Fedor Shikunov: Soviet Fighter Ace of the P-39 Airacobra

July 2, 2025 - Reading time: 3 minutes

Soviet ace pilot Fedor Shikunov flew the P-39 Airacobra, completed 206 missions, and shot down 25 enemy planes before falling in 1945. Posthumously awarded Hero of the Russian Federation.

Fedor Ivanovich Shikunov, born in 1921, was one of the Red Army’s most skillful and daring fighter pilots during the Great Patriotic War. He joined the Soviet military in 1939 and graduated from the Taganrog Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1940, later becoming a flight instructor.

Shikunov entered active combat in October 1943 as a lieutenant in the 69th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Flying the American-made P-39 "Airacobra" under the Lend-Lease program, he quickly gained a reputation for his precision, boldness, and tactical genius. From 1943 to 1945, he carried out 206 combat missions and engaged in 52 air battles, claiming 25 enemy aircraft—although historian M. Yu. Bykov confirms 21 solo and 1 group kill from archival documents.

On March 15, 1945, Captain Shikunov’s plane was brought down by ground fire. He died in the crash and was never awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union during his lifetime—despite the appeals of fellow pilots and commanders. Only in 1996, decades later, was justice restored when he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Shikunov was also decorated with two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of the Red Star, and numerous campaign medals. His name lives on among the ranks of the greatest Soviet fighter pilots of World War II.

Technical Photo Data:

• Photo Subject: Fedor Shikunov, Soviet fighter ace and commander of the 69th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, on the wing of a P-39 "Airacobra"

• Date Taken: 1944

• Location: USSR

• Source: Personal archive

• Photographer: Unknown

• Source of information: pamyat-naroda.ru