Russian Air Power [Hardcover]

Yefim Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2009

This comprehensive new book describes the current state of Russia's military air assets - the Air Force/Air Defence Force, the Naval Aviation, the air arms of the Border Guards, the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Interior (the police). The book details the Russian Air Force's current order of battle, starting with the top command (the Air Force Chief of Staff) and down to the operational regiments and squadrons. It also includes descriptions and specifications of the Russian Air Force's and the Russian Navy's main fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft - combat aircraft, transports and special-mission aircraft (reconnaissance, electronic warfare etc.). The book also provides details of the missile and bomb armament carried by Russian combat aircraft today. Much attention is given to the Russian Air Force's day-to-day operations, with reports of major exercises that have taken place in recent years involving the Air Force. A special chapter deals with Russia's air bases, and coverage is given to the Russian Air Force's test and research establishments, such as the 929th State Flight Test Centre in Akhtoobinsk, as well as to the training establishments in Ryazan' (strategic bomber arm), Lipetsk (tactical aviation), and Ivanovo (military airlift aviation). A chapter devoted to naval operations includes the history of the Russian Navy's sole aircraft carrier RNS Fleet Admiral Kuznetsov and its operational shipboard fighter regiment. The book features a wealth of colour photographs and is also illustrated by maps, charts, line drawings and data tables. Also included are colour side views of aircraft currently in service with the Russian Air Force and Russian Navy, such as the Mikoyan MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 fighters, the MiG-31 heavy interceptor and many more important types and variants. The book also includes portraits of leading Russian Air Force commanders and notable military pilots, such as Gen. Aleksandr Kharchevskiy, Commander of the Lipetsk Flight Test Centre, who took President Vladimir Putin on an express inspection trip to Chechnya in a Su-27UB combat trainer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Midland Pub Ltd (April 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857803167
• ISBN-13: 978-1857803167
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most interesting read, May 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Russian Air Power (Hardcover)

This book represents a remarkably successful attempt to present the aviation elements of the numerous branches of the Russian armed forces and their equipment. Although detailed accounts of the latest Russian aircraft have been available for years, this lavishly illustrated volume succeeds in presenting these impressive aeronautical achievements in the context of the operational requirements and national strategy of Russia. Tactics and weapons are thoroughly discussed and major shortcomings, especially in training and maintanance are dealt with as well. The organisations themselves are presented in some detail; however, the reader who expects a detailed "order of battle" of these organisations will be disappointed.
The outstanding achievement of this volume is that it combines the russian perspective on airpower with some unknown aspects of Russian operations, e.g. Russian army UAVs, the two Chechen campaigns as well as fascinating future developements.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More on Aircraft and less on Air Power, September 12, 2009

By 

Krishna Jagannath "KRISHJAG" (London,UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Russian Air Power (Hardcover)

I Have been a prolific buyer of Yefim's books - in particular the Aerofax series , Red Star , Famous Russian aircraft - all from Midlands and the sadly defunct Airlife publishers.

The amount of technical information and the quality of photos and colour profiles which Yefim provides are incredible.

There is no equivalent american aircraft series like the famous Russian aircraft series.

This is basically an update of the 2002 Airlife edition with a similar title - with better photos and profiles and updated info .

Basically the book attempts to cover the re-org of the russian airforce and the new changes in strategy of all the units - however this is not in-depth.

One would expect the book to cover the Order of Battle in more detail , deployment ,bases and typical operational numbers and a basic overview map listing the known bases - all of which are missing and available on Scramble and other web sites.

Yefim covers the objectives of all the units , potted updates on the new types introduced , brief history of each aircraft (could have been avoided) - what is missing is possible a section on aircraft armament and operational strategy.

In summary the book is more of Russian aircraft and less of Strategy ,Operational tactics and order of Battle as one would expect from an Air Power book.

However the saving grace are the badges , photos and profiles which are excellent on glossy paper (though rehashed from other works) for a steeply priced book. Though I give it 3 stars as it falls short of my expectation as I have earlier books - would have given it another star (4) had i been a new buyer.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOLY COW!!!, April 21, 2009

By 

Jim Rotramel (Lexington Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Russian Air Power (Hardcover)

Being interested in Russian/Soviet military aviation, I already had several of Yefim Gordon's books (Mig-21, MiG-29, Su-27, Soviet Weapons, etc.). I've almost always been disappointed in books that cover multiple aircraft types, so I was not overly hopeful that this book would be anything special. Boy, was I wrong! Almost every, if not every page is filled with eye-popping color photographs and artwork. Most (if not all) of it is new and the emphasis is on operational aircraft instead of the company demonstrators so often seen in books on Russian aircraft. If you have any interest in modern Soviet military aircraft you will will love this book!