u/Looselipssinkships93

A modified F-15A called the Streak Eagle was used to break 8 time-to-climb world records between January and Febuary of 1975, to make it light and fast all unnecessary items, such as missiles, radar, cannon, tail hook, one generator, utility hydraulic system, flap, speed brake actuators and paint were removed. 2 years after the Streak Eagle set it's records the Sukhoi T-10-1 prototype took to the skies, 5 years later it will enter series production as the Su-27 and then finally entering service in 1985. A year after being introduced the soviets chose it to be the plane to take away the Streak Eagles records.

One of the T-10S prototypes was stripped of all armament, radar and operational equipment, the fin tips were removed, as was the tailboom and the wingtip launch rails, the radome was replaced by a lighter metal fairing. Stripped of paint, the aircraft was polished and all drag-producing gaps and joints were sealed. The engines were modified to give an increase in thrust of 2,204lbs, giving the P-42, as the modified aircraft was designated, a phenomenal thrust-to-weight ratio of almost 2:1.

The mainwheel brakes could not hold the aircraft at full thrust so the P-42 was anchored to a tracked armoured vehicle by a steel hawser with an electronic lock. With the engines wound up to full power, the hawser was released and the P-42 leaped into the air and climbed at an optimum angle to altitude.

Between 1986 and 1988 the P-42, piloted variously by Victor Pugachev, Nikolai Sadovnikov, Oleg Tsoi and Yevgeni Frolov, took no less than 27 records from the Streak Eagle, including time-to-height records for 3000, 6000, 9000, 12000 and 15000 metres, a height record of 19335m (63435 ft) and time-to-height records with various payloads. The aircraft even set records for STOL aircraft with a take-off run of less than 1540ft, most of these records still stand to this day

The P-42 was stored at Zhukovsky before being moved to Oreshkovo while the Streak Eagle is on display at National Museum of the US Air Force.

It was built in 1977 as the Tu-134Sh-1, a training variant for bomber crews which was fitted with bomb racks. In 1978 it was renamed the Tu-134SL and fitted with the nose cone of the Tu-22M3 and used to test the bomber's Almaz PNA navigation and attack radar system, later the nose was installed on the Tu-134UBL. Renamed SL-134Sh when it was testing cruise missile equipment. In 1980 it was used to test the Su-27's N001 Mech radar. In November of 2000 it was converted to accept a new phased array radar from NPO Leninets for the Su-34. In this form, the aircraft was called L17-10V, Laboratory No. 17 for the T-10V project. It was placed in storage in 2010 and scrapped 4 years later.

The plane was owned by NPP Mir, an aviation and research enterprise which it's holding company is NPO Leninets, a defense enterprise that specializes in radio-electronic equipment, radar systems, and aircraft navigation components.

All recon and trainer variants were retired in 2016, originally they were intended to be modernized and kept in service until 2020 but the immense cost together with aging infrastructure, fatigued airframes and both the Tumansky R-15 engines and parts being out of production halted the plans.

While the MiG-25 production line ceased in 1984, both the parts and engines were still being produced until 1989.

If the modernization went ahead they would have received a new navigation suite based on Glonass receivers and laser gyroscopes, the recon variants would have gotten digital photo and video cameras, communication systems and new reconnaissance systems which included a new side-looking radar and electronic intelligence-gathering.

four chinooks were converted into gunships by Vertol in 1965 under a program called guns a go-go, they packed 5 M60 or 50 caliber machine guns, 2 20mm cannons mounted on top of the stub wings, 2 rocket pods or 2 minigun pods and a nose mounted 40mm grenade launcher commonly seen on the UH-1 gunship and sent to vietnam on a temporary 6 month duty.

the four chinooks where:

1. CO$T of LIVING - lost in 1967 during a gun run on NVA troops near Bong Son with all crew KIA
2. Easy Money - museum
3. Stump Jumper - lost in 1966 when it struck another chinook while Taxiing at Vung Tau Airfield, it completely broke in two, fortunately no injuries to the crew
4. Birth Control - lost in 1968 when supporting the big push to recapture Hue during the Tet Offensive, took ground fire during a gun run and lost aft transmission pressure, landed in a field and crew rescued by Easy Money, before a aircraft recovery could be attempted a report came in that it was destroyed by NVA mortar fire

due to losing 3 gunships, unwilling to convert more and that heavy lift helicopters were needed in the field the army cancelled the program and Easy Money was transferred to Vung Tau air base and used as a maintenance trainer at a "in house" Boeing facility till the end of the war and transferred back to the states and ended up as a sheet metal trainer at Fort Eustis, Virgina till the 90s, later saved and restored and is currently displayed at the US Army aviation and missile command at redstone arsenal, alabama

CO$T of LIVING's crash site
https://imgur.com/a/UChwIQT

Russia scrapped most of them due to deeming them obsolete and excessively expensive to maintain on a post cold war budget, all single engine planes were retired and the fleet mostly consolidated around twin engine aircraft like the Su-27 and MiG-29.

There are no Su-17s or MiG-23/27s in reserves, the ones that haven't been scrapped are either on static display or abandoned stripped airframes. Sukhoi used 2 fitters as chase planes at the KnAAPO plant, a Su-17UM3 and export Su-22UM3K, both 2 seat trainers, they were the last flying ones in Russia before being retired in 2013 and placed in storage.

A Su-30 was also sent, following a 30-minute ground school, several SAAF pilots were put in the back seat and given direct control over the aircraft's radar and systems during mock engagements. SAAF pilots reportedly adapted remarkably fast and performed excellently.

In a previous exercise hosted at Air Force Base Hoedspruit, 2 MiG-29s were sent

more info
https://www.saairforce.co.za/news-and-events/575/dacm-between-russia-and-south-african

it was built in 2012 and sports the eggplant paint scheme used on early production Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-35S built between 2011 and 2013, some Su-25SMs and a lone A-50U were also painted in eggplant, only the navy still uses it on their Su-30SM and MiG-29Ks.

it's assigned to the V.P. Chkalov State Flight Test Center which is based at Akhtubinsk Air Base in the Astrakhan Oblast.

both photo's were taken in 2015 at different Air Bases
Su-27SM3 - Dyagilevo Air Base
Su-30SM - Kubinka Air Base

originally they were intended to be modernized and kept in service until 2020 but the immense cost together with aging infrastructure, fatigued airframes and both the Tumansky R-15 engines and parts being out of production halted the plans.

while the MiG-25 production line ceased in 1984, both the parts and engines were still being produced until 1989.

if the modernization went ahead they would have received a new navigation suite based on Glonass receivers and laser gyroscopes, the recon variants would have gotten digital photo and video cameras, communication systems and new reconnaissance systems which included a new side-looking radar and electronic intelligence-gathering.

the large pod mounted on the wing is a Flight Test Instrumentation pod used for data logging and parameter recording

After receiving 15 of the 28 SMTs and some of the UBs AF inspectors found that they were assembled with parts and airframes that had been stored since the 90s, Algeria then cancelled the 1.3 billion dollar deal and froze all payments, they were returned back to Russia in 2008 and sent to the Lukhovitsy and Nizhny Novgorod plants to be refurbished and adapted for domestic use. they were delivered to VVS in addition to the UB trainers. Algeria was offered a deal to purchase another batch of Su-30MKAs at reduced prices. In December 2010 they ordered 16 then another 14 in December 2015. In 2019 ordered another 16 and 16 MiG-29M/M2s in a 1.8 billion dollar deal.

While most of the SMTs and modernized 9.53 UB trainers are from the Algeria deal, the VVS did order 16 newly built airframes from MiG (14 SMTRs and 2 9.53 UBR trainers) in 2014 due to repeated delays with the MiG-35 and to keep MiG's production lines active.

the 9.53 is essentially a modernized trainer version of the SMT without the large dorsal fuel hump

this one with bort number 139 is owned by MiG