âFor any enthusiast and/or modeler of the Hawker Hunter this book will be like catnip . . . outstanding images of this classic post war aircraft.â âVintage Airfix
Initially introduced in 1954 as a swept-wing, transonic, single-seat day interceptor, the Hawker Hunter rapidly succeeded the first-generation jet fighters in RAF service such as the Gloster Meteor and the de Havilland Venom. Powered by the then newly developed Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet, the Hunterâs performance transformed the RAFâs day fighter squadrons from the mid-1950s until the advent of the English Electric Lightning from the early 1960s.
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Even then, as successively improved variants of the type were produced with increasingly more capable engines and expanded fuel capacity, the Hunter successfully transitioned into a strike/ground attack fighter-bomber and fighter reconnaissance platform. Two-seat variants were developed for training and other secondary roles with the RAF and the Royal Navy and a few remained in use until 2001, albeit with specialized MoD Test and Evaluation unitsâwell over forty years after the typeâs initial introduction.
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This addition to the Flight Craft series follows our well-established format in that it is split into three primary sections. The first covers the Hawker Hunter using numerous photographs, informative captions and tables. The second is a 16-page full-color illustration section featuring detailed profiles and 2-views of many of the color schemes and markings carried by Hunters. The final section lists as many injection-molded plastic model kits of the Hunter, in all the major scales, that the authors could obtain, plus a photo gallery of models made by some of the worldâs best modelers.
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âA delight for anyone modeling a Hunter as it is so comprehensive.â âBritish Military History