This report assesses trends & prospects in Russian military aviation, drawing on the extensive reportage on air power in the Russian defense literature since the onset of glasnost in 1986. Originally intended to examine Soviet tactical air power in strategic perspective, the research changed focus with the end of the cold war & with the consequent opening up of new sources of insight into the Soviet defense establishment. The report reflects the benefit of first-hand contact between the author & senior Russian Air Force & aviation industry leaders. In December 1989, at Kubinka Air Base, the author became the first American citizen to fly the Soviet MiG-29 fighter & the first Westerner invited to fly a combat aircraft of any type inside Soviet airspace since the end of World War II.