Britain's desire to stay at the leading edge in the design and development of modern jet powered aircraft was born in the later stages of World War Two. The RAF sent requests to the leading aircraft manufactures for a variety of specifications, amongst which was one for a long-range heavy bomber. Three designs were accepted and eventually went into production – these became the V-Bomber Force. The first to enter service was the Vickers Valliant, a high swept-wing four engine aircraft. This...

The Vought F4U was the best carrier based fighter of WW2. 12,571 aircraft were built and downed 2,140 enemy aircraft for the loss of only 189 Corsairs. It was developed early in 1938 for the US Navy. The designer, Tex Beisel, worked on the principle of the largest engine in the smallest airframe. Britain received 2012 of the type. This book contains the world famous color profiles created by Dave Windle of the type in different operational modes, configurations and color schemes. Martin Bo...

The Starfighter was once described as a delight to fly, but one mistake and it will kill you. It is one of the worlds fastest fighters with a top speed of Mach 2.2 and a service ceiling of 58,000 feet. First delivered to the USAF in 1958 it was also sold to the German, Greek, Italian, Turkish and Italian Air Forces. It could carry a variety of air to air, and air to surface missiles and was powered by a single General Electric J79 turbojet that developed 17,900lbs of thrust with afterburne...

For many years the worlds finest aerobatic team, the RAFs Red Arrows, have thrilled millions with their demonstrations of this fine aircraft's agility and maneuverability. Black Hawks can also be seen in the valleys of Wales, flying ground-hugging flight paths along the valleys. These are the aircraft used to teach flying perfection to new generations of fighter and ground-attack pilots. The aircraft has earned millions of pounds, being exported to many overseas countries.This book contain...

The Tornado has been the backbone of the RAF within its many different theaters of operation. The aircraft started as a European venture between Germany, Italy and the UK, based on the original swing-wing technology invented by Barnes-Wallis. It has also been successfully exported to several Middle-Eastern air forces. It is likely to remain in service for several years to come.This book contains the world famous color profiles created by Dave Windle of the type in different operational mod...

This versatile single-seater aircraft was a joint development between the UK and France. It first flew in 1968, but its robust and flexible operational uses led to its long service life, only being retired from RAF service in 2008. It has seen front-line action in all major conflicts since introduced and has been exported to India, Ecuador, Nigeria and Oman.This book contains the world famous color profiles created by Dave Windle of the type in different operational modes, configur...

The Mustang was born from a British WW2 specification to North American during 1940. The prototype was completed within 117 days but the RAF was not happy with the aircraft's performance and suggested replacing the V-12 Allison with the more powerful RR Merlin. The result was a superbly fast and maneuverable aircraft that had the range to escort Allied bomber forces on raids deep into occupied Europe. A total of 15,469 of the type were built and used in combat until the Korean War.This boo...

The last great untold story of World War II, the career of Hitler's "Super Fighter" intended to destroy the RAF in the Battle of Britain and why it never succeeded.The super-secret Heinkel He113 fighter was designed to be a high-speed, high-altitude fighter that could outperform, outgun and outfight any other aircraft in the world when it entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1940.

This comprehensive overview of the Me.262 was compiled by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on post-war interviews with Luftwaffe pilots and staff officers to produce a fascinating insight into the Me.262 at the tactical and operational level.Also featured are rare English translations of contemporary interviews concerning the 262 with Adolf Galland and Hermann Goering, along side the views of test pilot Hans Fey and Flug Kapitan Wendel who flew the aircraft in ...

"This is the book that puts the flesh on the bones of its reputation as one of the best aircraft of the Second World War." — Pennant MagazineThe flak started about four or five minutes before the target and immediately it was apparent that it was intense and extremely accurate. Oboe entailed the pilot flying dead straight and level for ten minutes on the attack run. Suddenly a tremendous flash lit up the sky about 50 yards ahea...

It was 1968 and Robert Hartley was on his first combat mission in Vietnam as copilot of a helicopter gunship. As he and his platoon leader flew over the A Shau Valley, a Chinook helicopter engulfed in flames suddenly came into view. Hartley noticed tiny black smoking objects exiting the tail ramp of the aircraft. Seconds later, he realized those objects were men escaping the flames and plunging to their deaths. It was in that moment that he silently wondered, How the hell did I get here?

During World War II fighter pilots were, at times, detailed to perform out-of-the-ordinary operations. "Duck Hunting in a Hurricane" was an event that resulted in just such an operation in order to recover the Hurricane and bring back the ducks.