The story of aerial photo reconnaissance over Europe and the Mediterranean from bases in the United Kingdom is well known. But perhaps even more important in terms of strategy (and mostly unrecorded) was the job of the photographic squadrons in the Far East; to discover Japanese movements and intentions within a vast area, 2,000 miles across, within which virtually no other intelligence could otherwise be obtained. Flying through appalling weather conditions over some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world, against an implacable enemy, often in aircraft unsuited to the task and frequently unarmed, the crews were, until now, the forgotten eyes of the "Forgotten Army."

Eyes for the Phoenix: Allied Aerial Photo-Reconnaissance Operations, South-East Asia 1941-1945

History

Geoffrey J. Thomas

Asia

Hikoki

In the years after World War II, aircraft optimized for various kinds of special missions began assuming ever-greater importance in the inventories of the world's leading air forces. The Soviet Union was no exception - numerous special mission versions of Soviet military fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters were developed and fielded, and the process is continuing in modern Russia. Some of them have seen action in various armed conflicts, including the Afghan War, the Chechen Wars and, most recently, the Syrian War. The need to control friendly forces on the move and manage airborne air defense assets efficiently resulted in the development of airborne early warning and control (AEW&C ) aircraft. The first of these in the Soviet inventory was the early 1960s vintage Tupolev Tu- 126 which was replaced in the 1980s by the Ilyushin/Beriyev A-50. The latter has been constantly upgraded but is now due for replacement by the latest A-100. An equally important role is filled by airborne command posts - mostly based on airliners, including the Ilyushin Il-22 army-level ABC P, the Tu-214PU and the Il-80 national emergency airborne command post (the Russian equivalent of the Boeing E-4 'doomsday aircraft'). The latter may be replaced by a specialised derivative of the Il-96-400 airliner. Rotary-wing aircraft in this class were also developed, such as the Mil' Mi-8VzPU and Mi- 6VKP/Mi-22. Another important class is reconnaissance aircraft of various categories - photo reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, nuclear/biological/chemical reconnaissance, radiation intelligence (RINT). These were represented by ELINT versions of bombers (including the Tu-22 and Tu-22M), airliners and transports (ELINT versions of the Antonov An-12 and An-26 transports, the Il-20 derivative of the Il-18 airliner), RINT versions of the An-12 and the An-24 airliner etc. A separate chapter covers electronic countermeasures aircraft, such as specialized versions of the Tu-16 and Tu-22 bombers and An-12 transport, the latest Il-22PP, the Army Aviation's many EC M versions of the Mi-8 helicopter (including the latest Mi-8MTPR) and the heavy Mi-10PP. A singularly important class is in-flight refueling tankers supporting the operations of both heavy aircraft (notably strategic bombers) and tactical jets. These include tanker versions of the Tupolev Tu-16 and Myasishchev M-4/3MS series bombers and the Il-78, including the latest Il-78M-90. Another category which assumed considerable importance is search and rescue aircraft, such as the naval An-12PS equipped to carry a paradroppable lifeboat and the latest Beriyev Be-200PS amphibian able to pick up survivors at the scene of a maritime disaster. The book is illustrated with numerous previously unpublished photos, line drawings and many color side views.

Soviet and Russian Special Mission Aircraft

Gordon, Yefim

Military

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 airplanes brought British piston fighter development to its zenith, but then in a very short space of time the new jet engine wiped this generation away. Perhaps it would not have been possible to take piston power and further anyway but the turboprop might have been a longer-term alternative, though in the end the only British type with this form of powerplant would be the Westland Wyvern naval strike fighter. Chapters look at the engines involved including the Rolls-Royce Merlin 130 series, Griffon and Eagle, Napier Sabre and Bristol Centaurus, propellor developments (contra-rotating) and then take each fighter type in turn. The coverage described their development and testing and includes quotes and passes from flight test reports. Additional appendices look at some British one-off designs and testbed programs, then the only fighter types flown abroad powered by these engine types (the Australian C A-15 and Argentine IAe 30) and finally two similar unbuilt projects proposed by Sweden (the J 27 Mustang lookalike) and Switzerland (the N-6). Illustrated with over 300 photos, many previously unpublished, this is a must for enthusiasts of World War II aviation and the history of the British fighter.

Propeller Twilight: The Last Generation of British Piston Engine Fighters

Buttler, Tony

Q-Birds: The Impact of American Manned Aircraft as Drones

Johnson, Frederick A.

Ferret!: USAAF Airborne Signals Intelligence Development and Operations 1942-1945

Cahill, William M.

This book is a history of RAF support units since 1945. These elements undertook a wide range of vital duties including providing intelligence in the form of radar and photographic reconnaissance, early warning and air defence, casualty evacuation, air-to-air refuelling and even VIP transportation; the aircraft of both the King's or Queen's Flight and those used to ferry the Top Brass around the theatre and battlefields.The aircraft used in these roles since World War Two were as varied as the roles themselves. Radar and photographic reconnaissance involved English Electric Canberras, Handley Page Victors and ultimately the Sentinel R1. Tactical reconnaissance missions used the Gloster Meteor, Supermarine Swift and Hawker Hunter followed by the SEPECAT Jaguar and Panavia Tornado of the late and post-Cold War eras.In the air defence field, Avro Shackleton AEW.2 and BAe Nimrod AEW3 were developed to provide airborne early warning, a role that was eventually passing to the Boeing E-3D Sentry AEW.1. Air-to-air refuelling, in which the British led the field in 1945 but then abandoned, was revived in the late 1950s when surplus Vickers Valiants and Handley Page Victor were converted to tankers. Since 1982, tankers have become invaluable to the RAF; among the aircraft used were the VC10, Hercules and Vulcan and the Airbus Voyager.This detailed and meticulously researched book shows how support types became increasingly important as the Cold War evolved. Using recently declassified information, it examines design studies and prototypes that led to the development of the systems that allowed the sharp end of the RAF to operate in the Cold war and in the wars of the decades that followed.

They Also Serve: RAF Reconnaissance and Support Projects Since 1945

Gibson, Chris

Europe

Some of the bombing missions of the U.S. 8th Air Force in World War II, such as the Schweinfurt and Berlin, have become legendary for one reason or another. Yet in the course of the war there were many others; missions forming part of the larger Allied strategy that did not become famous. These were simply part of the wearing down of a tenacious enemy. One such mission was Mission 376 on May 28, 1944, when ordinary men on both sides revealed extraordinary courage as they experienced the confusion and terror that accompanied the routine bloodletting. The day had one unusual characteristic, however-when it saw the first combat use of remote-controlled glide bombs by the USAAF. This book describes in unprecedented detail the events, experience and aircraft of the men on both sides that day during the course of 'an ordinary mission.'

Mission 376: Battle Over the Reich 28 May 1944

De Jong, Ivo

The Russian Air Force's strategic bomber component was inherited from the Soviet Air Force after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Russia began by recovering some of the heavy bomber assets left outside its borders, the Tu-95MS Bear-Hs based in Kazakhstan, eight Tu-160 Blackjacks, and three Tu-95MS Backfire-Cs of the bomber fleet taken over by the Ukraine. Flown by the Russian Air Force's 37th Air Army, these bombers were involved in, amongst others, the military operation to stop the Georgian aggression against South Ossetia in August 2008. President Putin's ride in a Tu-160 during a major exercise in which he performed a live missile launch is well documented, as is a visit to Venezuela by three Tu-160s which caused much dismay in the USA. Russian Strategic Aviation Today includes a development and design history of the Blackjack, Bear, and Backfire, their armament, unit badges, and insignia of the Russian units operating them. Backed up by around 600 photographs, many previously unreleased, detailed line drawings and color profiles including individual names and nose art, this book provides a wealth of information for the historian and modeler alike. Russian Strategic Aviation Today is a companion volume to Soviet Strategic Aviation - In the Cold War, which together present a unique insight into the strategic aircraft of the Soviet and Russian air forces since 1945.

Russian Strategic Aviation Today

Komissarov, Dmitriy

Tim Mason's book on experimental aircraft and flight testing describes the development and testing of the most evocative of aircraft types, those capable of landing and taking off from water. Beginning with the establishment of the experimental flying boat station at Felixstowe, the author explains the development of aircraft testing in two different environments and examines in detail those maritime aircraft which did much to establish British naval airpower and develop long-range links with the outposts of the Empire.Amongst many unfamiliar and strange aircraft are the Parnall Peto, intended for use on submarines, the Saro Lerwick which turned out to be such a military failure and a bizarre scheme for Sunderland flying boats to carry midget submarines. Coupled with details of those seaplanes which did much to counter the U-boat menace in World War II, more than 300 mostly previously unpublished photos, artworks, and tables, there is much for even the most demanding aviation enthusiast to savor.

The Seaplane Years: A History Of The Marine & Armament Experimental Establishment, 1920-1924, And The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, 1924-1956

Mason, Tim

The Secret Years

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