SOVIET AIRCRAFT OF WW2

Stalins Air Force

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A Soviet DB-3F torpedo bomber from the 9th Guards Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment in flight over the Kola Peninsula. 1943

@Destroye83 via X

[kimasov]

Оружейники загружают бомбы ФАБ-50 и ФАБ-100 бомбардировщик Пе-2 перед вылетом.1944г.

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Gunners load FAB-50 and FAB-100 bombers Pe-2 bomber before departure. 1944.

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LaGG-3 aircraft of the 796th IAP, equipped with ski landing gear, is being refueled at Savaslëyka, March 1942.

@ron_eisele via X

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Tap Arrow or copy and paste link to watch ☝️🤞

Yak-3. A single-engine propeller fighter developed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau of the Soviet Union during World War II.

This aircraft was a downsized and lightened version of the Yak-1's airframe, with aerodynamic performance pushed to its limits. It primarily excelled in low-altitude air combat below 5,000 meters, demonstrating superior dogfighting capabilities that overwhelmed German aircraft.

In the low-altitude zones that became the mainstay of the German-Soviet War, it outperformed Germany's main fighters, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

It was highly regarded by Red Army pilots as an aircraft with straightforward handling that even novice pilots could use to fully unleash its performance.

Once it entered combat deployment in 1944, its astonishing capabilities led the German Luftwaffe to issue directives stating that engagements with the Yak-3 should be avoided below 5,000 meters, marking it as a major threat. It was operated not only by the Soviet military but also by the volunteer unit of the Free French Air Force, "Normandie-Niemen," which participated in the Eastern Front, and it remained active until the end of the war.

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An American B-25J-30/32-NC Mitchell bomber (serial number 44-31162) with Soviet markings in flight over Alaska, during its Lend-Lease ferry to the USSR. 1944

@Destroye83 via X

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Il-2 attack aircraft from the 106th Attack Aviation Regiment, which underwent major repairs at the 217th stationary aviation workshops, before being sent to the front at the Gissar airfield in Tajikistan. 1943

@Destroye83 via X

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IL-2 Sturmovik

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Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX PT879 ‘Karina, the Russian Spitfire’, civil reg. G-PTIX

[nocternalrandomness]

"Russian Spitfire"

[kimasov]

6 июля 1942 года состоялся первый полёт самолёта Як-7ДИ («дальний истребитель»). Лётчиком-испытателем был Павел Яковлевич Федрови. 

Як-7ДИ — опытная модификация фронтового истребителя Як-7Б, созданная в ОКБ А.С. Яковлева в июне 1942 года. Её главной задачей было — увеличить запас топлива, чтобы расширить возможности боевого применения: продлить время патрулирования, обеспечить сопровождение бомбардировщиков и дать возможность применять самолёт для фоторазведки.  Як-7ДИ был изготовлен в единственном экземпляре.

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On July 6, 1942, the first flight of the Yak-7DI aircraft ("long-range fighter") took place. The test pilot was Pavel Yakovlevich Fedorovi.

Yak-7DI is a pilot modification of the Yak-7B front-line fighter, created in the A.S. Design Bureau. Yakovlev in June 1942. Its main task was to increase the fuel reserve in order to expand the possibilities of combat use: to extend the patrol time, to ensure the escort of bombers and to make it possible to use the aircraft for photo reconnaissance. The Yak-7DI was manufactured in a single copy.

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The Petlyakov Pe-2 LL, a flying test bed designed to test the 10X pulsejet, a Russian copy of the Argus engine used in the Fi-103.

@Destroye83 via X

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🔥 On July 5, 1943, Operation Citadel began – the German attack on the Kursk salient. Over the vast battlefield, one of the war's most intense air battles simultaneously erupted. The Luftwaffe and Soviet air force engaged in fierce combat.

#WW2 #Kursk #Luftwaffe #aviationhistory

@JanMace1970 via X

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4 July 1941. Death of Lieutenant Colonel Stepan Pavlovich Suprun (b. 2 August 1907). Soviet test pilot (tested over 140 types during his career), WWII fighter pilot, and two-time Hero of the Soviet Union. Killed in action in his MIG-3 above the Talachyn District, Belarus.🇧🇾

@EiseleRon10374 via X

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American A-20 Boston bombers at an Alaskan airfield before being shipped to the USSR. In the foreground on the right is an A-20G-35-DO (serial number 43-9943), followed by an A-20J-10-DO (serial number 43-9910).

@Destroye83 via X

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Armament mechanic of the guard, sergeant of the 15th Guards Assault Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Red Army, K. Ugodin, is preparing a bomb load for the Il-2 attack aircraft – FAB-50 and FAB-100.

@Destroye83 via X

[kimasov]

Командир эскадрильи советских бомбардировщиков американского производства А-20 "Бостон" майор Орлов ставит боевую задачу летному составу. Северный Кавказ.

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The commander of the squadron of the Soviet bombers of American production A-20 "Boston" Major Orlov sets a combat task for the flight crew. North Caucasus.

[destinationsjourney]

Polikarpov I-153DM Ramjet Powered Biplane

The Polikarpov I-153DM was one of the Soviet Union’s most unusual experimental fighter aircraft, combining the proven Polikarpov I-153 “Chaika” biplane with pioneering ramjet propulsion. The suffix DM, short for Dopolnityelnyi Motor (“supplementary engine”), referred to the installation of two underwing ramjet engines designed to boost the aircraft’s speed without replacing its conventional piston engine. Developed in 1940, the project reflected Soviet interest in advanced propulsion systems during the years immediately preceding the widespread introduction of turbojet aircraft.

The standard I-153 was powered by a Shvetsov M-62 radial engine driving a two-bladed propeller and was renowned for its exceptional manoeuvrability despite its biplane configuration. Engineers fitted experimental Merkulov DM-2 and later DM-4 gasoline-burning ramjets beneath the lower wings. Unlike turbojets, ramjets contain no moving compressor and rely entirely on the aircraft’s forward speed to compress incoming air. As a result, the ramjets could not operate from take-off and only became effective after the aircraft had reached sufficient speed under piston-engine power.

Flight testing demonstrated that the concept worked. Aircraft fitted with the smaller DM-2 ramjets achieved an increase in maximum speed of approximately 30 km/h (19 mph), while the more powerful DM-4 installation produced gains of up to 50 km/h (31 mph). A total of 74 experimental flights were conducted, proving that auxiliary ramjets could provide a measurable performance improvement without fundamentally altering the aircraft’s design.

Despite these encouraging results, the I-153DM remained an experimental aircraft. The additional engines increased weight, drag and maintenance complexity, while the modest improvement in performance could not compensate for the rapid advances being made in monoplane fighter and turbojet technology. Consequently, the programme was abandoned in favour of more modern aircraft.