More about the uniform...

As the Soviet Union moved into the jet age, it soon realized that the old leather flight suits of the post-war era had become dated and uncomfortable.  In the mid-fifties the Soviet air force moved to a new dark blue cotton two-piece flight suit.  This uniform was not only more comfortable (less bulky) and easier to manufacture than its predecessors, one of two zippered jacket pockets was converted into a holder for the PM Makarov pistol.  Two smaller pockets on the suit were used for carrying additional ammunition magazines.  The other pockets were fastened by simple snap closures.  The trousers have two thigh pockets, while the fly is fastened by a single row of buttons.  The boots are the typical Soviet pilot variety that use laces, but have a zipper along the side.  If worn in cool weather, pilots still had the option of wearing the leather jacket.  In very cold climates a cold weather version of the suit was used.

Other components of this uniform included the soft leather helmets beginning with the Sh-51.  In these early days only the leather helmet was worn as headgear.  This began to change in the 1960's when the ZSh series of helmets were introduced. 

The ZSh-3 (защитний шлем) protective helmet is one of several helmets that can be used in conjunction with this suit.  It is a three part affair comprised of the aluminum outer shell, a leather inner helmet, and a Kh-32 oxygen mask.  The helmet is issued in three sizes (1, 2, and 3), while the mask is issued in 5 sizes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  The visor of the ZSh-3M helmet comes in three colors.  Originally the color was blue, but as it provided little protection from the glare of the sun it was changed to green.  Later versions have a smoky dark color and are somewhat common. 

Like most other Soviet helmets, the ZSh-3 has no form of integral communications.  This feature is provided by a throat microphone found on the leather helmet worn underneath it.  The ZSh-3M in this picture does have a provision for a microphone in the KM-32 mask.  The KM-32 oxygen mask and throat microphone complete the uniform.

Service Chronology

As with many Soviet utility uniforms, there are few sources documenting the introduction and development of the M-1958 flight suit.  It should be noted that our designation "M-1958" is not the official designation used by the Soviets.  Its exact date of introduction is not known to us, but has rather been extrapolated from watching a great deal of Soviet video footage from 1945 to 1960.  When combined with the fact that the paratrooper coverall was first introduced during the 1958 regulations, it seems reasonable to assume that the standard flight suit of the Cold War was introduced at the same time.  This will be amended as further information comes available.  We hope to eventually determine the uniform's place in the chronology of the Soviet and later Russian air force. 

The uniform was used in most temperate climates (it was replaced by the tropical flight suit in warmer climates) until the early 1990's when it began to be phased out by the M-1994 VSR Flight Suit.  This total replacement never took place, and the uniforms continued to be used well into the early 2000's.

*Even so, the standard M-58 flight suit was documented well into the 1990's, but may have only been fully replaced by the M-2010 Yudashkin pattern khaki flight suit seen in use during the 2015 Syrian intervention.