[PDF] Mikoyan Mig 31 Famous Russian Aircraft eBook

Author : Yefim Gordon
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 17,90 MB
Release : 2020
Category : MiG-31 (Jet fighter plane)
ISBN : 9781910809419

GET BOOK

As early as 1965, when the MiG-25 interceptor was in the midst of its test program, the Mikoyan Design Bureau started work on an even more capable two-seat interceptor meant to provide adequate protection for the huge expanses of Siberia and the Soviet Far East. Though superficially resembling a MiG-25 with tandem cockpits, the aircraft was soon designated the MiG-31. Initially dubbed Super Foxbat in the West but soon renamed Foxhound, the MiG-31 first flew on 16 September 1975 and, after a five-year trials program, achieved initial operational capability in 1980. Full-scale deliveries began in 1982 to units covering the Moscow Air Defense Zone, the Arctic and the Far East. One of the effects was that the SR-71s now stayed away from the Soviet borders. Efforts to improve the Foxhound began right away. In-flight refueling capability was added in 1989 to overcome the problem of inadequate range. Next, the MiG-31B, featuring upgraded avionics and better weapons, entered production in 1990; existing MiG-31s were brought up to the new standard (except for IFR capability) as the MiG-31BS. The radically improved 'Generation 4+' MiG-31M featuring a new WCS and new R-37 ultra-long-range AAMs first flew in 1985 but never entered production because of funding shortages. Today, the MiG-31s remains one of modern Russia's key air defense assets, and new versions keep appearing. The book gives the complete development and service history of this remarkable aircraft and is richly illustrated with color photos and color artwork throughout.

Author : Yefim Gordon
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 31,34 MB
Release : 2019-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9781910809310

GET BOOK

Originally conceived as a replacement for the famous MiG-21, changing priorities turned the MiG-23 into a STOL fighter with variable-geometry wings that first flew in June 1967. After two years of testing, the aircraft, codename Flogger, entered service in 1969. From then on development of the Flogger proceeded along two parallel lines originally as a fighter/interceptor with a two-seat trainer variant and later as a fighter/bomber which evolved into the MiG-27 used by the Soviet Air Force. This, in turn, was progressively improved as the MiG-27D/MiG-27M and the MiG-27K. The MiG-23 family was widely exported. New aircraft were supplied to the Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact allies and selected nations in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Later, second-hand machines were sold from CIS stocks to various parts of the world, which allowed the MiG-23 to remain active abroad longer than in Russia where single-engined combat jets had been phased out in 1997. The Flogger saw a good deal of action. Soviet MiG-23MLDs were actively used in the Afghan War; elsewhere, the fighter variants saw action in Syria (both in against Israel in the 1970s and in the Syrian Civil War), Libya, Iraq, Angola and Sudan. The fighter-bombers also fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka. This comprehensive book describes the development and service history of all variants of these aircraft, featuring fleet lists and numerous rare photos and color profiles.

Author : Yefim Gordon
Publisher : Hikoki Publications Limited
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 22,94 MB
Release : 2021
Category : Airplanes, Military
ISBN : 9781910809938

GET BOOK

As early as 1979, Soviet aircraft designers started work on a program called I-90, a fighter for the 1990s. Two Soviet aircraft design bureaus took on the task, Mikoyan and Sukhoi. Work began in 1983 but with the dissolution of the Soviet Union the project stalled. In 2002 the Russian government kicked off a new program under which Sukhoi began development of what was then known as PAK FA (Future Tactical Aviation Aircraft System). Known in house as the T-50, this aircraft strongly resembled the American F-22 Raptor in overall appearance. The first prototype took to the air on January 29, 2010 and in 2017 the fighter was allocated the service designation Su-57. In 2018 the aircraft had its combat debut when four of the prototypes were briefly deployed to Syria during the Russian campaign against the IS terror network in that country. Production was officially launched in May 2019, with the Russian Air Force having 70-plus on order. This work charts the development and trials history of the 1.44, Su-47 and Su-57, as well as other project versions that did not make it to the hardware stage. It is illustrated with numerous previously unpublished photos and drawings.

Author : Yefim Gordon
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 195 pages
File Size : 17,93 MB
Release : 2011-10-30
Category : History
ISBN : 1473823927

GET BOOK

The MiG-31 started life as an advanced derivative of the famous MiG-25P interceptor, becoming the first Soviet fourth-generation combat aircraft. First flown in 1975, it differed from its progenitor primarily in having a crew of two (pilot and weapons systems operator), a highly capable passive phased-array radar _ a world first _ and new R-33 long-range missiles as its primary armament. The maximum speed was an impressive Mach 2.82, the cruising speed being Mach 2.35. The type entered service in 1981; more than 500 copies were built between 1981 and 1994. The powerful radar and other avionics allowed the MiG-31 to operate as a 'mini-AWACS' scanning the airspace and guiding other interceptors to their targets; a flight of three such aircraft in line abreast formation could cover a strip 800 km (500 miles) wide. To this day the MiG-31 remains one of the key air defence assets of the Russian Air Force. The book describes the MiG-31's developmental history, including upgrade programmes, and features a full and comprehensive survey of the various MiG-31 model-making kits currently available on the market.

Author : Yefim Gordon
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,87 MB
Release : 2019-04
Category : Fighter planes
ISBN : 9781910809228

GET BOOK

Designed as a mass-produced and relatively cheap light tactical fighter, the MiG-29 first flew on October 6, 1977. After extensive flight testing, it entered production in 1982 and deliveries to the Soviet Air Force began in 1983. In addition to its main counter-air role, the aircraft had a useful air-to-ground capability, carrying free-fall bombs and unguided rockets. From the outset the MiG-29 had been steadily developed beyond the fourth generation with changes to the airframe, avionics and weapons systems and new variants were produced in the early 2000s. The MiG-29 known as the Fulcrum in the west, became both one of the Soviet Air Force's main fighter types and a successful Soviet export with nearly a third of the 1,500 first-generation Fulcrums built up to 1996 being exported. It saw service with 25 nations around the globe. Apart from the (former) Warsaw Pact nations, notable customers include India, Malaysia, Iraq, Yemen, Eritrea, Cuba and Peru. This revised and expanded edition of the definitive history of the aircraft charts in detail the MiG-29's evolution from the earliest design studies to the latest multi-role versions. It includes an enormous amount of new information, a listing of known operators and production lists together with a magnificent collection of previously unpublished photos.

Author : E. Gordon
Publisher : Hikoki
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 18,68 MB
Release : 2011
Category : History
ISBN : 9781902109183

GET BOOK

In both Soviet and modern Russia a multitude of assorted aircraft have been used for test and research purposes - primarily for verifying new avionics, systems, and weaponry. The use of systems being tested was not limited to aviation as aircraft were also utilized for other purposes including testing components of ballistic missile systems. Soviet and Russian Testbed Aircraft investigates all categories of test and research aircraft: engine testbeds including the Il-76LL and Tu-16LL, radar testbeds such as the SL-18P based on the well-known Il-18 airliner; electronic warfare system testbeds such as the Il-76-11, and those for weapons, aerodynamics, and control configured vehicles like the LMK-2405. In addition testbeds for landing gear, ejection seats such as the An-12M LL and Su-29KS, refueling systems, and helicopters modified as rotor system were created. Civil research aircraft, such as the An-12BPTs 'Tsiklon' weather research aircraft and IMARK geophysical survey aircraft are also given due attention. The MiG-27LL and MiG-29KVP aircraft used for testing conventional take-off and landing technologies during the Soviet CTOL aircraft carrier development program are also examined. Comprehensive details of each aircraft are coupled with information on the test centers from which these testbeds operate including the M. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute in Zhukovskiy, and the Air Force's 929th State Flight Test Centre in Akhtoobinsk. More than 500 photographs, line drawings, close-up views of tell-tale 'bumps and bulges' and color profiles illustrate the aircraft providing a wealth of information for the historian and modeler alike.

Author : Dmitriy Komissarov
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 19,65 MB
Release : 2017
Category : History
ISBN : 9781910809075

GET BOOK

Created by the famous Mikoyan Design Bureau in the early 1950s, the MiG-19 fighter was the Soviet Union's first true supersonic fighter that could exceed Mach 1 in level flight. The baseline version with conventional elevators (known to the West as Farmer-A) achieved initial operational capability with the Soviet Air Force as early as 1954, concurrently with its American counterpart, the F-100 Super Sabre. Vertical manoeuvrability was soon found to be inadequate and led the Mikoyan OKB to create a version with an all-flying horizontal tail - the MiG-19S Farmer-C day fighter, which was built and operated on a much wider scale. The radar-equipped first Soviet supersonic all-weather interceptor, the MiG-19P soon followed together with the MiG-19PM armed with a quartet of beam-riding air-to-air missiles. Special versions also included the SM-50 and SM-51 prototypes equipped with a liquid-fuel rocket booster to improve high-altitude performance and the SM-30 with a zero-length launch capability. In addition to serving its home country, the MiG-19 was exported to the Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact allies including China who created its own variants which had no Soviet equivalent such as the JJ-6 trainer and the radical Q-5 attack aircraft. In this latest book in the Famous Russian Aircraft series, the authors describe the MiG-19's development and its operational history at home and abroad including its involvement in conflicts in Asia and the Middle East. Over 600 black and white and colour photos, many hitherto unpublished combine with colour side views and cutaway drawings to provide a detailed insight for historians and modellers alike.

Author : Yefim Gordon
Publisher : Crecy Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 24,8 MB
Release : 2012-07-05
Category : Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder (Bomber)
ISBN : 9781857803563

GET BOOK

The Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder and Tu-22M Backfire led the Soviet Union's supersonic bomber air force from the 1960s, although the two aircraft were very different. The Tu-22—nicknamed Blinder by NATO—was the pioneering supersonic bomber in the USSR, entering production in 1960. The first Tu-22B aircraft entered Soviet service in 1962 and the aircraft continued into production until 1969 through several variants, including reconnaissance and electronic warfare versions. The aircraft was a mixed success as its performance compared unfavorably the Tu-16. It was also sold abroad to Libya and Iraq. The Tu-22M Backfire was developed by Tupolev during the 1960s when the Tu-22's shortcomings became apparent. The variable-geometry wings in the new design improved performance considerably and the new aircraft entered service in 1972 in the strategic bomber role and it was used in this capacity in the 1979–1989 war against Afghanistan. Yefim's Gordon's unparalleled access to information on Russian aviation makes this the most complete book published on this fascinating aircraft.

Author : E. Gordon
Publisher : Specialty Press (MN)
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,42 MB
Release : 2006
Category : Fighter planes
ISBN : 9781857802313

GET BOOK

Complete coverage of the MiG-29 from every possible angle, with details of all the latest versions of the MiG-29 which have not been covered in the Western press before. Profusely illustrated.