Air-to-air combat losses between the Soviet Union and the United States
Cold War
Table:
Date

Location

Plane shot down

Intercepting Aircraft

Interceptor

Reference

April 8, 1950

Baltic Sea

US Navy PB4Y-2 Privateer

La-11 "Fang"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[11][12]

September 4, 1950

Near Vladivostok

Soviet Naval Aviation A-20 bomber

F4U-4B Corsair

US Navy

[13]

October-December 1950

Near Vladivostok

Soviet Air Defence Forces MiG-15

P2V-3 Neptune (Defensive guns)

US Navy

[14]

November 6, 1951

Near Vladivostok

US Navy P2V-3 Neptune

La-11 "Fang"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[11][15]

June 13, 1952

Sea of Japan

US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress

MiG-15 "Fagot"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

October 7, 1952

Over the Kurile Islands

US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress

La-11 "Fang"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

November 18, 1952

Near Vladivostok

Soviet Air Defence Forces MiG-15

F9F-5 Panther

US Navy

[17]

July 29, 1953

Sea of Japan

US Air Force RB-50G Superfortress

MiG-17 "Fresco"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

September 4, 1954

Off the coast of Siberia

US Navy P2V-5

MiG-15 "Fagot"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

November 7, 1954

Near the coast of Hokkaido, Japan

US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress

MiG-15 "Fagot"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

April 17, 1955

Near the coast of Hokkaido, Japan

US Air Force RB-47E

MiG-15 "Fagot"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

June 22, 1955

Near the St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea

US Navy P2V-5 Neptune

MiG-15 "Fagot"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[16]

June 27, 1958

Armenia, USSR

US Air Force C-118

MiG-17P "Fresco"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[18]

September 2, 1958

Armenia, USSR

US Air Force C-130A

MiG-17 "Fresco"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[18]

July 1, 1960

Near the Kola Peninsula, USSR

US Air Force RB-47H

MiG-19 "Farmer"

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[18]

January 28, 1964

Erfurt, East Germany

US Air Force T-39 Sabreliner

MiG-19 "Farmer"

Soviet Air Force

[19]

March 10, 1964

Gardelegen, East Germany

US Air Force RB-66 Destroyer

MiG-21 "Fishbed"

Soviet Air Force

[20]

October 21, 1970

Armenia, USSR

United States Army RU-8 Seminole

Unknown

Soviet Air Defence Forces

[21]

Considering the provided table along with the relevant paragraphs listed at the end.

Give the answer to the question: How many miles from the Chukchi Peninsula is an island where a plane was shot down of a type that was a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare ( ASW ) aircraft ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

The Baltic Sea is a mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean , enclosed by Denmark , Estonia , Finland , Latvia , Lithuania , Sweden , northeast Germany , Poland , Russia and the North and Central European Plain . The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 10°E to 30°E longitude . A marginal sea of the Atlantic , with limited water exchange between the two water bodies , the Baltic Sea drains through the Danish islands into the Kattegat by way of the straits of Øresund , the Great Belt and the Little Belt . It includes the Gulf of Bothnia , the Bay of Bothnia , the Gulf of Finland , the Gulf of Riga and the Bay of Gdańsk . The Baltic Proper is bordered on its northern edge , at the latitude 60°N , by the Åland islands and the Gulf of Bothnia , on its northeastern edge by the Gulf of Finland , on its eastern edge by the Gulf of Riga , and in the west by the Swedish part of the southern Scandinavian Peninsula . The Baltic Sea is connected by artificial waterways to the White Sea via the White Sea Canal and to the German Bight of the North Sea via the Kiel Canal .
The United States Navy ( USN ) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States . It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone , it is larger than the next 13 navies combined , which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations . It has the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world 's largest aircraft carrier fleet , with eleven in service , two new carriers under construction , and five other carriers planned . With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve , the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the U.S. military service branches in terms of personnel . It has 290 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of June 2019 [ update ] , making it the third-largest air force in the world , after the United States Air Force and the United States Army . The U.S. Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy , which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was effectively disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter . After suffering significant loss of goods and personnel at the hands of the Barbary pirates from Algiers , the U.S. Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 for the construction of six heavy frigates , the first ships of the U.S. Navy . The U.S. Navy played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers . It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan . The U.S. Navy emerged from World War II as the most powerful navy in the world . The 21st century U.S. Navy maintains a sizable global presence , deploying in strength in such areas as the Western Pacific , the Mediterranean , and the Indian Ocean . It is a blue-water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world , engage in forward deployments during peacetime and rapidly respond to regional crises , making it a frequent actor in U.S. foreign and military policy .
The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer is a World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator . The Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modifications as the PB4Y-1 Liberator , and along with maritime patrol Liberators used by RAF Coastal Command this type of patrol plane was proven successful . A fully navalized design was desired , and Consolidated developed a dedicated long-range patrol bomber in 1943 , designated PB4Y-2 Privateer . In 1951 , the type was redesignated P4Y-2 Privateer . A further designation change occurred in September 1962 , when the remaining Navy Privateers ( all having previously been converted to drone configuration as P4Y-2K ) were redesignated QP-4B .
The Lavochkin La-11 ( NATO reporting name Fang ) was an early post-World War II Soviet long-range piston-engined fighter aircraft .
The Soviet Air Defence Forces ( Russian : войска ПВО , voyska protivovozdushnoy oborony , voyska PVO , V-PVO , lit . Anti-Air Defence Troops ; and formerly protivovozdushnaya oborona strany , PVO strany , lit . Anti-Air Defence of the Nation ) was the air defence branch of the Soviet Armed Forces . Formed in 1941 , it continued being a service branch of the Russian Armed Forces after 1991 until it was merged into the Air Force in 1998 . Unlike Western air defence forces , V-PVO was a branch of the military unto itself , separate from the Soviet Air Force ( VVS ) and Air Defence Troops of Ground Forces . During the Soviet period it was generally ranked third in importance of the Soviet services , behind the Strategic Missile Troops and the Ground Forces .
Vladivostok ( Russian : Владивосто́к , IPA : [ vlədʲɪvɐˈstok ] ( listen ) , literally 'Ruler of the East ' , 'Rule the East ' , 'Lord of the East ' , or 'Conqueror of the East ' ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Far Eastern Federal District and Primorsky Krai , Russia , located around the Golden Horn Bay , not far from Russia 's borders with China and North Korea . The population of the city as of 2019 [ update ] was 605,049 up from 592,034 recorded in the 2010 Russian census . Harbin in China is about 515 kilometres ( 320 mi ) away , while Sapporo in Japan is about 775 kilometres ( 482 mi ) east across the Sea of Japan . The city is the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet and is the largest Russian port on the Pacific coast .
Soviet Naval Aviation ( AV-MF , for Авиация военно-морского флота in Russian , or Aviatsiya voyenno-morskogo flota , literally aviation of the military maritime fleet ) was the naval aviation arm of the Soviet Navy .
The Douglas A-20 Havoc ( company designation DB-7 ) is an American medium bomber , attack aircraft , night intruder , night fighter , and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II . It served with several Allied air forces , principally the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) , the Soviet Air Forces ( VVS ) , Soviet Naval Aviation ( AVMF ) , and the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) of the United Kingdom . A total of 7,478 aircraft were built , of which more than a third served with Soviet units . It was also used by the air forces of Australia , South Africa , France , and the Netherlands during the war , and by Brazil afterwards . In most British Commonwealth air forces , the bomber variants were named Boston , while the night fighter and intruder variants were named Havoc . The exception was the Royal Australian Air Force , which used the name Boston for all variants . The USAAF used the P-70 designation to refer to the night fighter variants .
The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War . Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought , the Corsair was soon in great demand ; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear , whose Corsairs were designated FG , and Brewster , designated F3A . The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft , and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945 . It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War II . Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio . Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat , powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair 's first prototype in 1940 . Instead , the Corsair 's early deployment was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy . The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria . In addition to its use by the U.S. and British , the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force , French Naval Aviation , and other air forces until the 1960s . From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940 , to final delivery in 1953 to the French , 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models . Its 1942-53 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter .
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 ( Russian : Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-15 ; USAF/DoD designation : Type 14 ; NATO reporting name : Fagot ) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union . The MiG-15 was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporate swept wings to achieve high transonic speeds . In combat over Korea , it outclassed straight-winged jet day fighters , which were largely relegated to ground-attack roles , and was quickly countered by the similar American swept-wing North American F-86 Sabre . When refined into the more advanced MiG-17 , the basic design would again surprise the West when it proved effective against supersonic fighters such as the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in the Vietnam War of the 1960s . The MiG-15 is believed to have been one of the most produced jet aircraft ; in excess of 13,000 were manufactured . Licensed foreign production may have raised the production total to almost 18,000 . [ citation needed ] The MiG-15 remains in service with the Korean People 's Army Air Force as an advanced trainer .
The Lockheed P-2 Neptune ( designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962 ) was a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare ( ASW ) aircraft . It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon , and was replaced in turn by the Lockheed P-3 Orion . Designed as a land-based aircraft , the Neptune never made a carrier landing , but a small number were converted and deployed as carrier-launched , stop-gap nuclear bombers that would have to land on shore or ditch . The type was successful in export , and saw service with several armed forces .
The Sea of Japan ( see below for other names ) is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago , Sakhalin , the Korean Peninsula and Russia . The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean . It is bordered by Japan , Korea ( North and South ) and Russia . Like the Mediterranean Sea , it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific Ocean . This isolation also reflects in the fauna species and in the water salinity , which is lower than in the ocean . The sea has no large islands , bays or capes . Its water balance is mostly determined by the inflow and outflow through the straits connecting it to the neighboring seas and Pacific Ocean . Few rivers discharge into the sea and their total contribution to the water exchange is within 1% . The seawater has an elevated concentration of dissolved oxygen that results in high biological productivity . Therefore , fishing is the dominant economic activity in the region . The intensity of shipments across the sea has been moderate owing to political issues , but it is steadily increasing as a result of the growth of East Asian economies .
The United States Air Force ( USAF ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces . It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services . Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907 , the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947 . It is the second youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces , [ a ] and the fourth in order of precedence . The U.S. Air Force articulates its core missions as air superiority , global integrated intelligence , surveillance , and reconnaissance , rapid global mobility , global strike , and command and control . The U.S. Air Force is a military service branch organized within the Department of the Air Force , one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense . The Air Force , through the Department of the Air Force , is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force , who reports to the Secretary of Defense , and is appointed by the President with Senate confirmation . The highest-ranking military officer in the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force , who exercises supervision over Air Force units and serves as one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Certain Air Force components are assigned , as directed by the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force , to unified combatant commands . Combatant commanders are delegated operational authority of the forces assigned to them , while the Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force retain administrative authority over their members . Along with conducting independent air operations , the U.S. Air Force provides air support for land and naval forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field . As of 2017 [ update ] , the service operates more than 5,369 military aircraft , 406 ICBMs and 170 military satellites .
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War . Named in allusion to its predecessor , the B-17 Flying Fortress , the Superfortress was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing but also excelled in low-altitude night incendiary bombing , and in dropping naval mines to blockade Japan . B-29s also dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which contributed to the end of World War II . One of the largest aircraft of World War II , the B-29 had state-of-the-art technology , including a pressurized cabin ; dual-wheeled , tricycle landing gear ; and an analog computer-controlled fire-control system that allowed one gunner and a fire-control officer to direct four remote machine gun turrets . The $ 3 billion cost of design and production ( equivalent to $ 43 billion today ) - far exceeding the $ 1.9 billion cost of the Manhattan Project - made the B-29 program the most expensive of the war . The B-29 's advanced design allowed it to remain in service in various roles throughout the 1950s . The type was retired in the early 1960s , after 3,970 had been built . A few were used as flying television transmitters by the Stratovision company . The Royal Air Force flew the B-29 as the Washington until 1954 . The B-29 was the progenitor of a series of Boeing-built bombers , transports , tankers , reconnaissance aircraft and trainers . The re-engined B-50 Superfortress became the first aircraft to fly around the world non-stop , during a 94-hour flight in 1949 . The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter airlifter , first flown in 1944 , was followed in 1947 by its commercial airliner variant , the Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser .
The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands ( /ˈkʊərɪl , ˈkjʊərɪl , kjʊˈriːl/ ; Russian : Кури́льские острова́ , tr . Kurilskiye ostrova , IPA : [ kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva ] or Russian : островá Тисима , tr . ostrova Tisima ; Japanese : Kuriru rettō ( クリル列島 , Kuril Islands ) or Chishima rettō ( 千島列島 , Chishima Islands ) ) is a volcanic archipelago in Russia 's Sakhalin Oblast that stretches approximately 1,300 km ( 810 mi ) northeast from Hokkaido , Japan to Kamchatka , Russia , separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the north Pacific Ocean . There are 56 islands and many minor rocks . It consists of the Greater Kuril Chain and the Lesser Kuril Chain . The total land area is 10,503.2 square kilometres ( 4,055.3 sq mi ) , and the total population is 19,434 . All the islands are under Russian administration . Japan claims the four southernmost islands , including two of the three largest ones ( Iturup and Kunashir ) , as part of its territory as well as Shikotan and the Habomai islets , which has led to the ongoing Kuril Islands dispute . The disputed islands are known in Japan as the country 's Northern Territories . In 2018 , Russo-Japanese talks on reunification of islands with Japan resumed .
The Grumman F9F Panther is one of the United States Navy 's first successful carrier-based jet fighters , as well as Grummans first jet fighter . A single-engined , straight-winged day fighter , it was armed with four 20 mm ( 0.79 in ) cannons and could carry a wide assortment of air-to-ground munitions . The Panther was used extensively by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Korean War . It was also the first jet aircraft used by the Blue Angels aerobatics demonstration team , from 1949 through late 1954 . The aircraft was exported to Argentina and was the first jet used by the Argentine Naval Aviation . Total F9F production was 1,382 . The design evolved into the swept wing Grumman F-9 Cougar .
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 ( Russian : Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17 ; NATO reporting name : Fresco ) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants . It is an advanced development of the similar looking MiG-15 of the Korean War . The MiG-17 was license-built in China as the Shenyang J-5 and Poland as the PZL-Mielec Lim-6 . MiG-17s first saw combat in 1958 in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and later proved to be an effective threat against more modern supersonic fighters of the United States in the Vietnam War . It was also briefly known as the Type 38 by U.S. Air Force designation prior to the development of NATO codes .
Siberia ( /saɪˈbɪəriə/ ; Russian : Сибирь , tr . Sibír ' , IPA : [ sʲɪˈbʲirʲ ] ( listen ) ) is an extensive geographical region spanning much of Eurasia and North Asia . Siberia has been part of modern Russia since the 17th century . The territory of Siberia extends eastwards from the Ural Mountains to the watershed between the Pacific and Arctic drainage basins . The Yenisei River conditionally divides Siberia into two parts , Western and Eastern . Siberia stretches southwards from the Arctic Ocean to the hills of north-central Kazakhstan and to the national borders of Mongolia and China . With an area of 13.1 million square kilometres ( 5,100,000 sq mi ) , Siberia accounts for 77% of Russia 's land area , but it is home to approximately 33 million people - 23% of the country 's population . This is equivalent to an average population density of about 3 inhabitants per square kilometre ( 7.8/sq mi ) ( approximately equal to that of Australia ) , making Siberia one of the most sparsely populated regions on Earth . If it were a country by itself , it would still be the largest country in area , but in population it would be the world 's 35th-largest and Asia 's 14th-largest . Worldwide , Siberia is well-known primarily for its long , harsh winters , with a January average of −25 °C ( −13 °F ) , as well as its extensive history of use by Russian and Soviet governments as a place for prisons , labor camps , and internal exile .
Hokkaido ( 北海道 , Hokkaidō , lit . Northern Sea Circuit ; Japanese : [ hokːaꜜidoː ] ( listen ) , English : /hɒˈkaɪdoʊ/ ) is the second largest main island of Japan , and the largest and northernmost prefecture . The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu . It was formerly known as Ezo , Yezo , Yeso , or Yesso . The two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel . The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital , Sapporo , which is also its only ordinance-designated city . About 43 kilometers ( 26 mi ) north of Hokkaido lies Sakhalin Island and to the east and northeast are the Kuril Islands , which are administered by Russia , although the four most southerly are claimed by Japan - see Kuril Islands dispute .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
St. Lawrence Island ( Central Siberian Yupik : Sivuqaq , Russian : Остров Святого Лаврентия ) is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea , just south of the Bering Strait . The village of Gambell , located on the northwest cape of the island , is 36 miles ( 58 kilometers ) from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East . The island is part of Alaska , but closer to Russia than to the Alaskan mainland . St. Lawrence Island is thought to be one of the last exposed portions of the land bridge that once joined Asia with North America during the Pleistocene period . It is the sixth largest island in the United States and the 113th largest island in the world . It is considered part of the Bering Sea Volcanic Province .
The Bering Sea ( Russian : Бе́рингово мо́ре , tr . Béringovo móre ) is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean . It forms , along with the Bering Strait , the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth : Eurasia and The Americas . It comprises a deep water basin , which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves . The Bering Sea is separated from the Gulf of Alaska by the Alaska Peninsula . It covers over 2,000,000 square kilometers ( 770,000 sq mi ) and is bordered on the east and northeast by Alaska , on the west by Russian Far East and the Kamchatka Peninsula , on the south by the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands and on the far north by the Bering Strait , which connects the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean 's Chukchi Sea . Bristol Bay is the portion of the Bering Sea which separates the Alaska Peninsula from mainland Alaska . The Bering Sea is named for Vitus Bering , a Danish navigator in Russian service , who in 1728 was the first European to systematically explore it , sailing from the Pacific Ocean northward to the Arctic Ocean . The Bering Sea ecosystem includes resources within the jurisdiction of the United States and Russia , as well as international waters in the middle of the sea ( known as the Donut Hole ) . The interaction between currents , sea ice , and weather makes for a vigorous and productive ecosystem .
The original native Armenian name for the country was Հայք ( Hayk ) ; however , it is currently rarely used . The contemporary name Հայաստան ( Hayastan ) became popular in the Middle Ages by addition of the Persian suffix -stan ( place ) . [ citation needed ] . However the origins of the name Hayastan trace back to much earlier dates and were first attested in circa 5th century in the works of Agathangelos , Faustus of Byzantium , Ghazar Parpetsi , Koryun , and Sebeos . The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk ( Հայկ ) , the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah , who , according to the 5th-century AD author Moses of Chorene ( Movsis Khorenatsi ) , defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492 BC and established his nation in the Ararat region . The further origin of the name is uncertain . It is also further postulated that the name Hay comes from one of the two confederated , Hittite vassal states - the Ḫayaša-Azzi ( 1600-1200 BC ) . The exonym Armenia is attested in the Old Persian Behistun Inscription ( 515 BC ) as Armina ( ) . The Ancient Greek terms Ἀρμενία ( Armenía ) and Ἀρμένιοι ( Arménioi , Armenians ) are first mentioned by Hecataeus of Miletus ( c. 550 BC - c. 476 BC ) . Xenophon , a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions , describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC . Some scholars have linked the name Armenia with the Early Bronze Age state of Armani ( Armanum , Armi ) or the Late Bronze Age state of Arme ( Shupria ) . These connections are inconclusive as it is not known what languages were spoken in these kingdoms .
The Soviet Union , [ b ] officially known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR or СССР ) , [ c ] was a federal sovereign state in northern Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991 . Nominally a union of multiple national Soviet republics , [ d ] in practice its government and economy were highly centralized . The country was a one-party state , governed by the Communist Party with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) . Other major urban centers were Leningrad , Kiev , Minsk , Tashkent , Alma-Ata , and Novosibirsk . It spanned over 10,000 kilometers ( 6,200 mi ) east to west across 11 time zones , and over 7,200 kilometers ( 4,500 mi ) north to south . Its territory included much of Eastern Europe , as well as part of Northern Europe and all of Northern and Central Asia . It had five climate zones : tundra , taiga , steppes , desert and mountains . The Soviet Union had its roots in the 1917 October Revolution , when the Bolsheviks , led by Vladimir Lenin , overthrew the Russian Provisional Government which had replaced the autocratic regime of Tsar Nicholas II during World War I . In 1922 , after a civil war ending in the Bolsheviks ' victory , the USSR was formed by a treaty which united the Russian , Transcaucasian , Ukrainian and Byelorussian republics . Following Lenin 's death in 1924 and a brief power struggle , Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s . Stalin formalized the Communist Party 's ideology of Marxism-Leninism and replaced the market economy with a command economy which led to a period of rapid industrialization and collectivization . During this period , rapid economic development resulted in dramatic improvements in the average standard of living , particularly in urban areas .
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958 . Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II , it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range commercial transport market . More than 700 were built and many still fly today in cargo , military , and wildfire control roles . The DC-6 was known as the C-118 Liftmaster in United States Air Force service and as the R6D in United States Navy service prior to 1962 , after which all U.S. Navy variants were also designated as the C-118 .
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed ( now Lockheed Martin ) . Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings , the C-130 was originally designed as a troop , medevac , and cargo transport aircraft . The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles , including as a gunship ( AC-130 ) , for airborne assault , search and rescue , scientific research support , weather reconnaissance , aerial refueling , maritime patrol , and aerial firefighting . It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide . More than 40 variants of the Hercules , including civilian versions marketed as the Lockheed L-100 , operate in more than 60 nations . The C-130 entered service with the U.S. in 1956 , followed by Australia and many other nations . During its years of service , the Hercules family has participated in numerous military , civilian and humanitarian aid operations . In 2007 , the C-130 became the fifth aircraft [ N 1 ] to mark 50 years of continuous service with its original primary customer , which for the C-130 is the United States Air Force . [ citation needed ] The C-130 Hercules is the longest continuously produced military aircraft at over 60 years , with the updated Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules currently being produced .
The Kola Peninsula ( Russian : Ко́льский полуо́стров , Kolsky poluostrov ; from Kildin Sami : Куэлнэгк нёаррк , Kuelnegk njoarrk ; Northern Sami : Guoládatnjárga ; Finnish : Kuolan niemimaa ; Norwegian : Kolahalvøya ) is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia . Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast , it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is bordered by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast . The city of Murmansk is the most populous human settlement on the peninsula , with a population of over 300,000 as of the 2010 Census . While the north of the peninsula was already settled in the 7th-5th millennium BCE , the rest of its territory remained uninhabited until the 3rd millennium BCE , when various peoples started to arrive from the south . However , by the 1st millennium CE only the Sami people remained . This changed in the 12th century , when Russian Pomors discovered the peninsula 's game and fish riches . Soon after , the Pomors were followed by the tribute collectors from the Novgorod Republic , and the peninsula gradually became a part of the Novgorodian lands . No permanent settlements , however , were established by the Novgorodians until the 15th century . The Soviet period saw a rapid increase of the population , although most of it remained confined to urbanized territories along the sea coast and the railroads . The Sami people were subject to forced collectivization , including forced relocation to Lovozero and other centralized settlements , and overall the peninsula was heavily industrialized and militarized , largely due to its strategic position and the discovery of the vast apatite deposits in the 1920s . As a result , the ecology of the peninsula suffered major ecological damage , including contamination by military nuclear waste and nickel smelting . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the economy went into decline and the population quickly started to decrease .
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet ( Boeing company designation Model 450 ) is a retired American long-range , six-engined , turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft . The primary mission of the B-47 was as a nuclear bomber capable of striking targets within the Soviet Union . Development of the B-47 can be traced back to a requirement expressed by the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) in 1943 for a reconnaissance bomber that harnessed newly developed jet propulsion . Another key innovation adopted during the development process was the swept wing , drawing upon captured German research . With its engines carried in nacelles underneath the wing , the B-47 represented a major innovation in post-World War II combat jet design , and contributed to the development of modern jet airliners . Suitably impressed , in April 1946 , the USAAF ordered two prototypes , designated XB-47 ; on 17 December 1947 , the first prototype performed its maiden flight . Facing off competition such as the North American XB-45 , Convair XB-46 and Martin XB-48 , a formal contract for 10 B-47A bombers was signed on 3 September 1948 . This would be soon followed by much larger contracts . During 1951 , the B-47 entered operational service with the United States Air Force 's Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , quickly becoming a mainstay of its bomber strength by the late 1950s . Over 2,000 were manufactured to meet the Air Force 's extensive demands , driven by the tensions of the Cold War . The B-47 was in service as a strategic bomber until 1965 , at which point it had largely been supplanted by more capable aircraft , such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress . However , the B-47 was also adapted to perform a number of other roles and functions , including photographic reconnaissance , electronic intelligence , and weather reconnaissance .
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 ( Russian : Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19 ; NATO reporting name : Farmer ) is a Soviet second generation , single-seat , twin jet-engined fighter aircraft , the world 's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft . It was the first Soviet production aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight . A comparable U.S. Century Series fighter was the North American F-100 Super Sabre , although the MiG-19 would primarily oppose the more modern McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Republic F-105 Thunderchief over North Vietnam .
Erfurt ( /ˈɛərfɜːrt/ AIR-furt , /ˈɛərfʊərt/ AIR-foort ; German pronunciation : [ ˈɛʁfʊʁt ] ( listen ) ) is the capital and largest city in the state of Thuringia , central Germany . Erfurt lies in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin , within the wide valley of the Gera river . It is located 100 km ( 62 mi ) south-west of Leipzig , 300 km ( 186 mi ) south-west of Berlin , 400 km ( 249 mi ) north of Munich and 250 km ( 155 mi ) north-east of Frankfurt . Together with a string of neighbouring cities Gotha , Weimar , Jena and others , Erfurt forms the central metropolitan corridor of Thuringia called Thüringer Städtekette ( German Thuringian city chain ) with over 500,000 inhabitants . Erfurt 's old town is one of the best preserved medieval city centres in Germany . Tourist attractions include the Krämerbrücke ( Merchants ' bridge ) , the Old Synagogue , the ensemble of Erfurt Cathedral and Severikirche ( St Severus 's Church ) and Petersberg Citadel , one of the largest and best preserved town fortresses in Europe . The city 's economy is based on agriculture , horticulture and microelectronics . Its central location has led to it becoming a logistics hub for Germany and central Europe . Erfurt hosts the second-largest trade fair in eastern Germany ( after Leipzig ) as well as the public television children 's channel KiKa . The city is situated on the Via Regia , a medieval trade and pilgrims ' road network . Modern day Erfurt is also a hub for ICE high speed trains and other German and European transport networks . Erfurt was first mentioned in 742 , as Saint Boniface founded the diocese .
East Germany , officially the German Democratic Republic ( GDR ; German : Deutsche Demokratische Republik [ ˈdɔʏtʃə demoˈkʁaːtɪʃə ʁepuˈbliːk ] , DDR ) , was a state that existed from 1949 to 1990 , the period when the eastern portion of Germany was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War . Commonly described as a communist state in English usage , it described itself as a socialist workers ' and peasants ' state . It consisted of territory that was administered and occupied by Soviet forces following the end of World War II - the Soviet occupation zone of the Potsdam Agreement , bounded on the east by the Oder-Neisse line . The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin but did not include it ; as a result , West Berlin remained outside the jurisdiction of the GDR . The German Democratic Republic was established in the Soviet zone , while the Federal Republic was established in the three western zones . East Germany was a satellite state of the Soviet Union . Soviet occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948 , and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949 . However , Soviet forces remained in the country throughout the Cold War . Until 1989 , the GDR was governed by the Socialist Unity Party ( SED ) , though other parties nominally participated in its alliance organisation , the National Front . The SED made the teaching of Marxism-Leninism and the Russian language compulsory in schools . The economy was centrally planned and increasingly state-owned . Prices of housing , basic goods and services were set by central government planners rather than rising and falling through supply and demand ; and were heavily subsidised .
The North American Sabreliner , later sold as the Rockwell Sabreliner , is an American mid-sized business jet developed by North American Aviation . It was offered to the United States Air Force ( USAF ) in response to its Utility Trainer Experimental ( UTX ) program . It was named Sabreliner due to the similarity of the wing and tail to North American 's F-86 Sabre jet fighter . Military variants , designated T-39 Sabreliner , were used by the USAF , United States Navy ( USN ) , and United States Marine Corps ( USMC ) after the USAF placed an initial order in 1959 . The Sabreliner was also developed into a commercial variant .
The Soviet Air Forces ( Russian : Военно-воздушные силы , tr . Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily ( VVS ) , literally Military Air Forces ) was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union . The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces . The Air Forces were formed from components of the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1917 , and faced their greatest test during World War II . The groups were also involved in the Korean War , and dissolved along with the Soviet Union itself in 1991-92 . Former Soviet Air Forces ' assets were subsequently divided into several air forces of former Soviet republics , including the new Russian Air Force . March of the Pilots was its song .
Gardelegen ( German pronunciation : [ ˈɡaʁdəleːɡən ] ) is a town in Saxony-Anhalt , Germany . It is situated on the right bank of the Milde , 20 m. W. from Stendal , on the main line of railway Berlin-Hanover . Since 2009 it has included Algenstedt .
The Douglas B-66 Destroyer was a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company . The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force ( USAF ) and is heavily based upon the United States Navy 's A-3 Skywarrior , a heavy carrier-based attack aircraft . Originally , officials intended for the aircraft to be a simple development of the earlier A-3 , taking advantage of being strictly land-based to dispense with unnecessary naval features . However , due to the USAF producing extensive and substantially divergent requirements , it became necessary to make considerable alterations to the design , leading to a substantial proportion of the B-66 being original rather than derived from the A-3 . The B-66 retained the three-man crew arrangement of the US Navy 's A-3 ; differences included the incorporation of ejection seats , which the A-3 had lacked . Performing its maiden flight on 28 June 1954 , the aircraft was introduced to USAF service during 1956 . The standard model , designated B-66 , was a bomber model that was procured to replace the aging Douglas A-26 Invader ; in parallel , a dedicated photo reconnaissance model , designated RB-66 , was also produced alongside . Later on , further variants of the type were developed , leading to the aircraft 's use in signals intelligence , electronic countermeasures and weather reconnaissance roles . Aircraft would commonly be forward deployed to bases in Europe , where they could more easily approach the airspace of the Soviet Union . Multiple variants would be deployed around Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis . They would also see use during the American intervention in the Vietnam War , typically operating as support aircraft for other assets that were active over the skies of North Vietnam . The last examples of the type were withdrawn during 1975 .
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 ( Russian : Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21 ; NATO reporting name : Fishbed ) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft , designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union . Its nicknames include : Balalaika , because its planform resembles the stringed musical instrument of the same name ; Ołówek , Polish for pencil , due to the shape of its fuselage , and ; Én bạc , meaning Silver Swallow , in Vietnamese . Approximately 60 countries over four continents have flown the MiG-21 , and it still serves many nations six decades after its maiden flight . It made aviation records , became the most-produced supersonic jet aircraft in aviation history , the most-produced combat aircraft since the Korean War and previously the longest production run of a combat aircraft ( now exceeded by both the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon ) . It 's also one of the earliest examples of planes capable of performing the Cobra maneuver .
The United States Army ( USA ) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces . It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services , and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution . As the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence , the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army , which was formed ( 14 June 1775 ) to fight the American Revolutionary War ( 1775-1783 ) - before the United States of America was established as a country . After the Revolutionary War , the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army . The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army , and considers its institutional inception to be the origin of that armed force in 1775 . As a uniformed military service , the U.S. Army is part of the Department of the Army , which is one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense . The U.S. Army is headed by a civilian senior appointed civil servant , the secretary of the Army ( SECARMY ) and by a chief military officer , the chief of staff of the Army ( CSA ) who is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . It is the largest military branch , and in the fiscal year 2017 , the projected end strength for the Regular Army ( USA ) was 476,000 soldiers ; the Army National Guard ( ARNG ) had 343,000 soldiers and the U.S. Army Reserve ( USAR ) had 199,000 soldiers ; the combined-component strength of the U.S. Army was 1,018,000 soldiers . As a branch of the armed forces , the mission of the U.S. Army is to fight and win our Nation 's wars , by providing prompt , sustained land dominance , across the full range of military operations and the spectrum of conflict , in support of combatant commanders . The branch participates in conflicts worldwide and is the major ground-based offensive and defensive force of the United States .
The Beechcraft L-23 Seminole ( later designated U-8 ) was the United States Armed Forces designation for the Beechcraft Twin Bonanza and Queen Air aircraft in its inventory .