Antonov An-2 (Colt)
The Antonov An-2 is a multi-role light utility biplane initially produced under the Soviet flag. Despite its 1940's pedigree, the system has continued service and operations throughout the world and production itself has tota...

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...

Ilyushin IL-10
The Ilyushin IL-10 was a follow-up design to the classic IL-2 "Shturmovik", an armored ground attack aircraft that won the air war for the Soviets in the East Front of World War 2. Visually similar to its predecessor, the new...

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...

Ilyushin IL-76 (Candid)
The Ilyushin IL-76 heavy transport was debuted in the early 1970s, entered service in the mid-1970s and is still operating today - some 36 years after its inception. At any rate, the IL-76 has proven something of a success st...

Lavochkin La-11 (Fang)
The Lavochkin La-11 was designed from the successful Lavochkin La-9 series of piston engine fighters with the difference being that the La-11 was to be a long-range bomber escort. The system was under development in the closi...

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...

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...

Mikoyan MiG-27 (Flogger)
The Mikoyan MiG-27 "Flogger" was derived from the successful MiG-23 "Flogger" interceptor and made into a dedicated ground attack aircraft. The swing-wing capabilities of the original Flogger lent itself well to the low-level...

Mikoyan MiG-29 (Fulcrum)
The Mikoyan 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 maneuvera...

Mikoyan MiG-31 (Foxhound)
The Mikoyan-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-range high-al...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Fagot)
The MiG-15 (codenamed "Fagot" by the United Nations in reference to a "hastily bundled pile of sticks") became the Soviet Union's first true turbojet-powered fighter design of consequence and the first swept-wing aircraft of ...

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...

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...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (Fishbed)
The MiG-21 was undoubtedly the most successful Cold War fighter in terms of reach, operating in over 50 air forces around the globe and seeing production well past the 10,000 example mark. The aircraft was developed with less...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger)
The Mach 2-capable MiG-23 "Flogger" became the first "swing-wing" fighter to enter service with the Soviet Union and went on to become a primary mount of the Soviet air services (replacing the range-limited MiG-21 "Fishbed") ...

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...

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...

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...

Mil Mi-8 (Hip)
Numbering well over 12,000 production examples, the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name of "Hip") can be viewed as one of the most successful helicopter designs of all time. It has seen use as a passenger transport, troop transport...

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...

North American P-51 / F-51 Mustang
The North American P-51 Mustang proved an invaluable addition to the Allied cause in the latter half of World War 2. The system was designed and flown in a matter of months and made such an impact that it could clearly be con...

Republic P-47 / F-47 Thunderbolt
While much of the romance of World War 2 dogfighting often heads in the direction of the USAAF's North American P-51 Mustang or the Vought F4U Corsair, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (affectionately nicknamed "the Jug" by her ...

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...

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...

Sukhoi Su-17 / Su-20 / Su-22 (Fitter)
The Mach 2-capable Sukhoi Su-17 "Fitter" was a further development of the successful Su-7 "Fitter-A" fighter/fighter-bomber family line detailed elsewhere on this site. The aircraft incorporated a partial variable geometry wi...

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...

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...

Sukhoi Su-27 (Flanker)
The Su-27 "Flanker" series of aircraft is regarded by most airplane aficionados as the ultimate in Russian fighter design. The Su-27 first appeared in the middle of the 1980's, completely taking NATO and American warplanners ...

Sukhoi Su-7 (Fitter-A)
The Sukhoi Su-7 (NATO codename of "Fitter-A") was a single-seat, single engine jet-powered fighter in service with the Soviet Air Force (Frontal Aviation) throughout the 1960s. It was a nuclear-capable aircraft that went on t...

Tupolev Tu-126 (Moss)
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Tupolev Tu-144 (Charger)
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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...

Tupolev Tu-22 (Backfire / Blinder)
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 ...

Tupolev Tu-28 / Tu-128 (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...

Tupolev Tu-4 (Bull)
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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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

Yakovlev Yak-41/Yak-141 (Freestyle)
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Yakovlev Yak-9 (Frank)
In line with other classic wartime fighters of World War 2, the Yakovlev-produced Yak-9 was another excellent piston-engine addition to the family line. Initially conceived from a developmental version of the Yak-7 that featu...