Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15 (NATO Codename - Fagot)
Korean People's Air Force, 1952.
This is the Iron Curtain era KP kit, which, for a long time, was considered to be
the best MiG-15 in 1/72 scale. There are much better kits available nowadays, but
with a little attention, this one can still hold its own.
When it first appeared above the skies of Korea the MiG-15 caused seismic shocks
across the whole western military community. Powered by a developed copy of the advanced
Rolls Royce Nene jet engine (which the UK Government had inexplicably gifted to the
USSR), the MiG-15 was faster, more maneouverable and better armed than anything that
the UN Forces fighting in Korea could field.
Flown initially by experienced Russian and Chinese pilots, the MiGs forced most propeller
driven aircraft from the skies and were close to establishing outright North Korean
air dominance, until the US managed to rush the part-developed F-86 Sabre into service.
The Sabre was a good match for the MiG, with superior US training and tactics giving
it that needed combat edge.
However, not all combat encounters went in favour of the MiG-15; in August 1952,
a flight of 4 Fleet Air Arm Sea Furies from 802 Sqn achieved a startling victory,
when they managed to destroy a Korean MiG, one of 8 attacking a mixed formation of
Sea Furies and Fireflies. Two others were badly damaged, but managed to escape.
Sukhoi Su-15 Flagon-F. USSR Air Defences, Kamchatka.
PM (erroneously described as Su-21). This kit has often received a bad press, but
I liked it. It is fairly simple, but goes together well, is nicely detailed and certainly
looks the part.
An aircraft of this type was responsible for the infamous shooting down of Korean
Airlines commercial Flight 007 near Sakhalin island in the Soviet far east. Conspiracy,
incompetence, confusion or deliberate provocation (and by which side)? Regardless,
the Flagon was a very capable aircraft, widely deployed by the USSR Air Defences
in the 1970s and 1980s.
Yakolev Yak-38 Forger - Soviet Black Sea Fleet, 1984.
Hobbycraft. Not particularly accurate, but easy to build and looks fairly convincing.
The Forger was a poor equivalent of the Harrier, hamstrung by the USSR's lack of
an effective VSTOL engine like the Harrier's Rolls Royce Pegasus. Intended for local
area defence of the Soviet Fleet, it was hated by its pilots, operationally ineffective
and demonstrably unsafe. However, it looked the part.
Adversaries: Cold War & Modern - Part 1
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Sukhoi Su-24M Fencer
Air Arm of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet,
Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, USSR, 1989
Zvezda 1/72 with Neomega resin cockpit.. A nice if simple kit. The Neomega parts
are particularly good though.
The Fencer entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1975 as an advanced development
of the Su-17 Fitter. Often compared with the US F-111, with which it shares a general
layout, the Fencer is more focused on tactical attack missions with a shorter range
and lower weapons load.
As well as widespread service with the Soviet Air Force, Soviet Naval units in the
Far East and Baltic also flew Fencers for long range anti-ship operations during
the Cold War and a number remain active in this role with the Russian Navy today.
Russian Air Force Fencers are currently (2015) deployed in Syria undertaking air
strikes against ISIL and Syrian Opposition forces. In mid November 2015, a Fencer
operating against opposition rebels near to the Turkish border was shot down by two
F-16s of the Turkish Air Force, who claimed that it had crossed into Turkish air
space (Turkey also enforces a unilaterally declared no combat operations zone within
5 km of its border).
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Sukhoi Su-7 BKL FITTER A
Soviet Frontal Aviation, Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily (VVS)
USSR, 1965
KP 1/72
The Su-7 FITTER A started life in the late 1950s as a Fighter, but was quickly converted
to the ground attack and strike role as the MiG-21 proved cheaper and more effective
as a fighter. In this new role, after modifications and strengthening to enable
high speed operation at low altitude, the Su-7 proved capable and rugged, becoming
the mainstay of Soviet tactical aviation during the 1960s and 1970s, serving in front
line units right into the mid 1980s.
Like many high-speed aircraft of that time, it suffered from very poor range and
required a very long runway for take-off and landing, leading Sukhoi to develop a
swing-wing variant, theSu-17/22 to try and overcome this shortfall. FITTERs were
widely exported to Soviet client states, and it is likely that some still remain
in service with countries such as North Korea.
The BKL version depicted by this kit employed a unique skid arrangement alongside
its main wheels to assist with operation on soft unprepared runways or in snow,
along with a larger nose wheel and twin braking parachutes. Rocket JATO pods were
then utilised to assist with subsequent take-off, making for a spectacular sight
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Sukhoi Su-9 FISHPOT B
Soviet Air Defence Forces - Voyska ProtivoVozdushnoy Oborony (V-PVO)
USSR, 1965
Leoman 1/72
The Su-9 Fishpot B drew on Soviet post WW2 studies into optimum aerodynamic configurations
for different roles. Although sharing its basic fuselage design with the swept wing
Su-7 Fitter attack aircraft, as an interceptor the “Fishpot” gained a small tailed
delta wing planform (similar to the MiG-21 Fishbed), optimised for speed at height,
but needing a very long take-off run. Unlike the MiG21, the Fishpot’s very specialised
interceptor role made its export potential very limited, with only the Soviet Air
Defences (PVO) fielding the aircraft.
In its original form, armament was the Kaliningrad K-5 (NATO AA-1 Alkali) beam riding
missile, a first generation air to air weapon for attacking bombers with a short
range (about 2miles) and limited engagement envelope, dependent on the launching
aircraft continuing to point at and track the target with its fire control radar
until the missile struck. Later Su-9s carried the more advanced K-55 missile which
used a semi active radar homing unit or infra-red seeker head. An improved variant,
the Su-11 Fishpot C carried a larger radar and the far more advanced and longer range
(14 Miles) AA-3 Anab missile.
The Su-9 shot briefly to fame in 1960 as a result of the Gary Powers incident in
1962. Although the aircraft involved was unarmed (on its delivery flight), it attempted
to ram Powers U-2 and may have contributed to his downing. Su-9s left Soviet service
in the late 1970s to be replaced by the Su-11, Su-15 Flagon and the MiG25 Foxbat
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Kamov Ka-25 Hormone A
Soviet Navy Red Banner Northern Fleet
Murmansk USSR, 1987
Airfix 1/72 with scratch built interior
Kamov OKB's contra rotating rotor designs are well suited to the anti-submarine role,
allowing aircraft to hover safely and in extreme weather conditions. Based ashore
and at sea, the Hormone was the main Soviet and Eastern Block ship-borne ASW platform
during the Cold War.
Kamov Ka-27 Helix A
Russian Federation Navy Northern Fleet
Murmansk, Russian Federation 2010
Zvezda 1/72 with spare decals
The Helix was introduced inithe 19700s as an upgrade to overcome the bad weather
and night operation limits of the Hormone. The external dimensions of the earlier
aircraft were retained to enable compatibility with existing ships and their hangars,
whilst fitting much more powerful engines and rotor blades as well as a significantly
bigger cabin to carry additional ASW equipment and systems. Link to Build Page
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Part 1 - Cold War and after:
The Soviet Union, Korea and Russia