Tupolev Tu‑160: Soviet Strike Force Spearhead Hardcover – Illustrated, November 28, 2016

Authors (Y. Gordon & D. Komissarov) continue the Soviet/Russian aircraft series with another fine volume, devoted to the development history and later operational use of the Tupolev Tu-160 (Blackjack) strategic bomber.Chapters include three initial chapters devoted to development of the T-4/T-4M high-altitude strategic bomber design, that pre-dated all later Tu-160 designs (both 1st and 2nd use of this designation). The unique T-4/T-4M was too advanced for Soviet technologies at the time, and was shown to be unstable in flight. It limitation of only two nuclear-armed Kh-45 and Kh-2000 air-to-ground missiles would have made for an extremely expensive aircraft for a "low-payload" aircraft design! What followed were a whole series of concepts, some being close to the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner, often with forward canards, and both internal and externally mounted engine configurations.Out of this effort came the first-designation Tu-160, a series of swing-wing designs, some clearly inspired by the Tu-144.In 1970, Tupolev OKB (with TsAGI oversight), proposed the Tu-160M (first use designation), with two mission roles envisioned: missile strike with ASM's, and strategic reconnaissance. The 'M' added designation was for "mnogotselevoy"(multi-role). With high use of titanium, LERX wing planform, an IFR probe, and several aspects of the Tu-144 included, the design was getting the Soviet close to a future aircraft. Capable of carrying four Kh-45 or Kh-2000 (never developed) AGMs or free-fall bombs (9,000-kg.), money now became the issue! Estimates of a 100-aircraft production run would have average unit cost at 11-million rubles (mid-70s value). The ISR variant would have included PHOTINT, SIGINT/ELINT, and two "Veron" (Raven) drones - designs exactly similar to the SR-71's D-21 (probably a design copy acquired by a Soviet agent in the U.S.). The Myasishchev, Tupolev, and Sukhoi competition for a future strategic bomber saw the Sukhoi T-4MS rejection, while continuing with design of a swing wing (VG) of predominantly aluminium construction - becoming the new Tu-160 (2nd designation).Chapter 3 focuses on the early development and prototype flying of the Blackjack, with Ch. 4 focused on production (including a range of factory production photos), and Ch. 5 going into production versions and projects (including a SLV launch aircraft variant). Ch. 6 takes the reader to the close-up details of the aircraft. Ch. 7 focus is on "In Service", including the contentious issues of Blackjack's in the Ukraine after the break-up of the USSR - and, final fate of the whole lot of then available aircraft. This chapter includes lots of operational comments by Russian pilots, including aircraft limitations, etc. - a highly intriguing section.Augmenting all the specification tables, Tu-160 production list, outstanding color drawing of individual aircraft (Appendix 1), and World Records held by the Tu-160 (Appendix 2).Produced on high-quality art paper, heavily illustrated, the 288-pages are well worth the books cost.IF the reader of this review is interested in Soviet/Russian aircraft developments in the Cold War - don't pass this one up.

Once again Gordon and Komissarov deliver a very satisfying aircraft history. The story starts with a 40+ page pre-history of the development and the associated politics within the various design and politburos. Chapter 2 (Design) has some superb structural models that provide a true understanding of the structural layout. The book proceeds apace with the other chapters providing the history of construction details, service use, projects, etc. Lavishly illustrated there are plenty of detailed photographs and exploded drawings showing major assemblies and sub-assemblies. The only areas I found wanting were in the engine, fuel system and a few other areas of unique interest. Modelers will be well served by the flight deck and bomb bay shots. Strongly and unequivocally recommended for those with an interest in Russian/Soviet Aviation, Strategic Aircraft, and modelers.

Love it

i can't review it coz' some punk kid stole it at my front door, probably to use it as a toilet paper, so i gave it a 5-star!!!!

By this point, if you buy a book on a Russian military aircraft and the names "Yefim Gordon" and "Dmitriy Komissarov" appear on the cover, chances are that it's going to be the definitive English-language reference on that plane. Although it doesn't bear the prestigious "Famous Russian Aircraft" banner, except for a few minor differences in style and format, this book is essentially part of that series. It's just as fastidiously detailed and lavishly illustrated as the best FRA books and unfortunately suffers from the same minor quirks.As someone fascinated by aircraft design and development, I was extremely pleased by how much space is devoted to the subject here. The first chapter focuses on the evolution of Soviet long-range supersonic bomber design in the 1960s and 1970s, and the design competition between the Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Myasishchev design bureaus. The second chapter looks at the continued refinement of the Tupolev design, and the development of new weapons, powerplants, and structural designs. The next two chapters cover the construction of the first prototypes, the flight test program, and series production. Chapter five describes each of the Tu-160 variants actually produced along with a number of unbuilt proposals, while chapter six provides a technical description of the aircraft and its systems. The seventh chapter is a fairly in-depth operational history of the Blackjack, ending just before its use in the Syrian Civil War, and a final brief chapter describes the main differences between the Tu-160 and B-1B.Once again, this book is extremely well illustrated, with hundreds of photographs and diagrams, many in color. The pages are printed on thick, glossy paper, and most of the images are extremely sharp. Along with views of the aircraft in flight, there are many original sketches and cross-section diagrams, models depicting the evolution of the Blackjack design, behind-the-scenes photos of aircraft production, and a photographic walkthrough of the cockpit.Unfortunately, it also suffers from the usual Gordon/Komissarov quirks. As there's no index, glossary, list of abbreviations, or maps, I frequently found myself jumping around to find a piece of data I'd missed, or going online to study maps of former Soviet republics. The writing occasionally lapses into self-indulgence, especially when entire paragraphs are simply lists of personnel or Russian-to-English translations of hardware designations. I still enjoyed this book very enjoyable and informative, as I do the authors' other works, but I wish their publishers would do a little more to streamline the reading experience.

sitting right next to my SAC'S last bomber book on my desk at work

Very good book.