More than forty years after its cancellation, the BAC TSR2 is still a controversial aircraft. Years ahead of its time, it was abruptly cancelled by a new government when flight testing had ony just begun. Built to a demanding RAF requirement , the BAC TSR2 was a revolutionary low-level strike aircraft able to deliver a tactical nuclear weapon at supersonic speed and low altitude to evade enemy radar. This fascinating new book describes in detail the aircraft, its history and the events of its cancellation. Many hitherto unseen photographs and diagrams support the detailed text, which benefits from extensive research in the BAC archives and access to newly rediscovered material.

This is a welcome revised and enhanced second editionof this comprehensive, accurate and honest account of the TSR2 strike aircraft's fascinating story, tracing the project's development from its Cold War origins in the 1950's to its final cancellation in 1965. Aimed at aviation historians and those interested in the history of military technology, the book examines the RAF's TSR2 project in detail, eliminating the many myths and misconceptions that have surrounded this aircraft for decades. Although much has been written about the TSR2's history, a great deal of misinformation has been published on this subject which this book dismisses presenting the reader with a complete and realistic overview of the entire project. This book deals with the facts and not the emotion, speculation and fantasy which has plagued the subject for so long. It presents a detailed, factual and very readable account of the development and subsequent demise of TSR2 project. For this new edition an additional chapter concerning the F-111K, extracts from the TSR2 Crew Manual and other declassified technical TSR2 documentation, has been provided by Tony Buttler, the author of our respected British Secret Projects series who has researched this era of British military aviation for many years.

The TSR2 is one of the greatest 'what-if' aircraft of the Cold War, whose cancellation still generates anger and controversy among aviation fans. It was a magnificent, cutting-edge aircraft, one of the most striking of the Cold War, but fell victim to cost overruns, overambitious requirements, and politics. Its scrapping marked the point when Britain's aerospace industry could no longer build world-class aircraft independently. After the demise of TSR2 the RAF's future jets would be modified US aircraft like the Phantom and pan-European collaborations like Tornado and Typhoon. In this book the eminent air power analyst and ex-Vulcan bomber pilot Andrew Brookes takes a fresh, hard-headed look at the TSR2 project, telling the story of its development, short career and cancellation, and evaluating how it would have performed in Cold War strike roles as well as in the recent wars in the Middle East.

In a gripping story of international power and deception, Jeffrey Engel reveals the “special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain in a new and far more competitive light. As allies, they fought communism. As rivals, they locked horns over which would lead the Cold War fight. In the quest for sovereignty and hegemony, one important key was airpower, which created jobs, forged ties with the developing world, and, perhaps most importantly in a nuclear world, ensured military superiority.Only the United States and Britain were capable of supplying the post-war world’s ravenous appetite for aircraft. The Americans hoped to use this dominance as a bludgeon not only against the Soviets and Chinese, but also against any ally that deviated from Washington’s rigid brand of anticommunism. Eager to repair an economy shattered by war and never as committed to unflinching anticommunism as their American allies, the British hoped to sell planes even beyond the Iron Curtain, reaping profits, improving East-West relations, and garnering the strength to withstand American hegemony.Engel traces the bitter fights between these intimate allies from Europe to Latin America to Asia as each sought control over the sale of aircraft and technology throughout the world. The Anglo–American competition for aviation supremacy affected the global balance of power and the fates of developing nations such as India, Pakistan, and China. But without aviation, Engel argues, Britain would never have had the strength to function as a brake upon American power, the way trusted allies should.

This title traces the counter-factual history of what would possibly have occurred had TSR.2 actually entered RAF service - much more 'what-might-have-been' than 'what-if' - the book has been meticulously researched by well-respected and internationally acclaimed expert, Paul Lucas.

The TSR2 is one of the greatest 'what-if' aircraft of the Cold War, whose cancellation still generates anger and controversy among aviation fans. It was a magnificent, cutting-edge aircraft, one of the most striking of the Cold War, but fell victim to cost overruns, overambitious requirements, and politics. Its scrapping marked the point when Britain's aerospace industry could no longer build world-class aircraft independently. After the demise of TSR2 the RAF's future jets would be modified US aircraft like the Phantom and pan-European collaborations like Tornado and Typhoon. In this book the eminent air power analyst and ex-Vulcan bomber pilot Andrew Brookes takes a fresh, hard-headed look at the TSR2 project, telling the story of its development, short career and cancellation, and evaluating how it would have performed in Cold War strike roles as well as in the recent wars in the Middle East.

Designed by a team led by Roy Chadwick, the man responsible for the legendary Lancaster, the Vulcan was created to carry Britain's nuclear deterrent in the 1950s and 1960s. Avro's delta-winged colossus became the backbone of the V-Force until the very end of the 1960s when the deterrent role passed to the Navy's Polaris submarine fleet. The Vulcan remained in RAF service as a tactical low-level bomber armed with conventional and nuclear weapons, and was only retired following the introduction of the Panavia Tornado. This is both a comprehensive work of reference and an authoritative history. It covers the origins of the Vulcan and delta-winged flight, details of every major production variant, reproduces extracts from the Vulcan's original Aircrew Manual and has appendices on both squadron disposal and the fate of every Vulcan built. Also included is a wealth of information and anecdotes from former Vulcan air and ground crews, describing from first-hand experience what it was like to live with the mighty Vulcan. The narrative is complimented with many photographs, scale drawings and color profiles making this book the definitive history of this superb aircraft and an essential addition to the libraries of aviation historians and modellers. Additional photographs have been added to this new edition.

"Aerospace history is a fascinating subject. However, what is genuinely intriguing is an examination of those twists and turns of fate, sometimes referred to as, "what might have been." New aeronautical designs are often developed in response to a particular need for which the government may ask industry for input. Yet, in the many attempts to achieve a viable product, even the competition winners do not always survive, and are subsequently cancelled for poor performance, not meeting schedule milestones, budgetary pressures or political intrigue. Each aircraft requires very advanced thinking in aerodynamics, materials, manufacturing techniques, training and logistics and where some of thes advances were long contemplated by designers...forced by the rapid advance of science and warfare. Imposing their will upon the instincts and the experience of their military subordinates,...politicians often seal the fate of promising contenders. Project Terminated provides a succinct, accurate assessment of the development of the" aircraft that did not survive the obstacles, "analyzing technical and political challenges and their solutions. Combined with the concept of how these remarkable aircraft would have appeared in operational use, and illustrated throughout with over 250 photographs and drawings, Project Terminated provides an enticing look both at the past and the future." --Excerpted from back cover.