This fascinating catalogue of Military Aircraft including those of WWll aircraft is a comprehensive reference document of the well known and less familiar fighting aircraft of that war. The details contained in the accompanying text to the excellent colour illustrations of every aircraft offers a concise background to the development and operational employment of each. This brings to life the background to those aircraft we might see at air displays today so we can visualize how they were employed in the 1940s and beyond. The evolution from piston engines to the jet age shows the rapid development of aircraft design driven by that engine technology leading up to today’s aircraft.

Military Aircraft is the perfect book for the new war plane aficionado who wants to learn key information about the most popular, innovative or multirole aircraft throughout the wars. I like that this offers easy to understand technicalities and the description plus story of each aircraft is laid in such a concise way, you don't feel information lacking.

The illustrations of each aircraft have a neat modern, realistic style that help picturing the airplanes' form with all its details. Though i'd have liked a illustrative timeline of the changes the airplanes went through, i guess that would have made the book quite heavy haha.

I might have a few aircraft books already, however i could do with the addition of a more modern edition.

Approachable survey of significant military aircraft from the Sopwith Camel of World War One fame to the B-2 stealth bomber. Excellent diagrams of each aircraft. The text is a little more detailed than most books of this nature.

Such an informative and enjoyable book! I really liked photos (I assume from an archive) from WWII. The images are just captivating! The detailed descriptions of the different parts of the planes are nice as well and the book is a good balance of aircraft description and history. Approximately half, or a little over half, of the book is dedicated to WWI and WWII aircraft with the second half discussing the Cold War era to the present. I’m partial to the aircraft of WWII, but the entire book was enjoyable. Definitely a great book for lovers of history or airplanes.

Review from my 11-year-old son - "I think it is a great book because I am ok about the planes of the war. If I get this book I feel like I would learn more." It is really difficult to find appropriate military/war books for our history-crazed son; we will certainly be adding this to his Christmas list.

Although only covering the period from the earliest days of military aircraft up to about 2014, this book is a compelling read for those interested in military aviation. The truly incredible pace of development of military aircraft of all types, from the First World War biplanes - exemplified by the remarkable Sopwith Camel - to the latest fighters such as the F35, is highlighted with just enough detail to whet the appetite to explore individual examples in greater detail through the wonders of the internet. Illustrations and brief statistics panels provide an insight into the appearance and capabilities of the aircraft featured. Whilst it is impossible to contemplate the amazing ingenuity of the scientists, engineers and designers without a sense of wonder at the brilliance of their efforts, the prodigal commitment of resources to technologies that are destined for obsolescence in only one generation is likely to give many readers pause for thought. Whatever one’s individual conclusion over the balance between technological marvels and amazing costs, and the alternative uses to which the same resources might have been committed, this book is likely to be an interesting read to all with an interest in military hardware.

This book covers 50 airplanes starting in 1916 with a Sopwith Camel through Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II in 2006. I am surprised at how many of these planes I have seen while visiting the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia which is part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the National Air-force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Each airplane has four pages and includes detailed color drawings, a historic photo, a flag to indicates country of origin, technical specifications and then general information about the craft. I was surprised to see things like a B-52 originally designed in 1952 still being used in 2001 in Afghanistan. I think the reading level is too difficult for my elementary aged students although they love these kinds of books. This is for airplane and military enthusiasts. Thank you NetGalley and Amber Books for a temporary ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Starting with the Sopwith Camel and moving towards the present day, this volume – slightly retitled from its original 2015 edition – is a very good book to have on the shelf for people with any interest in war planes. They all come with very nice treatment – photorealist views from the side, from above and from directly in front, photos of the birds in action if possible (and on the landing field if not), histories of the use of each one and also of noted users – not much seems left out, certainly for the non-academic reader.

Taking us from the plane anyone on the street around you would recognise the name of up to more obscure (to me at least) modern ones, this has the technical data for the specialist mind, the readable snapshots of military aviation history this all builds up to, and a very strong pictorial sense in keeping with pretty much everything from this publisher. Said academic will possibly tire of seeing them all fly across the page, guns blazing and missiles a-firing (in much the same way a dinosaur book never shows them at peace), but this is a trivial matter for such a commendable publication. A strong four stars.

I always loved Janes Guides to Ships, Guns, and Aircraft when I was younger, what I see in this book is the same interest that held me as a boy. The entries are clear and precise, the amount of information on each is not quite to the same level as Janes, but it's sufficient to get the idea of the plane's capabilities.

What is massively improved from the Janes guides is the amount of information on the aircraft itself. Where Janes provided a straight and clear guide on what it's capabilities were, they didn't include the narrative on why it was designed, what purpose it fulfilled, and why it was seen as necessary to engineer in the first place. This book goes well beyond the basics and ensures that the full history of the aircraft is there. With plenty of images for each, and informed commentary to go with them, it's a worthy contender for a successor to Jane's guides

A fascinating look at military aircraft through the ages.
It's easy to read for people with no techincal knowledge, and includes fascinating facts, and beautiful illustrations on each one.