Malcolm Fife explores the fascinating world of British Military Aviation in the 1970s.

Number 4 in the Aviation Ancestry catalogue of British Aviation Advertisements (1909-1980) this volume covers the listings for The Bristol Type 142 & Blenheim Aircraft. Aimed primarily at researchers and enthusiasts the adverts are reproduced at one per page without narrative. Each item includes the source title and original date of publication.

From the acclaimed author of Britain's War Machine and The Shock of the Old, a bold reassessment of Britain's twentieth century. Itis usual to see the United Kingdom as an island of continuity in an otherwiseconvulsed and unstable Europe; its political history a smooth sequence ofadministrations, from building a welfare state to coping with decline. Nobodywould dream of writing the history of Germany, say, or the Soviet Union in thisway. David Edgerton's major new history breaks out of the confines of traditionalBritish national history to redefine what it was to British, and to reveal anunfamiliar place, subject to huge disruptions. This was not simply because ofthe world wars and global economic transformations, but in its very nature. Until the 1940s the United Kingdom was, Edgerton argues, an exceptionalplace: liberal, capitalist and anti-nationalist, at the heart of a European andglobal web of trade and influence. Then, as its global position collapsed, itbecame, for the first time and only briefly, a real, successful nation, with shared goals, horizons andindustry, before reinventing itself again in the 1970s as part of the EuropeanUnion and as the host for international capital, no longer capable of being anation. Packed with surprising examples and arguments, The Rise and Fall of theBritish Nation gives usa grown-up, unsentimental history which takes business and warfare seriously,and which is crucial at a moment of serious reconsideration for the country andits future.

In 1962, a unique transport aircraft was built from the parts of 27 Boeing B-377 airliners to provide NASA a means of transporting rocket boosters. With an interior the size of a gymnasium, "The Pregnant Guppy" was the first of six enormous cargo planes built by Aero Spacelines and two built by Union de Transport Aeriens. More than half a century later, the last Super Guppy is still in active service with NASA and the design concept has been applied to next-generation transports. This comprehensive history of expanded fuselage aircraft begins in the 1940s with the military's need for a long-range transport. The author examines the development of competing designs by Boeing, Convair and Douglas, and the many challenges and catastrophic failures. Behind-the-scenes maneuvers of financiers, corporate raiders, mobsters and other nefarious characters provide an inside look at aviation development from the drawing board to the scrap yard.

“An attractive book . . . chock full with photos and drawings of all the planes that have been drawn and built in these years in the UK.” —AviationBookReviews.com It could be argued that the heyday of British military aircraft flight testing began in the 1940s, and continued throughout the three decades that followed, during the so-called Cold War period. As such, the authors have purposely chosen to focus on the first 30 years, The Golden Years, 1945 to 1975, from the end of World War Two until the mid-1970s. This was arguably the most exciting period with many wonderful and new types rubbing shoulders with wartime and immediate postwar designs that were utilized for development purposes, making for an eclectic mix of shapes and color schemes. Alongside the technical aspects of military testing and development, are the many and varied color schemes and markings carried by the aircraft themselves—not only by the brand-new experimental designs, but by existing production machines, suitably modified, to greater or lesser degrees, to develop the technical advances in systems and weaponry. Scores of different aircraft types are covered in British Military Test and Evaluation Aircraft: The Golden Years 1945-1975, with over 65 rarely seen contemporary photographs from private collections, and, differing slightly from previous Flight Craft book formats, over 50 pages of specially commissioned full color profiles and plan views, visually chronicling the diverse range of color schemes and markings applied to these fascinating airplanes. “The development of British military aircraft is examined in extraordinary and fascinating detail in Malcolm Lowe’s spectacular book.” —Books Monthly

"Organized into three parts, the ninth edition traces the impact that societal changes and emerging technologies are having as force enablers, game changers, or disrupters of American defense policy"--

What exactly is military history? Forty years ago it meant battles, campaigns, great commanders, drums and trumpets. It was largely the preserve of military professionals and was used to support national history and nationalism. Now, though, the study of war has been transformed by the war and society approach, by the examination of identity, memory and gender, and a less Euro-centric and more global perspective. Generally it is recognised that war and conflict must be integrated into the wider narrative of historical development, and this is why Ian Becketts research guide is such a useful tool for anyone working in this growing field. It introduces students to all the key debates, issues and resources. While European and global perspectives are not neglected, there is an emphasis on the British experience of war since 1500. This survey of British military history will be essential reading and reference for anyone who has a professional or amateur interest in the subject, and it will be a valuable introduction for newcomers to it.