Sukhoi SU-25 Frogfoot – The Soviet Union’s tank buster

This recent book out of the popular Aerofax series by Ian Allan Publishing deals with the Soviet Sukhoi Su-25 combat plane. The author, Yefim Gordon is a renowned expert in military aviation especially in the field of Soviet and Russian combat aircrafts. In his latest work he describes the development of the Soviet Union’s close air support concepts in the beginning of the 1970s, which later led to the production of the SU-25.

In meticulously technical detail the book provides information about the T-8, the predecessor of the SU-25, and the challenging aircrafts of the other soviet manufacturers made for the competition of the minister of aircraft industry for a light ground attack aircraft. In an extra chapter the reader is informed about the various prototypes of the T-8, always supported and richly documented by a lot of photos of these rare birds.

In the main chapters of the book Gordon gives a full overview of the SU-25 and its variants from its implementation in 1977 at a plant in Georgia until the Russian period in the 2000s until present as usual richly depictured and providing also interesting cockpit views and details about the armament. Another extra chapter is dedicated to the combat action of the “Frogfoot” in Afghanistan and the Chechen wars proving the robustness of the SU-25. The book gives a full listing of all SU-25 operated by foreign countries and former soviet republics.

A special “gimmick” included by the author is without a doubt a production list with the construction numbers, version numbers and if available the tactical code of the airplanes. About thirty pages of drawings and colour profiles at the end of the book make it an absolute must have also for modellers.

Conclusion

The book is highly recommended! It has a lot to offer with regard to technical details and the historical research. The great amount of rare pictures and colour profiles makes it an ideal resource for aircraft historians, enthusiasts and modellers in an equal manner.

AEROFAX: Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot – The Soviet Union’s Tank Buster

Midland Publishing

Yefim Gordon

ISBN-13/EAN: 9781857802542

ISBN-10: 1857802543

Code: A02542MP

Size: 280 x 215 mm

Format: 176pp

Illustrations: c300 mono and colour photographs

Softback Book

Kilian Weimann

Sample publication provided by Christobelle Krishnan, Marketing Assistant with “Ian Allan Publishing Ltd.”, Hersham (UK)