Vitaly Ivanovich Popkov (Russian: Виталий Иванович Попков; 1 May 1922 – 6 February 2010) was a Soviet fighter pilot who became a flying ace during the Second World War. During the war, he was credited with around 40 aerial victories for which he was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. After the war he remained in the military and reached the rank of general-lieutenant, retiring in 1989. He died in 2010 at the age of 88.