Military Aircraft of the Cold War

Born of the struggle for global influence between the great powers in the aftermath of World War II, the Cold War was an era of inexorable technological advancement and a succession of wars-by-proxy between Soviet Russia and the United States. Driven by political pressures and helped by advances mad [...]
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Born of the struggle for global influence between the great powers in the aftermath of World War II, the Cold War was an era of inexorable technological advancement and a succession of wars-by-proxy between Soviet Russia and the United States. Driven by political pressures and helped by advances made in the latter years of the war by German, British and American scientists, the western powers and the Communist bloc embarked on an unprecedented arms race. Military aircraft were a key part of this ruthless competition, and for many aviation enthusiasts the Cold War was the golden age of the jet fighter. Less than 20 years separated early jets such as the P-80 Shooting Star, scarcely able to overtake a propeller-driven WWII fighter, from interceptors such as the MiG-25 'Foxbat', which was more than 31/2 times faster and capable of flying at over three times the speed of sound. Wars in Korea, Vietnam and other volatile regions gave many of these spectacular and deadly machines a baptism of fire, and some aircraft developed during this period, such as the C-130 Hercules and Boeing B-52, are still in US Air Force service today.Military Aircraft of the Cold War is a fascinating and fact-packed guide to more than 100 of the finest aircraft in service between 1945 and 1980. For a generation of aviation buffs, iconic aircraft such as the Avro Vulcan, B-58 Hustler and F-4 Phantom II hold a certain magic that is unsurpassed by the more efficient, smaller, quieter and more modern types in service today. Providing hours of entertaining reading for both these nostalgic enthusiasts and general readers, each aircraft is covered in detail, with feature boxes outlining its development, technical specifications, performance data, and variants. Unique graphics allow the reader to compare specific features like range, speed and ceiling with contemporary aircraft.