Hot Skies Over Yemen: Volume 1: Aerial Warfare Over the Southern Arabian Peninsula, 1962-1994

Description

Since September 1962, hardly a week passed without a major armed confrontation or an outright war in Yemen. The number of long-lasting insurgencies, mutinies, rebellions, or terrorism-related activities that took place during this period is going into dozens. Despite duration of all these conflicts and although they may have caused as many as half a million of deaths, the rest of the World heard very little about them. At best, Yemen is nowadays known as a hotbed of international terrorism, an area that is on the receiving end of frequent US air strikes flown by UAVs, or as 'some place' fiercely bombarded by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. While at least some details about British aerial operations in what was Southern Arabia of the 1960s were published over the years, next to nothing is known about activities of other, `local' air forces - like those of Egypt - and even less so about that of Yemen. This is even more surprising considering that for nearly two decades there were no less than two, fully developed services of that kind - one operated by what was then North Yemen, another by what used to be South Yemen - and that these were deeply involved in the Cold War, too. Using newly released secret intelligence sources, neglected memoirs, and popular memory, this book is telling the story of military flying in Yemen between 1962 and 1994. It is providing in-depth insights and analysis of campaigns fought by the Egyptian air force of the 1960s, the creation of two Yemeni air forces in the 1970s, an entire series of inter-Yemeni wars of the 1980s and 1990s. Containing over 140 photographs, colour profiles, maps and extensive tables, Hot Skies over Yemen is a richly illustrated and unique point of reference about one segment of modern aerial warfare that remains entirely unknown until today.

Tom Cooper is an Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian. Following a career in worldwide transportation business - during which he established a network of contacts in the Middle East and Africa - he moved into narrow-focus analysis and writing on small, little-known air forces and conflicts, about which he has collected extensive archives. That resulted in specialisation in such Middle Eastern air forces as of those of Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, plus various African and Asian air forces. Except for authoring and co-authoring more than 30 books - including an in-depth analysis of major Arab air forces at wars with Israel in period 1955-1973 - and over 1000 articles, Cooper is a regular correspondent for multiple defence-related publications.

From a modelling perspective there's a great selection of period images and excellent colour profiles (also by the author) featuring Hawker Hunters, Strikemasters and Yemen operated Russian MiG-21s, Su-22s and MiG-17s in some fantastic schemes which offer a great alternative from the norm. * Air Modeller * Hot Skies is an engrossing read, but also offers considerable inspiration for aircraft modellers. Highly recommended. * Airfix Model World * For the military historian, the aircraft enthusiast and the modeller this is another interesting read. Another book from Helion Books which I can heartily recommend. * Military Model Scene * If you're interested in the lesser known Air Forces, and conflicts of the war this is to be recommended. * Britmodeller.com * Book will come handy not only as the source of photo-material, but also as a decent history publication for those who would like to know more. * DetailScaleView * There is a great range of very rare photographs of aircraft and their crews backed up by some excellent colour profiles...highly recommended. * Military Modelling Magazine *