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British aviation technology was at the cutting edge after the Second World War, the Gloster Meteor the first of many home-grown jets to be engineered before American and internationally developed aircraft took over from the 1970s. This study of the rapid improvement in fighters up to the 1990s examines all the designs deployed by the RAF and Royal Navy during the period including the Hunter, Javelin, Lightning, Phantom and Tornado.

The introduction of jet propulsion was the first priority for the RAF after the Second World War, followed by aircraft that could deliver nuclear bombs. This history of British bomber development tells the story of the Canberra and the V class bombers (Valiant, Vulcan and Victor) as well as the doomed TSR2 project, cancelled by the government on the grounds of cost in 1965.

McDonnell Douglas's F4 Phantom entered service with the US Navy in 1960 as an interceptor but its versatility saw it take on a host of other duties, from fighter-bomber to reconnaissance plane, and it also proved a highly successful international export. This book tells the story of its design, construction and active service for air forces around the world, up to the 1990s, and is illustrated with hundreds of photographs, diagrams and illustrations detailing different liveries and variants.