Air Forces of the World; An Illustrated Directory of All the World's Military Air Powers

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Good/Good. George Philip & Son Ltd. (Base Maps). 32 cm. 264 pages. Illustrations (most in color). Maps (including a fold-out). Ink notation inside front cover has been blacked out. DJ has some wear, soiling, tears and chips. Some rear board weakness. This has more than 330 photographs (most in full color), and a panoramic eight-page fold-out containing full color maps. This provides a detailed survey of 125 air forces including all major types of military aircraft then in service throughout the world. This work provides details about their role, composition, deployment, and potential effectiveness. This is a fascinating snapshot in time from the end of the Vietnam War to about the time of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and includes the period of a number of smaller, regional conflicts. Focuses on the planes, with over 330 color photos and a technical directory. Mark Hewish was a former editor of Defense Material and frequent contributor to a range of military publications. Bill Sweetman (born 1956) is a former editor for Jane's and has also been an editor for Aviation Week group. He is a writer of more than 50 books on military aircraft. He lives in Oakdale, Minnesota. He is noted for his dogged pursuit of the Aurora project. He appeared as an Aerospace Consultant on in the Nova PBS TV program "Battle of the X-Planes" about the Joint Strike Fighter Program. Bill Gunston OBE, FRAeS (1 March 1927 - 1 June 2013) was a British aviation and military author. He flew with Britain's Royal Air Force from 1943 to 1948, and was a flying instructor. He spent most of his adult life doing research and writing on aircraft and aviation. He was the author of over 350 books and articles. His work included many books published by Salamander Books. While in the RAF, Gunston served as a pilot for three years, during which time he flew many types of aircraft, including the de Havilland Vampire jet fighter. After leaving the RAF, Gunston joined the staff of Flight International magazine, where, writing as "W.T.G.", he was appointed Technical Editor in 1955. From 1969, he was part of the production team on the annual publication Jane's All the World's Aircraft, editing the 2015/16 edition. He was editor of Jane's Aero-Engines from 1995 to 2007. John William Ransom Taylor, OBE Hon DEng FRAeS FRHistS AFIAA, (8 June 1922 - 12 December 1999) was a British aviation expert and editor. He edited Jane's All the World's Aircraft for three decades during the Cold War. He retired as editor in 1989, just as the Iron Curtain obscuring the Soviet Bloc's technology started to lift. Taylor could deduce the performance of Soviet military equipment from blurred photographs.