Special Sub-Topic: Soviet Fighter Aircraft Authored by: battleofendor Sub-topic of: Air Forces

What fighter gave Allied commanders a scare when it first appeared in the skies over Korea?

MiG-15. It was truly a surprise for the Allies who had kept their own superfighter, the F-86 Saber, in the United States. Although clearly superior to the F-80s in the theater at the time, the first jet to jet dogfight ended in an American victory. The F-86 was quickly rushed to Korea and Allied air superiority was never challenged again.

During the Vietnam War, what was the preferred mount for the legendary North Vietamese ace Colonel Tomb?

MiG-17. The MiG-17 was a redesigned and highly improved MiG-15. Despite their lower speed and lack of long ranged missiles, MiG-17's held their own against the much larger, faster, and less manuverable F-4 Phantoms used by the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The lessons the American learned against the MiG-17 and MiG-21 helped spur the development of a generation of new American fighters.

What fighter was developed to defend the USSR from the American B-70 Valkrie and SR-71?

MiG-25. It was developed for a threat that never materialized. The MiG-31 was optimized for high altitude, high speed flight and using long range missiles. When the West first saw this fighter, rumors ran wild. They thought it had long range and good manuverability, so the F-15 was developed to meet the new threat. When NATO captured one, they found out otherwise. In the end, the Soviets got a good interceptor, and the Americans got a superior fighter that is a match for anything developed in the last thirty years.

Which aircraft features a "swing wing" design?

MiG-23. It is of the more prolific Soviet designs and one of the first aircraft to have "swing wings". A ground attack variant, the MiG-27, was developed from the MiG-23's airframe. Both go by the NATO code name "Flogger".

What was the Soviets' first operational VSTOL aircraft?

Yak-38. Yak-38 Forger was developed for the Kiev Class of helicopter carriers. It has two lift jets and one trust jet. Its capabilities are less than the earlier Harrier of the Royal Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. While adequate to defend the fleet from a patrolling Viking, Orion, or Nimrod, it would not fare well against a conventional fighter.

The MiG-31 Foxhound was developed to counter what American threat?

B-1B Lancer. The MiG-31 Foxhound is loosely based on the design of the MiG-25. Where the MiG-25 was meant to catch the high flying, Mach 3, B-70; the MiG-31 was designed to hunt cruise missile carrying, subsonic, B-1B flying at very low altitude. Major changes include a much longer range, an airframe strengthened for low altitude flight, and a phased array radar that gives the Foxhound true "look down, shoot down" capability. Although a superb interceptor, like the MiG-25, it is not dogfighter. The U.S. Navy's F-14 Tomcat has a similar role and capabilities, although the F-14 is a much better dogfighter.

When the Berlin Wall fell, NATO inherited what state-of-the-art Soviet fighter from the East German Air Force?

MiG-29. Talk about a goldmine for the West! This was NATO's first look at the wonderful machine. The MiG-29 Fulcrum' closest western counterpart is the F/A-18 Hornet. The Fulcrum features a helmet mounted sight that controls the AA-11 Archer short range air-to-air missile. The Archer allows the pilot to engage targets up to forty-five degrees off the Fulcrum's nose. Under equal terms, the MiG-29 is a match for any NATO aircraft; however, neither the training or maintenance of most MiG-29 users is on par with American pilots. Actor John Travolta owns a MiG-29.

Which Soviet aircraft is known by the NATO code name "Flanker"?

Su-27. This was the Soviets' attempt attempt to replicate the F-15 Eagle. It is a large, sophisticated aircraft that, in some configurations, can carry twelve air-toair missiles, including the AA-11 Archer. The development of the Flanker is one of the few Russian defense programs that has survived the wall of the Berlin Wall. A navalized version with folding wings was proposed for the Soviets first aircaft carrier. Bomber and electronic warefare variants are in development. At airshows, the Flanker has performed the "Cobra maneuver" in which the aircaft points its nose vertically and slides horizontally.

What is a characteristic of the Yak-141 Freestyle?

All of these (It has the same radar as the MiG-29, It is a VSTOL, Its development was stifled by the end of the Cold War). If the Yak-141 Freestyle ever gets fully developed, it would be the most powerful VSTOL until the Royal Navy and U.S. Marine Corps F-35 enters production. It was designed for fleet defense with a secondary attack capability to operate off the Kiev Class helicopter carriers. Like the Yak-38 Forger, it has a pair of lift jets couple with a dedicated cruising jet. The Harrier and proposed F-35 use ducted thrust to achieve vertical flight.

What mission is the Su-24 Fencer optimized for?

attack bomber. The 'F' code name is a misnomer. Like the American F-111, the Su-24 Fencer is no fighter. Also like the American F-111 and British Tornado, the Fencer is a low level, swing wing tactical bomber.