This is the first comprehensive account in English of the development and operation of one of Russia’s lesser known post-war jet fighters. Only ever operated over the former Soviet Union’s vast northern territory by an elite group of Soviet Air Force aircrew, it was little known even to most Russian military personnel and the majority of Soviet citizens. Although never flown ‘in anger’, the Tu-128 played a hugely important part in protecting the nation’s Arctic approaches against foreign incursions for almost a quarter of a century. The reader will discover the rationale behind its selection as the principal Soviet air defence fighter of the day in a critical period of the Cold War.This includes selection and training of aircrew, operation of quick reaction alerts, manual and automated ground controlled intercepts and cooperation with the Soviet Union’s first AWACS, its stable-mate the Tu-126 Moss. With numerous previously unpublished photographs, diagrams and expert text, the Tu-128 Fiddler will prove indispensable to enthusiasts and historians alike.
| BOOK ISBN |
9781781554043 |
| FORMAT |
248 x 172 mm |
| BINDING |
Hardback |
| PAGES |
380 pages |
| PUBLICATION DATE |
15 November 2014 |
| TERRITORY |
World |
| ILLUSTRATIONS |
140 black-and-white and and 30 colour photographs |
Alan Dawes is a former staff writer on Air Forces Monthly and Air International , having previously had a long career in the Royal Air Force as an in intelligence analyst, where he was able to develop his Russian translation skills. He has specialised in the study of modern Russian military aviation and written on a wide range of related military and civilian topics, being shortlisted twice for the Royal Aeronautical Society Aerospace Journalist of the Year award. He is married and lives in Cambridgeshire, England.
