Fighter

by Jim Winchester

Ever since the earliest observation aircraft were fitted with a machine gun during World War I, fighter and attack aircraft have been a key weapon in every major conflict. Driven by the deadly impetus of battle, throughout the twentieth century designers strived to improve armament, speed, range and versatility, resulting in today's stealthy and agile superfighters. Taking an in-depth look at 75 of the most significant fighter and attack aircraft ever produced, this book is a celebration of these spectacular and superlative weapons of war.

Covering more than 90 years of military aviation, Fighter features all the most famous fighter aircraft, including the Avro 504K, Supermarine Spitfire, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, North American F-86 Sabre and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 'Fishbed'.

Arranged chronologically, each aircraft is illustrated with color photographs and profile artworks, while a detailed specification panel gives full technical details including dimensions, speed, range and armament.

The informed and lively text details the design and development of each type, its combat record and variants, and includes first-hand accounts from pilots who have flown each aircraft in combat or service. Accessible and comprehensive, and with a wealth of technical detail, Fighter will appeal to anyone with an interest in military aviation.

Jim Winchester is a freelance writer of many years' experience who has written widely on various aspects of aviation. He is the author of several books including Fighters of the 20th Century, Classic Airliners: Lockheed Constellation, and Combat Legends: A-4 Skyhawk, and has contributed to the World Air Power Journal and Flight International's World Aircraft and Systems Directory. He lives in west London.

Genres: Aviation, Military History, Reference

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done book, starting with fighters from the earliest days of flight until 'present day' (published 2006), so the Joint Strike Fighter.
Very consistent 6 pages per plane. Quick starter italic paragraph to clue you into the basics of this plane's use/idea. Three drawing-views with simple specs (I wish production count was added here, but that's OK). Some actions pictures and a good amount of text.
List of planes:
1. Fokker E.I-E.III
2. Spad VII-XIII
3. Albatros D.V
4. Sopwith camel
5. Fokker Dr.I Triplane
6. Hawker Fury
7. I-16
8. Gladiator
9. Bf 109
10. Hurricane
11. Spitfire
12. D.520
13. P-40 Warhawk
14. P-38 Lightning
15. F4F Wildcat
16. Yak-1-9
17. A6M Zero
18. Fw 190
19. Typhoon/Tempest
20. F4U Corsair
21. MC.202 Folgore/MC.200 Saetta/MC.205 Veltro
22. P-47 Thunderbolt
23. Me 262 Schwalbe
24. P-51 Mustang
25. P-61 Black Widow
26. F6F Hellcat
27. Meteor
28. DeHavilland Vampire and Venom
29. North American F-86 Sabre
30. MiG-15 and 17
31. Hawker Hunter
32. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger/F-106 Delta Dart
33. Vought F-8 Crusader
34. MiG-21 Fishbed
35. Dassault Mirage III and 5
36. English Electric Lightning
37. McD.D F-4 Phantom
38. SAAB Viggen
39. Grumman F-14 Tomcat
40. McD.D F-15 Eagle
41. GD/LM F-16 Falcon
42. MiG-29 Fulcrum
43. McD.D F/A-18 Hornet
44. Hawker Harrier
45. Panavia Tornado
46. Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker
47. Dassault Rafale
48. SAAB JAS 39 Gripen
49. Eurofighter Typhoon
50. LM F/A-22 Raptor
51. LM X-35 Joint Strike Fighter

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this entire book in third grade and I really loved it from start to finish. It taught me so much and I really enjoyed learning from this book. I loved airplanes so much so naturally, I LOVED this book. Every day I wanted to read it so bad, and I did for hours a day. This book was really great.

[John Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/20.