Certain advantages of launch systems, in which the concept of launching a small launch vehicle from a carrier aircraft in air is using, was drawing an attention of launch system developers beginning from early years of modern astronautics appearance. Numerous projects of these systems were developed in various countries including the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Russia. The paper is dedicated to a brief description of the FSU/Russian experience this direction's development. Initially, a definition of the typical ('real') air launch system is done as the system in which a launch vehicle of either winged or ballistic type on basis of common cruise or ballistic missiles/launchers has to be ejected with a following ignition in air from a carrier aircraft that has to be of common type's heavy or speedy aircraft (with certain upgrading). Advantages and shortcomings of this concept are listed and briefly assessed. The especial remark is done that the air launch systems, for which developments of either innovative carrier aircraft (as in the 'Spiral' project), or conceptually new launch vehicle (as in the MAKS project) are beyond the paper's frame since these systems can be considered rather 'advanced' than 'typical' ('real') ones. It is marked there that experimental aviation systems, in which rocket aircraft were dropped from bombers-carriers, were actual predecessors of the air launch systems and these experimental systems, which were tested in FSU in the early fifties, are briefly described. Then the projects of 'real' air launch systems, which were developed in the late FSU and in Russia, are described in more details. An especial attention is paid for the 'Rif-MA', 'Diana-Burlak', 'Ishim' and most recent 'Air Launch' projects. The prerequisites for every project development are discovered and the reasons for their cancellations (excluding the 'Air Launch' project) are analyzed. A comparison of these projects, every of which is typical for one of various versions of the air launch concept, allows to make certain conclusions on possibilities to continue the similar developments in Russia and on the fields of applications for the developed systems. In particular, the conclusion is made that the being currently realized 'Air Launch' system (which is actually a conceptual successor of the early proposed 'Rif-MA' system) would be a most flexible and efficient system among other recently developed systems of the same concept. Besides, certain forecasts on a further development of this concept's system in Russia are presented.
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机译：发射系统的某些优势正在使用，这是从空中航空母舰上发射小型发射飞行器的概念所引起的，这一点吸引了从现代航空航天的早期阶段就开始的发射系统开发人员的注意力。这些系统的许多项目都是在包括前苏联（FSU）和俄罗斯在内的多个国家开发的。本文致力于简要描述FSU /俄罗斯在该方向上的发展经验。最初，对典型（“实际”）空中发射系统的定义是这样的系统，在该系统中，必须在普通点火系统或弹道导弹/发射器的基础上以翼型或弹道型发射运载工具，并在随后点火时将其发射出去。来自必须是普通机型的重型或高速飞机（经过一定升级）的舰载飞机的空气。列出并简要评估了此概念的优点和缺点。特别要注意的是，空中发射系统超出了本文的框架，因为对于这些系统而言，创新型舰载飞机（如“螺旋”项目）或概念上新的运载火箭（如MAKS项目）的开发已经超出了本文的框架。被认为是“先进的”而不是“典型的”（“真实的”）。在那里标记着，实验性航空系统是空中发射系统的实际前身，其中从轰炸机的运载火箭上落下了火箭飞机，并且简要描述了这些实验系统，这些系统在FSU于50年代初进行了测试。然后，将更详细地描述在FSU后期和俄罗斯开发的“真实”空中发射系统的项目。特别注意“ Rif-MA”，“ Diana-Burlak”，“ Ishim”和最新的“ Air Launch”项目。发现每个项目开发的前提条件，并分析其取消的原因（不包括“空中发射”项目）。对这些项目进行比较，每个项目都是空中发射概念的各种版本中的典型项目，因此可以就继续在俄罗斯进行类似开发的可能性以及已开发系统的应用领域得出某些结论。特别是，得出的结论是，当前正在实现的“空中发射”系统（实际上是早期提出的“ Rif-MA”系统的概念继任者）将是该系统最近开发的其他系统中最灵活，最有效的系统。同样的概念。此外，对俄罗斯这一概念系统的进一步发展提出了某些预测。
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