Thorough Aerofax-series coverage is given here to the 'Fitter' family of Soviet fighters and fighter-bombers, with masses of fresh information and images emerging from previously unseen Russian sources. The Su-7 was first flown in 1958, with deliveries to the Soviet Air Force beginning in the same year. It could be seen as the Soviet contemporary of the F-100 Super Sabre. The original high-speed, highly-maneuverable single-seat fighter was developed in several versions and produced in large numbers for the VVS and Warsaw Pact countries during the 1960s. It was developed in the late 1960s with a completely new variable-sweep wing as the Su-17 fighter-bomber, again further modified during its long life to take on many other roles including reconnaissance, training and so on. The Su-22 was an export version of the Su-17, and the 'Fitter' family has served with many air forces in Europe, Libya, Peru, Vietnam and Syria.
Following on from the collection of successful ' Famous Russian Aircraft' titles, Yefim Gordon has teamed up with Keith Dexter and Dmitriy Komissarov to produce this insight into the Sukhoi fighter bomber family. In the early 1950s the reborn aircraft design bureau headed by Pavel O. Sukhoi started its renewed activities by creating two aircraft sharing the same fuselage design and powerplant – the delta-wing T-3 and the swept-wing S-1. The former became the progenitor of several interceptors, starting with the Su-9; the other aircraft became the Su-7 tactical fighter but soon evolved into the Su-7B fighter-bomber. Known to the West as the Fitter, the Su-7B and its improved Su-7BM and Su-7BKL versions formed the backbone of the Soviet fighter-bomber aviation. They were also exported to many "friendly nations" – first and foremost to some Warsaw Pact member states (Poland and Czechoslovakia), as well as to non-aligned nations like India, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq and others. The Fitter saw action in quite a few wars – the Indo-Pakistani border conflict of 1971, the Arab-Israeli wars. The initial Su-7 Fitter-A was superseded by the Su-17 which differed primarily in having variable-geometry wings. The prototype made its maiden flight in 1966; the production version completely supplanted the original Su-7 in Soviet Air Force service in the 1980s. The "swing-wing" Su-17 proved highly efficient in the Afghan War, earning the affection of the pilots who flew it. Its high combat capabilities were duly recognized abroad; apart from the Warsaw Pact (Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria), the Su-20 and Su-22 export variants were delivered to Egypt, Iraq, Peru, Yemen, Afghanistan and other nations. Iraq used its Su-22s against Iran in the war of 1980-88, and the ultimate Su-22M4 is still in service with the Polish Air Force – albeit with upgrades to make it compatible with NATO operational standards. This new title written by 3 aviation enthusiasts, including expert in the field Yefim Gordon, and is illustrated with a whole host of unpublished photos, as well as numerous line drawings and colour side views, which will undoubtedly be of interest to aviation enthusiasts and scale modellers alike. The "in service" and "operators" chapters feature insignia and unit badges/nose art worn by individual aircraft, making this a must have for any aviation and scale model enthusiast's collection.
The establishment of NATO posed the need for the Soviet war machine to create a fast jet bomber capable of reaching targets throughout Western Europe and combatting the carrier task forces with which the US Navy could throw its weight around the world. The basic Tu-16 which first flew in the mid-1950s was developed into nearly 50 versions adopted for various roles, including nuclear-capable bombers, anti-shipping missile strike aircraft, torpedo-bombers and minelayers, numerous reconnaissance and ECM variants, assorted development aircraft for testing new engines, avionics and systems. The Tu-16 even found civil uses as a fast mailplane and a weather research/rainmaking aircraft! The Badger, as the bomber was known to the West, served as the basis for the Soviet Union's first jet airliner, the Tu-104. The nearly 1,500 Tu-16s built in the Soviet Union were an important factor in preventing all-out military confrontation between the East and the West. Since the mid-1950s and until the 1980s the Badger has been a regular picture on the pages of the Western press, snooping around Western naval groups every now and then. The type also had its share of 'hot' wars, getting its baptism of fire in the Six-Day War of 1967. Apart from three factories in the USSR, the Tu-16 was built under license in China as the H-6 and remains in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Other foreign users were Egypt, Indonesia and Iraq. All known versions are described and a full account is given of the Tu-16's operational career in the USSR and abroad during the Cold War and in the days after that when many of the surviving Badgers were used as target drones. The book features many previously unpublished photos and a detailed production list.
Developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, the Su-24 tactical bomber has become one of the most successful aircraft in its class. Featuring delta wings and auxiliary lift engines meant to improve its field performance, the first prototype turned out to be more of a liability than an asset and the aircraft was redesigned to have variable geometry wings. The Su-24 had its baptism of fire in the Afghan War and was also exported to Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Libya and Syria, seeing action in some of these countries. At home, Russian Air Force Su-24s were heavily involved in the first and second Chechen campaigns and the type has undergone a mid-life update allowing it to carry precision-guided munitions, and is still going strong. Illustrated with over 750 photographs, many previously unpublished, as well as line drawings, color side views, insignia, unit badges and nose art this latest addition to the Famous Russian Aircraft series will be of interest to aviation enthusiasts and scale modelers alike.
- Covers the development and service of the Sukhoi Su-25, detailing the various versions and operator nations. - The Sukhoi Su-25 quickly earned a reputation as a mean fighting machine after entering service. - Contains approximately 200 black & white and color photos.
As early as 1979, Soviet aircraft designers started work on a program called I-90, a fighter for the 1990s. Two Soviet aircraft design bureaus took on the task, Mikoyan and Sukhoi. Work began in 1983 but with the dissolution of the Soviet Union the project stalled. In 2002 the Russian government kicked off a new program under which Sukhoi began development of what was then known as PAK FA (Future Tactical Aviation Aircraft System). Known in house as the T-50, this aircraft strongly resembled the American F-22 Raptor in overall appearance. The first prototype took to the air on January 29, 2010 and in 2017 the fighter was allocated the service designation Su-57. In 2018 the aircraft had its combat debut when four of the prototypes were briefly deployed to Syria during the Russian campaign against the IS terror network in that country. Production was officially launched in May 2019, with the Russian Air Force having 70-plus on order. This work charts the development and trials history of the 1.44, Su-47 and Su-57, as well as other project versions that did not make it to the hardware stage. It is illustrated with numerous previously unpublished photos and drawings.
