Once
again renowned expert on Russian aviation, Yefim Gordon, has a book out on the
current state of Russian military aviation. The time since the break-up of the
Soviet Union has been particularly hard on the Russian military. Lack of funds
and the loss of assets to some of the former Soviet republics has caused a
rather severe pulling back in terms of the numbers of aircraft and men that
served. Massive reorganization was required to provide air forces that the
country could afford and yet still be viable enough to protect the nation
against intruders. As we have seen over the years, trouble in several of the
bordering regions has called the Russian military into action, and that includes
the various air arms. Out of this era of uncertainty, a viable and up-to-date
military has emerged.
In this book, the author takes a comprehensive look at
the status of the various air arms of Russia. This includes the Air Force, Naval
Aviation, Border Guards, Federal Security Service, and the Ministry of the
Interior (police). The book covers the organization and order of battle of the
Russian air arms and begins with the current reorganization of the reformed air
forces. There are then separate chapters on the units of the separate types of
aircraft including fighters, attack and reconnaissance, bomber, and transport
units. There is a section on Naval aviation as well as a number of other
organizations that have air assets. Each section is heavily image intensive with
full color photos of the aircraft being used as well as color profiles and unit
badges.
In all, this is the best work to date on Russian
airpower, making it a book that is highly readable and
comprehensive in its scope. A book I know you will like and one that I can
highly recommend to you.
September 2009
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