Early Soviet Jet Fighters
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Authors: Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov
Publisher: Hikoki Publications
ISBN: 978-1902109350
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 432
Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov have produced an incredible range of books documenting Soviet and Russian aircraft, including quite a few on the origins of jet fighters. This latest book expands on that earlier work with this, a comprehensive look at early Soviet jet fighters. Like the rest of the world, the Soviet Union drew heavily on German research during the Second World War, and adapted that work to their own indigenous designs. This book covers all the major Soviet design bureaus in their early jet efforts, including:
- Mikoyan
- Yakovlev
- Lavochkin
- Sukhoi
- Alekseyev
Each designer gets thorough coverage, with each respective chapter documenting the various production, prototype, mock-up, and paper designs of the firm. These are documented both in the text as well as with photos and drawings, with some also receiving the color profile illustration treatment.
Critical to any discussion of early jets are those early powerplants, and while this book does not detail the specific engines separately, each aircraft's overview provides some information on these early jet engines. This includes references to the early German Jumo and BMW engines, as well as Soviet derivatives and indigenous designs.
For those interested in early jet aviation, this is a good book to have. It does a great job of describing how the Soviet jet program evolved over time, resulting in impressive aircraft such as the Su-7 family and MiG-21 family. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.