Stratos Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 Can someone tell me which book shoull I buy about the Su27 Flanker family? I'm looking into history, development, versions and combat operation Anyone? I don't understand anything in russian except Davai Davai!
RedTiger Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 (edited) Finding decent, trustworthy information on the Flanker family is difficult, at least in my experience. It has not had the exposure to the West that the Fulcrum has. For example, there are TWO translated MiG-29 manuals that have been published in book format that you can purchase. One is for the MiG-29G, intended for NATO, the other is a so-so translation of the original Soviet MiG-29G manual. Information of this depth is not readily available for the Flanker. The only books I know of that cover the Flanker family are the ones written by Yefim Gordon. IMO his bias for Russian aircraft is fairly apparent and I've heard more than one person around here say that his bias lapses into misinformation. My biggest gripe with the one book of his I have is how it is organized. It's very confusing and difficult to tell what aircraft are products of the Soviet Union and which are post-cold war. There are also no numbers given, so even a rare prototype is sometimes presented in such a way that it appears to be an aircraft with numerous models in regular service. Mr. Gordon does have some very nice photos though. History, development, and version info is easy to find. Its the doctrine and combat stuff that is difficult to get. Edited December 29, 2008 by RedTiger
Stratos Posted December 29, 2008 Author Posted December 29, 2008 Should I pick Yefim Gordon book then? I don't understand anything in russian except Davai Davai!
RedTiger Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 He's got several (all of which are probably the same book, from what I have heard :D ). If you've got the money to burn and the ability to digest info and take it with a grain of salt, and want something for the coffee table, go for it.
Dudikoff Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 The only books I know of that cover the Flanker family are the ones written by Yefim Gordon. There is also the Flanker Story by Andrei Fomin. I don't have the latest by Yefim Gordon so I can't compare the two, but I would suggest checking this one out before making your decision. i386DX40@42 MHz w/i387 CP, 4 MB RAM (8*512 kB), Trident 8900C 1 MB w/16-bit RAMDAC ISA, Quantum 340 MB UDMA33, SB 16, DOS 6.22 w/QEMM + Win3.11CE, Quickshot 1btn 2axis, Numpad as hat. 2 FPH on a good day, 1 FPH avg. DISCLAIMER: My posts are still absolutely useless. Just finding excuses not to learn the F-14 (HB's Swansong?). Annoyed by my posts? Please consider donating. Once the target sum is reached, I'll be off to somewhere nice I promise not to post from. I'd buy that for a dollar!
RedTiger Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 I second that. I don't see the bias but I do see the misinformation. His biggest goof was saying that the Su-27 can engage 2 targets simultaneously. The rest is fairly accurate. I enjoy him. Bias is a subjective thing. No where in particular does he say that one Red aircraft is better than one Blue aircraft. Rather, its in the details he chooses to use and/or omit. For example, the bit you provided about the Su-27 engaging two targets simultaneously. I do recall reading that in the book I have. Notice how he's light on the specifics? What radar are we talking about? What year was this particular Flanker developed? Is currently in service? Was it EVER in service? Were they fielded in any meaningful number? If he provided these numbers, it might paint a very different picture. Are we talking about one or two demo models run by Sukhoi in the 90s or several hundred fielded by the USSR? You have to ask why this info is not included, and if its omission is intended to create an inaccurate picture of Russian aerospace capability. The candid pictures in his books make me wonder if he has some direct dealing with the various design bureaus. His comparisons between fighters do not have any opinion from him on which is better so much as they are just simplistic and light on details. To the lay person who doesn't know what types of things to ask, it can present an inaccurate picture. One thing I absolutely have to mention is a strange blurb in one of his books about the MiG-29 where he mentions Alexander Zuyev. Besides having a very low opinion of the guy as a human being (in terms of bias, again, ask "why?"), he mentions that after defecting no one knows what happened to him. Uh...no. We know exactly what happened to him, especially since he wrote a book about his defection. :doh: I'm not trying to down the guy or his books. Everyone has their bias and points of view. Who really cares, right? The photographs probably justify the cost since they are really, really nice. If he really does rub elbows with Sukhoi and friends, whatever credibility is lost is made up for in the candid photos IMO since I can take things with a grain of salt.
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