Ian Allan Publishing (Red Star Volume 23)

Soviet/Russian AWACS Aircraft Tu-126, A-50, An-71 & Ka-31

by  Yefim Gordon and Demitriy Komissarov

Reviewed By  Bill Weckel, IPMS# 43974

MSRP: $38.00 USD (19.99 GBP) ISBN: 1857802152 Volume 23 in the Red Star series chronicles the Soviet Union's development of an Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS). This 128 page softcover book consists over 200 photos (144 color and 70 b&w), and follows the same format as the other 22 volumes in the Red Star series. The layout, design, printing and binding of the book are all excellent. The writers give excellent background on the origins of the AWACS program. In many aspects, it paralleled our own experiences, with the Soviets choosing to convert a civil airliner, a Tu-114, in the first AWACS aircraft. The instantly recognizable, world famous Il-76 was chosen as the airframe for the next generation AWACS, resulting in the A-50 Mainstay. There are approximately 50 of these in service today, with several being leased by China and India. One of the more odd aircraft in this volume is the Kamov Ka-31 naval AEW helo. The 31 has an extremely large radar array that can be extended during flight, and folded for landing. The book is an excellent modeler's reference. The quality, detail, and number of pictures should answer all the typical modeler's questions, and the color photos of currently operational aircraft will be a great help in weathering your model. I give AWACS a solid five out of five stars. It's an excellent publication in every respect and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Soviet / Russian airpower, or AWACS aircraft in particular. For purchase information, please see www.ianallanpublishing.com. I'd like to thank Ian Allan Publishing for providing the review copy.

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