In late September 2015, the scenario that had seemed to be a sci-fi story or a computer game’s script became real. The Russian Air Force launched an air operation against militants of the so-called “Islamic State” (the terrorist organization banned in Russia). By Pavel Rumyantsev and Leonid Nersisyan Since late August, the events…
The Ups and Downs of Test Pilots
This is an article about the history and fate of the amazing people who let the mankind step into the sky, about their successes, failures, accidents and achievements. The victors Obviously, the first test pilots, in the sense that we are putting in the word today, were the builders of the first airplanes, aerodynes. But…
Fortress Aircraft of the World War I
War of motors In the early 20th century, the structure of the Russian Army included 12 military districts (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Finland, Vilna, Warsaw, Kiev, Odessa, Kazan, Caucasus, Turkestan, Siberia and the Amur). The Don Cossack Army was an independent military formation. The armed forces of the Russian Empire, as well as in many other…
Space Technologies on the Ground, under Water and in the Air
Speaking of the space technologies’ application here, “on the ground”, certainly, nobody provides using special small-lot and, for this reason, expensive components. The point is, first, of the “space” reliability level of the ground systems, and, second, of the use of “dual-purpose” components – for example, electronics and optics which may be manufactured both for…
12th International Aviation and Space Salon MAKS-2015: Demonstrations Ranging from a Giant “Flying” Axe to a Robotic Mars Rover
We have to admit that complicated international relations have affected a tone at MAKS-2015. European aerobatic flying teams were represented only by the Baltic Bees aerobatic team (Latvia) using the L-39 aircraft developed in Czechia. The main teams in the aerobatic demonstration program were ace fliers from the “Russkie Vitiazi” (Russian Knights) and “Strizhy” (Swifts)…