VKK-6 partial pressure suit

Above 12 kilometres an oxygen mask is useless: without external pressure the lungs cannot work. The VKK solves this without a full spacesuit — tensioning bladders run through the garment and, on depressurisation, inflate to press on the chest and limbs. The suit is uncomfortable and hot, but it allows flight in an ordinary fighter cockpit. It was worn for ceiling flights and high-altitude interceptions; the VKK design underlay the first spacesuits. On display is the suit with the GSh-6 helmet and hose system.