The General Dynamics F-111 was a swing-wing tactical fighter, interdictor, nuclear bomber and electronic warfare aircraft developed in the early 1960s in the belief that requirements from the US Air Force and the Navy could be satisfied more economically and efficiently by a single design. The idea was flawed and the Navy never got its aircraft ......
Fighter pilots! Images of Baron Manfred von Richthofen and Eddie Rickenbacker in the Great War, Johnnie Johnson, Robert Stanford Tuck and Richard Bong in the Second World War, or Robin Olds in Vietnam, all spring to mind. Volumes have been written about them, past and present. Understandably, most of these revolve around the skill, cunning and ......
In 1955, the Vulcan B.Mk2 was proposed and a new wing modification was designed to take advantage of the more powerful Olympus engines and a new stand-off missile known as Blue Steel. The new wing was known as the Phase 2C development. Avro were given a contract for an aerodynamic prototype on 10 July 1956, with the first prototype VX777 making ......
This fully illustrated volume looks at the classic jet fighter, the Hawker Hunter. The types development, entry into service and operations are examined in detail. Development of the Hawker Hunter began in 1946 under the steady hand of chief designer Sydney Camm. With so many advances in aircraft design and technology during the late 1940s, the ......
Sleek, futuristic and deadly - the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon was born from the crucible of the air war over Vietnam and the need for cheaper, simpler, and more maneuverable fighter aircraft with which to combat the many thousands of Soviet-bloc supplied aircraft sold around the world.
Back in the early 1970s the F-16 ......
Originally conceived as a carrier-born maritime attack aircraft, the Blackburn design included many original features such as Boundary Layer Control, a system which blew hot air over the flying surfaces to increase lift when landing. The rotating bomb bay was also new and enabled easier maintenance, accessibility and reduced drag. The first ......
An illustrated exploration of the dramatic aerial combats between the US Navys long-range bomber and Japanese flying boats in the Pacific War. Edward Young explores these rarely written about combats, examining the aggressive and strategic tactics deployed by both US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force and analyzing the ......
With first-hand insight into the into the key role of the US Air Forces fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to Operation Desert Storm during the First Gulf War, this book is an unmissable account of some of the most dangerous and demanding missions in the two ......
Over the last two decades, the Aeronautique Navale, French Naval Aviation, has grown into a powerful and battle-hardened force equipped with a large inventory of Rafale Marine naval strike fighters, E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, Falcon 50, Gardian and Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance/maritime patrol aircraft, Dauphin, Panther, Alouette ......
During the late 1940s and into the 1950s, a number of British jet fighter and bomber aircraft were fitted with new, different or additional engines, both jet and rocket, to enable them to serve as test beds for those specific powerplants. These aircraft types included fighters such as the de Havilland Vampire, Gloster Meteor and Javelin, and ......
During the first half of the 1970s, two new fighter aircraft entered operational service in the United States: The Navys Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the Air Forces McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. These two aircraft were part of the backbone of the tactical air power of the United States; their introduction was accompanied by comprehensive reforms in ......
Using rare first-hand accounts from Me 262 pilots, Robert Forsyth examines what it was like to fly the worlds most advanced interceptor in the deadly skies over Germany in 1944-45. Right from its operational debut in the summer of 1944, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower ratio, ......
From the terror and exhilaration of First World War dogfighting to the dark arts of modern air combat, here is an enthralling ode to that most brutally exciting of machines: the warplane.
The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes is a beautifully designed, highly illustrated collection of the very best articles from Hush-Kit - ......
The Soviet Unions first successful atomic bomb detonation in August 1949 was a wakeup call for US Navy planners. The possibility of a single Soviet aircraft wiping out an entire convoy of merchant ships with a nuclear weapon had suddenly become very real. With military budgets having shrunk prior to the Korean War, it was simply not possible to ......
September 1940: In the midst of the Second World War, the Luftwaffe unleashed a series of devastating raids on Southampton, all but destroying its spitfire factories. But production didnt stop. Instead, manufacturing of this iconic fighter moved underground, to secret locations staffed by women, children and non-combatant men. With little ......
Sliding out of the shadows of World War Two, the de Havilland Vampire accompanied by the distinctive whine of its Goblin engine quickly proved itself an effective alternative to piston-powered fighters. After entering operational service with the RAF (as the services first single-engined jet) in 1946, the Vampire sought by air forces the world ......
Designed in response to a 1951 requirement, the C-130 Hercules is the most successful military airlifter ever built. Since it first flew in prototype form on 23 August 1954, more than 2,100 have been produced in over eighty different versions. Across its variants, the Hercules serves more than sixty air forces, as well as many civilian cargo ......
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the most-produced American supersonic military jet with 5,195 aircraft being produced. By any standards the F-4 has been incredibly successful, used not only by the USAF and US Navy but many air forces around the world including Germany, Israel, Turkey and Japan. The F-4 was designed as a long-range ......
When the US president, Harry S Truman, declared the Truman Doctrine in March 1947, he could not have known that the resultant Cold War would persist for over 40 years until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. In addition to nuclear and conventional military friction between the Eastern and Western blocs, the struggle for ......
A 16 month calendar that can be used from September 2022 containing images of Spitfires. The iconic Spitfire continues to stir emotion over 70 years after being introduced to the RAF. Along with the Hurricane, it helped save Britain during the second world war. The calendar contains all public holidays, notable events & important dates. The ......
Gnat Boys relates the history of the aircraft and includes many fascinating and untold stories told by those who flew the aircraft, many of them well-known and distinguished aviators. The Folland Gnat was used by the RAF mainly in the advanced training role, in the 1960s and 70s, where it proved to be an ideal lead-in trainer for high ......
The McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier IIvertical/short takeoff and landing (VSTOL)is the US Marine Corps current frontline close-air-support aircraft. A variant of the famed British Aerospace Harrier II, the AV-8B is noted for its ability to hover in place, ideal for operating on smaller carriers and in less-than-ideal landing zones. This book ......
The Pacific Profiles series presents the most accurate WWII profiles of aircraft which served in the South Pacific theatre. Volume Seven covers the Douglas C-47, including numerous derivatives such as the C-53, R4D and DC-3. This was the most universal aircraft type to appear in the South Pacific and was deployed from day one to the cessation ......
Aviation monograph of the F-82 Twin Mustang, an unusual variant of the famous P-51 Mustang. Developed during the Second World War, but too late to see combat, the Twin Mustang was created by the engineering team at North American Aviation to provide long-range escort for larger, slow bombers. With the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, the Twin ......
Allied Fighters 1939-45 offers an highly-illustrated guide to Allied fighter aircraft that fought in Europe during World War II. Featuring all the main models flown by the Allied air forces from 1939 to 1945, the book offers a wealth of detail, including unit markings, organization, numbers of aircraft flown by campaign and exhaustive ......
Written from the unique perspective of a fast jet cockpit, Tornado Over the Tigris captures the essence of what it was really like to fly a Tornado at the front-line of the Cold War in Germany and on operations over Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War. After achieving a boyhood ambition to qualify as an RAF pilot, Michael Napier was posted to ......
Using first-hand accounts and brand-new artwork, this book brings to life the realities of flying the Bf 109 in combat during the very first battles of World War II. The Bf 109 was one of the principal fighter aircraft types in the Luftwaffes inventory during the opening months of World War II and it was central to many of ......
For many years the importance and contribution of the Hawker Hurricane was eclipsed by the Spitfire but statistically the Hurricane was superior in the majority of cases. Thanks to Tommy Sopwiths initiative and gamble the Hurricane was ready at the outbreak of the Second World War and in service throughout. As this superbly researched book ......
Modelling plans in 1/32. 1/48, 1/72 and 1/144 scale of the G-6 variant of the famous Me Bf 109 German fighter aircraft of World War II, featuring eight A3 size scale plans.
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The first official story of the Red Arrows, from their Top Gun and commander, celebrating the history of Britains world-famous flying squad. The Red Arrows represent the very best speed, agility and precision of the Royal Air Force, and the pilots behind the planes are rigorously selected ......
The RAFs continuing role in the projection of air power in the defence of the United Kingdom and its overseas interests since the end of the Second World War is well known. However, the same cannot always be said about the Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm (FAA), in part due to the ten-year gap between the retirement of the Harrier and the arrival of ......
This volume examines the history and development of the Ju 188 twin-engined aircraft, the Luftwaffes attempt to enhance and improve its peerless Ju 88. The Junkers Ju 188 was the epitome of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design, representing the enhancement of an earlier type and incorporating increased performance and technological ......
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