Böcker av Tony (Author) Buttler

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 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 programmes, then the only fighter types flown abroad powered by these engine types (the Australian CA-15 and Argentine IAe 30) and finally two similiar 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 Illustrated with over 300 photos, many previously unpublished, this is a must for enthusiasts of World War II aviation and the history of the British fighter.

Having completed the revision of his series of British Secret Projects titles, Tony Buttler has now begun the same treatment for his early volumes on American Secret Projects. This first revised book describes the design and development of American bomber and attack aircraft from the end of World War II to the mid-1970s, both for the Air Force and the Navy. Once again the emphasis is placed on designs that were never built, particularly within the context of competitions between the various manufacturers against official requirements.The projects and programmes described range from the largest and most outrageous ideas for heavy strategic bombers down to much smaller anti-submarine and ground attack types. The majority of the work has been compiled from extensive research using primary source material and this second edition includes many additional and previously unseen three-view drawings, original artist''s impressions and photographs of manufacturer''s models. They are accompanied by a new selection of photos, many in colour, which makes this revised and expanded edition a great resource for modellers in particular. In addition to the comprehensive text, supplementary appendices list the projects by manufacturer and their specifications

A revised investigation of the design and development of UK military aircraft. Also covers designs that were not built, providing artists' impressions of how they might have looked.

In the years immediately after World War II, Europe produced a bewildering array of experimental aircraft - 'X-Planes' - testing new aerodynamic ideas and the potential of jet propulsion. These exciting machines are detailed in the bestselling book X-Planes of Europe: Secret Research Aircraft from the Golden Age 1946-1974.This essential second volume continues the European X-Plane story, covering those aircraft designed to apply newfound technologies and techniques to the military frontline. X-Planes of Europe II details the demonstrator aircraft built to explore jet power, supersonic performance, variable-geometry wings and many other innovations for combat aircraft. It discusses the many prototype military aircraft that never made it to production and passed into history. Most famous of these may be the controversial BAC TSR.2, while other prototypes led to outstanding, successful service aircraft - such as the Hawker P.1052 and P.1081 that preceded the Hunter, and English Electric's P.1, predecessor of the Lightning. Delving deeply into contemporary journals and company, museum and national archives, author Tony Buttler has researched these rare and important aircraft ranging from well-known aircraft - the de Havilland DH.110 and Short Sperrin for example - to the esoteric, including Yugoslavia's Ikarus projects and Spain's Hispano HA-300. He also examines the prodigious output of the French aerospace industry, which created an amazing series of military aircraft prototypes varying from the ill-conceived to the world class.Complimented with previously unseen archive photography, detailed specifications, manufacturer's drawings and colour artwork, X-Planes of Europe II is the logical and complete companion to the acclaimed X-Planes of Europe and offers a new and exciting perspective on Europe's military aircraft innovation throughout the Cold War years.