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. The book, and its
companion volume, American Secret Projects 2, covers airlifter designs
from WWII to the start of the 1960s, and 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 testbeds
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.
