There are 47 Soviet Union Airplanes of the Cold War in the Military Factory.
This listing covers airplanes from 1946 through 1989.
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Antonov An-12 (Cub)
The Antonov An-12 "Cub" was a product of requirement by the Soviet Union during the Cold War years. With more land area to defend than any other superpower of the time, the Soviet military was faced with the daunting prospect...
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Antonov An-124 Ruslan (Condor)
The Antonov-produced AN-124 was the world's largest aircraft before the Russian AN-225 made it's debut, but it remained the largest to go into production nonetheless. The AN-124 was developed foremost as a military transport ...
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Antonov An-22 Antei (Cock)
The Antonov An-22 Antei (or "Cock") was another in the long line of Antonov transports designed and produced throughout the Cold War, with each design seemingly becoming progressively larger in scope. The An-22 was no excepti...
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Antonov An-24 (Coke)
The An-24 "Coke" was yet another in the long line of military transport aircraft produced during the Cold War by the Antonov bureau. The An-24 differed from earlier Antonov products in that it was designed and built to strict...
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Antonov An-32 (Cline)
The An-32 "Cline" was offered up by the Antonov bureau as an improved An-26 model. In essence, the system was quite similar to the preceding An-26 with newer and more powerful engines but offered up better performance in trop...
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Antonov An-72 (Coaler)
The An-72 "Coaler" was another Antonov Design Bureau creation designed to assist the Soviet military in logistical sorties as a tactical transport. The design was of a unique and very identifiable nature, placing the powerful...
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Beriev Be-12 (Mail)
The Beriev Be-12 "Mail" was a successful floatplane aircraft for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, fulfilling the role of maritime patrol and reconnaissance. The twin-engine system was designed to replace the other Beriev...
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Ilyushin IL-28 (Beagle)
The Ilyushin IL-28 (codenamed "Beagle" by NATO) holds many distinctions in the annals of aviation history - some combat related and others more political. The IL-28 became the first jet-powered bomber in service with the Sovi...
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Kamov Ka-25 (Hormone)
The Kamov Ka-25 (NATO codename of "Hormone") was developed from the Ka-20, which itself was a response to a Soviet Navy requirement for a ship-borne helicopter to replace the aging Mil Mi-4 platforms. The Ka-25 became a mains...
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Kamov Ka-27 (Helix)
The Ka-27 Helix was designed and built as a replacement for the aging Soviet-era Ka-25 navy helicopter - also built by Kamov.
The Ka-27 is designated as an anti-ship helicopter for the Russian Navy but fulfills a variety o...
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Lavochkin La-9 (Fritz)
The Lavochkin La-9 series (codename “Fritz” by NATO) was a direct development of the Lavochkin La-126 prototype. In essence, the La-9 represented the La-7 but with all-metal construction as opposed to wood used in the with mo...
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Lun Ekranoplan
The Lun-class Ekranoplan floatplane was one of the most distinct designs to emerge from the Cold War. The aircraft was designed around the idea known as "wing-in-ground" effect, which basically allowed for an increased weight...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Fagot)
The MiG-15 was the successful result of captured German research into turbojet and swept wing fighter designs at the end of World War Two. Couple that with the fact that the Soviet Union produced an illegal copy of the succes...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Fresco) / Chengdu J-5
As impressive as the later versions of the MiG-15 fighter were (detailed elsewhere on this site), the MiG-17 "Fresco" was a vastly improved development based on lessons learned in the formers design. With the MiG-15 represent...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (Farmer)
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 "Farmer" was an entirely new aircraft design though it shared many external similarities with the existing MiG-15 and MiG-17 models. Building upon lessons learned on those former designs, the MiG-1...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Fishbed)
In many ways, the MiG-21 stands as the pinnacle of the Mikoyan-Gurevich's development in terms of a frontline turbojet fighter. The system became a bridge that connected the post-World War Two jet designs with that of the hig...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger)
Original models designed to replace the short-range yet successful MiG-21 Fishbed were accepted and reviewed by the Soviet military powers. One such version was actually an enlarged model of the base MiG-21 whilst the other w...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (Foxbat)
The MiG-25 Foxbat was designed as a high-speed pure interceptor to combat the developing XB-70 Valkyrie American bomber capable of Mach 3. Though the Valkyrie never materialized for US war planners, the MiG-25 was kept in pro...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-27 (Flogger)
The MiG-27 (NATO designation of "Flogger"), like the MiG-23 before it, was a stop-gap measure until the full arrival of the Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot". The MiG-27 stood as a strike-fighter derivative to the highly-acclaimed swin...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 (Fulcrum)
The MiG-29 Fulcrum was and continues to be a highly prized and respected multirole fighter in service with Russia and a plethora of countries worldwide. The system has proven very robust, flexible and highly maneuverable in t...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 (Foxhound)
The Mikoyan-Gurevich produced MiG-31 was the culmination of work that began with the development of the MiG-25 Foxbat series of high-altitude, high-speed interceptors challenged with taking out the new generation of long-rang...
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 (Fargo)
The MiG-9 (NATO codename of "Fargo") was only the second attempt by the Soviet Union at designing and producing a viable jet-powered fighter platform. Design was undertaken by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Bureau and - though hardly a...
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Mil Mi-24 / Mi-25 / Mi-35 (Hind)
The Mil-produced series of "Hind" helicopters was a favorite Cold War-relic and continues (albeit modernized) in many of today's armies including Russias. The heavy helicopter is capable of commanding various battlefield role...
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Mil Mi-28 (Havoc)
The Mi-28 (NATO reporting name of "Havoc") was a product of the Cold War designed as an anti-tank attack platform similar in nature to the American-produced AH-64 Apache series. Like the Apache, the Mi-28 featured an armored ...
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Mil Mi-4 (Hound)
The broad-reaching Mil Mi-4 series of helicopter (known to NATO as "Hound") first appeared in 1952 and was designed within the Soviet Union as a direct response to the American H-19 Chickasaw helicopter debuting in the Korean...
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Myasishchev M-50 / M-52 (Bounder)
The M-50 and M-52 bombers were two prototype intercontinental supersonic strategic bombers proposed by the Soviet firm of Myasishchev as early as 1956. Though the project and its design is some fifty years old, very little in...
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Sukhoi Su-11 (Fishpot)
The Su-11, by any regard, is considered a potent fighter. Based on a further development of the inferior and limited Su-9, the Su-11 featured an improved and more powerful turbojet engine capable of 22,046lbs of thrust with a...
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Sukhoi Su-15 (Flagon)
The Su-15 (NATO codename of "Flagon") series of aircraft was designed by the Sukhoi firm as a true interceptor with the sole purpose of defending Soviet airspace NATO bomber incursions during the Cold War. The system was desi...
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Sukhoi Su-17 / Su-20 / Su-22 (Fitter)
The Su-17 "Fitter-C" series of aircraft was a variant of the successful Su-7 "Fitter-A" fighter program. Though sharing similarities with the aforementioned system, the Su-17 was in fact a swing-wing derivative of the fixed-w...
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Sukhoi Su-20 (Fitter-C)
The Su-20 "Fitter-C" is nothing more than the export version of the Su-17 "Fitter-B" and "Fitter-C" series of swing-wing aircraft which, themselves, are derivatives of the fixed-wing Su-7 "Fitter-A" series. The Su-20 is based...
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Sukhoi Su-24 (Fencer)
The Su-24 (NATO series name of "Fencer") was a successful Sukhoi product requested by the Soviet government to replace their aging IL-28 and Yak-28 medium-class bombers. Though initial research resulted in a delta-wing design...
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Sukhoi Su-25 (Frogfoot)
The Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" series of aircraft harkened back to the successes of the Soviet IL-2 Sturmovik close-support fighter-bombers. The Su-25 was quite a departure from traditional jet aircraft designs of the time and i...
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Sukhoi Su-35 / Su-37 (Super Flanker)
The Su-35 (and similar Su-37) is known as the "Super Flanker". The Su-35 is based on the Su-27 Flanker air-superiority fighter developed in the 1980's with the Su-35 representing a 'more-capable' Su-27.
The Su-35 features ...
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Sukhoi Su-7 (Fitter)
Though not in service with the Russian Air Force in any capacity these days, the Sukhoi Su-7 (NATO designation of "Fitter") can still be found in a few inventories around the world - mostly in former Soviet-supported states a...
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Tupolev Tu-142 (Bear)
The Tupolev Tu-142 "Bear" aircraft was a further development of the massive and successful Tu-95 Bear design popularized by its many appearances along the airspace border between the Soviet union and NATO allies during the Co...
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Tupolev Tu-16 (Badger)
The Tupolev Tu-16 (codenamed "Badger" by NATO) owed its success story to the Cold War and its own versatility. Throughout its production life, the Tu-16 would go on to become arguably the best medium-type bomber platform in s...
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Tupolev Tu-22 (Backfire)
The Tupolev Tu-22 "Backfire" series is a variable-geometry swing-wing aircraft classified as a medium bomber - of the only true remaining modern "medium bomber" designated aircraft currently flying. The system was originally ...
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Tupolev Tu-28 (Fiddler)
The Tupolev-produced Tu-28 (NATO codename of "Fiddler") was a large intercept-capable aircraft built for the simple role of air defense and anti-bomber incursion. Developed at a time when both sides of the Cold War were seeki...
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Tupolev Tu-95 (Bear)
The Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" was the Soviet symbol of Cold War prowess, consistently breaking across into American and Canadian airspace to test defensive response times and gather intelligence. The many forms of the Tu-95 produc...
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Yakovlev Yak-17
The Yak-17 was a solid operator in service with the Soviet Union. As a post-World War Two design, the system had its roots in the Yak-3 piston-engine fighter which spawned the jet-powered Yak-15 - of which the Yak-17 was a di...
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Yakovlev Yak-23
The Yakovlev Yak-23 was the final iteration of the post-war turbojet designs beginning with the Yak-15 and continuing in the Yak-17 aircraft series. The Yak-23 was similar to the Yak-17 but differed in the utilization of high...
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Yakovlev Yak-25 (Flashlight / Mandrake)
The Yak-25 (NATO codename of "Flashlight") was yet another jet fighter design introduced by the Soviets during the early decades of the Cold War. The system was designed to patrol the vast northern-most portions of the Soviet...
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Yakovlev Yak-28 (Brewer / Firebar / Maestro)
Nearly an exact copy of the Yak-25 (and the Yak-26 and Yak-27 for that matter), the Yakovlev Yak-28 was initially thought of as a multi-role fighter-bomber but eventually fulfilled the role of interceptor, reconnaissance and ...
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Yakovlev Yak-38 (Forger)
The Yakovlev Yak-38 Forger became the first (and last) VTOL service aircraft for the Soviet Union / Russian Federation. Attempting to fulfill the same role as did the British Aerospace Harrier VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Land...
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American Cold War aircraft design can be seen as a direct extension of philosophies undertaken in the Second World War. That single instance in American history can be seen as the spring board to the awoken power lying under the manufacturing skin of the United States, and that power would not be ever more evident than from what was to be seen during the military build during the Cold War. In one respect, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union can be considered as a "line in the sand". Where one country would mark it, the other would come ever more closely to crossing it. The design philosophies garnered throughout World War two and coupled with the advancements in the early years of the jet age were to produce classic designs and some of the most powerful fighters and bombers ever produced. The call of the day would be speed and altitude with the very real threat of nuclear war embodied in the capabilities of these aircraft to carry such loads.
The Korean War was the first major engagement between these two powers - just a short 5 years after the end of the global conflict against Germany. North Korean aggression backed by Communist China and further backed by the Soviet Union brought the ire of the newly-formed United Nations led by the United States onto the Korean Peninsula. After three years of fighter and very little to show for it, a truce was drawn up and the focus of the Cold War moved to limited entanglements throughout the globe. The height was probably reached sometime in the Cuban Missile Crisis and worsened with America's defeat in the Vietnam Conflict. Nevertheless, despite these issues, the interior unrest of the Soviet Union would lead to consolidation and an overthrow of the Communist regime. Despite several satellite states still in communist control by the end of the 1980's, communism as a global danger would subside and America would be declared the winner. To that end, the Cold War was a time of mass developments and advanced in aviation technology, particularly with a military flare. Space exploration was no longer a backdrop of science fiction but more so the forefront of political science. The Cold War had broken new ground in almost every facet of military production and pushed two very powerful world leaders to the brink of all-out confrontation. |
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