Some new books

For starters, pick up the January 2004 issue of Airpower magazine. Great feature on the XF-103 inside.

WarbirdTech #19, B-1 Lancer. Not entirely up-to-date, but a solid read. Lots of technical drawings, models of early AMSA studies, specs, serials, etc. This series is great for the modeler or serious enthusiast given the large quantity of technical data and some great detail shots. This one is no different, although they could have done a little more on the B-1A.

Red Ladies In Waiting-Soviet Aircraft In Storage. Squadron/Signal, by Hans-Heiri Stapfer, done in 1994. Great little book to have, there’s a whole mess of pics of ex-Soviet aircraft types in the former USSR, East Germany, and a few other places. Very nice find indeed.

Nuclear Weapons Of The United States-An Illustrated History. James N. Gibson. GREAT book. Lots of historical and operational data, including nuclear accidents, the BGM-109, and early cruise missiles. The only knock on this one is that only in-service weapons are covered (even SPARTAN/SPRINT, which were only active for a VERY short while). They mention the Skybolt ALBM and the Navaho cruise missile more than once, but there’s no data! Otherwise a great reference work, which is also very well illustrated.

Northrop YF-17, A Pictorial History. Don’t let the title fool you, there’s a good deal of great data in here, covering the P-530 all the way through to the F-18L. An excellent (and the only?) history of an often overlooked aircraft.

SR-71 Blackbird Walk-Around. Another Squadron-Signal book, and since it’s on the Blackbird, of course Jim Goodall had to write it. This one is brand new, and it’s a good one. Loads of unpublished detail photos, color profiles, 3-views, and absolutely no text whatsoever. This one is a great addition to any Blackbird fan’s collection. Another one with a misleading title too, as ALL Blackbirds are given a great deal of coverage.

Black Jets. Yes, Airtime has been recycling a lot of their older stuff into “collected works” lately. See the Superfighters or Tupolev Bombers books for more evidence. Yes, this is more of the same. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth it though. For one, it collects the old World Air Power and Wings Of Fame articles on the B-2, F-117, Blackbirds, and U-2R/TR-1. A lot of new stuff in here though. The U-2, B-2, and F-117 sections have been expanded to cover operations as recent as the first stages of Iraqi Freedom. The IAPR feature on the D-21 is included for good measure, as is a list of the location of all preserved aircraft (except the B-2 I saw Friday). Some info on ALL the proposed F-117 variants. There were a bunch! Basically, if you have the old WAPJ/WOF issues, grab this one in the store and give it a look-through to see if it’s of interest. If you don’t have them, scoop it up immediately as it presents a great look at the four aircraft and is suprisingly up-to-date. An excellent choice either way. Besides, you can’t go wrong with the bevy of full-color photos, of the color 3-view of the MD-21.

These three are top-notch, first rate books, but are focused on rather specialised and obscure topics. And they all originate with the Germans in WWII.

First up, Osprey’s new look at one of Adolf’s “wonder weapons”, titled V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942-1952. Covers development, how a firing unit operates, and proposed future versions. But the best part is that -1952 in the title. The book also covers the Soviet R-1 and R-2, as well as a nod to the Chinese DF-1. Truly a great book, and a great source on an early Soviet ballistic missile. Oh, and testing of the weapon by the Allies after the war is also covered.

Next is a similar book.Title, The V-1 And Its Soviet Successors. Very little focus is given to the V-1 in German hands. Two-thirds of the book covers the Soviet copies and their immediate successors. This one is absolutely outstanding, with a bunch of rare black-and-white photos that you won’t find anywhere else. An outstanding work which any Soviet or Russian hardware enthusiast should track down at once.

Lastly is my favorite of all of these. Written by David Myrha and profusely illustrated with a ton of old photos and drawings, the title is Sanger-Germany’s Orbital Rocket Bomber In WWII. Now looking at the title, most of you are going to be looking like this: This is one of the most evolutionary concepts that the Germans were developing in the early forties, and the history is covered here in exhaustive detail. Early concepts, other designs for striking America, and the efforts of some of the associated designers after the War are all covered. The best part is the places where this NASA scientist guy is all “this would have worked.” Kinda makes you think what might have happened had the war gone on for a little longer. A big book, and an even bigger read. Thoroughly recommended to anyone with an interest in WWII or modern aerospace technology.

That about covers it. As always, feel free to fire any questions you may have.

Damn, my wallet is still hurting from this one 😀