Black Jets: The Development and Operation of America's Most Secret Warplane [Hardcover]

David Donald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2004

This book includes in-depth profiles of the four 'black' programs that led to development of the F-117 Stealth Fighter, B-2 Stealth Bomber, SR-71 Blackbird and U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane. Describes each aircraft in full, including development history, variants, service record, operators, specifications, weapons, avionics and mission systems.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Donald is one of Europe's most respected aviation writers, having authored or edited some two dozen books. Besides his books, his writing career has included the editorship of a number of prestigious aviation journals-including International Air Power Review.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: AIRtime (January 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880588676
• ISBN-13: 978-1880588673
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,703,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply incredible, October 9, 2004

By 

Jon Konrath "Jon" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Jets: The Development and Operation of America's Most Secret Warplane (Hardcover)

This book is phenomenal! First, the thing weighs more than a solid lead plate and is made of the finest paper with the best color reproductions I've ever seen outside of an expensive art book, so it is well worth the money in just the quality alone. But turn in to the oversized pages and you will find the densest, most detailed information on these four "black" planes you will find anywhere. I have many books on the SR-71 and a few on the F-117, but these contain far more information than any other titles I own, plus way more incredible photos. There are more pictures on the B-2 than I've seen in all other books combined! "Blueprint"-style illustrations show full layouts of planes, and wing/squadron information and color patches are also displayed.
There are so many small details covered it isn't even funny. This book is simply mind-blowing from cover to cover for the airplane enthusiast. I expect to be reading this over and over for years to come.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!, February 26, 2007

By 

Riccardo Di Roberto "chicchi" (Rome, Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Jets: The Development and Operation of America's Most Secret Warplane (Hardcover)

This book is a never-ending resource for fans of U-2, SR-71, F-117 and B-2. It is made of fine paper and colors are bright, photo resolutions are above average. The quantity of pics is incredible, and some of them has never been published before. It's like an encyclopedia for these 4 planes, and it will enrich your knowledge of these 4 marvellous jets. Absolutely suggested for aerospace addicted!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, April 17, 2006

By 

DPD1 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Jets: The Development and Operation of America's Most Secret Warplane (Hardcover)

Kind of surprised there isn't a lot more reviews on this book, because it is excellent. In one book, they covered four of what will probably be the most historic and mysterious aircraft in aviation history. The majority of photos in the book are original to this book, as far as I can tell. At least I haven't seen most of them before, and I've read a lot about these aircraft. Having the entire roster of each aircraft listed serial by serial is worth the price alone. It wasn't long ago that a book like this would be at least 3 times as much. Definitely recommended.