Tupolev

In the nervous 1950s, the Soviet Union faced the task of defending its borders against intrusions by Western spyplanes and deterring an attack by Western bomber armadas. The mission was to intercept incoming adversaries at long range, which required plenty of engine power, ample fuel and heavy armament. Several Soviet design bureaus took on this priority task. The first heavy interceptor from the Mikoyan stable was the swept-wing I-3 of 1956 which, though never flown, was the precursor of the cannon-armed I-7U and the missile-armed I-75. These were followed by the delta-winged Ye-150 series of the late 1950s and early 1960s - the single-engined Ye-150 and Ye-152 and the twin-engined Ye-152A. Known to the outside world as the Ye-166, the huge Ye-152M set an impressive speed record of 2,681 km/h on 7th July 1962. These aircraft paved the way for the MiG-25 interceptor. Other contenders included the Sukhoi T-37, terminated by government order before it had a chance to fly. Even the Tupolev OKB, traditionally specializing in heavy bombers and airliners, developed the twin-engined Tu-128 - the world's largest interceptor - which was so huge that it was initially mistaken for a medium bomber.

While Soviet combat aircraft have received extensive coverage, the many UAVs developed in the Soviet Union and, more recently, Russia remain unsung. Nevertheless, this is a subject deserving attention. The first Soviet UAV to find large-scale use was the La-17 developed by the Lavochkin OKB, a fighter maker of World War II fame; it came in both target drone and reconnaissance versions. The Tupolev OKB, best known for its heavy bombers and commercial aircraft, also had a line of UAVs of varying size. The first of these was the Tu-123 Yastreb which started life as a heavy cruise missile but evolved into a supersonic unmanned spyplane; the book also describes the Tu-141 Strizh (Swift), which again came in reconnaissance and target versions, the Tu-243 Reys (Flight) and the latest Tu-300 recce/strike UAV. The Yakovlev OKB's unmanned aircraft are also covered, including the Pchela (Bee) surveillance UAV which has seen operational use in the Chechen wars; mention is also made of UAVs and drones developed by such companies as Strela and the Moscow Aviation Institute. The book is richly illustrated with black-and-white and color photos, including until-now unpublished ones, and line drawings.

Arranged by designers, this second installment of a two-volume set includes the aircraft of such famous names as Ilyushin, Petlyakov, and Tupolev, as well as lesser-known types. In preparing this volume, the authors combed untapped archives in the Soviet Union to uncover a wealth of data that rewrites longheld Western beliefs.