The Central Air Force Museum () is an

aviation museum An aviation museum, air museum, or air and space museum is a museum exhibiting the history and cultural artifacts, artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual, replica or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, Ph ...

Monino Monino () is an urban locality (a work settlement) in Shchyolkovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of Moscow. Population: History Monino was founded in the Muninskaya Wasteland () on August 23, 1792. The name "Monino" or "M ...

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. A branch of the Central Armed Forces Museum, it is one of the world's largest aviation museums, and the largest for

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

, with a collection including 173 aircraft and 127

aircraft engines An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft Air propulsion, propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either Reciprocating ...

on display. The museum also features additional displays, including

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

-era American

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

equipment, weapons, instruments,

uniforms A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency ser ...

, artwork, and a library containing books, films, and photos is also accessible to visitors. The Central Air Force Museum is located on the grounds of the

Gagarin Air Force Academy Gagarin Air Force Academy () is a Russian military aviation academy located in Monino, Moscow Oblast. The academy prepares high-ranking military personnel for the Russian Aerospace Forces. Among the academy alumni are around 700 Heroes of th ...

on the site of the former Monino Airfield, east of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

History

The origins of the museum go back to 1940 when the village of Monino was selected to be the location of what is now the

. The museum itself was founded in 1958, two years after the airfield was closed, and had 6 aircraft and 20 aircraft guns at the time. When it opened to the public another two years later in 1960, it had 14 aircraft. By early 1970, the museum's collection had expanded to about 40 aircraft. In 1990, the aircraft on display were rearranged according to design bureau and chronological order. The museum's main hall was mostly destroyed by fire in 2005. By 2013, a new hangar had been built to house the World War II aircraft. In 2016, it was reported that the museum was to close, with the exhibits being transferred to

Patriot Park Patriot Park () is a theme park in Kubinka, Russia, that is themed around equipment of the Russian military and the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. The park, which officially opened in 2016, is designed around a military theme, and inc ...

. New halls with the modern equipment for exhibitions were built. However, a new exhibition hall was opened in February 2020. The museum contains a range of aircraft, both domestic and foreign, including military, civil and special purpose. The museum also houses associated pieces, such as the uniforms, documents, models and equipment related to the aircraft. The museum is currently open to members of the public to visit. The museum has never published a catalog of exhibits or a guidebook. Anniversary books about the Gagarin Air Force Academy contain small sections with history and descriptions of exhibits. There is a photo gallery of the museum, taken in 1988-1994 by photographer Viktor Leontyev, a correspondent for a military newspaper. The use of a wide-format lens made it possible to preserve for history views of the museum, including the hall that later burned down.

Aircraft on display

Transport and passenger aircraft File:SU-25 and TU-144 at Central Air Force Museum.jpg,

Tupolev Tu-144 The Tupolev Tu-144 (; NATO reporting name: Charger) is a Soviet supersonic airliner, supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev in operation from 1968 to 1999. The Tu-144 was the world's first commercial supersonic transport aircraft wit ...

(Charger) File:AN-22 Cock.JPG, Antonov An-22 (Cock) File:TU-114 Cleat.JPG,

Tupolev Tu-114 The Tupolev Tu-114 Rossiya (; NATO reporting name Cleat) is a retired large turboprop-powered long-range airliner designed by the Tupolev design bureau and built in the Soviet Union from May 1955. The aircraft was the largest and fastest passenge ...

(Cleat) File:Berijew Be-12 Mail.JPG,

Beriev Be-12 The Beriev Be-12 ''Chayka'' (, NATO reporting name: Mail) is a Soviet turboprop-powered amphibious aircraft designed in the 1950s for anti-submarine and maritime patrol duties. Design and development The Beriev Be-12 was a successor to the B ...

(Mail) Fighters and Attack aircraft File:La-15.jpg,

Lavochkin La-15 The Lavochkin La-15 (Sokol plant, Plant 21 product code Izdeliye 52, USAF reporting name Type 21, NATO reporting name Fantail), was an early Soviet Union, Soviet Fighter aircraft, jet fighter and a contemporary of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 whic ...

(Fantail) File:Su-25 at Central Air Force Museum Monino pic2.JPG,

Sukhoi Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' ( ('' rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Ground Forces. Th ...

(Frogfoot) File:Tu-128-2.jpg, Tupolev Tu-128 (Fiddler) File:Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik, Central Air Force Museum, Monino.JPG,

Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...

(Bark) Bombers File:SU-100 T4.JPG, Sukhoi T-4 (Su-100) File:Tupolew Tu-26 Backfire.JPG,

Tupolev Tu-22M The Tupolev Tu-22M (; NATO reporting name: Backfire) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev, Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. The bomber was reported as being designated ...

(Backfire) File:Myasischev M-50 Bounder.JPG,

Myasishchev M-50 The Myasishchev M-50 (; NATO reporting name: Bounder) is a Soviet prototype four-jet engine supersonic strategic bomber which never attained service. Only one flightworthy prototype was built, which was first flown in October 1959. The M-50 w ...

(Bounder) File:TU-22 Blinder.JPG,

Tupolev Tu-22 The Tupolev Tu-22 ( Air Standardization Coordinating Committee name: Blinder) was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union. Manufactured by Tupolev, the Tu-22 entered service with Long-Range Aviation and Soviet Nav ...

(Blinder A) File:Tupolew Tu-95 Bear.JPG,

Tupolev Tu-95 The Tupolev Tu-95 (; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. Maiden flight, First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Soviet Long Range Aviation, Long-Range Avia ...

(Bear) File:Myasischev 3M Bison.JPG, Myasishchev 3M (Bison) Helicopters File:MI-12 2021.jpg,

Mil Mi-12 The Mil V-12 (NATO reporting name: Homer), given the project number ''Izdeliye 65'' ("Item 65"), is a prototype helicopter designed in the Soviet Union and the largest helicopter ever built. The designation "Mi-12" would have been the designatio ...

(Homer) File:MIL MI-26 Halo.JPG,

Mil Mi-26 The Mil Mi-26 (, NATO reporting name: Halo) is a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter. Its product code is ''Izdeliye 90''. Operated by both military and civilian operators, it is the largest helicopter to have gone into serial product ...

(Halo) File:Mil Mi-6 Hook.JPG,

Mil Mi-6 The Mil Mi-6 (NATO reporting name Hook), given the article number ''izdeliye 50'' and company designation V-6, is a Soviet Union, Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter that was designed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Mil design bureau. ...

(Hook) File:Mil Mi6B Hook.JPG, Mil Mi-6B (Hook) File:Mil Mi-24A Hind-A.JPG, Mil Mi-24A (Hind-A) File:Mil Mi-25 Hind-D.JPG,

Mil Mi-25 The Mil Mi-24 (; NATO reporting name: Hind) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity transport helicopter, troop transport with room for eight passengers. It is produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and was introduced ...

(Hind-D) File:Kamov Ka-25 Hormon.JPG,

Kamov Ka-25 The Kamov Ka-25 (NATO reporting name "Hormone") is a naval helicopter, developed for the Soviet Navy in the USSR from 1958. Design and development In the late 1950s there was an urgent demand for anti-submarine helicopters for deployment on n ...

(Hormone) File:Mil Mi-10 Harke.JPG, Mil Mi-10 (Harke) File:Jakowlew Jak-24 Horse.JPG, Yakovlev Yak-24 (Horse) Other aircraft File:M-141 Cruise Missile.JPG, Myasishchev M-141 ("Strizh" )

UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...

File:M-17 Experimental.JPG, Myasishchev M-17 (Mystic) Experimental High-Altitude Aircraft File:MiG-105-11a.JPG, MiG-105 Spiral EPOS Orbital Spacecraft (OS) Prototype Nr. 11 (sub-sonic) File:Bartini VVA-14.jpg, Beriev Bartini VVA-14 Vertical take-off amphibious aircraft prototype

References

;Citations ;Bibliography
На авиамузей в Монино наплевали с большой высоты

Центральный музей ВВС в Монино

External links

Homepage of the Monino museumPhoto gallery of the Museum 1988-1994 by Viktor LeontievGuide for foreign visitors and virtual tourInformation and photos of the museum

Central Armed Forces Museum page for the museum
{{authority control Air force museums Russian military aviation Russian Air Force Soviet Air Force Aerospace museums in Russia Military and war museums in Russia Cold War museums Museums in Moscow Oblast Open-air museums in Russia

History

Aircraft on display

See also

References

External links