Chinese Aircraft [978190210904]
Date Added: Wednesday 02. September, 2009
Chinese Aircraft
Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov
9 781902 109046
While much is known about Western aviation industry, and there is a growing historiography on Soviet and Russian aviation industry, very little has been published detailing the aviation industry of China. This large tome from Hikoki Publications aims to change that, with a detailed look at the Chinese aviation industry from 1951 to present day. This is a challenging task, but the authors have done an excellent job of compiling the available information and presented it in a logical manner.
Following a short introduction on the Chinese aviation industry as a whole, the book is broken down by aircraft types. This includes fighters, bombers, strike aircraft, trainers, airliners & transports, special mission aircraft, light utility aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. Within each section, the aircraft are covered in a chronological manner, allowing for an examination of technology growth within the industry (those derivative aircraft such as fighter trainers are grouped with their original aircraft, thus allowing for more continuity in the text).
The histories of each aircraft vary in length, but in general are quite thorough and discuss many of the issues surrounding their development. While many of these aircraft are license-built Soviet aircraft, others are indigenous designs, and combined they show the skills of both manufacturing and design. The current crop of aircraft coming out of Chinese factories are quite interesting, with the J-10 and JF-17 both being modern fighters with excellent capabilities. The most interesting for me, though, is the JL-9 trainer, which looks like a completely new aircraft until one recognizes the unmistakable MiG-21 vertical tail. This is definitely a great example of using an existing well-engineered part and adding modern elements to create a highly effective aircraft.
In addition to the text, the book is packed with photos, easily making this the most complete photo reference of Chinese aviation currently available. Most of these photos are in color, and as such also capture the varied colors and markings worn by many of these aircraft. Also included are dozens and dozens of excellent color profile illustrations, as well as scale drawings. All together, the result is an outstanding reference on Chinese aviation, and one that will have many looking for kits of some of these aircraft.
Chris Banyai-Riepl – Internet Modeller – 01/09/2009
Yefim Gordon & Dmitriy Komissarov
9 781902 109046
While much is known about Western aviation industry, and there is a growing historiography on Soviet and Russian aviation industry, very little has been published detailing the aviation industry of China. This large tome from Hikoki Publications aims to change that, with a detailed look at the Chinese aviation industry from 1951 to present day. This is a challenging task, but the authors have done an excellent job of compiling the available information and presented it in a logical manner.
Following a short introduction on the Chinese aviation industry as a whole, the book is broken down by aircraft types. This includes fighters, bombers, strike aircraft, trainers, airliners & transports, special mission aircraft, light utility aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. Within each section, the aircraft are covered in a chronological manner, allowing for an examination of technology growth within the industry (those derivative aircraft such as fighter trainers are grouped with their original aircraft, thus allowing for more continuity in the text).
The histories of each aircraft vary in length, but in general are quite thorough and discuss many of the issues surrounding their development. While many of these aircraft are license-built Soviet aircraft, others are indigenous designs, and combined they show the skills of both manufacturing and design. The current crop of aircraft coming out of Chinese factories are quite interesting, with the J-10 and JF-17 both being modern fighters with excellent capabilities. The most interesting for me, though, is the JL-9 trainer, which looks like a completely new aircraft until one recognizes the unmistakable MiG-21 vertical tail. This is definitely a great example of using an existing well-engineered part and adding modern elements to create a highly effective aircraft.
In addition to the text, the book is packed with photos, easily making this the most complete photo reference of Chinese aviation currently available. Most of these photos are in color, and as such also capture the varied colors and markings worn by many of these aircraft. Also included are dozens and dozens of excellent color profile illustrations, as well as scale drawings. All together, the result is an outstanding reference on Chinese aviation, and one that will have many looking for kits of some of these aircraft.
Chris Banyai-Riepl – Internet Modeller – 01/09/2009
Rating: 
[5 of 5 Stars!]
[5 of 5 Stars!]
