Photo: Said Aminov / saidpvo.livejournal.com The Myasishchev M-55 high-altitude research aircraft made its first flight on 16 August 1988 from the Smolensk aircraft plant, marking the start of a programme […]
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Category: History of Russian aviation
Su-17 Introduced Variable-Geometry Wings to Soviet Tactical Aviation
Image CC0 license (Public Domain) The Sukhoi Su-17 completed its maiden flight on 2 August 1966, becoming the first Soviet combat aircraft to incorporate a variable-geometry wing and establishing a […]
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Yakovlev AIR-12 Marks 90 Years Since First Flight Of Record-Breaking Aircraft
AI-enhanced image based on an original 1936 black-and-white photograph. Released under the CC0 (public domain) licence. The Yakovlev AIR-12 light aircraft completed its first flight 90 years ago, marking an […]
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Russian Naval Aviation Marks 110 Years Since First Baltic Air Combat
Photo © Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Defense Ministry Russia’s Naval Aviation has marked 110 years since the first air combat engagement involving Russian naval aviators, […]
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April 24, 1946: Soviet Jet Aviation Takes Its First Operational Step with MiG-9 and Yak-15 First Flights
Mig-9 and Yak-15, the first Soviet fighters / Public domain (CC0) On April 24, 1946, the Soviet Union entered the jet age as two prototype fighters — the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-300 […]
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Restoration of the Supersonic Tu-144 Airliner Underway at Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Museum
Image by Creative Commons license The Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation Museum is currently restoring its Tupolev Tu-144, the world’s first supersonic passenger jet. The project coincides with the 90th anniversary of […]
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On 25 April 1996, the Yak-130 made its first flight
Yak-130 First Flight, 1996. / Photo by © Vladimir Yatsina, TASS The Yak-130 twin-seat advanced jet trainer provides basic and advanced pilot training for modern and future combat aircraft, including […]
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How a Soviet Yak-40 Took Africa by Storm in 1973: A Two-Month Triumph
Yak-40 in Kenya / Image by © Public Joint Stock Company “Yakovlev” Press Office On 20th March 1973, a large-scale demonstration tour of the Yak-40 aircraft around Africa came to […]
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To Mark the 80th Anniversary of Victory: The Petlyakov Pe-2 Bomber
Image by Creative Commons license The Petlyakov Pe-2 dive bomber, designed under the leadership of aircraft designer Vladimir Petlyakov, became one of the most iconic aircraft of the Great Patriotic […]
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Yak-38M Carrier-Based Strike Fighter
Image by Creative Commons license On 10th February 1983, test pilot Yuri Mitikov made the first full-profile flight in the Yak-38M vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. This strike fighter […]
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