McNab, Chris Weapons. Key Weapons and Weapon Systems from 1860 to the Present

From the introduction of the metal cartridge in the 1860s up to the present day, Weapons is an accessible reference guide to the most important small arms, armoured vehicles, artillery, aircraft and ships from around the world.

The book ranges from the first machine guns to favourites such as the Lee Enfield rifle and the AK-47; in terms of aircraft the book includes World War I biplanes, World War IIs Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter and on to modern stealth aircraft, such as the F-22 Raptor; in naval weaponry the book features early ironclad submarines, classic battleships such as Bismarck and the nuclear submarines and all-powerful aircraft carriers of today; from the first tanks on the Western Front in World War I, such as the Mark V Male, the book covers the development of armoured fighting vehicles, featuring such classics as the Soviet T-34 and modern tanks like the M1 Abrams and T-14 Armata.

With one entry per page, each weapon is illustrated with one or two colour artworks some of them cutaways a colour or black-&-white photograph, an authoritative history on its development, production and service history and a box of essential specifications.

Featuring more than 400 entries, Weapons is a fascinating reference work on the most important tanks, guns, military ships and aircraft over the past 150 years.