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During the years preceding and during WW2, the RAF and the Royal
Aircraft Establishment were responsible for the selection and
procurement of British military aircraft and also to evaluate their
capabilities against captured enemy models whenever possible.
During the lend-lease agreement with the USA, the RAF and Fleet Air
Arm operated several American designs, each of which was tested to
evaluate its potential. This book looks at the key area of fighter
aircraft and includes the test results and pilot's own first-hand
accounts of flying seventeen different models, designed in the UK,
America and Germany. The reader will learn of the possibilities of
air superiority offered by these types and also their weaknesses.
Types included are The Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire,
Boulton Paul Defiant, Hawker Tempest and Typhoon, Bell Airacobra,
Messerschmitt Bf 109, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Brewster Buffalo, Curtiss
Tomahawk, North American Mustang, Grumman Martlet, Republic
Thunderbolt, and Vought Corsair. All aircraft that saw a great deal
of action throughout the War and which are now part of legend.
The Spitfire is probably Britain's best loved and admired
aeroplane. It is also revered around the world. This book looks at
the later marques that were modified for various special tasks and
differed to a large degree from Supermarine's first early versions
that saw action in the early days of World War II. New and more
powerful Rolls-Royce engines replaced the well-tried Merlin, but
increased the aircrafts performance in terms of speed and
operational altitude. Subtle changes to wing design also increased
the manoeuvrability and capability of these spectacular models that
survived in the operational role until superseded by the
introduction of jet-powered flight. The content explains the design
details, development and flight testing of twelve models and also
contains their operational roles and history. Lengthy appendices
will include Griffon-powered Spitfire aces, V1 rocket destruction
aces, Griffon-powered Spitfire losses and where the survivors can
be found.
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 model, the S Mk 1, entered operational service with
the Fleet Air Arm in 1961. S Mk 2 became operational in 1964,
powered by Rolls-Royce Spey engines that gave considerably more
thrust. The aircraft were armed with rocket pods, up to 1,000 lb
free-fall bombs, Martel air-to-ship missiles or the nuclear Red
Beard system. During the financial upheavals of the mid 1960s, the
government decided to retire the RN carrier fleet, thus eliminating
a fixed-wing aircraft requirement. Simultaneously, the TSR2
development programme was abandoned and left the RAF without a new
attack aircraft. Enter the S Mk2B, a land-based Buccaneer, with
increased range and payload, which joined the RAF in 1969, and by
the early 1970s the ex-Fleet Air Arm aircraft were also carrying
RAF markings.
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 model, the S Mk 1, entered operational service with
the Fleet Air Arm in 1961. S Mk 2 became operational in 1964,
powered by Rolls-Royce Spey engines that gave considerably more
thrust. The aircraft were armed with rocket pods, up to 1,000 lb
free-fall bombs, Martel air-to-ship missiles or the nuclear Red
Beard system. During the financial upheavals of the mid 1960s, the
government decided to retire the RN carrier fleet, thus eliminating
a fixed-wing aircraft requirement. Simultaneously, the TSR2
development programme was abandoned and left the RAF without a new
attack aircraft. Enter the S Mk2B, a land-based Buccaneer, with
increased range and payload, which joined the RAF in 1969, and by
the early 1970s the ex-Fleet Air Arm aircraft were also carrying
RAF markings.
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