List of Russian aviators
Encyclopedia
This list of Russian aviators includes the noteworthy aviators of the Russian Empire
, the Soviet Union
and the Russian Federation. The majority of pilots listed here served in the Imperial Russian Air Force
, the Soviet Air Force
or the modern Russian Air Force
(or continue to serve in the latter).
The aircrew members listed below either committed notable feats in aviation, held senior positions in Russian military aviation, and/or won national or international awards for their aviation feats.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the Russian Federation. The majority of pilots listed here served in the Imperial Russian Air Force
Imperial Russian Air Force
The Imperial Russian Air Force existed in the Russian Empire between 1910 and 1917....
, the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
or the modern Russian Air Force
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...
(or continue to serve in the latter).
The aircrew members listed below either committed notable feats in aviation, held senior positions in Russian military aviation, and/or won national or international awards for their aviation feats.
A
- Pavel ArgeyevPavel ArgeyevCapitaine Pavel Vladimirovich Argeyev , also known as Paul d'Argueev and The Eagle of Crimea, was a Russian-born flying ace of World War I, serving the French Armée de l'Air and Imperial Russian Air Service. Initially a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Army, he transferred to France...
, Russia's third most successful fighter aceFlying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
during World War I in Russia and France - Vsevolod AbramovichVsevolod AbramovichVsevolod Mikhaylovich Abramovich was a pioneering aviator.-Biography:Abramovich was born on August 11, 1890 in Odessa, a grandson of the Yiddish writer Mendele Mocher Sforim. He studied at the Charlottenburg technical college. In 1911 he earned a pilot's licence...
, pioneer aviator killed on crash, inventor of Abramovich Flyer
B
- Raisa Vasil'evna Beliaeva, World War II fighter pilot, credited with three victories
- Yekaterina Budanova, World War II pilot, one of the world's two female fighter aceFighter AceFighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
s
C
- Valery ChkalovValery ChkalovValery Pavlovich Chkalov was a Russian aircraft test pilot and a Hero of the Soviet Union .-Early life:...
, leader of the first ultralong flight from Moscow to the Russian Far EastRussian Far EastRussian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
, leader of the first transcontinental flightTranscontinental flightIn the United States the term Transcontinental flight is travelling by air coast-to-coast over the continental United States.-History:The first transcontinental flight across the United States was made by Calbraith Perry Rodgers to win the Hearst prize offered by publisher William Randolph Hearst...
by airplane over the North PoleNorth PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
D
- Mikhail DevyatayevMikhail DevyatayevMikhail Petrovich Devyatayev ;– 24 November 2002, Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia) was a Soviet fighter pilot known for his incredible escape from a Nazi concentration camp on the island of Usedom, in the Baltic Sea.-Early life and military career:...
, World War II fighter pilot known for his incredible escape aboard a stolen bomber from a Nazi concentration camp on the BalticBaltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
island of UsedomUsedomUsedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Mariya DolinaMariya DolinaMariya Ivanivna Dolina was a Soviet pilot, deputy and acting squadron commander of the 125th “Marina M. Raskova” Borisov Guards dive bomber Regiment. She was active primarily on the 1st Baltic Front during World War II...
, female dive bomberDive bomberA dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
pilot, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
F
- Viktor FederovViktor FederovLieutenant Viktor Georgiyevich Federov was a Russian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories while flying with the French air service.-References:...
, won the Legion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and two other awards as a flying ace for the French during World War I
G
- Nikolai GastelloNikolai GastelloNikolai Frantsevich Gastello , Russian aviator, Hero of the Soviet Union. He is one of the best known Soviet war heroes, being the first Soviet pilot to conduct a "fire ram" - a suicide attack by an aircraft on a ground target.-Biography:...
, the first Soviet pilot to direct his burning aircraft on a ground target, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Polina GelmanPolina GelmanPolina Vladimirovna Gelman was a Soviet Air Force officer, decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union for her service with the famed Night Witches unit during World War II.-Biography:...
, World War II bomber pilot, one of the Night WitchesNight Witches"Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II German nickname , for the female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Juri GilsherJuri GilsherCavalry Second Lieutenant Juri Vladimirovich Gilsher was a Ukrainian Russian fighter ace of World War I. Initially a cavalryman, but then an airman, Gilsher scored five victories between April and July 1917 before being killed in action on 20 July, tied for twelfth on the list of Russia's...
, amputee World War I flying ace, awarded four decorations for valor - Alexander GolovanovAlexander GolovanovAlexander Yevgeniyevich Golovanov was a Soviet pilot. On August 3, 1943 he became a Marshal of Aviation and on 19 August 1944 he was promoted to the rank of Chief Marshal of Aviation .-World War II:From the start of the German-Soviet War, he was the commander of an air...
, Chief MarshalChief MarshalThe ranks of Marshal of a branch and Chief Marshal of a branch were senior military ranks of the Soviet Armed Forces. Immediately above the rank "Marshal of a branch" is the rank "Chief Marshal of a branch". Both ranks are immediately above the rank "Colonel General" and equal to Soviet General...
of Aviation at the end of World War II, commander of Long Range AviationLong Range AviationLong Range Aviation was the branch of the Soviet Air Forces tasked with long-range bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, it was the counterpart to the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force....
- Sergey GritsevetsSergey GritsevetsSergey Ivanovich Gritsevets was a Soviet major, pilot and twice recipient of the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union....
, fighter ace during the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and the Battle of Khalkhin GolBattle of Khalkhin GolThe Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
, the first to become twice the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Valentina GrizodubovaValentina GrizodubovaValentina Stepanovna Grizodubova , 1993 in Moscow) was a one of the first female pilots in the Soviet Union and was awarded titles Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of Socialist Labour.-Early life and pre-war career:...
, one of the first Soviet female pilots and Heroes of the Soviet Union, set a record for woman's ultralong flights - Mikhail GromovMikhail Gromov (aviator)Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gromov was a famous Russian aviator and Hero of the Soviet Union.On 12-14 July 1937, Mikhail Gromov, A. B. Yumashev and S. A...
, set a record during the transcontinental flight over the North PoleNorth PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, founded the Gromov Flight Research InstituteGromov Flight Research InstituteM. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute or LII for short is an important Russian aircraft test base, scientific research center located in Zhukovsky, 40 km south-east of Moscow.It has one of the longest runways in Europe at 5,403 m...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
I
- Vladimir IlyushinVladimir IlyushinMajor General Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin was a Soviet general and noted test pilot, and the son of aerospace engineer Sergei Ilyushin. He spent most of his career as a test pilot for the Sukhoi OKB...
, test pilotTest pilotA test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
for OKB Sukhoi, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
K
- Nikolai KamaninNikolai KamaninNikolai Petrovich Kamanin was a Soviet aviator, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1934 for the rescue of SS Chelyuskin crew from an improvised airfield on the frozen surface of the Chukchi Sea near Kolyuchin Island.In World War II he successfully commanded air brigade, air division...
, polar aviator, among the first to receive the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, trained the first ever cosmonauts, including Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, Gherman TitovGherman TitovGherman Stepanovich Titov was a Soviet cosmonaut who, on August 6, 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1...
and Alexei Leonov - Rafael Kapreliants, test pilot, the holder of 10 world records for helicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Alexander Kazakov, the most successful Russian flying aceFlying aceA flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of World War I, the first to perform an aerial ramming and survive
- Timofey KhryukinTimofey KhryukinTimofey Timofeyevich Khryukin was a Soviet aviator, Spanish Civil War volunteer, and colonel-general of the Soviet Air Force. Emerging from an impoverished working-class background, he rose to command the 8th Air Army and 1st Air Army during the Second World War, being twice decorated as a Hero of...
, fighter ace during Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese WarThe Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and World War II, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Vladimir KokkinakiVladimir KokkinakiVladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki was a test pilot in the Soviet Union, setting twenty-two world records and serving as president of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.-Life and career:...
, the most famous Soviet test pilotTest pilotA test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
, set twenty-two world records, a president of the Fédération Aéronautique InternationaleFédération Aéronautique InternationaleThe Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Nikolai Kokorin, World War I flying ace, winner of three awards for valor
- Ivan Kozhedub, top fighter aceFighter AceFighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
in aviation of the Allies of World War IIAllies of World War IIThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, credited with 62 individual victories, thrice the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Sergei KramarenkoSergei KramarenkoSergei Makarovich Kramarenko was a Soviet Air Force officer who fought in both the German-Soviet War and the Korean War. For his service in Korea became a holder of the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union. He achieved several high command positions in the USSR and was also Air Force advisor in...
, fighter ace in World War II and the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Stepan KretovStepan KretovStepan Ivanovich Kretov was a Soviet military aviator. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on two occasions . Colonel Kretov was awarded two Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of the Red Star, and numerous medals.-Biography:Stepan Kretov was born in a peasant family in Malaya...
, long-range bomberBomberA bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
pilot during World War II, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Yevgraph KrutenYevgraph KrutenPodpolkovnik Yevgraph Nikolaevich Kruten was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Early life and service:Kruten was born into a family with a military tradition. In 1901, aged 11, he attended the Kiev Military Cadet Corps School. He was forwarded to mounted artillery in...
, World War I fighter ace flew for, and won decorations from, both Russian and French air arms - Pavel Kutakhov, World War II fighter ace, Chief MarshalChief MarshalThe ranks of Marshal of a branch and Chief Marshal of a branch were senior military ranks of the Soviet Armed Forces. Immediately above the rank "Marshal of a branch" is the rank "Chief Marshal of a branch". Both ranks are immediately above the rank "Colonel General" and equal to Soviet General...
of Aviation during the Leonid BrezhnevLeonid BrezhnevLeonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
era, twice the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
L
- Ernst LemanErnst LemanPraporshik Ernst Krislanovich Leman was a Russian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. Leman enlisted in 1914, but learned to fly a Nieuport only in summer 1916. He scored his first victory in May 1917. After the fifth victory in September, he was severely wounded and was...
, World War I flying ace, winner of four awards for valor - Sigismund Levanevsky, polar aviator, among the first to receive the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, died in a transpolar flight attempt - Anatoly Liapidevsky, polar aviator, the very first person to receive the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, General Major of Aviation
- Lydia LitvyakLydia LitvyakLydia Vladimirovna Litvyak Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak (Лидия Владимировна Литвяк, (Moscow, August 18, 1921 – Krasnyi Luch August 1, 1943), also known as Lydia Litviak or Lilya Litviak, was a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force during World War II...
, World War II pilot, one of the world's two female fighter aceFighter AceFighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
s, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Ivan LoikoIvan LoikoPodporuchik Ivan Alexandrovich Loiko was a World War I flying ace credited with six confirmed aerial victories, as well as three unconfirmed ones....
, World War I flying ace, winner of five awards for valor
M
- Donat MakeenokDonat MakeenokPoruchik Donat Aduiovich Makeenok was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. He was the only Polish-born ace to fight against the Central Powers....
, flying ace of the Imperial Russian Air Service in World War I and winner of four deocrations for valor - Alexey Maresyev, World War II fighter ace, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, the prototype for The Story of a Real ManThe Story of a Real ManThe Story of a Real Man is an opera in four acts by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, his opus 117. It was written from 1947 to 1948, and was his last opera.... - Natalya Meklin, World War II bomber pilot, one of the Night WitchesNight Witches"Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II German nickname , for the female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Vasily Molokov, polar aviator, among the first to receive the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, General Major of Aviation
N
- Ivan Nagurski, the first polar aviatorAviatorAn aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
- Pyotr NesterovPyotr NesterovPyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov was a Russian pilot, an aircraft technical designer and an aerobatics pioneer.-Life and career:The son of a military academy teacher, Pyotr Nesterov decided to choose a military career. In August 1904 he left the military school in Nizhny Novgorod and went to the...
, inventor and pioneer of aerobaticsAerobaticsAerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
, the first pilot to perform the aerobatic loop, died while scoring the world's first air combat victory by aerial ramming an Austrian plane during World War I - Alexander NovikovAlexander NovikovAlexander Alexandrovich Novikov was the Chief Marshal of Aviation for the Soviet Air Force during Russia's involvement in the Second World War...
, Chief MarshalChief MarshalThe ranks of Marshal of a branch and Chief Marshal of a branch were senior military ranks of the Soviet Armed Forces. Immediately above the rank "Marshal of a branch" is the rank "Chief Marshal of a branch". Both ranks are immediately above the rank "Colonel General" and equal to Soviet General...
of Aviation during World War II, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
O
- Ivan OrlovIvan OrlovOrlov, Ivan Efimovich was a philosopher, a forerunner of relevant and other substructural logics, and an industrial chemist. The date of his death is unknown but is believed to have occurred no earlier than 1936.-Education and Scientific Career:Orlov studied at the Natural Sciences Faculty of...
, World War I flying ace, served with, and received awards for valor, from both the Russian and French air arms - Vasily OsipovVasily OsipovVasily Nikolaevich Osipov was a Soviet-Armenian bomber pilot who was awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union twice.Vasily Osipov was born in Petrograd on December 30 1917. In 1937 he joined ranks of the Red Army. In 1940 Osipov graduated from Chkalov military school of aviation...
, World War II bomberBomberA bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
pilot, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
P
- Yevgeny PepelyaevYevgeny PepelyaevColonel Yevgeny Georgievich Pepelyaev is a Soviet fighter pilot of the Korean War, tallying 20 kills, second only to his compatriot Nikolay Sutyagin's 21.- Early years and world war II :...
, top Soviet fighter ace in the Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Alexander PishvanovAlexander PishvanovPraporshik Alexander Mikhailovich Pishvanov was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Pishvanov became interested in aviation while studying engineering. He became a pilot in 1913. He began World War I as an infantryman, but quickly switched to aviation...
, World War I flying ace, winner of five decorations for valor - Viktor PokrovskyViktor PokrovskyViktor Leonidovich Pokrovsky - Russian lieutenant general and one of the leaders of anti-communist counterrevolutionary White Army during Russian Civil War.-Biography:...
, World War I flying ace, the first Russian pilot to capture an enemy plane and pilot - Alexander Pokryshkin, World War II fighter aceFighter AceFighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
, credited with 59 individual victories, thrice the Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, Marshal of Aviation - Nadezhda PopovaNadezhda PopovaNadezdha Anastasya Vasil'yevna Popova, is one of the first military female pilots in the Soviet Union and was awarded the decorations of Hero of the Soviet Union, Gold Star, Order of Lenin, and Order of the Red Star during the Great Patriotic War.-Early life:Popova was born in Shabanovka...
, squadron leader in the 46th Guards Night Bombing Regiment - Vitaly PopkovVitaly PopkovVitaly Ivanovich Popkov was a Soviet fighter pilot in the Second World War, an ace credited with 41 victories and a two-time Hero of the Soviet Union....
, one of the top World War II fighter aces, credited with 41 individual victories, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Georgy ProkofievGeorgy ProkofievGeorgy Alekseyevich Prokofiev was a Soviet Air Forces balloonist who coordinated military stratospheric balloon program in 1931–1939...
, balloonist who coordinated military stratospheric balloon program in 1930s, set world record in altitude on USSR-1USSR-1USSR-1 was a record-setting, hydrogen-filled Soviet Air Forces high-altitude balloon designed to seat a crew of three and perform scientific studies of the Earth's stratosphere... - Viktor PugachyovViktor PugachyovViktor Georgiyevich Pugachyov is a Russian test pilot who was the first to show the so called Pugachev's Cobra maneuver of Su-27 to the general public. He was named Hero of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. He graduated from Yeysk military aviation school in 1970. Test-pilot school and MAI...
, test pilot and pioneer of supermaneuverabilitySupermaneuverabilitySupermaneuverability is the quality of aircraft defined as a threshold of attitude control exceeding that which is possible by pure aerodynamic maneuverability; in other words, a controlled loss of control beyond normal abilities...
, the first to show Pugachev's CobraPugachev's CobraIn aerobatics, Pugachev's Cobra is a dramatic and demanding manoeuvre in which a plane flying at a moderate speed suddenly raises the nose momentarily to the vertical position and slightly beyond, before dropping it back to normal flight. It uses a potent engine thrust to maintain approximately...
maneuver of Su-27
- Eduard PulpeEduard PulpeLieutenant Eduard Martynovich Pulpe was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Educated at Moscow University as a school teacher, Pulpe moved to France in 1912. After obtaining his civilian pilot's brevet no. 1571 on 19 December 1913, he volunteered for the French air service...
, World War I flying ace, winner of awards for valor won while serving with both Russian and French air arms - Endel PuuseppEndel PuuseppEndel Puusepp or Endel Pusep was a Soviet Estonian World War II pilot who successfully completed over 30 night-time long-range bombing missions against Nazi Germany. He was a recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union award for flying a high-ranking Soviet delegation over the front line from...
, long-range bomber pilot, famous for flying a Soviet delegation over the front line from Moscow to Washington, D.C. and back to negotiate the opening of the Western FrontWestern Front (World War II)The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
R
- Marina RaskovaMarina RaskovaMarina Mikhailovna Raskova was a famous Russian navigator. She later became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments which would eventually fly over 30,000 sorties in World War II.- Early life :...
, navigator, founder of the three female air regiments during World War II, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Grigoriy RechkalovGrigoriy RechkalovGrigoriy Andreevich Rechkalov was a fighter pilot for the Soviet Union during World War II. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on two separate occasions . He scored 56 confirmed personal victories and 6 additional shared victories in air combat...
, one of the top World War II fighter aces, credited with 56 individual victories, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Yevgeniya Rudneva, World War II bomber pilot, one of the Night WitchesNight Witches"Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II German nickname , for the female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
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- Mikhail SafonovMikhail SafonovLieutenant Mikhail Ivanovich Safonov was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...
, World War I flying ace, winner of two decorations for valor - Yevgeniy SavitskiyYevgeniy SavitskiyYevgeniy Yakovlevich Savitzky was a World War II fighter ace, 22 individual and 2 group victories, Commanding General of Aviation of the Air Defense Forces of the Country, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of Aviation...
, World War II fighter ace, Marshal of Aviation, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Irina SebrovaIrina SebrovaIrina Feodorovna Sebrova was a lieutenant and pilot for the Soviet Air Forces who served in the all-female Night Witches during the Great Patriotic War...
, World War II bomber pilot, one of the Night WitchesNight Witches"Night Witches" is the English translation of Nachthexen, a World War II German nickname , for the female military aviators of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, of the Soviet Air Forces...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Alexander Prokofiev de Seversky, World War I naval aviator, Russian-American aviation pioneer and inventor
- Mark ShevelevMark ShevelevMark Shevelev was a Soviet pilot during World War II and was one of founders and Chief of Staff of Soviet Long Range Aviation. Shevelev held the rank of Lieutenant-General...
, commander of the Soviet polar aviation during World War II, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Yevgeniya Shakhovskaya, the first woman military pilot
- Lev ShestakovLev ShestakovLev Lvovich Shestakov was a Soviet military aviator and the Red Air Force's leading ace in the Spanish Civil War.-Career:Upon graduating from military college in 1936 he applied for combat in Spain, joining a Spanish Republican Air Force fighter squadron in 1937...
, top Soviet fighter ace during the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Ivan Vasilyevich SmirnovIvan Vasilyevich SmirnovIvan Vasilyevich Smirnov was a famous Russian aviator of the 1st Combat Air Group in the Imperial Russian Army.-Early life and World War I accomplishments:...
, winner of five Russian military decorations and two foreign ones, fourth ranking fighter ace of the Imperial Russian Air Service during World War I - Yakov Smushkevich, commander of the Soviet aviation in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and in the Battle of Khalkhin GolBattle of Khalkhin GolThe Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Vladimir StrizheskyVladimir StrizheskyPraporshik Vladimir Ivanovich Strizhesky was a World War I flying ace credited with seven confirmed and three unconfirmed aerial victories.-Reference:...
, winner of the Cross of Saint George and the Romanian Order of the CrownOrder of the CrownThe Order of the Crown is the name of a number of decorations issued by several countries. The following nations either presently, or in the past, have issued Orders of the Crown:* Order of the Crown * Order of the Crown of India...
, victor in seven aerial battles in World War I - Grigory Suk, winner of the Cross of Saint George and the Romanian Order of the Crown, victor in nine dogfights during World War I
- Nelson StepanyanNelson StepanyanNelson Gevorgi Stepanyan was a Soviet Armenian dive bomber pilot during the second World War in the Red Air Force. He was twice awarded with the military title of the Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest title in the former USSR.-Education:...
, World War II dive bomberDive bomberA dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
pilot, destroyed scores of enemy ships, tanks, cars, planes and guns, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Amet-khan Sultan, World War II fighter ace, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, test pilot who died in a plane crash - Nikolay SutyaginNikolay SutyaginCaptain Nikolay Sutyagin was a Russian fighter pilot in the Second World War and the Korean War.Nikolay Vasil'yevich Sutyagin was born in 1923 near Nizhniy Novgord. His parents were actors, and eventually they moved to the city of Gor'kiy when Nikolay was 11...
, top Korean WarKorean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
Soviet fighter ace, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
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- Victor Talalikhin, World War II fighter ace, among the first to perform aerial ramming at night, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
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- Andrey VitrukAndrey VitrukAndrey Nikiforovich Vitruk was a Soviet military officer, a Major General of the Soviet Air Forces and a Hero of the Soviet Union.-Early life:...
, World War II fighter ace, Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
and the Hero of Yugoslavia - Mikhail Vodopianov, polar aviator, among the first to receive the title Hero of the Soviet UnionHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, commanded the first World War II Soviet air raid on Berlin in 1941 - Konstantin VakulovskyKonstantin VakulovskyCaptain Konstantin Konstantinovich Vakulovsky was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories....
, World War I fighter ace, winner of three awards for valor
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- Vasili YanchenkoVasili YanchenkoPraporshik Vasili Ivanovich Yanchenko was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories. He was the second ranking Russian ace, trailing only Aleksandr Kazakov. Yanchenko flew on the Eastern Front, gaining his first victory on 25 June 1916, and his last on 14 October 1917.Yanchenko...
, second-scoring Russian flying ace of World War I - Anna YegorovaAnna YegorovaLt. Anna Alexandrovna Timofeyeva-Yegorova was a pilot in the Red Army Air Force during the Second World War. She learned to fly and became a flight instructor before the war, then volunteered for the front when Germany invaded...
, World War II bomber pilot, Nazi concentration camp survivor, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... - Kirill Yevstigneev, one of the top World War II fighter aces, credited with 53 individual victories, double HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
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- Yekaterina ZelenkoYekaterina ZelenkoYekaterina Ivanovna Zelenko was a Soviet war pilot. She is the only woman ever to have performed an air ramming....
, World War II pilot, the only woman ever to have performed and died in aerial ramming, HSUHero of the Soviet UnionThe title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...