X-Planes of Europe II: Military Prototype Aircraft from the Golden Age 1945-1974
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Author: Tony Buttler
Publisher: Hikoki Publications
ISBN: 978-1-9021-0948-0
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Post-war aviation development took place at a very rapid pace, with the advent of jet engines and faster-than-sound speeds. New designs seemed to show up almost overnight all around the world as each nation tried to set new records, achieve higher reliability, and reach new heights in aviation technology. While much attention is given to those aircraft that ultimately ended up in production, these one-off prototypes have just as fascinating a story to tell. Tony Buttler and Hikoki Publications have teamed up to tell this story of those military prototype aircraft in Europe in this second volume on X-planes of Europe.
This book focuses on those aircraft that were used to adapt evolving technology to frontline aircraft, as opposed to the first volume, which focused more on testing ideas. As such, this book covers more well-known subjects such as the BAC TSR.2 and the English Electric P.1. While many of the subjects are British, there are other nations presented, including Yugoslavia, Spain, France, and Italy. The text does an excellent job of detailing the history of these unique types, while the thorough archival work has added to the story through the addition of lots of photographs. In some cases, there are also color profile illustrations that further add to the story.
For those interested in the story behind the frontline aircraft of the Cold War, this book (and the first volume) are excellent additions to your reference library. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.