Norton, Bill Air-to-Air Missiles. Band 3: Development and Combat Across 80 Years. Second Generation and Growing Combat, 1952–1967

A volume in the "Technology @ War" series. This is the third of a total of six volumes detailing the 80-year history of air-to-air missiles (AAMs) as combat aircraft armament; it stands as the only comprehensive work on this subject. The first volume laid the technical foundation for the subsequent volumes. It describes how air-to-air missiles are developed and introduced into operational service, the tactics employed in their use, anda frequently underestimated aspectwhy so many of these missiles fail to hit their targets. Volume 3 focuses on the development and introduction of air-to-air missiles during the early phase of the Cold War by all nations involved. Every new missile type and model from this period is described in detail: from the rationale behind initiating the respective program and the specifics of its developmentincluding flight testingto a general technical description, specific advantages and disadvantages, production, operational introduction (where applicable), and accumulated combat experience. Supplementary material includes tables of technical specifications, schematic diagrams, and photographs of the weapons themselves as well as their mounting on combat aircraft. Each missile is also illustrated with a scale profile drawing. The combat record of these early missile generations is analyzed in detail; this includes background information on the respective conflicts, descriptions of the combat aircraft that carried these missiles in action, and tables listing the "kills" achieved. The volume is rounded off by contemporary photographs of combat aircraft equipped with air-to-air missiles, as well as the color profile views characteristic of the "@War" series. All of this enables a profound understanding of the evolution of air-to-air missilesboth from a technological perspective and based on the combat experiences gained from this first generation of missiles.