Yefim Gordon

Very interesting and detailed book on the very interesting IL76 based aircraft in service with Russian Air Force. A50 was developed as a response to E3 AWACS and entered the service in 1980s. Besides information on development and service history of Soviet and Russian versions [starting with the original planes all the way to the U version) - including both A50 and several special purpose planes for collection of telemetry from remotely controlled vehicles (UAVs) - we are given descriptions of (again together with development and service history) of joint Russian/Israeli version planned for delivery to China (terminated by US before delivery), version developed for Indian Air Forces, Chinese version developed independently and AWACS aircraft based on IL76 that were developed by Iraq before the total destruction of that country in the 1990's, early 2000's after which they ended up in the possession of Iran (together with other aircraft sent by Iraq to Iran for safe guarding).

Level of details is excellent [I never saw more detailed technical description of plane in a book], graphics are excellent and we also get great shots of airplanes both on ground and in air. What I found very interesting were sections related to the modelling and available model kits for the A50 - also something I did not come across before.

As is always case when Russian military is in question authors are ready to make jokes on the system and the way they are named/used/painted(?) etc. This is as expected because hey - Russians, right? That aside author stresses that the A50 is very capable platform that will remain in the service of protection of the Russian territory and airspace for years to come.

Very interesting and detailed book about a very interesting radar, command and control and ECM platform.

Highly recommended to all military and airplane enthusiasts.… (mehr)

Apart from the increasing need to talk around the foreign policy "choices" of the Putin regime, Gordon and his associates seem to remain reliable commentators on Soviet aviation history. It is fairly well know that the aircraft in question was undercut by inadequate engines and policy turbulence, but Gordon and Komissarov have the background information to give you a "deep dive." It turns out that not only were the chosen power plants unable to generate the performance required, but the Soviet industrial complex was unable to deliver the auxiliary components needed to tie the aircraft together. Thus, like its Western counterparts, the M-50 was more suitable for a Gerry Anderson stop-motion animation show than for the operational demands of an actual air arm. In as much as the visual documentation is great, if you've previously been buying Gordon's books there is no reason not to acquire this one.… (mehr)

Yefim Gordon and his colleagues basically set the standard for writing modern Russian Aviation history, and this book is a fine example of their work, featuring extensive photos and drawings, and giving the reader a good sense of the politics of the plane's development process. As for the service history of the Tu 22M, as one might expect, that is a mixed bag, seeing as this machine has been a workhorse of Putin's terror campaign against Ukrainian cities; the final accounting is some ways away from being written. Gordon does make some veiled references to this reality but, since he is still apparently a resident of Moscow, he is necessarily keeping his opinions to himself.… (mehr)