In late 1978, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan (sound familiar?). They were allegedly there to help the pro-communist government fight off the mujahideen. The Soviets remained in country until 1989 and, like many other nations before and after them, were incapable of winning against the opposition guerillas. This was despite having superior military force. The Soviet experience only went to prove the idiom that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

The USSR used some of its most modern weapons and that includes what was a brand new strike aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-25. Initially sending prototypes and preproduction aircraft in small numbers for test purposes in realistic conditions, it soon evolved into full units who went in country for one year tours.

The aircraft proved itself to be quite capable despite the fairly primitive conditions under which the aircraft operated. It also provided the air and ground crews combat experience that would put them in good stead in any future operations. The fighting was not one sided as Su-25s often came back with small arms damage and as the rebels gained more potent weapons, the damage increased. Thanks to the design of the aircraft, hits that might bring down other types allowed the Su-25 to bring back its pilot and live to fight another day.

This is the first volume on Su-25 operations in Afghanistan. It covers the development of the aircraft as well as its battle history. This latter section is quite detailed, providing information on units' combat sorties as well as a goodly number of pilot stories, many of them taken from official reports. It is obvious that the author has done his research in this regard. There are a fair number of period photos of personalities and aircraft as well as color profiles and photos in the center section of the book. In all, a super read about a subject that hasn't gotten any real coverage. Well worth picking up.

June 2023

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