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3 books on Military Aircraft [PDF]
September 19, 2025 | 20 |
These books are covering military aircraft design, aerial combat strategies, stealth technology, advanced avionics, the evolution of fighter jets, tactical reconnaissance and the role of drones in modern warfare.
1. Materials and Processes Used in Aircraft Construction
2025 by Johannes Karl Fink
This book focuses on the development of special materials for aviation and military aircrafts in particular. The main driving factors in this sphere are cost/weight reduction and increasing of component lifetime. The use of lightweight materials improves mechanical properties, fuel efficiency, distance range and payload, which ultimately reduces the operating costs of aircraft. In the past 80 years composite materials have been widely used in the development of many military aircrafts as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. Aluminum-lithium and aluminum-zinc alloys have dominated the field due to their high specific gravity, corrosion resistance, damage tolerance and high-temperature strength. Metal matrix composites (MMC) are the main components of aluminum alloys (Al-Si, Al-Cu, Al-Si-Mg) as a matrix. Aluminum-based metal matrix composite has important properties such as high strength, significant wear resistance and low thermal expansion. Magnesium sheets are often used as a replacement for aluminum and steel and show greater potential for weight reduction. And of course, there are Titanium alloys that have significantly higher strength than aluminum. If aircraft part thickness is not limited, weight reduction can be achieved by replacing aluminum, despite the fact that titanium has a density 60% higher. At high temperatures, titanium alloys have lower density and higher strength than high-strength steels.
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2. Fighting Cockpits: In the Pilot's Seat of Great Military Aircraft from World War I to Today
2016 by Donald Nijboer
This beautifully illustrated book shows the evolution of the cockpit. Thanks to Dan Patterson’s photographs, readers see this evolution from the Blériot to the F-35 and hear veterans and combat pilots describe what it was like to be in the cockpit of these iconic aircraft. The cockpit of a combat aircraft was never designed for comfort or pleasure. For pilots in World War I, it was little more than a wicker chair, a control column, pedals, an instrument or two and a machine gun. It was a cold, noisy, inhospitable place. The 1930s brought the introduction of all-metal fighters and bombers with enclosed cockpits. The cockpit became more cramped and crowded with instruments and controls. One mistake—the wrong lever or the accidental push of a button—often meant disaster. With the advent of jet aircraft in 1944, the pilot's workload increased, but few thought about the proper organization of the pilot-machine interface. It was only years later that engineers began to pay attention to ensuring that the pilot was always aware of everything that was happening inside and outside the aircraft and that the instruments and controls were logically arranged. The modern fighter cockpit is a marvel of technology. As F-22 pilot Lt. Col. Clayton Perkle says, "You're basically a member of the crew with an advisory vote. You're not the one making the decision."
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3. The World's Greatest Military Aircraft: An Illustrated History
2015 by Thomas Newdick
With one exception, all of the iconic aircraft featured in this book have earned their reputations in combat. For example, the all-new F-22 Raptor, which first saw action over Syria in 2014. The so-called “fifth generation” of manned fighters, the Raptor continues a long line of purpose-built fixed-wing combat aircraft that emerged in World War I. The aircraft described (and illustrated) in this book represent different concepts, all aimed at delivering the most effective combination of sometimes conflicting requirements: performance, maneuverability, durability, controllability and firepower. In the case of the F-35 Lightning II, the only aircraft on this list that has yet to see combat, the manufacturer says it can achieve the perfect combination of all of these qualities. Only time will tell how successful this latest attempt at creating the “perfect” all-purpose fighter will be. With few exceptions, modern frontline combat aircraft are typically designed to be flexible in their missions and applications. Multinational projects such as the Eurofighter Typhoon combine air defence and strike capabilities into a single aircraft. While earlier generations of fighters could only perform one role during a mission, modern aircraft such as the Typhoon and Dassault Rafale can switch between roles within a single sortie; their manufacturers describe them as “multi-role” or “universal”.
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2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
1. Materials and Processes Used in Aircraft Construction
2025 by Johannes Karl Fink
This book focuses on the development of special materials for aviation and military aircrafts in particular. The main driving factors in this sphere are cost/weight reduction and increasing of component lifetime. The use of lightweight materials improves mechanical properties, fuel efficiency, distance range and payload, which ultimately reduces the operating costs of aircraft. In the past 80 years composite materials have been widely used in the development of many military aircrafts as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. Aluminum-lithium and aluminum-zinc alloys have dominated the field due to their high specific gravity, corrosion resistance, damage tolerance and high-temperature strength. Metal matrix composites (MMC) are the main components of aluminum alloys (Al-Si, Al-Cu, Al-Si-Mg) as a matrix. Aluminum-based metal matrix composite has important properties such as high strength, significant wear resistance and low thermal expansion. Magnesium sheets are often used as a replacement for aluminum and steel and show greater potential for weight reduction. And of course, there are Titanium alloys that have significantly higher strength than aluminum. If aircraft part thickness is not limited, weight reduction can be achieved by replacing aluminum, despite the fact that titanium has a density 60% higher. At high temperatures, titanium alloys have lower density and higher strength than high-strength steels.
Download PDF
2. Fighting Cockpits: In the Pilot's Seat of Great Military Aircraft from World War I to Today
2016 by Donald Nijboer
This beautifully illustrated book shows the evolution of the cockpit. Thanks to Dan Patterson’s photographs, readers see this evolution from the Blériot to the F-35 and hear veterans and combat pilots describe what it was like to be in the cockpit of these iconic aircraft. The cockpit of a combat aircraft was never designed for comfort or pleasure. For pilots in World War I, it was little more than a wicker chair, a control column, pedals, an instrument or two and a machine gun. It was a cold, noisy, inhospitable place. The 1930s brought the introduction of all-metal fighters and bombers with enclosed cockpits. The cockpit became more cramped and crowded with instruments and controls. One mistake—the wrong lever or the accidental push of a button—often meant disaster. With the advent of jet aircraft in 1944, the pilot's workload increased, but few thought about the proper organization of the pilot-machine interface. It was only years later that engineers began to pay attention to ensuring that the pilot was always aware of everything that was happening inside and outside the aircraft and that the instruments and controls were logically arranged. The modern fighter cockpit is a marvel of technology. As F-22 pilot Lt. Col. Clayton Perkle says, "You're basically a member of the crew with an advisory vote. You're not the one making the decision."
Download PDF
3. The World's Greatest Military Aircraft: An Illustrated History
2015 by Thomas Newdick
With one exception, all of the iconic aircraft featured in this book have earned their reputations in combat. For example, the all-new F-22 Raptor, which first saw action over Syria in 2014. The so-called “fifth generation” of manned fighters, the Raptor continues a long line of purpose-built fixed-wing combat aircraft that emerged in World War I. The aircraft described (and illustrated) in this book represent different concepts, all aimed at delivering the most effective combination of sometimes conflicting requirements: performance, maneuverability, durability, controllability and firepower. In the case of the F-35 Lightning II, the only aircraft on this list that has yet to see combat, the manufacturer says it can achieve the perfect combination of all of these qualities. Only time will tell how successful this latest attempt at creating the “perfect” all-purpose fighter will be. With few exceptions, modern frontline combat aircraft are typically designed to be flexible in their missions and applications. Multinational projects such as the Eurofighter Typhoon combine air defence and strike capabilities into a single aircraft. While earlier generations of fighters could only perform one role during a mission, modern aircraft such as the Typhoon and Dassault Rafale can switch between roles within a single sortie; their manufacturers describe them as “multi-role” or “universal”.
Download PDF
How to download PDF:
1. Install Gooreader
2. Enter Book ID to the search box and press Enter
3. Click "Download Book" icon and select PDF*
* - note that for yellow books only preview pages are downloaded
