There is much of ‘Hawker’ interest in ‘Typhoon to Typhoon’, another thoroughly researched work by Chris Gibson, this time covering the design and development of the RAF’s ground support aircraft, both projects and actual, and the weapons they carried. The early chapters set the scene by describing the Soviet threat during the Cold War and summarising the aircraft and weapons projected and used before the appearance of the ground attack Hurricane and the outstanding Typhoon and Tempest. Then the story moves on to the Hunter and the efforts to replace it with the abortive NBMR 3 proposals leading to the still-borne P.1154 and the Harrier. The Jaguar, Tornado and RAF Phantom and Buccaneer are covered on the way to the present day Typhoon via AST 396 and AST 403. Interesting as the aircraft are, particularly the dozens of projects from HSA, BAC and BAe, it is the depth of coverage of the weapons and their associated sensors and guidance systems that impresses the reader, all being explained with numerous excellent diagrams by the author. This 240 page book (ISBN 9 781902 109596) has been beautifully produced by Hikoki and is a bargain at £29.95 (or £20.96 from Amazon).

Book Reviws

    The 30th issue of ‘The Aviation Historian’ as usual contains much to delight the enthusiast, your editor particularly enjoying ‘Handley Page - the Decline and Fall’ by Prof Keith Hayward, covering the industry and government politics, and Sir Frederick’s intransigence, in the 1960s which led to the closure of his 1909 company in 1970. Working from original documents, Tony Buttler has contributed ‘Struck by Lightning’, the story of Armstrong Whitworth’s little known supersonic AW.58 projects which were defeated by Fairey’s FD.2 and English Electric’s P.1.