Norton, Bill Air-to-Air Missiles. Band 4: Development and Combat Across 80 Years. Third Generation and Widening Acceptance , 1961–1972

This is the fourth of a total of six volumes that provide a detailed examination of 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 AAMs are developed and introduced into operational service, the tactics employed in their use, and provides an understanding of why so many AAM shots fail to hit their targets. Volume 4 chronicles the development and introduction of AAMs during the middle phase of the Cold War by all nations involved. Every new missile type and model from this period is described in detail: from the motivation behind initiating the respective program and the specifics of its developmentincluding flight testingto a general description, its specific advantages and disadvantages, production details, and (where applicable) its entry into operational service, as well as experiences gained during combat operations. Complementing this, tables of technical specifications, technical diagrams, and photographs of the weaponsincluding their mounting on combat aircraftare presented. Each missile is also illustrated with a scale profile drawing. The combat record of these early missile generations is analyzed in depthsupplemented by background information on the respective conflicts, details regarding the combat aircraft that employed these AAMs, and tables listing the "kills" achieved. The book features contemporary photographs of combat aircraft equipped with AAMs, as well as the color profile illustrations characteristic of the "@War" series. All of this facilitates a profound understanding of the evolution of AAMsboth from a technological perspective and based on experiences gathered in combatas exemplified by this first generation of guided missiles.