M 1994 Russian Air Force Engineer MASTER Pilot WINGS Top Pro Badge ORIGINAL RARE

Description

Russian Wings of Air Force Engineer, Master (Highest Proficiency Level), 1994 TYPE.
This badge is from a small series that did not go into mass production.
This is GUARANTEED 100% ORIGINAL piece made in 1994-95 by the Pobeda Factory, the official maker for this type of badges – NOT a replica or souvenir!
The badge is in gilded and nickel-plated brass and high quality “hot baked” enamel. Measures 71 mm wide, 25 mm tall. The screw plate is maker marked “Pobeda, Moscow”. There is a Pobeda Factory maker mark on the reverse. The badge is in excellent, NEAR MINT condition.
This badge was proposed to replace the earlier, 1993 version, which had replaced the far more common, 1966 model widely used during the Soviet times and until 1993. Eventually, the new badge was accepted for mass production by the Russian Defense Ministry. This “mass” production however never quite happened: at the time, Russian military budget was stripped to the bone, and there were only enough funds to produce a small series. Therefore, these badges form the mid 90s are now VERY SCARCE even in Russia!
Later, in 2001, the new model came about, and it was produced in much larger numbers. The badge we are offering however is noticeably different from this later version. Note for example the dark blue enamel on the shield, the straight hilts of the swords (the model 2001 had curved hilts), and the white numeral for the qualification level (the later badges had it in gold.
An example of this rare version is shown in a photo and explained on page 258 of the reference book “Uniforms of Russian Air Force” by Kibovsky, Stepanov and Tsypenkov, Volume 2, Part 2 (1995-2004).
This badge is an extremely interesting version from the period when Russia’s military was in decline, before the “oil money” started pouring into the military budget again in mid 2000s! This is a great opportunity for a serious collector of aviation wings. We only have one of these and may never find another!
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