Yefim Gordon provides a very comprehensive review of the worlds most widely used Helicopter across its many versions. He deals with the subject in the first Instance from its developmental perspective looking at the initial development, production of the first Generation Mi-8T and it's derivatives before turning his attention to the second generation Mi8M/Mi-17 with its increased power and lift and it's associated versions.
To give you a clue on the use of the word comprehensive, some 61 versions of the Mi-8T are covered and 83 for the Mi-8M/Mi-17 all these get at least a paragraph which outlines there principal differences a number of these paragraphs cover more than one version. Versions covered include both Civilian and Military marks.
He then goes onto describe the base aircraft in detail before looking at its operational use in both the Military and civilian arenas. In the Military deployment space the coverage mostly focuses on Afghanistan and Chechnea. This section of the book also includes a review of operation in foreign service, before he concludes with a discusion on how the aircraft competes with others of a similar type.
I must admit I found the book fascinating in its breadth, this is not a how it works book for the dedicated chopper nut but a comprehensive review of the aircraft and it's varients which for a number of my Soviet projects I found very useful. It's not really a cover to cover read either but is a stunning refernce superb for bottoming out the difference between the platforms and the broad service history and evolution. It is well illustrated with a large number of black and white photographs and a selection of high quality full colour photographs usefull as painting guides for a variety of military and civil platforms.
A very useful book if you are interested in the Mi-8, Soviet military aviation and understanding the use and deployment of this aircraft.
Mil Mi-8 / Mi-17 Rotary-Wing Workhorse and Warhorse (Red Star)
@ AmazonOther Book Reviews:
A History of Soviet Airborne Forces
Soviet Tactical Aviation
Armies of NATO's Central Front
Red Thrust, Central Front
The Soviet Afghan War, How a Super Power Fought and Lost
Weapons and Tactics of the Soviet Army
Soviet Air Land Battle Tactics
The Military Balance
Encyclopaedia of the Modern British Army
The Soviet Conduct of Tactical Manoeuvre
First Clash
The Third World War
The British Army in Germany
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