Optical coatings with longitudinal gradient of refraction index and vacuumplasma technology of their obtaining O. D. Volpian Polus Research Institute 3 Vvedensky str., Moscow, 117342, Russia E-mail: polus813isd@rambler.ru Basic optical coatings with refraction index gradient along light propagation, structures of gradient coatings and vacuum-plasma technology of their manufacturing are considered. <...> Advantages of pulse reactive magnetron sputtering method and results of its applying to deposition of subwavelength coating with longitudinal gradient are discussed. <...> PACS: 42.7.–a, 78.20.–e, 78.20.ci Keywords: optical coatings, graded index of refraction, longitudinal gradient index, nanogradient coatings, magnetron sputtering. <...>