Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in Africa: Air Arms, Equipment and Conflicts Since 1955

Apparently author Yefim Gordon doesn't sleep; he just writes and writes and writes, and collects great photos too. With co-author Dmitriy Komissarov, Yefim Gordon has scored again with what is in my view an outstanding book of modern military aviation. Soviet and Russian warplanes still carry a cloak of mystic, even though we in the West have now enjoyed two decades of openness about the birds from the proverbial other side of the fence. But there is a vast difference between seeing pristine Sukhois and MiGs at airshows in Europe and seeing them in the remote, unfamiliar and often secretive world of operational air forces on the volatile African continent. But here they are, in color photos and in very nicely done color artwork (profiles). As one might expect, some of the photos were taken in suboptimum situations from the photographer's perspective, but a poor angle or poor quality shot of a rare bird is far better than none at all. And as one might expect to find at African airbases some of the subjects are in less than combat-ready condition, which is to say that some are total wrecks. On the other hand one can see glimpses of African air forces flying some of the most modern, and most sophisticated Russian-built fighters. As a military pilot myself I can't help but wonder just how much of the combat potential in these complex machines is being tapped by the guys flying them in Africa. I suspect there are a lot of East European instructors doing the flying, but with planes like the Su-27 FLANKER it must take a lot of flying and frequent sorties to learn how to maximize all that potential. But in any case this subject is very interesting to see and this is a really great book, beautifully produced (as always for Hikoki Publications) and well worth the cost. Highly recommended for airpower professionals, aircraft enthusiasts and scale modelers.

Another home run for Yefim Gordon. This book is chock full of pictures and stories that I had never seen or heard. Little attention has been paid in the mainstream media or aviation publications for that matter to the little known wars waged on the African continent. This book goes a long way towards correcting that. Colorful side views abound with details of air combat and ground strikes. Worth the purchase price for the pictures alone. If you are a modeler as I am, this book will give you many ideas for future builds.

Another book from the author Yefim Gordon.Great pictures with many pictures.Very well written .Fine reading.I enjoy his books.In collecting for 50 years of aviation books ,he is the only one that writes 5 books a year.A great writer indeed.I'm always waiting for a new book from this author.Highly recommended Gary

I build models of some of the smaller Air Forces. This book covers all of Africa and provides many good references.

Ten points i give for this.