 Century
Jets
USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War
General Editor David Donald
AIRtime Publishing, ©2004
ISBN 1-880588-68-4
Hardbound, 288 Pages
Available from Specialty
Press for $34.95
The latest compilation from AIRtime Publishing focuses on aircraft from
the height of the Cold War, those six aircraft that made up the Century
Series. These include the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the McDonnell
F-101 Voodoo, the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter,
the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, and the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. The
book utilizes previously published material seen in the AIRtime Publications
"Wings of Fame" and "International Air Power Review,"
with updates where appropriate.
Each aircraft is covered comprehensively, from development to initial
deployment to conflict, where appropriate. The F-100 chapter includes
sections on its operations in Vietnam as well as sidebars on one-off developments
like the F-107. The F-101 chapter has a brief history followed by a detailed
variant breakdown that includes its precursor, the XF-88. The F-102 chapter
has an in-depth history followed by a unit breakdown, with similar treatment
for the F-104. The F-105 chapter does a wonderful job of describing Thud
operations in Vietnam, while the F-106 chapter rounds out the book with
a nice section showing the tails of all the F-106 operators.
Throughout all the sections, the focus is not just on US operations.
For many of these aircraft, foreign operators were just as important,
and in the case of the F-104, foreign operators far outnumbered that of
the United States. The worldwide usage of the Century Series is well covered
in this book, both in drawings and in photos. Combined together, this
book is easily the most comprehensive view of the Century Series jets.
For those interested in Cold War aircraft, or even just operations in
Vietnam, this is an excellent addition to the library. My thanks to Specialty
Press for the review sample.
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