This detailed review of Soviet experimental aircraft from the early 1900s to the latest Russian prototypes of today is the first book to take a close look at all of the major Soviet experimental aircraft in one concise volume. Working from original sources, the authors have produced an outstanding reference which, although concentrates on hardware, also includes many projects that were built but never flew, and even a few that never got off the proverbial drawing board. About 150 aircraft types are described, each with relevant data, including many three-view drawings.

As the Warsaw Pact disbands and the military information on Soviet material becomes more accessible, aviation professionals and enthusiasts are studying Russian topics more intensively than before. This volume seeks to act as a base for a broader study of Soviet rotary wing aviation.

This book represents probably the most detailed study published in the English language of the camouflage and markings of the fighter aircraft of the Soviet Air Force during World War II. Erik Pilawskii is a scholar of the Soviet Air Force in World War II and has undertaken several years of research to produce this ground-breaking book. With information drawn from previously inaccessible Soviet archives, the author first presents a detailed analysis of the developments, trends, patterns and irregularities of the color systems seen on Russian fighters and offers a fascinating insight into the workings of the Soviet manufacturing system responsible for this task. He then brings readers a technical study of each of the main fighter aircraft and variants, and each description is followed by coverage of camouflage and markings, factory-applied, field variations and seasonal.

Shlapentokh undertakes a dispassionate analysis of the ordinary functioning of the Soviet system from Stalin's death through the Soviet collapse and Russia's first post-communist decade. Without overlooking its repressive character, he treats the USSR as a "normal" system that employed both socialist and nationalist ideologies for the purposes of technological and military modernization, preservation of empire, and expansion of its geopolitical power. Foregoing the projection of Western norms and assumptions, he seeks to achieve a clearer understanding of a civilization that has perplexed its critics and its champions alike.

Red Star vol.20
While Soviet combat aircraft have received extensive coverage, the many UAVs developed in the Soviet Union and, more recently, Russia remain unsung. Nevertheless, this is a subject deserving attention. The first Soviet UAV to find large-scale use was the La-17 developed by the Lavochkin OKB, a fighter maker of World War II fame; it came in both target drone and reconnaissance versions. The Tupolev OKB, best known for its heavy bombers and commercial aircraft, also had a line of UAVs of varying size. The first of these was the Tu-123 Yastreb which started life as a heavy cruise missile but evolved into a supersonic unmanned spyplane; the book also describes the Tu-141 Strizh (Swift), which again came in reconnaissance and target versions, the Tu-243 Reys (Flight) and the latest Tu-300 recce/strike UAV.

В книге в популярной форме рассказывается о «массовых» боевых самолетах, определявших облик боевой авиации разных времен и стран.
Книга содержит сведения о конструкциях, которые, хотя и не стали основой для серийных машин, сыграли важную роль в прогрессе авиастроения, прослеживает путь, пройденный военной авиацией за годы и десятилетия ее становления и развития, знакомит с наиболее выдающимися конструкциями и их авторами, с важнейшими событиями и идеями, определившими направления творческого поиска инженеров разных поколений.

As the Allies intensified their bombing of the Third Reich and the Luftwaffe's conventional fighters seemed taxed to their very limit, the sudden appearance of rocket aircraft in May 1944 marked the advent of Germany's last hope. The first rocket planes were being tested by January 1944, and a handful of these advanced fighters would take to the sky, destined for a short but violent life in the face of Allied air superiority. 

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 due in no small part to the punch they pack.
This new book examines the development of different classes of weapons carried by Soviet/Russian aircraft. One chapter is devoted to cannons, while others cover missiles developed by various design bureaus, including the now-famous Vympel, Raduga and Zvezda companies -- air-to-air missiles, from the Mikoyan KS-1 anti-shipping missile of the mid-1950s to 'smart weapons' of today, such as the laser-guided Raduga Kh-29L and TV-guided Kh-29T.

Red Star vol.11
This is the story of the Soviet Union's first intercontinental jet bomber, which was to have become a carrier of nuclear missiles and the Soviet answer to the Boeing B-52. Much to the surprise of many, the little-known Myasishchev bureau was chosen to do the job; it had been disbanded a few years earlier and reinstated solely to create such a bomber. Known to the West as the Bison, the new bomber employed many innovative features (including a bicycle landing gear) and was created within the short period of just one year; Western military observers were stunned when the aircraft was formally unveiled at the 1953 May Day parade. The M-4 and the much-improved 3M remained in service for 40 years until retired and scrapped in compliance with the START treaty.

Red Star vol.36
The Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger was the Soviet Navy's first and only VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) multi-role combat aircraft. Outwardly similar in design to the British-built Harrier, the first prototype of the aircraft was completed on April 14, 1970, and it made its maiden flight January 15, 1971. Before production ceased, 231 aircraft were built, including 38 two-seat trainers. The aircraft suffered from severe payload restrictions, particularly when operating in hot environments, such as the Indian Ocean. Following the break up of the Soviet Union, the Yak-38 saw service with the Russian Federation and Ukraine air forces, although all have been withdrawn from service.

In the early 1950s a need arose in the Soviet Union for a heavy transport and assault helicopter capable of airlifting cargo weighing up to 6 tons (13,230 lbs) - primarily artillery systems. THe chief Soviet "helicopter maker" - OKB-329 headed by Mikhail L. Mil - took on this important task. The prototype of the V-6 (eventually redesignated Mi-6), which first flew in June 1957, was a much larger machine. For the first time not only in the Mil OKB's practice but also in the world helicopter design practice, the powerplant consisted of two gas turbine engines; another peculiarity was the use of auxiliary wing offloading the main rotor in cruise flight. The Mi-6 provided a major boost to the Soviet Air Force's capability. In 1959 it served as the basis for the unconventional Mi-10 capable of straddling bulky loads.

The first of a two-volume set detailing Soviet Second World War combat aircraft - both prototype and operational.

Series "Red stars in the sky" aims to cast more light on the aircraft and the pilots of the Soviet Air Arm in WWII. This second part focuses on bombers and assault aircraft.

Series "Red stars in the sky" aims to cast more light on the aircraft and the pilots of the Soviet Air Arm in WWII. This first part concentrates on fifhter aircraft and pilots.

Series "Red stars in the sky" aims to cast more light on the aircraft and the pilots of the Soviet Air Arm in WWII. Like the first part of "Red Stars" this part concentrates on fifhter aircraft and pilots.

Red Star vol.4
This charts the development and service history of the first-generation Soviet jet fighters designed by such renowned fighter makers as Mikoyan, Yakovlev and Sukhoi, as well as design bureau no longer in existence--the Lavochkin and Alekseyev OKBs, during the 1940s and early 1950s. Each type is detailed and compared to other contemporary jet fighters. As ever the extensive photo coverage includes much which is previously unseen.

Red Star vol.19
In the nervous 1950s, the Soviet Union faced the task of defending its borders against intrusions by Western spyplanes and deterring an attack by Western bomber armadas. The mission was to intercept incoming adversaries at long range, which required plenty of engine power, ample fuel and heavy armament. Several Soviet design bureaus took on this priority task. The first heavy interceptor from the Mikoyan stable was the swept-wing I-3 of 1956 which, though never flown, was the precursor of the cannon-armed I-7U and the missile-armed I-75. These were followed by the delta-winged Ye-150 series of the late 1950s and early 1960s - the single-engined Ye-150 and Ye-152 and the twin-engined Ye-152A. Known to the outside world as the Ye-166, the huge Ye-152M set an impressive speed record of 2,681 km/h on 7th July 1962. These aircraft paved the way for the MiG-25 interceptor. Other contenders included the Sukhoi T-37, terminated by government order before it had a chance to fly. Even the Tupolev OKB, traditionally specializing in heavy bombers and airliners, developed the twin-engined Tu-128 - the world's largest interceptor - which was so huge that it was initially mistaken for a medium bomber.

Arranged by designers, this second installment of a two-volume set includes the aircraft of such famous names as Ilyushin, Petlyakov, and Tupolev, as well as lesser-known types. In preparing this volume, the authors combed untapped archives in the Soviet Union to uncover a wealth of data that rewrites longheld Western beliefs.