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Aerofax Publishing |
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Sukhoi Su-7/-17/-20/-22 Soviet Fighter and Fighter-Bomber Family |
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by Yefim Gordon |
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Reviewed By Phil Pignataro, #17254 |
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MSRP: $36.95 USD Distributed by Specialty Press Publishers and Wholesalers. The prolific Yefim Gordon continues to write books about Russian aircraft. His latest is this softbound, 8-1/2” x 11” volume, which covers the development and operational life of the Su-7 through the Su-22 series. With one hundred and sixty pages and two hundred and fifty photos, many in color, this book is quite thorough in its treatment of the Fitter. As with other books I’ve read by this author, he begins with a short history of the design bureau and then traces the inception of the fighter’s original design. Basically, the Soviets wanted an aircraft to go supersonic in level flight to match the developing Century Series fighters of the USAF. In the 1960’s, when the F-100 flew as a fighter-bomber and the F-105 started its operational career, the Su-7 experienced a change in roles and it also became a fighter-bomber. Mr. Gordon gives a detailed account of this metamorphosis as well as the development of several research variants and the two-seat trainer. An explanation of the various aircraft systems and armament, accompanied by many good photographs, follows. After discussing the early operational life of the Su-7, he then covers the Su-17. One of the shortcomings of the Su-7 was its high landing speed, which resulted in a very long landing roll. Of the options available to solve this problem and improve short field capability, the Sukhoi designers settled on the variable sweep wing. The result was the Su-17. The author follows his previous pattern by describing early development aircraft through the various models to its operational deployment. There are numerous photos to go along with the text. The Su-20 was an export version of the Su-17 that had some modification in the avionics suite and weapons fit. Eventually in the 1970’s, the Soviet Ministry of Aircraft Industry requested a larger engine be installed in this fighter-bomber and Gordon explains this process which led to the Su-17M2. An export version of this particular model became the Su-22. The Su-22M eventually found its way into the Russian inventory as well as those air forces of Soviet client states. Chapter six goes into an in-depth discussion of the Su-17 family’s structure, systems, and armament. Here, there are some good cockpit and ejection seat photos. Next, the author describes the operations of the Su-17/20/22 throughout the world and in particular, their participation in armed conflict. He goes into detail about their employment in the Yom Kippur War, the Libya/USN battle in the Gulf of Sidra, the Peruvian/Ecuadorian border conflict, the war in Angola, and the Soviet war in Afghanistan. All of this is accompanied by lots of photos. The final chapters of the book are devoted to an accounting of all the aircraft in worldwide service, complete with serial numbers, and an eight-page spread of drawings of the numerous variants. Lastly, there are thirteen pages of color plates of various aircraft in the camouflage schemes of the different countries. As with other books by this author, you get a vast amount of information about the aircraft along with a ton of pictures. As a modeler, I found many of the close-up photos of the different parts of the aircraft most useful for future reference. The color plates graphically illustrate the varied schemes used on the Fitter family. I would have preferred the drawings to be in some “accepted” scale, my choice would be 1/72, but none is given. The history buff will also enjoy the description of the numerous conflicts in which these fighter-bombers were involved and may dispute some of the conclusions drawn by the author. You get all the information you need about this aircraft family in this book, but it comes at a price - $36.95. If you are interested in Russian aircraft or the Fitter family in particular, then this book is for you. If you don’t see this work at your local hobby store, you can order it from Specialty Press at www.specialtypress.com or 1-800-895-4585. Many thanks to John Noack and to Karin Hill of Specialty Press for the chance to review this book. |
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