Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in the Middle East Hardcover – August 6, 2013

I am a big Russian mil av buff and by extension a fan of Yefim Gordon over the years and have more than 40 of his books.The publisher Crecy needs to be complimented for the quick and timely release of the second hard back book in the series covering yet another exotic geo - the Middle East.Having bought the first volume in this series on Russian aircraft in African service which included exotic colour photos , artwork profiles and covered the air wars in the entire African continent including Algeria , this latest esoteric title should have comprised at least another additional 50 pages given that its scope covers all the 8 Middle East countries Egypt , Syria , Jordan , Lebanon, Iran , Iraq , Yemen and also Israel as well ,which is a bonus.Each country has a chapter with text and photos in a chronological order - with many period b/w and new colour photos - and around 150 + colour side profiles - many of which will interest modellers.The text deals with the major events and operational use of the Russian types in each country.At the end of each chapter , there is a listing of serial numbers of the ex-Russian aircraft and a status for each serial - however squadron number and location deployments are not listed.However ,given the wealth of new sources available - lack of new details on the air wars is disappointing as are the absence of new squadron badges and insignia and sketchy details of the many skirmishes and air wars the Russian aircraft have participated esp the coverage from Egypt and Iran , while Syria at least from 2000- 2012 remains clouded in secrecy.On the plus side , there are some interesting aspects of Syrian tactics on tackling the IDF/AF F-16 after the 1982 Bekaa Valley debacle but as another example of tardiness , while the sole Iraqi Mig 25 PD kill of Speicher's F/A 18 Hornet during the '91 Gulf war is listed - the name of the main protagonist Lt Zuhair Dawood of 96 Sqn is omitted.The only reference to a published source is on Pg 148 viz Tom Cooper's 2008 Iraqi Fighters - where the author refutes the number of Mig 19 PM fighters delivered to Iraq in 1960 - but while Tom quotes Brigadier General Sadeek as his source , the author's do not furnish any sources or references which is a big lacunae.Previous published sources on this subject have carried errors which have continued ,and as another example ,the b&w photo of the SyAAF Mig 25 PD on pg 233 is probably a PS job - having said that - its still a lavish publication with very nice b&w and colour pictures and superb colour artwork profiles esp for the modellers - but for the historian buff the underlying text needs to be better researched and augmented with newer efforts.My other gripes are that the serial numbers take up too much space and pages and could be more compact, no bibliography is provided for additional reading or any references furnished for any of the "new" kills cited from the multitude of publications referred which takes away another star.Also missing are charts on Air to air kills or losses , this would be a basic expectation.To summarise , while this is a good compilation and introduction to Soviet/Russian a/c in Middle East service and serves well for the new enthusiast or modeller but for the more proficient enthusiast or middle east buff ,questions like - Was the Mig -25 ever deployed in Egypt and was it deployed over Dimona during and after the Six day ? Did the Syrians evaluate the Flanker and the conclusion therein etc are not coveredHope the third volume in Asia will address the lacuna.

Very comprehensive information! nice profiles and pictures. Well worth the investment.

I love the smaller Air Forces aircraft and have an interest in the Middle East. This book provides great info for my needs.

TEN POINTS.

Fantastic book, just like the other two in the same "serie" , lots of pictures and tons of info!

A fine book.

Die Reihe behandelt bekanntlich die weltweit eingesetzten sowjetischen und russischen Militärflugzeuge und Hubschrauber, dieses Buch besticht wiederum durch zahllose interessante Fotos und farbige Seitenansichten. Auch der Informationsgehalt ist hoch und beschreibt Einführung und Nutzung der jeweiligen Flugzeugtypen in den Streitkräften von Ägypten, Iran, Irak, Jordanien, Syrien und Jemen als bekannte Abnehmer, aber auch der bis Redaktionsschluss 2013 bekannte Bestand an Mi-8-Hubschraubern in Palästina sowie Beutemaschinen in Israel. Hier wurden die MiGs ausgiebigen Tests unterzogen und bewertet. Und es gab Upgradeversuche für den Mi-24....interessant !

Una breve descripción de los aviones sovieticos en servicio con las naciones de oriente medio.

Le titre est trompeur. L'Egypte n'ayant pas été traitée dans le volume précédent elle est étudiée en détail dans le deuxième volume de la série.Comme toujours, un excellent ouvrage de références signé Yefim Gordon. Conseillé à toute personne intéressée par les livraisons de matériel soviétique en Egypte et au Moyen-Orient.