Arguably one of the most esthetically appealing aircraft of the 1950s, the Hawker Hunter is one of those aircraft that, after a bit of a rocky start, turned into one of the most reliable aircraft in the world. The plane was truly the RAF's first successful swept wing fighter, despite entering service five years after both the equally capable F-86 and MiG-15. Indeed, while awaiting their Hunters, many RAF units flew Sabres. This provided the experience needed in fast jets to make the transition to the Hunter all that much more smooth.

Should one include two seat trainers, the Hunter went through 12 different variants before production for the RAF ceased. One area where the British seem to have taken full advantage is the remanufacture of older airframes into newer variants. I dare say that every extant single seat Hunter was eventually upgraded to a later marque. While new airframes were built, easily an equal number were upgraded. This is true for export planes as well as Hawker would buy back planes sold to various air arms primarily for the purpose of upgrading them for newer customers. I'm sure that Airlife will be producing an equivalent book on export Hunters in the near future as it is a subject that deserves the effort.

However, this one is on the aircraft in RAF service.

Airfile books are mostly full color profile books, the sort of thing that both modelers and enthusiasts love. There is a historical section before each major chapter and it is here that we see most of the photographs. The sections are: Early Marks; Hunter F.6 Fighter; Ground Attack and Fighter Reconnaissance Hunters; RAF Hunter Twin Seaters. In addition to the huge selection of profiles, there are some four views as well. Each illustration includes a short history of the type being presented. Those who are modelers will undoubtedly know that there have been at least two decal sheets in three scales based on the images in this book. This is one of the benefits of Airfile books is that there are often accompanying decals.

In all, it is an excellent reference for both the modeler and enthusiast. If you have a fondness for the Hunter or British jets of the 1950s, then this is a book for you.

December 2015

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Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy at this link.

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