The Big Book of X-Bombers & X-Fighters
The Big Book of X-Bombers & X-Fighters

Author: Steve Pace

Publisher: Zenith Press

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 743

ISBN-13: 0760351422

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They're all here--every X-bomber and X-fighter since 1942. On October 2, 1942, the Bell XP-59 Airacomet soared up and away from present-day Edwards AFB, launching the US Army Air Forces into the Jet Age. In the several decades since, hundreds of new variations of experimental and test turbojet-powered bombers and fighters--X-bombers and X-fighters--have taken explosive flight. These aircraft blazed a trail leading to today's B-2 Stealth Bomber and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Big Book of X-Bombers & X-Fighters showcases all of the USAF jet-powered X-bombers and X-fighters that have flown since 1942--more than 90 in all, including the alphabet soup of their variants. From experimental to prototype service bombers and fighters--from the XB-43 to the B-2A and the XP-59A to the F-35A--they're all here, with their inside stories revealed. Some of these aircraft were further developed. Others were canceled. All stretched the performance and design envelopes. More than 250 photos illustrate all of these experimental aircrafts' cutting-edge features and zeroes in on histories of their design, flight testing, and weapons testing. Specification tables detailing performance, design, and armaments help round out this compendium of information on truly groundbreaking aviation designs. X-bombers and X-fighters in The Big Book of X-Bombers & X-Fighters include: Bell P-59 Airacomet Republic P/F-84 Thunderjet Douglas B-43 Jetmaster North American B-45 Tornado Boeing B-47 Stratojet Curtiss P/F-87 Blackhawk McDonnell P/F-85 Goblin Convair P/F-92 "Dart" Northrop F-17 Cobra Boeing B-1 Lancer And all the rest! Specifications included for each aircraft include: Length Height Wingspan Empty weight Gross weight Maximum range Ceiling Maximum speed Armament In addition, veteran aviation author Steve Pace shows readers some of the designs that could have been and offers a peek into what might be lurking in the future, making this the definitive guide to USAF jet-powered experimental aircraft!

America's Big Bomb and Bombers
America's Big Bomb and Bombers

Author: David Baker

Publisher:

Published: 2021-06-15

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9781911639251

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This is the story of America's bid to obtain atomic weapons and the aircraft that were developed to deliver them, first tested in July 1945 and the subsequent use of uranium and plutonium bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, an event that pushed Japan to total surrender and the end of the Second World War.Tells the background story of the development of fission weapons, the science behind the engineering, and the colossal effort mobilised by the US, Britain, and Canada to put together what was, at the time, the world's biggest and, at today's cost of $320 billion, the most expensive scientific and weaponized research and development effort in history.Throughout, this story is one of technology, propulsion, design, engineering, and operational deployment of the aircraft. It is not a book about missions, men, or operational activities.

A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force
A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

Author: Stephen Lee McFarland

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13:

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Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters
Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters

Author: Dennis R. Jenkins

Publisher: Specialty Press (MN)

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781580071116

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Experimental and Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters examines the development of fighter airframes and engines since the end of World War II. The book covers each design that reached the hardware development stage and received an XF or YF designation from the Air Force. Sometimes the airframe/engine combination worked, as it did in the North American F-86 Sabre. Other times, technology failed, as it did in the Convair XP-92 ducted-rocket interceptor. In addition to the changing aerodynamic technologies, the evolution of offensive weapons for each evolution of fighter is also reviewed. Much of the data used in the book came from previously classified Air Force program documents. Dozens of never-before-seen photos highlight this review of Air Force fighter aircraft.

Sierra Hotel : flying Air Force fighters in the decade after Vietnam
Sierra Hotel : flying Air Force fighters in the decade after Vietnam

Author:

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1428990488

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In February 1999, only a few weeks before the U.S. Air Force spearheaded NATO's Allied Force air campaign against Serbia, Col. C.R. Anderegg, USAF (Ret.), visited the commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Colonel Anderegg had known Gen. John Jumper since they had served together as jet forward air controllers in Southeast Asia nearly thirty years earlier. From the vantage point of 1999, they looked back to the day in February 1970, when they first controlled a laser-guided bomb strike. In this book Anderegg takes us from "glimmers of hope" like that one through other major improvements in the Air Force that came between the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Always central in Anderegg's account of those changes are the people who made them. This is a very personal book by an officer who participated in the transformation he describes so vividly. Much of his story revolves around the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada, where he served two tours as an instructor pilot specializing in guided munitions.

Military Bomber Aircraft
Military Bomber Aircraft

Author: Grace Hansen

Publisher: ABDO

Published: 2016-12-15

Total Pages: 27

ISBN-13: 1680796445

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Bomber aircraft are important to militaries around the world that need to destroy large targets. Readers will learn what makes these aircraft bombers, their capabilities, crewmembers, and much more. Big full-bleed photographs, new glossary terms, and a close up look at an aircraft will keep readers wanting more! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo Kids Jumbo is an imprint of Abdo Kids, a division of ABDO.

Aging of U.S. Air Force Aircraft
Aging of U.S. Air Force Aircraft

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1997-09-30

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 0309174473

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Many of the aircraft that form the backbone of the U.S. Air Force operational fleet are 25 years old or older. A few of these will be replaced with new aircraft, but many are expected to remain in service an additional 25 years or more. This book provides a strategy to address the technical needs and priorities associated with the Air Force's aging airframe structures. It includes a detailed summary of the structural status of the aging force, identification of key technical issues, recommendations for near-term engineering and management actions, and prioritized near-term and long-term research recommendations.

Bomber R & D Since 1945
Bomber R & D Since 1945

Author: Mark A. Lorell

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13:

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The authors conclude that relevant experience does, indeed, matter--firms develop valuable system-specific knowledge in ongoing work, and experience in important new technologies has a distinct advantage.