Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in Asia
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Authors: Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov
Publisher: Hikoki Publications
ISBN: 978-1902109299
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 416
During the Cold War, both sides looked to increase their armament, both domestically and abroad. Asia was a major market for both sides, with proximity giving the Soviet Union (and later, Russia) an edge. This latest title from Hikoki Publications takes their usual thorough examination of Russian aviation and applies it to this continent, both during the Cold War and beyond.
The book is divided up logically by nation, and it covers both Russian-built and license-produced aircraft. The latter were quite common in India and China, and indeed both nations continue to manufacture aircraft of Russian design. The nations covered include:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia/Kampuchea
- China
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- North Korea
- South Korea
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
- Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Vietnam
Each country is further broken down by type of aircraft (fighters, bombers, transports, etc), and each country has a comprehensive table that outlines each aircraft by type, serial number, construction number, and more. The notes section of these tables can include useful information such as what unit the aircraft operated with. Throughout the book are copious amounts of photos, many of which show the incredible variety of color schemes. Complementing these are the color profile illustrations, which are numerous and cover all of the various nations.
This is the third volume in Hikoki's coverage of Soviet and Russian aircraft in export, and it fills a useful gap. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.