The Aviation Historian Magazine Issue 48 Back Issue

Our 48th quarterly issue contains our usual very eclectic blend of subjects, but two Cold War items on the theme of “speaking softly and carrying a big stick” stand out. One is our cover story, opening a new two-part article on the USAF’s Project Combat Bullseye of 1967, in which Strategic Air Command’s Convair B-58 Hustler nuclear bomber was evaluated as a “pathfinder” and conventional bomber for Tactical Air Command in Vietnam. The other prominent Cold War item is our in-depth look at the UK’s Avro Blue Steel air-launched nuclear stand-off missile, featuring the superb technical illustrations of Ian Bott. It was a technological leap made by a development team which has historically received comparatively little credit.

Elsewhere in TAH48: the second half of our exploration of 1920s–40s endeavours to establish transatlantic air travel by means of “seadromes” built mid-ocean; the political background to the Airbus A320 — a venture which single-handedly revived the fortunes of Britain’s aerospace industry; how Royal Navy Harriers met and fought Argentinian Mirages in the skies over the Falkland Islands in May 1982; and the bizarre life, work and death of French pioneer Henri Jourdan. All this — and much more — awaits you in Issue 48 of The Aviation Historian.