Customer Reviews

Strategic Weapon Systems (Sentinel)

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This is a fairly authoritative book--you can expect nothing less from Jane's--though there were two aspects that I wished they covered in the book. First, the book dealt with missile delivery systems (and to a lesser extent it mentioned some free-fall munitions) but did not include the carriers of these weapons. In other words, while it covered the Trident sub-launched ballistic missile, it did not cover the OHIO-class missile submarines it is fired from--the latter still considered a strategic weapon asset. Likewise, while noting the B28 and other free-fall nuclear bombs, it did not have entries for the B-52, B-1B, and B-2 that would drop them.

Second, while perhaps a seperate issue like the aircraft and naval vessel delivery systems, the book only seems to deal with nuclear ordinance instead of also mentioning chemical and biological agents which are also considered strategic/WMD weapon assets.

A third complaint I do have is the division of sections in the book. Roughly, 1/4 of the book is devoted to defensive Surface-to-Air missiles (both anti-missile and anti-aircraft types), 1/4 to offesive Air- and Surface-to-Surface ballistic/cruise missiles, and the remaining half of the book is devoted to all of the relevent armament treaties enacted in the past half-century. An sizeable appendix in the back covers all of the "obsolete" systems that were employed by the major powers and/or still deployed by Third World states from the WWII V-1 and post-war SS-1 "Scud" to front-line Soviet ICBMs decommissioned in the 1990's.

In conclusion, it is a very good book--especially if bought as a library/used in the $10-20 range (my own was marked as from Peterson AFB, AKA NORAD and/or NORTHCOM--further lending great creditibility to the book).