Russia's Air-launched Weapons Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

Piotr Butowski supplements Harpia's terrific, two-part study of current Russian military aircraft and helicopters with a superb sequel on Russian warplane munitions.

Russia's Air-launched Weapons: Russian-made Aircraft Ordnance Today from spans eight chapters across 92 lavishly illustrated pages:

• Strategic Weapons
• Tactical Air-To-Surface Missiles
• Air-To-Air Missiles
• Helicopter-Launched Missiles
• Aircraft Bombs
• Aircraft Rockets
• Guns & Gun Pods
• Naval Torpedoes, Missiles & Mines

From the familiar to the future, Butowski surveys literally dozens of air-launched munitions – including weapons currently under development. More extensive subject summaries sport a capsule history, performance notes, variants and specifications table. Many others – like the ubiquitous UPK-23-250 gun pod – feature a single pithy paragraph.

It's full of fascinating facts. Did you know that "[a]ll Russian air-launched missiles weighing more than 500-700kg (1,102-1,543lb) are provided with an optional nuclear warhead"? Neither did I. And how about that Klevok-A (Hermes-A) two-stage derivative of the Vikhr-1 (AT-16 Scallion) helicopter-launched missile?

With dozens of sharp, clear color photos, it's a superb model project reference. Drawings, too, illustrate the account. You even get a selection of Russian company logos. Plenty of eye candy here.

What a potent précis. This compact compendium – and both volumes of Butowski's Russia's Warplanes: Russian-made Military Aircraft and Helicopters Today – deserve pride-of-place in the reference libraries of aircraft hobbyists, aviation historians, journalists and, yes, even intelligence analysts.

Get all three terrific tomes.

With thanks to Harpia Publishing for the review copy.