This latest edition is on the Sukhoi Su-34 'Fullback'. This is currently Russia's premier strike aircraft. It replaced the Su-24 Fencer, which is still in service, but in diminishing numbers. The Su-34 is based on Sukhoi's popular Su-27 Flanker family, but like the USAF's F-15E Strike Eagle, is optimized for the strike role. It is a very large aircraft with a side to side seating arrangement and sufficient room in the cockpit for crew members to actually stand if they had to.

It has seen considerable combat in recent years, first in Syria and later in Ukraine. In Syria there was no organized air defense and the aircraft was able area bomb with impunity. However, in Ukraine, there is organized air defense and many have fallen to Ukraine's ground based surface to air missiles. So widespread was the loss (and we are talking about around 30 very expensive aircraft), that any more, the type has been relegated to operating stand off missiles outside the range of these SAMs. This tends to reduce the effectiveness of their attacks.

As with other books in the series, you have various sections that include the Fuselage, Cockpit, Wings, Front and Main Landing Gear, and Things under wings, along with an In Action section of photos. All of the photos in the book were taken prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine so any wartime images are from the Syria conflict. There is also no Maintenance section as with all other books. The photos are superb and provide the sort of detail that modelers love. It all makes for a superb book not just for those who like great photos, but those who are interested in more of the detail stuff. It is a book that I can quite easily recommend to fans of the type and modelers alike.

August 2023

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