Books published by Hikoki Publications

From the infamous Mitsubishi Zero-Sen and US Navys piston-engine Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat to the post-war swept wing de Havilland Swallow. From the North American Savage designed to take off from an aircraft carrier with a nuclear bomb to the Supermarine Attacker, Eric Winkle Brown has tested their qualities and takes the reader into the cockpits of those exciting aircraft to thrill to the joys and hazards of flying both weird and wonderful aircraft with one of the greatest of all pilots.

Building on lessons learned during the Second World War, there has been continual investment in training aircraft and equipment as aviation technology and aerial warfare has evolved. The Air Staff, the Admiralty and British aircraft companies developed a wide range of aircraft from basic trainers to jet-powered aircraft and helicopters. Drawing on research in company and government archives, Teach for the Sky describes the development of training aircraft for basic, advanced, operational conversion and aircrew training from the late 1940s to the present day. The planning and requirements behind the trainers such as the Prentice, Balliol, Jet Provost, Varsity, Gnat, Tucano and Hawk are examined, as are many of the design studies that remained on the drawing board. The evolution of the training organisation and the challenges faced in adapting the training syllabus to new technologies from 1945 to the present day are also analysed.Illustrated throughout with photographs, drawings and specially commissioned artwork, Teach for the Sky is a unique reference guide to the aircraft and training methods developed to prepare pilots and aircrew for the frontline since 1945.

Close support for the Army by the Royal Air Force evolved during WWII from being virtually non-existent to a fully developed part of the battle plan. Nowhere was co-operation more refined and developed than in the Mediterranean theatre.

Close support for the Army by the Royal Air Force evolved during World War II from a state of near non-existence to becoming a fully integrated part of the battle plan.

This book examines the RAF''s ground attack capabilities, the threats it faced, and the weapons, technologies and aircraft developed to counter those threats from the end of World War II to the present day, moving from the era of the Hawker Typhoon to that of the Eurofighter Typhoon.

In the aftermath of World War II, Britain had some of the world's most advanced military aircraft, and the decision to start selling its modern warplanes to Latin America gave it an advantage over the United States who had been the main provider of planes to Latin American air forces until that point. This was one of the main reasons why so many South American air forces chose to buy British combat aircraft right into the 1970s. In many South American countries, their first jet combat aircraft were British, while the Argentina's Avro Lancasters and Lincolns gave it the most potent bomber force in Latin America. BAC Canberras had five South American operators, and as the only jet bombers in use in the region, they saw action several times. Combat activity by British types include Argentine planes used during the 1955 revolution and ironically Argentine Canberras in action against British forces during the Malvinas/Falklands War. Exported British aircraft also saw action over the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, in the Peruvian conflicts with Ecuador, during the Chilean 1973 coup d'etat, as well as in various internal struggles. Meticulously researched and featuring numerous illustrations, British Combat Aircraft in Latin America is a remarkable book and a fascinating study on a little known aspect of military aviation history. Though British combat types is now almost gone from the skies over Latin America, their legacy will last for a very long time.

The Tactical Aviation branch (FA - Frontovaya aviatsiya) has always occupied an important place in the structure of the Soviet, and subsequently Russian, Air Force. In the 20-odd post-Soviet years the Russian Air Force has been repeatedly reformed and in the course of the reforms the importance of Tactical Aviation has risen. The brief military conflict with Georgia in August 2008 highlighted poor organisation of operations and in 2009 the customary air armies, air divisions and air regiments were replaced by aviation bases. Much importance has attached to fleet renewal and upgrading of the Russian Tactical Aviation capability. The Su-35S ''Generation 4++'' single-seat fighter is entering full-scale production and service. Deliveries of single-seat Su-27SM3 (a mid-life update) and two-seat Su-30SM and Su-30M2 multi-role fighters are also underway. The Beriyev A-50 AWACS aircraft, which supports the Tactical Aviation''s air defence role, are also being updated. Production and deliveries of the Su-34 tactical bomber are continuing and for want of a next-generation attack aircraft, the Russian Air Force is continuing to upgrade its Su-25 fleet - the latest Su-25SM3 is now in service. Much attention has been paid to combat training. Exercises are being held more frequently than in the 1990s and in-flight refuelling of various aircraft, including tactical bombers, is practiced on a much wider scale than before, as are long-range flights by groups of fighters. The book, companion to the highly successful Soviet Tactical Aviation, covers the current state of the Russian Air Force''s tactical aviation as well as its recent history in various overseas conflicts. Details are given of the aviation bases (units), their locations and the principal types currently in service. Russian Tactical Aviation is illustrated throughout with many previously unpublished photos, including air-to-air shots during recent Russian Force exercises, as well as colour profiles of Russian tactical aircraft and helicopters operated by various aviation bases.

Few aviation subjects have been shrouded in more secrecy or been more controversial than cold war aerial reconnaissance. Former reconnaissance pilot Robert S. Hopkins, III, offers new insights into strategic intelligence flights during the early years of the cold war. Primarily undertaken by RB-50s and RB-47s of the Strategic Air Command and by CIA U-2s, other Western nations such as Britain, Sweden, and Taiwan were equally committed to gathering intelligence about the Soviet Union and its allies, and conducted their own peripheral and overflight missions. Hopkins challenges longstanding beliefs that the flights served to prevent war, curtailed needless defence spending, and were undertaken by rogue generals bent on starting World War Three. For the first time he shows the Soviet perspective on the flights, and makes a compelling case that reconnaissance flights did not have a sustained adverse effect on Soviet relations with the West. Using newly declassified materials, interviews with crews and policy makers, and his own experience flying strategic reconnaissance missions, Hopkins links the daily operations of courageous fliers with decisions by Presidents and Prime Ministers that decided the outcome of the cold war.

English Electric''s Canberra saw an unbroken 46 years of service in the UK as a test and trials aircraft from 1951 until final retirement in 1994. Flown by Government research establishments, military units and military defence contractors on a vast range of tasks, the versatile Canberra contributed to the development of aircraft engines, airborne radars, reconnaissance sensors, aircrew equipment, nuclear weapons, conventional armament, missiles and much more besides. The Canberra was flown in particular as a platform for the majority of post-war UK-developed airborne interception radars, from AI.18 through AI.20, AI.23 and a number of experimental radars, to AI.24 Foxhunter and beyond. Other projects covered included missile programmes; electro-optical sensors for the TSR-2 optical linescan; reconnaissance radars for the V-Force and the TSR.2''s P.391 SLAR and the ASTOR SAR that led to the Sentinel R.1.  The UK stealth programme and the ''Rubber Duck'' Canberra is examined as are Double Scorpion and Spectre rocket engines as well as aiming systems and the Q-band strike radar. The huge variety of airframe modifications and colour schemes of these special aircraft are fully illustrated making this an invaluable book for the aviation enthusiast, modeller and historian.

Explains how the RAF developed their transport force from the late 1960s to today's precision delivery of equipment to forward operating bases in Afghanistan and beyond. Illustrated throughout.

Founded in 1927, the design bureau headed by Aleksandr S. Yakovlev started out with light aircraft but soon became a "fighter maker" when the prospect of war loomed large.  Originally designated I-26, Yakovlev''s first simple but rugged fighter, first flew in 1940 and entered production at the end of the year as the Yak-1.  The Yak-9 followed in 1942 and brought a greater proportion of metal to the airframe design leading to the development of the long-range Yak-9D, the up-gunned tank buster versions (Yak-9-37, Yak-9T, Yak-9K etc.) and the Yak-9B light bomber. Later flown by the French pilots of the Normandie-Niemen squadron of the Soviet Air Force the Yak-3 introduced in 1943 came to be recognized as one of the best fighters of WW II. This detailed history is richly illustrated with unit badges, nose art, scale drawings, colour side views and three-views. Previously unreleased photos and personal stories from pilots in the Great Patriotic War ensure Yakolev Aircraft of World War II is a detailed reference source for modelers, enthusiasts and historians alike.

To counter the threat from a Soviet "blue water" navy, a large investment was made in the years from 1945 until the 1960s to develop maritime patrol aircraft. For years the Air Staff and the ministries argued over what type should replace the Shackleton, including variants of the Vulcan, the Britannia, VC10 and Trident, before one man strode into the MoD building in 1964, settling the argument with what became Nimrod. To seek and destroy Soviet submarines, Shackletons and Nimrods carried many advanced weapons and sensors, but also played a role in saving lives at sea. Then, after forty years'' service, the Nimrods were withdrawn without replacement after one of the most expensive procurement disasters. Chris Gibson examines the post-war genesis of the RAF''s maritime patrol aircraft, a process that led to Nimrod. From the last flying boats, attempts to improve then replace the Shackleton and ultimately the Nimrod itself, Gibson provides a fascinating insight into the aircraft, weapons and sensors developed to counter the Soviet submarine threat

First Lieutenant Wolfgang Wollenweber's WWII odyssey, from combat operations in the Me110 over Russia with the 'Arctic Sea Hunters', to pitting the extraordinary He 162 jet fighter against Allied fighters over Germany, and flying possibly the final Luftwaffe mission of WWII, may be the last great 'untold' story from a WWII Luftwaffe pilot. Posted to the Arctic front in 1943, Wollenweber flew Me110s on escort missions and ground attack, shooting down several Soviet aircraft in the process, for which he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class. As the fortunes of the war turned against the Third Reich, Wollenweber volunteered for defence duties and soon found himself training to fly the lethal Me163 Komet rocket fighter, before being transferred to the innovative 'wonder weapon'--the He 162 Jet Fighter. The He 162 'Volksjäger' (People's Fighter) was meant to be capable of being flown by members of the Hitler Youth with only rudimentary flying experience, but instead turned out to be an unforgiving machine in untrained hands and while Wollenberger himself became one of the most experienced He 162 pilots, he witnessed the brutal human toll it exacted on the unwary or unlucky. And as one of the few pilots to have flown the He 162 in combat, he finally settles the vexed question of whether the He 162 ever shot down an Allied aircraft. Wollenweber describes in his own words the shocking truth of the last desperate days of the Third Reich, and does not shy away from describing the horrors he witnessed and naming the corrupt and incompetent individuals he came across. This is a vividly told story and an important inside account not just of the revolutionary He 162, but also the changing fortunes of the Luftwaffe - from happy hunting on the Russian front to its final disintegration over a destroyed homeland.

From the outset, the export of revolution and Communist ideology had been one of the cornerstones of Soviet Russia's (and later the Soviet Union's) foreign policy and by the mid-1950s the export of Soviet arms expanded into Africa with Algeria being amongst the first African countries to receive Soviet combat aircraft.By the 1960s and 1970s, a large number of African states had gained independence and the Soviet Union increased supply. This situation persisted until the early 1990s when most of the former Soviet allies shed socialism and switched allegiance to the West. Having often been flown by foreign volunteer or mercenary pilots such as the Cubans in Angola and South Africans in Sierra Leone, Soviet/Russian military aircraft can now be seen in countries as varied as Algeria, Libya, the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, and Sudan.Combat types from the MiG-15 to the latest Su-30MK fighters, Su-24MK tactical bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft, Mi-24/25/35 helicopters and transports from the Antonov An-12 to the Il'yushin Il-76 can all be seen across Africa.Arranged by country and using previously classified sources, Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in Africa includes comprehensive fleet lists of all known Soviet/Russian military aircraft together with their Chinese derivatives. Highly illustrated with contemporary photographs, air force insignia and colour profiles this book forms an invaluable reference for modellers, enthusiasts and aviation historians alike.As every conflict involving Egyptian aircraft has been fought in the Middle East, full details of those aircraft will feature in the forthcoming companion volume Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in the Middle East.

In 1945 Eric Brown led the team from the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough which scoured the British Zone of Occupation in post war Germany for captured Luftwaffe aircraft and aeronautical installations. They uncovered an Aladdin''s cave of aviation riches and amazed by the advanced level of technology and production they found, brought back over a hundred aircraft for detailed testing and analysis. Of particular interest were the high-speed wind tunnels, which had allowed the Germans to develop such ground-breaking aircraft as the rocket powered Me 163B and the first production jetfighter, the Me 262. The information gathered by this small group of aviators and scientists has influenced aircraft design to this day.Wings of the Luftwaffe is a unique and definitive appraisal of the background and characteristics of all the major German aircraft of World War II, written by probably Britain''s most outstanding test pilot and the only pilot to have flown them all. Covering 11 manufacturers and 33 types, this new edition with over 250 photographs, colour profiles, cockpit layouts and sectional drawings provides an in-depth assessment of the contribution made to the annals of military aviation in the late 1930s and early 1940s by the innovative German aircraft industry.