of aircraft ordnance, and armament.

Colonel-General B. Korolkov is head of the Gagarin Air Force Academy. V. Kazashvili is the chief curator of the Russian Federation Air Museum of Monino.