Tim McLelland - Böcker

Vulcan: God of Fire is a historical account of Britain’s nuclear deterrent force, the development of atomic/thermonuclear weapons and the bombers. It includes a description of the design, development and manufacture of the Vulcan, the flight-testing programme and entry into RAF service. There is also a full account of the Vulcan’s career, including its primary role as a nuclear bomber and as a key participant in the 1982 Falklands conflict. Further coverage includes the use of the Vulcan as a refuelling tanker and reconnaissance platform, and the Vulcan XH558, whose last flight was on 28 October 2015.Historical information is combined with first-hand accounts from former air and ground crews, and a full description of the service history or disposal of every Vulcan aircraft manufactured is included.This book comprises a comprehensive work on the Vulcan aircraft and its role in British aviation, with many stunning images to accompany this definitive account.

After the success of the Halifax bomber that pulverised the Third Reich, Handley Page soon looked at new designs. Attracting the interest of the Air Ministry in 1947, Handley Page developed a new bomber that could drop the atom bomb on Moscow. The Victor was born, one of three V-bombers with the Valiant and Vulcan. After relative smooth test flights, the first Victor B.1s came off the production line in early 1956 and proved to be a remarkable bomber – a pilot inadvertently achieved Mach 1.1 in a 1- or 2-degree dive! A stalwart part of the nuclear deterrent force, the Victor saw service with Bomber Command with the Yellow Sun hydrogen bomb. By 1959, minor improvements saw the B.2 variant take shape. Flying faster and higher than the Vulcan, the Victor also saw action as a low-level bomber and also carried the Blue Steel nuclear missile. However, by the early 1960s, Handley Page was in trouble as the government merged aviation companies and the future of the Victor was in doubt. Giving sterling service, many Victors were scrapped and surviving examples were converted into fuel tankers. Cancelling the Victor force was a costly mistake as fuel tankers were desperately needed. Seeing action twice, the Victor was the unsung hero of the Falklands conflict as it was the only aircraft with the range to fuel a Vulcan on the famous Black Buck raid. The Victor also pounded Saddam Hussein’s forces in 1991, dropping an awesome 35 1000lb bombs.

The Typhoon is at the forefront of NATO’s order of battle. It is the Royal Air Force’s most important and numerous combat aircraft and looks set to remain the heart of the RAF’s offensive and defensive capabilities for the next three decades. Typhoon also equips the fighter and bomber units of Germany’s Luftwaffe, the Italian and Spanish air forces, and those of Saudi Arabia and Austria. The Typhoon’s history begins with the Experimental Aircraft programme, which was followed by the creation of the Eurofighter and its entry into operational service as the Typhoon. Despite its significance, Typhoon’s history has never been explored in book form, but Tim McLelland now tells its story with the aid of spectacular photographs, highlighting the Typhoon’s multiple capabilities and the design requirements of the nations who collaborated to produce it. The result is a fascinating account of the creation and development of NATO’s most modern and important combat aircraft.

Britain's Cold War Bombers explores the creation and development of the jet bomber, tracing the emergence of the first jet designs (the Valiant and Vulcan) through to the first-generation jets which entered service with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm. Each aircraft type is examined, looking at how the design was created and how this translated into an operational aircraft. The basic development and service history of each type is explained, with a narrative which links the linear appearance of each new design, leading to the present day and the latest generation of Typhoon aircraft. Other aircraft types covered are the Canberra, Sperrin, Victor, Scimitar, Buccaneer, Nimrod, Phantom, Sea Harrier, Jaguar, Tornado GR1/4 and Typhoon.