Russian Bombers - David Baker

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Résumé :
...provides a wealth of detailed knowledge and inside stories on the politics and technological development of weapons systems in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. There are many high-quality photographs and layouts. It is a worthy reference book for historians and technologists alike and is definitely worth the read. -- The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation

Strategic bombing had proved decisive in helping the Western allies bring Nazi Germany to its knees during the Second World War but the Soviet Union had never developed an equivalent capability - an oversight it would rapidly address as the cold war began in earnest.

Immense efforts to reverse-engineer interned American B-29 Superfortresses resulted in the fearsome Tupolev Tu-4 - and heralded a bold new era of heavy bomber design in Russia and across the Soviet Union.

Within a few short years, the advanced swept-wing Tu-16 jet bomber, codenamed Badger by NATO had made its first flight. This was swiftly followed by the legendary turboprop-powered Tu-95, codenamed Bear, which remains a symbol of Russian air power today.

Less than a decade later, the Soviet Union was flying the mighty long-range Myasishchev M-4 Bison and the supersonic Tu-22 Blinder, both of which raised grave concerns in the West when their existence became known.

By the early 1970s, the highly capable Tu-22M Backfire had joined the Soviet arsenal and then, as the Iron Curtain fell and the world changed, so too did Russian bomber technology. Secret advancements in stealth and precision strike capabilities led to the creation of the Tu-160 Blackjack, a supersonic behemoth capable of carrying a devastating payload of cruise missiles.

But the story doesn't end there...

Biographie:
With a background in the aviation and space industry, working with companies and government organisations in the UK and the USA, David Baker has made a lifelong study of aeronautical and aerospace projects to inform his research into the men and the machines of flight and flying. He has written more than 100 books and since the 1990s has served as editor for Horizon, the house magazine for Smiths Industries, for Janes Information Group on two yearbooks, on Aviation News and on SpaceFlight, the monthly magazine of the British Interplanetary Society. David had experience working with NASA and managing his aerospace consulting company from offices in London and in Trenton, New Jersey, visiting many countries around the world to advise governments and organisations on aeronautical and aerospace programmes.

In the 1980s, David was made a voting member of the International Academy of Astronautics and received the 1998 Rolls-Royce Award for the 'Best Propulsion Submission', a category within the RAeS Aerospace Journalist of the Year awards. He is also the recipient of the Arthur C Clarke Award and of the American Astronautical Society's Frederick I Ordway III award for 'sustained excellence in space coverage, through books and articles, as well as engagement in the early US space program', presented at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. David lives with his wife Ann in East Sussex....

Sommaire:
With a background in the aviation and space industry, working with companies and government organisations in the UK and the USA, David Baker has made a lifelong study of aeronautical and aerospace projects to inform his research into the men and the machines of flight and flying. He has written more than 100 books and since the 1990s has served as editor for Horizon, the house magazine for Smiths Industries, for Janes Information Group on two yearbooks, on Aviation News and on SpaceFlight, the monthly magazine of the British Interplanetary Society. David had experience working with NASA and managing his aerospace consulting company from offices in London and in Trenton, New Jersey, visiting many countries around the world to advise governments and organisations on aeronautical and aerospace programmes.

In the 1980s, David was made a voting member of the International Academy of Astronautics and received the 1998 Rolls-Royce Award for the 'Best Propulsion Submission', a category within the RAeS Aerospace Journalist of the Year awards. He is also the recipient of the Arthur C Clarke Award and of the American Astronautical Society's Frederick I Ordway III award for 'sustained excellence in space coverage, through books and articles, as well as engagement in the early US space program', presented at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. David lives with his wife Ann in East Sussex....