Middle East: just the term reminds me of fighting. The air forces play a significant part in the balance of power throughout the reason. This hardback book is written by a correspondent from Jane’s Defense Weekly so you know he has access to some great information. Luckily for us he shares that information with us on 256 high quality pages. The photos are mostly full color and very nice, many from the author’s collection.

The majority of the book provides history on the each air force, the structure, doctrine and strategy, the operational activities, infrastructure, ordnance, the procurement and finally an assessment of the air force. Every air force in the region is discussed and researched thoroughly. Each nation’s Order of Battle is included with the lat/long of the base for those who want to explore with Google Earth. The type of aircraft based there including squadron codes and the designation of the units. This is the type of stuff that the historian will find invaluable. The model builder will enjoy the high quality of the photos included, most of them a full color page. Some systems are highlighted that will make a nice reference and snap shot for the modeler.

The third part of the book contains a history of the Middle East Air Campaigns. This part of the book is really interesting in indicating what caused certain air campaigns, the planning and execution that went into them. This chapter provides a really comprehensive overview of the air campaigns. You can really tell the access that a Jane’s reporter has. The No-Fly Zone, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Somalia are all included. This provides a nice history lesson of air power in the region.

I enjoyed the book and it is an easy read on a subject that could be trying. For the model builder, the photos are of really good quality. For the historian, this book is a really nice investment. Is it worth the money? That is up to you, but there is a lot of information included. I’m not sure the model builder will be able to turn it into a model, but if you want to learn about the Mid East Air War then I think you will have a hard time finding a better publication.

Recommended

Thanks to Casemate for the review copy. You can obtain your copy by contacting them at http://www.casematepublishers.com . When you contact them let them know that IPMS/USA sent you.