The Soviet Buran space shuttle, developed in the 1970s as a rival to NASA’s Space Shuttle, was a reusable orbiter capable of unmanned flight and launched by the powerful Energia rocket. Completing its only automated orbital mission in 1988 with superior payload capacity (30 tons) and advanced design, the program was canceled in 1993 amid economic turmoil.
A look at the Soviet space shuttle program – article from the current Wings magazine (Autumn 2024).
The Yak-28 occupies a strange place in Cold War aviation history—mass produced, widely used, yet almost completely forgotten. On paper it promised speed, range, and versatility; in reality, it became known for difficult handling, questionable design compromises, and a...
The fall of Malaya in 1941–42 was one of the fastest and most decisive airpower collapses of the Second World War. In just ten weeks, Allied air forces were overwhelmed by superior Japanese aircraft, flawed assumptions, and a rapidly shifting operational environment....
Between 1942 and 1945, tens of thousands of young Allied airmen flew into the heart of Nazi Germany—day after day, night after night—knowing that every mission could be their last. This powerful documentary explores the psychological toll on the bomber crews of RAF...