A history of this supersonic Soviet interceptor, including useful information for model makers. In the late 1950s, the Sukhoi Design Bureau, already an established fighter maker, started work on a successor to its Su-9 and Su-11 single-engined interceptors for the national Air Defense Force. Similar to its predecessors, the new aircraft, designated Su-15, had delta wings; unlike the Su-9/Su-11, however, it had twin engines and lateral air intakes freeing up the nose for a powerful fire control radar. First flown in May 1962, the Su-15 officially entered service in 1965 and was built in several versions, the late ones having cranked-delta wings and a more capable radar. Being an air defense fighter, the Su-15 frequently had to deal with intruders. Unfortunately the aircraft gained notoriety in two separate incidents involving shoot-downs of Boeing airliners (a 707 in 1978 and a 747 in 1983), both of which were South Korean and had intruded into Soviet airspace on what were very probably clandestine spy missions. This book describes the developmental and service history of the Sukhoi Su-15, and contains a comprehensive survey of all model-making kits currently available on the market.

Thoroughly documents the famous Russian aircraft design bureau.

Closed in 1949, the Sukhoi Design Bureau was reborn in 1953 to meet an urgent demand for a fast interceptor that would counter the threat posed by NATO bombers. It wasted no time developing a succession of missile-armed, Mach 2 interceptors characterized by delta wings; the single-engined Su-9 entered service in 1960, followed by the up-armed Su-11 in 1964 and the twin-engined Su-15 in 1967. Though built in modest numbers, the three types became an important asset for the Soviet Air Defense Force--particularly the more capable Su-15, which unfortunately became notorious for shooting down two intruding South Korean airliners within five years. The Su-15 outlasted the Soviet Union, the last being retired in 1996. There were also several Sukhoi interceptors that remained in prototype or project form. All known versions are described, as are operational details. The book features many rare and previously unpublished photos.

In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union became aware that the U.S. was developing a new generation of jet fighters that had an exceptional range, heavy armor, and great agility in the air. These U.S. aircraft, the F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Hornet, and F/A-18 Hornet dominated U.S. air power for three decades. In the context of the Cold War, the Soviets could not be seen to be lagging behind the Americans. Their response to these new U.S. aircraft was the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, which was designed as a long-range air superiority aircraft and interceptor. The first of the modified pre-production aircraft appeared in 1981, but it was not until 1984 that significant numbers of the Su-27 started to enter service. Eventually some 680 Su-27 were built for the Soviets, of which 400 remain in service with the Russian Tactical Air Force today. Outside of Russia, the Su-27 is also in service with the Chinese, and on the inventories of the air forces of Vietnam, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Syria, and Angola. This book describes in depth the development, operational career, history, and variants within the Su-27 family. The book incorporates color and black and white photos to portray some of the various camouflage schemes carried by the type in Soviet, Russian, and other air forces over the past two decades.

The Sukhoi Design Bureau was tasked in 1969 with developing a fourth-generation heavy fighter and thus began the story of the Su-27, known to the western world as the Flanker--an aircraft which turned out to be one of the most successful Soviet fighter designs. This book tells the story of how the original project developed, how the final configuration of what was known as the T-10 was selected and why the brave decision to scrap the original project and rework it as the T-10S was taken, a decision that proved to be justified. The book covers the design and testing of the prototypes in both configurations, the production entry of the basic Su-27 single-seat fighter and the Su-27UB two-seat combat trainer together with the efforts of Sukhoi to keep them up to date with mid-life upgrades to Generation 4++' (Su-35S) level. The operational histories of Su-27 versions including the Su-30/Su-34/Su-35 are also described. When the Soviet Navy decided to bolster its fleet with carriers optimized for conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft, Sukhoi responded by developing the Su-27K, which later entered service as the Su-33, Russia's first operational CTOL shipboard fighter. These naval variants are included in the book as is a chapter describing the story of how China purchased license manufacturing rights for the Su-27 and went on to develop its own versions with indigenous avionics and weapons, including the basic J-11 fighter and the J-15 Flying Shark--a clone of the Su-33. The post-Soviet republics included, the Su-27/Su-30/Su-34/Su-35 family has seen service with nearly 20 nations, including places as far apart as Vietnam, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Angola, India and Venezuela. The book describes in depth the development and operational career of the Su-27 family, including mid-life upgrades and the latest variants, and features detailed fleet lists. Richly illustrated with color photographs, line drawings and color profiles of the various color schemes carried by the type, this is the definitive work on a truly outstanding aircraft.

“A good look at the MiG-25 recce birds...Definitely recommended!”—Cybermodeler “Spy in the Sky” matters have long been a source of fascination for aircraft enthusiasts, historians, and modelers, and none more so than the elusive and secretive Soviet types of the Cold War era. Here, Yefim Gordon presents a range of such types, in a collection of photographs, profiles, and line drawings together with supplementary text detailing the history of each craft, encompassing the various developmental milestones, successes, and pitfalls experienced along the way. The Soviet Union’s two dedicated spyplane types, the Yakovlev Yak-25RV “Mandrake” (the Soviet equivalent of the Lockheed U-2) and the MiG-25R “Foxbat” are profiled, supplemented by details garnered from a host of original sources. Well-illustrated histories and structural analyses are set alongside detailed descriptions of the various plastic scale model kits that have been released, along with commentary concerning their accuracy and available modifications and decals. With an unparalleled level of visual information—paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs—it is simply the best reference for any model-maker setting out to build a variant of this iconic craft.

This is the latest among Midland's very successful 'Secret Projects' series. This, the second of three volumes covering Soviet secret aviation projects, is devoted to post-World War II fighters and will include designs from famous bureaus such as Lavochkin, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Yakovlev, Myasishchev, and Tupolev. The book covers early post-war fighters, competitions for the first-generation supersonic designs (MiG-21 and Su-7/-9), advanced designs of the 1960s which led to the MiG-2 and competitions to build the specifications which resulted in the MiG-29, Su-27, and MiG I-44. A number of previously unpublished Yakovlev designs from the late 1950s and early 1960s form a separate chapter, followed by another covering Yakovlev's VSTOL work. The book also describes the competition between design bureaus for orders and shows the progress made in aircraft design behind the Iron Curtain. It will give both experts and enthusiasts the chance to compare this work to Western aircraft programs of the era.