The emphasis is on the Russian bombers and the book presents wealth of information about Russian design bureaux' bombing planes. The reader is given exclusive details of what lies beneath the skins of the world's most potent Tupolev Tu-160 bomber, considered some years ago politically controversial Tu-22M, highly successfull Tu-16. Included are the recently revealed details of Sukhoi T-4 (100) Mach 3 program.
The uniqueness of this book is that it represents the first attempt to gather between the covers of a single volume all the relevant data, both technical and historical, on the mentioned and other aircraft including Tu-95, Myasishchev 3M/M-4, Ilyushin 11-28. Many hitherto unpublished or lessknown facts appear on the pages of the book.
This fact-filled volume also provides an indispensable store of information about important Western bombers including Boeing B-47 and B-52, Convair B-36 and B-58, Northrop B-2, Lockheed F-117, English Electric Canberra, Dassault Mirage IV and other aircraft.
The present volume seeks to provide what is virtually a firmly structured encyclopedia of postwar bombers. The format used follows a uniform pattern on each bomber and gives information on the historical background, airframe features, powerplant, systems, avionics, weapons, performance and combat employment (if the aircraft described have seen combat). The types of aircraft appear alphabetically by country of origin and manufacturers.
This magnificent, most informative volume contains more than 600 dramatic photographs, helping to make it invaluable to all who have an interest in military aviation, whether professionally or simply as an enthusiast and student of aircraft development. Through its precise and detailed information this authoritative book seems likely to be a guide to the postwar bombing planes for all the air-minded people.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The authors are avid aviation enthusiasts, specialising in the analysis of the aviation, aircraft weapons and avionics information. In 1994 they published Modern Fighters, the first book in Hobby Publishing House aviation series.
At the time of writing the book Michael A.Levin was employed at the Russian Central Aerohydrody- namic Institute's (TsAGI) State Research amp; Development Centre. He was the head of the Military Aviation Group of the TsAGI's Scientific/Technical Information Depar
tment and Military Aviation Editor of the TsAGI's «Technical Information» bimonthly bulletin and «Aviation and Missile Technology» weekly bulletin. He holds a Candidate of science degree from the Institute of Science and Technology History (of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Now he is a project manager for the computer financial and accounting systems.