It seems that military aircraft designs go through phases in which one sees similar designs from a number of different sources at about the same period of time. One only has to look at the 'swing wing' era to see that the US, UK, and USSR were all building planes that provided this feature.

The same is true of VTOL/STOL jet fighters.

In the UK, the result was the Harrier. In the USSR, it was the Yak-38. Though both of a similar ability, in this case, the way about which it was arrived was different. The Harrier relies on four moveable exhaust from a single engine to provide its VTOL/STOL capabilities. On the other hand, the Soviets decided to go with additional lift engines to help provide these  capabilities. While this method worked, it also added to the weight of the aircraft and so limited its ability to carry ordnance. In addition, the Soviets decided to use their 'jump jet' in the nautical environment, placing the Yak-38 'Forger' on their Moskva and similar class ships and leaving the full deck carriers to those standard fighters that had been converted for naval use.

In this book, the author, Yefim Gordon, tells the story of the three VTOL aircraft developed by Russia. The Yak-36 'Freehand' was little more than a technology demonstrator, used to work out the systems and prove the usefulness and abilities of the technology. The Yak-38 'Forger' was the production aircraft and was operated for many years until withdrawn from service in the late 1990s. The third aircraft is the Yak-41 'Freestyle', a much more capable aircraft that had the bad luck to be reaching production status at the fall of the Soviet Union, and was cancelled in 1991 due to lack of funding.

As with all books in the Red Star series, this one tells the complete story of all these aircraft, including the variants and variations in the airframe. There are detail sections for the aircraft as well as the operational history of the Yak-38. This is all further enhanced by a superb selection of photos and line drawings.

Overall, this is a fascinating book on aircraft that one rarely reads about. It is a must for jet fans, those interested in Soviet military aviation and the general enthusiast.

August 2008

Review book courtesy of , where you can order your copy of this and many other superb aviation and modeling books. Visit their website at the link above or call them at 1-800-895-4585

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.