Infantry AntiAircraft Missiles

If you've wondered why the Russian forces in Ukraine haven't been using helicopter gunships, like they did in Afghanistan, then Number 85 in the Weapon series will answer that for you. It details the rise of anti-aircraft missile systems designed for use by the infantry, being first deployed in Vietnam and the Yom Kipper war. The book is basically split into three sections: Development, Use and Conclusion. This covers how the Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (reduced to the acronym MANPAD throughout), were initially very deadly, until air forces developed both technologies and tactics to thwart them. Even so, slow moving air assets like the aforementioned helicopters are still very vulnerable, which is why the Russians haven't been using them in Ukraine to any degree.

The full colour illustrations are of dubious use, but the cut aways and annotations, and actual photos of the weapons in the field make up for that. Part of the book is a history lesson through recent conflicts as well, putting the use of MANPADs into perspective.

It's not a rivetting read, but for those interested in the subject it's a worthy addition to your library.

• Osprey Publishing
• ISBN: 978-4728-5343-1
• 82 pages. Softcover. £15.99

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For stats lovers there are some great tables on the performance characteristics of various systems