In picture: a ViM-12 Prizrak fighter aircraft of the VK.08 no. 41, piloted by Pfc. Abraham Romanovsky of the Bumblebee Squadron, aka the Yellow Tails.

Vinogradov-Mendeleev ViM-12 "Prizrak"

The Vinogradov-Mendeleev ViM-12 "Prizrak" (lit. Ghost) is a single-engined single-seat monoplane fighter aircraft designed by Vinogradov-Mendeleev Aeronautics Company for the Alyaskan Imperial Air Force (AVVS). The aircraft itself was a revolutionary design for its era, being the fastest Alyaskan aircraft in service at the time. Still, the Prizrak only served for almost 4 years and was already obsolete in 1940.

The Prizrak was Vinogradov-Mendeleev flagship before the introduction of the ViM-16 Pugalo in 1939, just a year after its first release. The first series Prizrak was powered by the 1100 hp Krupin F2-30 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, giving a maximum speed of 500 km/h, the fastest of its time. It is armed with 6 × 13 mm AvP-36 machine guns with 400 ammunitions each, meaning 2400 total ammunition. The Prizrak's raw power, thanks to its Krupin radial engine, gives it impressive maneuverability with excellent energy retention and acceleration, although lacks roll rate. Pilots liked the Prizrak due to its ease to fly and its comfortable and simple cockpit. Still, the framed canopy results in low visibility, making it hard to see outside the cockpit.

The later variants of the Prizrak feature more efficient engines and increased firepower.

Variants
- ViM-12A (1936, this one)
Krupin F2-30 radial engine
6 × AvP-36 machine guns
2 × BON-100 bombs
- ViM-12T (1938)
- ViM-12bis (1939)

Controls
AG1 : Canopy
AG2 : Flaps