Konstantin Kokkinaki (, 11 March 1910 - 4 March 1990) was a Soviet fighter and

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

. He shot a total of 14 enemy aircraft in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Following the end of the latter he tested dozens of new aircraft and set a new world flight airspeed record, for which he received the title of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

. His older brother

Vladimir Kokkinaki Vladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki (; – 7 January 1985) was a test pilot in the Soviet Union, notable for setting twenty-two world records and serving as president of the ''Fédération Aéronautique Internationale''.Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

into a

Pontic Greek Pontic Greek (, ; or ''Romeika'') is a variety of Modern Greek indigenous to the Pontus region on the southern shores of the Black Sea, northeastern Anatolia, and the Eastern Turkish and Caucasus region. An endangered Greek language variety ...

family. He left school in 1925 after finishing the 7th grade, going on to work as a sailor in the Novorossiysk port. In 1929, he voluntarily enlisted into the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

after answering the call of the central committee of

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

. In 1931, he joined the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

. In 1932, Kokkinaki graduated from the

Stalingrad Volgograd,. geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area o ...

Military Aviation School. He went on to serve as a pilot in the

Red Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

, becoming a

in 1939.

Career

On the same year Kokkinaki became a member of the

Soviet Volunteer Group The Soviet Volunteer Group was the volunteer part of the Soviet Air Forces sent to support the Republic of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War between 1937 and 1941. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact ...

a unit of pilots fighting on the Chinese side in the

. Two squadrons of

Polikarpov I-15 The Polikarpov I-15 () was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed ''Chaika'' (', "gull") because of its gulled upper wings,Gunston 1995, p. 299.Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 10. it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet ...

and

Polikarpov I-16 The Polikarpov I-16 () is a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it is a low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear, and the first such aircraft to attain operational status. It "in ...

s assembled near Moscow, Stepan Suprun was appointed as their commander with Kokkinaki acting as his deputy. Once the planes reached

Alma-Ata Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains in southern Kazakhstan, near the border wi ...

they were dismantled and loaded unto cars reaching China by traversing the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

. The planes were reassembled at

Hami Hami ( zh, c=哈密) or Kumul () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Xinjiang, China. It is well known for sweet Hami melons. In early 2016, the former Hami county-level city merged with Hami Prefecture to form the Hami prefecture-level city ...

and flown to

Chongqing ChongqingPostal Romanization, Previously romanized as Chungking ();. is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the State Council of the People's Republi ...

by way of

Lanzhou Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu province in northwestern China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. His ...

. Kokkinaki's fighter squadron was tasked with defending the city from Japanese bombing raids until December when it was transferred to the south east of the country. On 10 January 1940, Kokkinaki shot down his seventh enemy aircraft. Soon afterwards his squadron returned to the Soviet Union, he remained in China in the capacity of a military advisor. During his time in China Kokkinaki flew 166 combat missions and was awarded a Chinese order. In June 1941, Kokkinaki was dispatched to the front lines of

. He served as the deputy commander of the 401st Special Fighter Regiment which was composed of former test pilots. Upon Suprun's death Kokkinaki assumed his position at the head of the regiment. During the course of the war Kokkinaki claimed three individual and four more shared take downs. Kokkinaki retired from the air force in 1950 in the rank of colonel. He continued to work as a test pilot, testing dozens of new aircraft. In 1960, he broke the world

flight airspeed record An air speed record is the highest airspeed attained by an aircraft of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which also ratifies any claims. Speed records ...

. On 21 August 1964, Kokkinaki was awarded the title of

for his achievements as a test and fighter pilot. Other decorations included two

Orders of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of Sovi ...

, three

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

, three Orders of the Patriotic War first class, two Orders of the Red Star and the title

Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR The Honorary Title "Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR" () was a state award of the Soviet Union established on August 14, 1958, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet No. 2523-X to recognise courage and excellence of military and civilian t ...

. Kokkinaki died in Moscow on 4 March 1990. His older brother

Vladimir Kokkinaki Vladimir Konstantinovich Kokkinaki (; – 7 January 1985) was a test pilot in the Soviet Union, notable for setting twenty-two world records and serving as president of the ''Fédération Aéronautique Internationale''.1910 births 1990 deaths People from Novorossiysk Russian people of Greek descent Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Soviet World War II flying aces Soviet test pilots Soviet people of Greek descent Soviet people of the Second Sino-Japanese War Soviet World War II pilots Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Russian aviation record holders Soviet aviation record holders Soviet Air Force officers Soviet colonels