EARLY JET FIGHTERS BRITISH AND AMERICAN 1944-1954

Soar with straight-wing jets and swept-wing fighters through the sky between 1944 and 1954. Through nearly 200 archive photographs, this book traces the development of British and American jet fighters over a decade, from the end of the Second World War to the advanced designs which were key during the Korean War. Admire the first operational Meteor squadron 616, which was introduced in July 1944, proving to be an adaptable airframe and produced in several versions, including a two-seater trainer, a photo reconnaissance vehicle and a night fighter. Read about how the onset of the Cold War and the threat of Soviet bombers armed with nuclear weapons pushed the United States to transform its 'virtually non-existent' air defence system, developing an interim jet all-weather fighter which supplemented the F-89 Scorpion. But the greatest assets for this book are the hundreds of photos of planes during the period, each accompanied by a detailed description. The book displays a publicity photo of an F-84E Thunderjet at Elgin in 1953 which carried two Tiny Tim 500lb warhead rocket bombs as well as 24 five-inch HVAR (although the normal operational load for this plane would only have been 16 HVAR). Study a shot of the Supermarine Type 508 prototype flying low at Chilbolton during early trials in 1951 with its clean lines and Vee tail. There is also a stunning image of a modified Meteor F.4 in September 1946 which raised the World Air Speed Record to 616mph, beating the F.3 model from November 1945 which flew at 606mph. Marvel also at a fantastic bird's eye view of a wartime Essex class carrier at sea with jets resting on it and note that, in 1953, the carrier USS Antietam was the first to incorporate the British concept of an angled. Paperback, black and white photographs, 134pp.