AIR VANGUARD

The definitive technical guide to the incredible Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and its intelligence-gathering systems. The SR-71 represents the very pinnacle of Cold War aircraft design and it has become an aviation icon. Together with its pred

Originally designed as a carrier-born, long-range interceptor armed with radar-guided missiles and tasked with defense against missile-launching bombers, the Phantom II went on to establish itself as one of the most important multirole figh

One of the most underrated medium bombers of the Second World War, the Martin B-26 Marauder never fully managed to shake off an underserved early reputation as a dangerous aircraft to fly. Deemed superior to all other designs on the table a

With over 12,500 produced, the Vought F4U Corsair is one of the icons of mid-20th century military aviation. It was as a Marine Corps aircraft that the Corsair was to become famous, fighting through World War II and Korea. Able to outperfor

An improved version of the Allison V-1710 engine gave rise to the Curtiss H-87, which began life in 1941 as the P-40D and featured a completely redesigned fuselage. The shorter and deeper nose of the new fighter gave it a decidedly snub-nos

The initial version of the Curtiss P-40, designated by the manufacturer as the Hawk H-81, combined the established airframe of the earlier radial-powered H-75 (P-36) fighter with the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engine. The year was 1939, a

An icon of World War I aerial combat, the Sopwith Camel was a superb dogfighter in the hands of a pilot who could master its vicious idiosyncrasies. The first British fighter to be armed with twin machine guns, the Camel packed a considerab