It has been a year since I've had the chance to review a Hikoki book and this is a good one. Hikoki is well known for producing excellent reference books and this is one of them.

The book covers British Naval Aviation since 1945. This not only includes fighters, but also strike aircraft, experimental aircraft, ASW aircraft and helicopters. Not only aircraft but also aircraft suitable ships. The British realized that standard fixed wing aircraft carriers were not something they could deal with so in the 1980s they concentrated on ski ramp ships for STOVL aircraft. Initially this was the Harrier and now that is the F-35B (which I guess the British are also calling the Lightning).

Each of the various fixed wing types are given a development and operational history. This is accompanied by a number of period photographs. I found it interesting that aircraft initially developed during WWII like the later Seafire and the Sea Fury are not included in this volume even though these types participated in the Korean War.

I very much liked that when an aircraft or ship was covered, that the authors included the paper projects, prototypes and other aircraft that were vying for the contract. This all makes for a superb reference on FAA/Royal Navy types, something that is especially valuable for modelers. This is a large book and one that I'm positive that you will find very interesting and useful reading. Highly recommended.

January 2026

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

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