The development of the turbojet engine during the last years of WWII, radically changed the way the military thought of aircraft. While tactics and perceived threats were pretty much the same post war, military aircraft developers took full advantage of the additional speed provided by jet engines in their post war designs. This was especially true when it came to all weather interceptors.

In the UK, the main post war night interceptor was the Meteor, developed from the WWII-era single seat Meteor fighter. Sure, there was also a Vampire and Venom night fighter, but those were built in fairly small numbers and none of these aircraft could take advantage of the new air to air missiles that were being developed. Hence an all new, specially developed aircraft was needed that could operate in all weather conditions.

This is where Gloster's Javelin came into play. Developed to a specification that called for an all-weather interceptor, the Javelin was in competition with the DeHavilland type 110 (which eventually became the Sea Vixen). Though the DeHavilland plane was better, it was determined that the delta winged Javelin had more future expandability and so was chosen. Thanks to US MDAP funding, the project got underway and despite the usual issues with new types, became a mainstay of RAF interceptor squadrons until replaced by the EE Lightning.

The author has provided what is so far, the most comprehensive look at this large fighter that I've ever seen. He goes into the full development of the type. This includes the development of the engines and the use of both US and British radar systems. The Javelin was built in several variants, each an improvement over the other and all of this is clearly provided. We also get a full synopsis of the various squadrons that operated the type, with this being divided into sections linked to where in the world the units were based. There is also a section on details of the aircraft and here we are provided with photos from the many extant airframes still in the UK. Some are in pristine condition and others have been left outside for far too long. A small section of plans are provided and near the end of the book are several pages providing information on the fate of each airframe. Finally, a section on museum planes and several pages of nicely drawn full color profiles.

This provides a lot of material and makes for a really well done book on this fairly unusual looking aircraft. It is a book that I enjoyed reading, one in which I learned a lot and one I know you will appreciate as well. Very much recommended.

December  2021

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