Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I enjoyed this series which documents the peaks of Soviet aviation using Russian archives and Peter Ustinov (just to let us known that the producers meant business) to show us the other side of the story of mil-av. (The series also included entries for swing-wing fighters like the MiG-23, bombers like the Blackjack and gunship helicopters like the Hind".) The show not only documents the aircraft, but the political and historical context that shaped their development and use. We learn about TSAgI (not sure of the exact spelling), the Russian aerodynamics and hydrodynamics institute that led the way to developing advanced aircraft for a burgeoning soviet military, and encounter the figures who would give that drive its fuel.
The first tape shows the development of the MiG-15, the pioneering swept-wing fighter that would gain legendary status in the skies over Korea. The context here is the Soviets' phoenix-like resurgence from the ashes of "The Great Patriotic" war, a heady time in which pain was subsumed by the triumph over fascism. Nothing seemed impossible for the Soviets, and the MiG was an aluminum representation of that dream. From their first jets - basically WWII fighters with large and unsightly jets replacing the piston engine - the Soviets learn the lessons of compressibility and delayed critical mach. Having given primacy in fighter design to Lavochkin and Yak during the war, the Mikoyan design bureau finally exploited its research in jet-powered aircraft by unveiling their MiG-15. The MiG competed with a similar design from Lavochkin (visibly distinct with its higher-placed wings) that outflew the Mig, but would have been harder to maintain. The MiG flew in Korea and the mideast, setting the stage for conflicts where narrowing gaps between aircraft heightened the importance of training. (The MiG first fell to an F-80, an older American jet with unswept wings.)
The story continues with the MiG-21, a delta-winged fighter, but not a tail-less delta, which the Russians had a demonstrated aversion to. The cold-war has lost its post-WWII innocence, the MiG is a more determined entry. Exceedingly hobbled by poor range (it's small fuel fraction is further reduced because the plane - already unforgiving - needs much of its fuel for ballast), the MiG-21 is nevertheless invincible within a short hop from its homebase. Thus, the "Fishbed" represents the compromises made to ensure matchless horizontal agility.
The package concludes with the MiG-25, in which the Russians sacrificed agility for raw speed - to cut down weight, structural supports were deleted, reducing the plane to a limit of 4g. The "Foxbat" was the apex of Russian aviation - more advanced aircraft were introduced, but the Foxbat represented the ultimate in singleminded design, an almost fanatic pursuit of a single design goal. Latter Soviet jets were more practical machines - maneuverable and fast, able to fly from rough airfields (a Soviet design tradition) while using more sophisticated equipment - and weren't produced with a single, doomsday mission. Thus, more than its successors, the Foxbat reflected on the mind and the will of Soviet designers.
This was a great series - pursuing a (then) seldom appreciated subject from a rare perspective. (How many stories about how great the F-15 is can we stand to hear?) Ustinov's narration gives the story the quality of a Russian tragedy, while a serviceable score keeps things from devolving into camp.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Wings of the Red Star: MIG Force - Duel Over Korea/Phantom's Foe/Foxbat
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