The famous Polish jet trainer TS-11 Iskra and its variants in the Polish Air Force are described in unparalleled detail. Includes many unpublished photos from the private collections. The colour schemes and markings are described and illustrated in a series of specially commissioned colour profiles.
As the war began to turn against Germany, the Luftwaffe was forced to defend the Reich against increasingly overwhelming numbers of Allied fighters and bombers. The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, together with the Bf 109G, was the mainstay of the Luftwaffes Reichsverteidigung (Defence of the Reich) fighter force, both by day and by night. As the war ......
This book describes one of the worlds longest-serving and most widely used military helicopters. Developed in the 1960s by the Soviet Union as a fire-support helicopter, more than 2,000 have been produced and continue in production today. Given the codename Hind by NATO in the Cold War years, this fearsome helicopter is also known by other ......
The Grumman F8F was a fast, agile, carrier-borne fighter aircraft developed as the ultimate dogfighter for the Pacific Theater. This is the most complete collection of Bearcat photography in print. The Grumman F8F was a fast, agile, carrier-borne fighter aircraft developed as the ultimate dogfighter for the Pacific theater. Although the plane ......
This new book provides a visual guide to every F-15 variant, from the first airframes produced in the early 1970s to the brand new F-15EX Eagle II. The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is one of the most successful fighter designs of the 20th century. The type first flew in 1972, transitioning directly from the drawing board to production with ......
This new entry in the "Legends of Warfare" series features detailed photographic coverage of all variants of the Airacobra including prototypes, trainer versions, production models C through Q, and the P-400. With a midengined configuration, sturdy tricycle landing gear, and nose-mounted 37 mm cannon, the Bell P-39 was a thoughtful and ......
The renowned Soviet attack aircraft Il-2 and its various models within the Polish Air Force have been extensively documented with unmatched detail. This publication comprises numerous unpublished photographs obtained from private collections, along with a series of specially commissioned color profiles that illustrate and describe the color ......
This sixth book in the series of photographs of British combat aircraft of the 1970s and 1980s contains 180 photographs covering in great detail the main RN and Army helicopters in service at this time and their part in the latter stages of the Cold War. The helicopters covered are Westlands Whirlwind, Wessex, Sea King, Scout and Wasp.
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 beautiful Vulcan To The Sky Calendar 2024 Carousel is made of glossy paper and starts in January 2024 and until December 2024 has a large beautiful photo of the Vulcan To The Sky with below the available dates of the month with enough space for personal notes and birthdays a number of important holidays have already been added to the
The Fairey Swordfish story is one of an aircraft initially frowned upon when it entered service in 1936, respected by the beginning of World War Two and deemed legendary by the time peace was declared. The Swordfish was the only torpedo bomber Britain had in significant numbers at the beginning of the war and it would prove to be so much more. ......
This book explores the fascinating feats of RAFs photographic reconnaissance aircraft. During World War 2, photographic reconnaissance in the RAF started gathering intelligence on the enemy using cameras installed in PR Spitfires. The aircraft that proved this concept was the Supermarine Spitfire, which, ......
Designed and produced by North American Aviation in response to a British order for aircraft in 1940, the P-51 Mustang went on to become one of the most successful aircraft in the Second World War and beyond. In this fascinating book, aircraft expert David Oliver tells the story of this innovative and adaptable aircraft, from the early versions ......
This book covers the complete and long overdue history of the Hunting/BAC Jet Provost and Strikemaster, which for thirty-eight years trained generations of pilots and pioneered the RAFs all-through flying training programme. Originally designed and built in 1951 as a private venture by Percival Aircraft in Luton, the Jet Provost became the ......
The story of Myasishchevs supersonic strategic bombers of the late 1950s, the M-50 and M-52 prototypes. Reborn in 1951, the Myasishchev design bureau made its mark by creating the M-4 strategic bomber. Yet, this subsonic aircraft was soon made obsolescent by supersonic fighter technology-any new strategic bomber would need supersonic ......
With specially commissioned artworks and dynamic combat ribbon diagrams, this volume reveals how the last of the gunfighters, as the F-8 was dubbed by its pilots, prevailed against the growing MiG threat of the Vietnamese Peoples Air Force. When the Vietnam War began, the F-8 was already firmly established as a fighter ......
Martin Bowmans revealing narrative of the aerial conflict in South-East Asia, 1965-1972, which had its beginnings in 1 November 1955, engulfed Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and only ended with the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 has resulted from decades of painstaking fact-finding as well as detailed correspondence with surviving aircrew ......
Selected in 1981 as the aircraft that would replace the Mirage IIIO as Australias new fighter, the F/A-18 Hornet would proceed to establish an un-equaled record of service as Australias most successful combat aircraft. Designed from the outset to deliver superior performance as an air-to-air fighter and a precision strike/attack aircraft, the ......
Successful aircraft manufacturer de Havilland began design development of the Vampire in 1941, to assess the feasibility of jet propulsion as a means of powering fighter aircraft. Rolling off the production line too late to see action in World War Two, this jet fighter was a popular aircraft in operational squadrons. Easy to fly, maintain and ......
The F-104 Starfighter was one of the most fascinating aircraft of the Cold War era in Europe. Several European air forces operated the aircraft, with Germany alone having 916 Starfighters in its inventory. The General Electric J-79 engine howl was unique and filled the European skies for many years. This book covers Starfighter pilot training ......
This book focuses on the KC-135 tanker built by Boeing. It will look at every model of the KC-135 built and its introduction into service. There are several other specialised types that performed a non-aerial refuelling task, such as Airborne Command Post, but which retained the KC-135A designation for some years. The ground trainers will also ......
Packed with full-colour images. Written by a former German Starfighter pilot. Part of the Historic Military Aircraft Series. The F-104 Starfighter was one of the most fascinating aircraft of the Cold War era in Europe. Several European air forces operated the aircraft, with Germany alone having 916 Starfighters in its inventory. The General ......
This fully up-to-date reference book provides an authoritative overview of the military helicopter. It begins with a detailed history, from the ideas of Leonardo da Vinci through to the tilt-rotor aircraft that have operated with coalition forces in Afghan-istan. The book continues with an A-Z directory covering over 80 helicopters from the ......
This meticulously researched and newly updated book charts the complete history of naval aviation, from pioneering days when the first biplanes were catapulted from converted destroyers through to the high-performance jets patrolling the worlds seas today. The first part of the book focuses on significant technological advances, including ......
The fifth volume in this exciting series continues to showcase the popular 1:32 aircraft scale. The landscape format and large photos afford the opportunity to explore the models closely and to truly appreciate the level of detail achievable in this scale. Full-page close-ups and overall views are combined with step-by-step instructions to ......
This book examines the last generation of high-performance British propellor-driven fighters, types such as the Firecrest, late mark Spitfires and Seafires, Spiteful and Seafang, Sea Fury, late mark Tempests, Hornet and Sea Hornet, M.B.5 and Wyvern. From about 1942 onwards these extraordinary and very complex aeroplanes brought British piston ......
An unpublished firsthand account of life aboard a German airship during the First World War. Based on the original letters of physics professor Robert Wichard Pohl, who spent several years flying on zeppelins during the First World War, this book tells the story of the first flight to exceed 100 hours in the air. Along the way, it tells the ......
Special Forces are a key component of every modern army, capable of carrying out clandestine operations, reconnaissance, and incisive attacks behind enemy lines. Units such as the British SAS, US Navy SEALs, the US Armys Delta Force, Polish GROM and the Frances National Gendarmerie Intervention Group are famous for their bravery and formidable ......
Over the last 20 years, the role of unmanned aircraft systems in modern warfare has grown at an unprecedented rate. No longer simply used for intelligence, data collection or reconnaissance, drones are routinely used for target acquisition and to strike enemy targets with missiles and bombs.
Organized by nationality, Military ......
Aviation specialist Santiago Rivas tells the story of how these unique planes succeeded against superior enemy equipment during the Guerra de las Malvinas, or the Falklands War. In the 1960s guerrillas were operating in almost all Latin American countries, as well as in Africa and Asia, and the need of specialized weapons to fight them arose. ......
A fully illustrated study of the Nakajima Ki49 Helen, the twin-engined bomber of the Pacific War, from Japanese aviation expert George Eleftheriou. The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu (Dragon Eater), codenamed Helen by the Allies, was a twin-engined Japanese bomber designed to undertake daylight attacks without the ......
A comprehensive and vivid history of the North American Mustang, one of the most important aircraft of the last century. If it looks right, it will probably fly right - a tired old saying among airmen, but one that persists. Think if you will of the handful of aeroplanes that most people would probably agree are the best-looking examples of ......