Soviet Union
LTC Arthur D. Nicholson was America’s Final Cold War Casualty
U.S. Army investigators determined that Nicholson’s death was “officially condoned, if not directly ordered” by the Soviet leadership. The Cold War never turned into a “hot war,” i.e., full-blown World War III...
The Little-Known Soviet Pilot Who Broke Mach 1
Among other things, the Cold War was replete with examples of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics attempting to one-up each other in the arena of...
The Soviets Loved the Hated P-39 and P-63 Warbirds
When most aviation enthusiasts think of military aircraft bearing the name “cobra,” chances are the first warbird that comes to their minds is the AH-1W Whiskey Cobra helicopter gunship. This is...
The Soviet Myasischev M-4 Molot Made America Fear the Bomber Gap
When one thinks of the Soviet Union’s early Cold War-era heavy bombers, especially ones with the alphanumeric designation ending in “-4,” chances are the Tupolev Tu-4 (NATO reporting name “Bull”) comes to mind. However,...
Tupolev Tu-22 “Booze Carrier” Was the First Soviet Supersonic Bomber
Alcoholic consumption, particularly hard liquor, is a leisure activity long associated with combat aviators, as exemplified in the American fighter pilot ditty “Jeremiah Weed.” However, to my knowledge, there’s only one...
The Legacy of the Soviet Union’s Tsar Bomba Still Haunts Us
The Cold War saw the creation of some truly wild and destructive weapons systems. While the United States and the Soviet Union rushed to outdo each other in the nightmarish...
That Time a MiG-25 “Foxbat” Tried to Shoot Down the SR-71 Blackbird
There was a time when the Americans ruled the skies with almost science fiction-looking planes, such as the SR-71 Blackbird. A supersonic surveillance bird that looked more like the jet...
Is the Russian Army Doomed?
Imagine U.S. sentiment if 8,000 conscripted prisoners died from 2001-2021. By comparison, more than 2,400 U.S. service members died during U.S. operations in Afghanistan. The twenty-year conflict, combined with economic reasons and...
Was the MiG-29 Fighter Overhyped?
Considered to be the “boogeyman” of the Cold War, the Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter was arguably overhyped. As the arms race between the USSR and the U.S. was heating up in...
Russia’s MiG 1.44 Stealth Fighter Nightmare Explained in 2 Words
Total Failure: The Mikoyan MiG-1.44 was a Russian experimental fifth-generation jet fighter developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a response to the U.S. F-22 Raptor. Intended to showcase advanced stealth...
5 Worst Fighter Jets To Ever Fly, Explained in 2 Words: Flying Coffins
What a Mess: While fighter jets are iconic symbols of aviation and critical military assets, not all have been successful. This article explores five of the worst fighters in history....
Russian Pilot Defected with MiG-25 Foxbat Fighter Jet
What You Need to Know: Viktor Belenko, a Soviet pilot, defected to the West in 1976 by flying his MiG-25 Foxbat to Japan, shocking both the Soviet Union and the...