From Lightnings to MiGs: From Cold War to Air Speed Records

During the Cold War, two Soviet-manufactured MiG 21s were scrambled in Bangladesh after Indian Air Force Jaguars were reported to have intruded. One of the pilots was an RAF officer, Squadron Leader Russell Peart, who was on loan to the Bangladeshi Air Force. Despite being ill-equipped for combat, the two MiGs were sent to the area where the Indian pilots had threatened. When they arrived, the Jaguars had already left. Peart was later told not to shoot down any Jaguars as the Indians had not yet paid for them. He has written about his exciting RAF career, including flying Lightnings in the Far East and winning the top prize in the International Tactical Bombing Competition.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 272 pages
\n Publication date: 21 September 2021
\n Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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The two Soviet-manufactured MiG 21s, each with two practice bombs and four air-to-ground rockets, were lined up on the runway in Bangladesh at the height of the Cold War, when air traffic control suddenly reported an incursion by Indian Air Force Jaguars. Though ill-equipped for combat, the two MiGs were scrambled. One of the MiGs pilots was an RAF officer – Squadron Leader Russell Peart. On a seven-month loan to the Bangladeshi Air Force, Peart suddenly found himself at the centre of the simmering hostility between two neighbouring nations. By the time they reached the area that had been threatened by the Indian pilots, the Jaguars had gone. Later, when Squadron Leader Russell Peart spoke of the incident to the British High Commissioner, he was told not to shoot down any Jaguars as the Indians had still not paid for them! Russell Peart flew many other aircraft in his varied career, including the MiG 19, and while a test pilot at Boscombe Down trialled such designs as the Tornado GR1. But it was whilst he was seconded to the Sultan of Oman s Air Force, particularly during the so-called Secret War in Dhofar, that he saw the most action. In that theatre, the author flew some 200 operational sorties, 180 of which involved live fire, during which he was hit many times. He was also hit and wounded by a 75mm shell. Russ Peart has written in detail of his exciting RAF career, from flying Lightnings in the Far East to winning the top prize in the International Tactical Bombing Competition against a handpicked team of United States Air Force fighter pilots and being awarded the Sultan Of Oman s Distinguished Service Medal. Supplemented by a selection of previously unseen photographs, this uniquely original memoir throws new light on the.

\n Weight: 790g\n
Dimension: 164 x 240 x 28 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781399007474\n \n