MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East
Middle East @ War No. 12
Despite its troubled development
and the considerable delays
getting it into service, the MiG-23
Flogger quickly proved its worth.
The swing-fighter arrived with the
Cold War at its height, and foreign
states aligned with Moscow soon
pressed the Soviet leadership for
it, viewing the variable-geometry
fighter-bomber as a potent
political and combat asset.
While Warsaw Pact nations in
Europe never used their vast
fleets of Floggers in anger,
Soviet-friendly nations in the
Middle East committed theirs
to combat operations as soon
as they entered service.
Author Tom Cooper – a specialist
on Middle East air combat –
examines the Floggers serving
Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya and
Syria during their major offensive
operations from 1973 to 2018.
The highly detailed text is
complemented with side-profile
artwork illustrating the multitude
of camouflage schemes wornby MiG-23s in theatre,
and with black and
white photographs.
The photos are not of
the highest quality and
many are simply screen
grabs from local news
reports, but their rarity
merits inclusion.
Much of what’s included
in this book will be new to
the reader and mention
has to be made of the
Libyan MiG-23MS that
crashed in Italy on July 18,- The cause was later
traced to the pilot suffering
hypoxia and falling
unconscious, leaving the
aircraft to fly on autopilot
until it ran out of fuel.
Tom Cooper dispels
the myths surrounding
the crash and provides the first
thorough analysis of events
relating to the incident. The level
of detail within all chapters is
exceptional. Glenn Sands
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
Author: Steve Bond
Pages: 256
Price: £25
I S B N : 97819116 21126Grumman F-14
Tomcat Owners’
Workshop Manual
All models 1970-2006
Whether it was with the Top Gun
movie or simply the impressive
operational capabilities of the
F-14s aboard US Navy carriers,
the swing-wing Tomcat achieved
legendary status with modern
military aircraft enthusiasts.
While it’s unlikely any of us
will ever own an F-14, this
book is one of Haynes’ best
workshop manuals to date.
Author Tony Holmes has
used his former Tomcat air and
ground crew contacts to compile
technical chapters on the internal
systems of the jet. These are
accompanied by accounts of
those who flew F-14s from
US carrier decks in combat
over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Beginning with a brief but
detailed history of the Tomcat’s
development, the book quickly
moves to operations, with
aircrews explaining the minor
upgrades made to the airframe
through its development.
This is a welcome change
to the familiar, seemingly
endless technical listings.
The author has accomplished
something special with this
volume: the F-14 is one of the
world’s most famous fighters and
there have been countless books
on the type over the years, but
Tony Holmes offers an entirely
fresh look at the jet with his
in-depth text, new images and
previously unreported accounts
of working with Grumman’s
‘Big Fighter’. Glenn SandsPublisher: Haynes Publishing
Author: Tony Holmes
Pages: 188
Price: £22.99
ISBN: 9781785211003Publisher: Casemate Publishing
Author: Tom Cooper
Pages: 88
Price: £16.95
ISBN: 9781912390328Shackleton Boys Volume 1
Beginning in 1951, the Avro
Shackleton was the RAF’s first line
of maritime defence for 20 years.It then served as an airborne
early warning aircraft until 1991.
Known as the ‘Old Grey Lady’,
the ‘Growler’, ‘20,000
rivets in loose
formation’ or simply
the ‘Shack’, it was
loved by its crews,
despite its antiquated
systems and
unorthodox handling
characteristics. So
it was only a matter
of time before the
many stories and
aircrew accounts of
flying this legendary
aircraft were brought
together in Grub
Street’s popular
‘Boys’ series.
This first volume
focuses exclusively
on UK-based
Shackleton
squadrons – an
indication of just
how many air and
ground crew talesare available. The inclusion of
colour images and aircrew-
drawn cartoons, many sourced
from private collections, adds
to the appeal of the book.
It’s clear the personnel operating
the Shackleton felt they had more
in common with World War Two
bomber crews than the fast jet
crews that flew alongside them.
Nevertheless, the type was a
reliable monitor of movements of
the Soviet Navy fleet – sometimes
in periods of high tension. And the
‘Shack’ was also there to ensure
the seas were free of commercial
shipping during the UK’s atomic
tests around Christmas Island.
Saluting an unsung RAF warrior
of the Cold War, this book is a
fitting tribute to the personnel
that kept this veteran on Britain’s
front line. Glenn Sandsthe crash and provides the first Publisher: Casemate Publishing
Author: Tom CooperMiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 89
Book
Reviews
These titles are available from: The Aviation Bookshop, 31-33 Vale Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent,
TN1 1BS, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44(0)1892 539284 Website: http://www.aviation-bookshop.com