ARAB MIGS VOL. 2

Largely based on original, previously unavailable documentation from official archives, as well as interviews with participants and eyewitnesses, the second volume in this series is an unprecedented study of the developments of the Egyptian, Iraqi, Syrian, Algerian, Lebanese and Jordanian air forces during the late 1950s and 1960s. Not limiting themselves exclusively to the title of this series, the authors present the main topic – the introduction of supersonic fighters such as the MiG-19 and MiG-21 to service with these six air forces – against the geopolitical backdrop. For the first time, the authors explain how and why specific air forces developed in the way they did, why they received specific aircraft types, and also why they suffered a defeat with such dramatic consequences during the June 1967 War with Israel. The volume is completed by an in-depth study of the application of early MiG-21 variants in combat, development of tactical combat methods in Syria during the mid-1960s, and finally an order of battle for the Egyptian Air Force as of 4 June 1967. The latter provides not only precise details of the number of specific aircraft available to each operational unit, but also EAF unit commanders, numbers of pilots, and even anti-aircraft units protecting specific air bases.