Soviet Strategic Aviation in the Cold War
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Author: Yefim Gordon
Publisher: Hikoki Publications
ISBN: 978-1-902109-08-4
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 272
The Second World War drove home the importance of strategic aviation, and the Soviet Union found itself playing catch-up with the United States in the post-war period. The Cold War brought about a sharp increase in Soviet strategic aviation, both in conventional and nuclear terms. This title from Hikoki Publications examines the evolution of the strategic forces in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
The book starts out with an introduction that outlines the origins of the post-war strategic force (Long Range Aviation), then moves right into the nuclear age. The detonation of atomic bombs by the United States placed the Soviet Union in a difficult position. Their enormous conventional weapon strength was effectively negated by these weapons and adding nuclear weapons to the Soviet arsenal was deemed essential to the survival of the country. To deliver these weapons, a solid bomber platform was needed, and this was achieved quickly by reverse-engineering several B-29s that were interred during the Second World War. The resultant Tu-4 became the first nuclear strategic bomber of the Soviet Union, and the first part of the book details its development and operations quite well.
Like the strategic forces in the United States, the jet engine saw the Long Range Aviation move away from piston engines to this new technology. The Soviet Union employed turbines in their bombers in two ways. The first was with traditional jet engines, while the highly successful Tu-95 utilized turboprop engines. The Tu-95 was complemented by two jet bombers, the Tupolev Tu-16 and the Myasishchev M-4. All three of these aircraft are covered next, as they formed the backbone of Soviet Long Range Aviation for much of the Cold War era. A separate chapter covers the supersonic bombers, the Tu-22, Tu-26, and Tu-160.
Also covered in this book are specific operational areas, namely the arctic. A separate chapter documents the difficulties operating in the Russian far north, a challenging prospect to be sure. Also covered are air-launched missile systems, covering the development of Soviet cruise missile technology. Other chapters include dealing with budget cutbacks, fighting the Afghan war in the 1980s, and supporting friendly nations. A separate chapter provides overviews of all the aircraft used in the Long Range Aviation.
This is a very thorough book detailing the evolution of strategic aviation in the Soviet Union. Combined with the text are plenty of photos, including some rare color footage of the early bombers. Color side view illustrations are included to show some of the markings worn by these aircraft. Overall, this is an excellent book on Soviet strategic aviation, one which forms a great counterpart to the many books out there on the US Strategic Air Command. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.