Early Soviet Jet Fighters

By the end of the Second World War the USA and Great Britain had developed viable jet fighters, even if these aircraft came a bit too late to have a significant impact on the course of the conflict. Germany achieved greater success, using the Me 262 and He 162 jet fighters operationally in the closing stages of the war. In contrast, the Soviet Union lagged behind, even though research on turbojet engines had begun in the USSR in the late 1930s. This deficiency was recognized and at the end of the war, captured German jet aircraft and engines enabled the USSR to reverse-engineer the technology. Even so, the USSR struggled to catch up until in 1946, the British Labor government gifted the Soviets the latest in propulsion technology, the Rolls-Royce Nene and Derwent V engines. This inexplicable action allowed a much more capable generation of Soviet jet fighters to be born and by the end of the 1940s Soviet industry had caught up with, and in some respects surpassed the West, in jet aviation. Because of the Stalinist era in which the first Soviet jets were developed, up until now little has been known about the early post-war designs from the design bureaus of Mikoyan, Yakovlev, Lavochkin, Sukhoi and Alekseyev and the background to even relatively well-known types such as the MiG-9, La-9 and YAK-15 is barely documented. Other early jet types, proposals and projects were virtually unknown in the West. This gap is now redressed by the famous Soviet aviation historian Yefim Gordon and in his latest work he draws on extensive research in design bureau files, official documents and military archives, many of which have only very recently become available, having been labelled 'Top Secret' for decades. This volume presents, in considerable detail, the development, history and technical specifications of the earliest Soviet jet fighters and the extensive illustrations-around 750 photos, over 50 specially-commissioned color drawings and a host of line drawings--are mostly from previously classified sources the majority of which are previously unseen. This book is certain to be essential reading for aviation historians, enthusiasts and modelers.

A “clearly written, profusely illustrated, and well organized” volume on Soviet and European jet fighter design (Air Power History). In his previous book on early jet fighters, Leo Marriott traced the history of the revolutionary aircraft produced by the British and Americans immediately after the Second World War. Now, in this companion volume, he describes jet fighter development on the continent of Europe and in the Soviet Union during the same remarkable period. Using over 200 archive photographs he covers the pioneering German designs, then the range of experimental and operational fighters constructed by the Soviets, the French, and the Swedes. The sheer variety of the designs that manufacturers came up with during this short, intense period of innovation make for fascinating reading. Several of the most famous jet fighters feature prominently in the rare photographs and are analyzed in the expert text, including the Messerschmitt Me 262, the Heinkel He 162, the MiGs 15, 17 and 19, the Dassault Ouragan, and the Saab J29. But perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the book is its record of experimental projects testing new concepts that rapidly became established elements of jet aircraft design. The photographs of these largely forgotten aircraft give us an insight into the extraordinary technical challenges—and the ambition and inventiveness of the designers and manufacturers who overcame them.

Beautifully illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs, Soviet Cold War Fighters looks at the main development periods of Soviet fighter designs and covers all the important features and developments for each - a total of four generations of fighter were developed from the late 1940s to the early 1980s - that witnessed the most iconic and powerful fighters such as the legendary MiG-15, MiG-21, Tu-128, Su-9, MiG-23, MiG-25 reach for the skies, followed by the modern day MiG-29, MiG-31 and Su-27, which strike fear in the West for their phenomenal weaponry and blistering performance. All aircraft are described in detail with facts and figures, including their weapons and instances of combat employment, as well as explaining how the Cold War drastically changed Soviet fighter design to counter the West. Researched and written by Alexander Mladenov, a leading aviation journalist, this is a highly detailed testament to leading Soviet fighter design and development.

Until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the MiG Design Bureau had a near monopoly on the supply of fighter aircraft to the Soviet Air Force and the nations within Moscow's sphere of influence. Yet the early designs of Mikoyan and Gurevich are not widely known; the MiG-1 was the fastest fighter in the world in 1940 and the improved MiG-3 was more than a match for the Bf 109F at high altitude. Other early designs included high-altitude fighter prototypes, rocket-powered aircraft, and the MiG-9, the first pure jet-powered Soviet fighter. Updated with seven pages of new material.

The Red Air Force had just started to re-equip with modern monoplane fighters when the Germans opened Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hundreds of fighters were destroyed in the first few days, but many of these were obsolete biplanes. Soviet Fighters of the Second World War details fighter development from the dark days of Barbarossa to eventual triumph over Berlin. Starting with outdated aircraft such as the Polikarpov Po-2 biplane and monoplane fighters, the Soviets then settled on two main lines of development: the inline-engine LaGG-3 and its radial-engine derivatives, the La-5 and La-7, and the inline-engine Yakovlev fighters, which were produced in greater numbers than any other series of fighters. Not only are these aircraft accurately described, but experimental fighters are also dealt with. In addition, colour profiles illustrate these aircraft in terms of design, camouflage and markings. From the I-15bis biplane of the late 1930s to the superb La-7 and Yak-3 fighters of the last year of the war, all Red Air Force fighters are covered in this comprehensive volume.

When the Mikoyan Gerevich MiG-15 first appeared in combat against the Western powers during the Korean War it caused consternation amongst its opposition. Its performance far outstripped any jet fighter aircraft produced by the West at the time and its duels with the US F86 Sabre have entered into aviation legend. The success of the MiG-15 was such that it went on to become the most widely produced jet fighter aircraft in history, and although figures vary it is believed over 12,000 were built plus another 6,000 under licence. The protoype of the distinctive fighter, built by the Mikoyan design bureau, with its high swept wing and tailplane and nose intake first flew in 1947, and was first deployed in the Korean War at the start of the 1950s. Although it suffered from handling problems when involved in dogfights with the F86, and a number were shot down, it had been built primarily with the role of interceptor in mind and was highly effective against the US heavy bombers. The MiG-15 was produced in a number of variants, both in single seat and two-seat versions and remained in service as a trainer aircraft for Warsaw Pact countries into the 1970s. Its improved successors, the MiG-17 and MiG-19 became the standard Soviet jet fighters of the early Cold War, including the Vietnam War. The MiG-15 was also produced in Czechoslovakia, Poland and China and aircraft were exported throughout the world. Its rugged build has ensured that a number survive in flying condition today. This book is a worthy addition to the acclaimed 'Famous Russian Aircraft' series, with a comprehensive history of the aircraft's development, design history and use, throughout the world. The comprehensive text is supported by almost 1000 photographs and line drawings as well as over a 100 detailed colour profiles. This will be the definitive book on the market of this historic Soviet jet fighter.