This is the first of their books in English I have had the chance to read and it is on the Lockheed Starfighter. Previous books by Historie & Collections that I have reviewed have been on French Air Force aircraft. Apparently non-French aircraft are under the 'Planes and Pilots' banner and all of these titles are in English.

This is their most recent publication and is #16 in a rather long series. As with others in this series, it is predominately photographs and some of the best full color profiles you will find anywhere. Just about all the photographs in the book are also in full color and are those that are mostly taken by European photographers.

The Starfighter was another of Kelly Johnson's designs and the purpose was to put the most aircraft one could get into as small a package that would do the job. It was designed as an interceptor and so any thought of dog-fighting was absent from the design of the aircraft. It was built around the then-new J-79 turbojet and was expected to be easily capable of Mach 2. What was produced was a missile-like body with super thin wings that were so thin that guards were put along the leading and trailing edges to prevent people from injuring themselves on them.

As is always the case with new aircraft, its service entry was delayed several years to allow the airframe to meet specs (mostly due to delays in getting the proper engines). Once in service, it was found that it did, indeed, meet the requirements to get into the air in a hurry and get to altitude with equal speed. It was also found out that this meant little in the way of endurance and problems with the cannon meant it was limited to two wing-tip mounted Sidewinders.

Well, as most of us know, the aircraft was further improved and eventually it became NATO's main fighter and fighter bomber. Only a tiny percentage of the aircraft built saw service with the USAF with the majority going to US allies. So successful was the aircraft that it was built in four different countries, finally seeing the end of active service in the early 2000s. Not bad for a design from 1954!

A familiar format is to be found in this volume, starting with a history of the design and development of the type. This includes sections that show the difference between the various sub-types. Each of the different variants is provided with a historical section so the reader can see the differences between an A and a G, for example.

Then we get to the major part of the book and that is on the aircraft and operators. It starts with the USA (America) and ends with Turkey with Civilian aircraft tossed in as well (though they missed the Northern Lights pair). Under each nation there is a rundown of the types used, the units that flew the plane as well as photos and profiles representing the variations in type, unit, and camouflage schemes worn.

If you have an interest in this aircraft, you will find no better collection of images than this one. It is a book I enjoyed and I know you will as well.

October 2012

Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb books.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.