Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird - Origins & Evolution preview

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USAF  FIGHTERS

The United States Air Force has a proud history of flying the fastest, best equipped and most powerful jet fighters in the world. Formed as an independent service in 1947, the USAF started out with the Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star and soon added the F-84 to its inventory.

During the Korean War, the swept-wing F-86 Sabre gave US pilots the edge over their MiG flying opponents and by the time of the Vietnam War a range of new jets were serving on the front line.

The century series machines – the F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief and F-106 Delta Dart – saw an evolution from the agile cannon-armed dogfighters of the past to heavy but extremely fast air-to-air missile platforms.

However, combat experience over Vietnam quickly indicated that the days of dogfighting were far from over and pilots of the otherwise superb F-4 Phantom II – a fighter designed without a built-in cannon – sorely missed that capability. While later F-4s would get the cannon they needed, the next generation incorporated this and many other lessons learned from the conflict in South-East Asia.

The muscular F-15 and hawkish F-16 were hugely successful and remain in service today, their incredible prowess only being surpassed by the fifth-generation F-22 and now the F-35.

USAF Fighters tells the story of America’s jet fighter development right up to the present day – fully illustrated with more than 200 highly-detailed artworks by renowned aviation illustrator JP Vieira.

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