MiG-19MP Pilot (1957)
  

The Pilot is Wearing:
The VKK-2 flight suit and using the GSh-4 high altitude helmet designed to function with the flight suit.  This representation is correct for 1957 to 1959.

(Note: the above description is our goal, but we have not yet found a mannequin small enough to model the size 2 flight suit).

Sources Cited

Back to Air Force Uniforms
of the Era of Rebuilding

As jet technology continued to advance aircraft began to fly higher and faster.  Soviet designers realized that pilots operating new high-altitude interceptors such as the MiG-19 and upcoming MiG-21 would require special suits to allow them to safely fly under these conditions.  On 27 October 1952 the Council of Ministers of the USSR decreed that pilot life safety systems were to be researched and designed at Production Plant No 1 in the village of Tomilino sixteen miles southeast of Moscow.  It would be renamed Factory 918 and placed under the direction of S. M. Alekseev.  Today the plant is known as NPP Zvezda.(1)

Design work on a high altitude suit the following year.  Several prototypes were designed: the VSS-04 and VSS-05 in 1953, the VKS-1 and VSS-04M in 1954.(1) The tests of these suits under chief engineer V.A. Arhipova and test pilots K.K. Kokkinaki and V.A. Nefedov indicated that the early suits were cumbersome, poorly ventilated, and made operating the aircraft difficult.  They then developed the VKK-2.  Since it is not pressurized (as some of the early test suits were) it did not interfere with the pilot’s ability to operate the aircraft.  It would only inflate if the cabin depressurized.  Tests on the ground in a special chamber simulated the suit under conditions of 25,000 meters. (2)
 

The VKK-2 was the first serial production pressure suit developed for the Soviet air force.  Designed between 1955 and 1956 (our own VKK-2 does not have a date stamp, but the passport referring to it is dated 1956) the VKK was to be a component of the KKO-1 pilot equipment set.(3)  This kit includes several pieces of pilot equipment and is listed below. 

The name VKK stands for высотный компенсирующий костюм loosely translates as 'altitude compensation suit'.  It is a straightforward tightly fitting garment that incorporates air bladders to act as a g-suit.  The suit features a large zipper running down the front.  The separate shorter zipper seen on later suits to facilitate the pilot relieving himself is absent on the VKK-2.

Other metal zippers are also located at the ankles and wrist to ensure a tight fit.  Two air hoses are fitted above the left hip.  One of these provides air to the g-suit bladders in the abdomen and down the front of the legs.  The other inflates the tube running along the sides of each leg that meet on the shoulders.

A large amount of lacing can be found along the arms, legs, and back.  This is tightened to ensure a good fit.  In most cases an assistant was needed to help the pilot don the suit.  The lacing goes down the back of each arm, and up each leg to the shoulders.  It is uncertain if the suit was manufactured according to the size chart of later suits, but it does seem likely.  Our example is a size 2 which is very small (we are yet to find a mannequin small enough to display it).

When not in use, the suit is carried in a transport bag that secures with three snaps on one side.  On the other is a single pocket secured by a snap.  Inside is the passport for the suit with its history, inspection record, and past users.

The suit is used in conjunction with the GSh-4 (Germoshelm-4) helmet, but it has often been seen in use with the later GSh-6 helmet as well.  There are two variants of this helmet: The GSh-4M and the GSh-4MS.  This helmet comes in size 1 or 2.

In either case, the helmet is composed of three major parts: the faceplate, the headpiece, and the outer metal helmet.  The faceplate is the part that is most often removed by pilots.  This is done by pulling on a string near the chin.  This releases a latch that allows the faceplate to move upwards on a hinge at the top.  When pulled high enough, the hook disengages from the upper hinge and the faceplate can be completely removed.  The body is then removed by pulling on the small leather straps on either side of the helmet.  These release the springs holding the body to the outer helmet.  The body is then pulled forward until its hook disengages the hinge and it can be removed.  This body section also has a green zippered hood with a laced section.  This ensures a tight fit for the pilot.  The outer metal helmet features a thin sun visor tinted dark green, though not all were equipped with this feature. 

Together, this uniform and helmet was part of the KKO-1 (Komplekt Kislorodnovo Oborudovaniya) assembly.  This set is made up of the following items:

This equipment made it possible for the pilot to survive at the extreme altitudes at which he worked.  Additionally, the headgear could be changed depending on the mission.  For low altitude flights the leather helmet was used, but the pilot would use the GSh-4 for high altitude operations

Tactical Use and Limitations

The VKK-2 flight suit enabled Soviet pilots to safely operate interceptor aircraft at high altitude and at speeds over Mach 2.  It was not cumbersome and allowed a pilot to operate the controls of his aircraft with a minimum of interference.

Among its drawbacks was the fact that it required another man to help the pilot get into the suit.  It was also felt that the arrangement of the air bladders needed improvement.  One of the most serious limitations was the lack of a means for a pilot to relieve himself once he had put on the suit!  The suit also did not regulate temperature, but could be worn under the VK-1 and later VK-3m which provided heating and cooling for the pilot.

To remedy these problems, it was determined to develop an entirely new flight suit – the VKK-3.  The rapid switch to the newer suit meant that the numbers of VKK-2 suits in service was relatively low.