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...

de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
The Caribou series proved to be such an effective battlefield transport aircraft that more than a few were pressed into service as captured C-7's in the hands of the North Vietnamese. The type continues to serve in limited nu...

Grumman F8F Bearcat
In many ways, the Grumman F8F Bearcat was the pinnacle of United States piston-engine fighter design. The aircraft arrived within the waning months of World War 2, missing combat action in all theaters altogether, but still m...

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...

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...

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...