The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft

by Bill Gunston

Release Date: July, 2000

Edition: Paperback

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Tour de force about Soviet Aviation

This book is an impressive and meticulous look at Soviet Aviation.

PROS:
Extensive, exhaustive and thoroughly detailed (Gunston even covers details such as shape/size of nosewheel hubcaps etc.). Covers literally every single plane/variant/sub-type ever made.

Superb diagrams, images and spec

Ekranoplanes -- amazing information. A must have for Red aviation enthusiasts.

CONS
Too laconic
B/W images only :-(((
Historical information covers only development and engineering.Not enough information about actual performance/strenghts/weaknesses. Information/opinions about performance is sorely lacking.

SUM:
An alternative to Janes...seriously

Best Single Reference source in English or Russian

Many books tout, "new information never before seen from the Soviet archives", but few really deliver anything substantial. Mr Gunston though, has achieved what many historians hoped would happen with former Iron Curtain material coming to light: a truly enlightening book. Many of the details of the Soviet design bureaus, let alone some of the experimental aircraft have never had their stories told before. The depth of this work exceeds anything I've seen in the West, or Russia. The listings of aircraft before 1917 are almost worth the price alone. However, the prose is terse to say the least, one would have thought an additional few pages could have been spared for descriptions/tech data. Also, some of the comments are, well if not quite from the sales brochure, they're close. Mr Gunston has a reputation for taking manufacturer data at face value. Certainly his comments on the MiG21 and 29 don't give the reader the full story of real combat limitations of these otherwise fine designs.
That said though, this an encyclopedia no aviation enthusiast, or Russian historian should be without. Well worth the money.