Kaston, Craig/Cox/George American Secret Projects. Volume 3: U.S. Airlifters since 1962

This brings the story of the U.S. airlifter from the early 1960s to today's transport giants and tomorrow's stealth assault aircraft; revealing numerous designs which never saw the light of day, examining the thinking behind them and giving insights into why they did, or did not, succeed. This untold story of aviation history also has a major bearing on the development of civil aviation. This book, and its companion volume, "American Secret Projects" volume 2, which covers airlifter designs from WWII to the start of the 1960s, has been made possible by the authors being given unprecedented access to major aerospace company archives, uncovering scores of design proposals which have never previously been revealed. As well as describing how airlifters were progressively developed to meet evermore demanding military transport requirements, the book looks at their other roles, from nuclear test-beds to Space Shuttle carriers. Describing over 100 unknown, or little known, designs, including all the competitors to the C-5 and entries for the Tri-Service V/STOL transport competition, the book has over 400 illustrations, the majority of which have never previously been published, detailing some of the largest and most incredible aircraft ever conceived.

In many ways, this untold story of aviation history reflects both the changing face of military conflict and the exercise of geopolitical power; this has also significantly influenced the development of civil aviation. The book was made possible by the authors gaining unprecedented access to the archives of the major aerospace companies and uncovering a wealth of design proposals that have never been revealed before. The book is richly illustrated with b/w and colour photos, coloured drawings and three-page views of various transport aircraft models. Many of the illustrations shown are taken directly from the files and documents of the manufacturing and development companies. As well as describing how the giant transport aircraft were gradually developed to fulfil increasingly demanding military transport requirements, the book also looks at other tasks for which they were adapted, including their use as "space shuttle" transporters or research laboratories for nuclear science. This largely untold story describes more than 100 unknown or little-known aircraft designs and includes over 400 illustrations showing some of the largest and most incredible aircraft ever conceived.