TSR2: Britain's Lost Cold War Strike Aircraft: Revised and Updated Edition

A detailed yet eminently readable photographic history of the development of the TSR-2, with photographs drawn from the BAE Systems Heritage archive at Warton. It will concentrate on the aircraft development rather than the political background to the story. The author has researched original sources from the BAe archives at Warton Heritage Group, and uses a compelling array of unpublished photographs and material to illustrate the story. This new book will have a wide appeal and will revive the debate about this beautiful but ill-fated aircraft. Although various proposals, under the designation OR (Operational Requirement) 343, were considered for a replacement of the existing Canberra bomber, in 1959 the go-ahead was given to the British Aircraft Corporation submission, named the TSR.2. This stood for Tactical Strike and Reconnaissance 2. As is often the case, the original estimates for the TSR.2 were overtaken by rocketing costs. Two prototype aircraft were completed and the first test flight was made on 27 September 1964 with Roland Beamont at the controls. In the course of testing, the TSR.2 was found to meet easily the demanding performance specification. Aerodynamically the aircraft was trouble-free, though there were continual problems with the engines and the undercarriage. By now, some in the RAF were coming to favour the American General Dynamics F-111 over the TSR.2. The new Labour government, which came to power in 1964, at first denied that it was going to drop the British aircraft but in the budget speech of 6 April 1965, the Chancellor announced the cancellation of the TSR.2 in favour of the F-111 on the grounds that the American aircraft would prove cheaper. Subsequently, this decision was used to berate the Labour government by those of an opposite political persuasion who always found it difficult to accept that Britain was no longer the force in world affairs it once had been. The fate of the TSR.2 was seen by some as a metaphor for the decline of Britain itself. This view was reinforced by the famous aircraft designer Sir Sidney Camm, who said, 'all modern aircraft have four dimensions: span, length, height and politics. TSR.2 simply got the first three right.' Although only flown as a prototype, the TSR.2 has become a perennially popular and controversial subject. This book will provide an in-depth and balanced view of the project.

About the Author :
Tim McLelland is an established aviation writer and photographer with an interest in all aspects of aerospace, specialising primarily in post-war military subjects. He has authored a wide range of books on a variety of subjects. He has also produced numerous features for many aerospace both in the UK and overseas. He has been fortunate to fly as a passenger in a wide range of combat aircraft including the Jaguar, Lightning, Harrier and Tornado, among a list of many other key military fighters and bombers, so he has first-hand knowledge of military flying. He lives in Sheffield.

Review :
Author McLeIIand's approach to the often-emotive subject of TSR2 is refreshingly straightforward. Earlier published volumes have variously included the words 'Folly', 'Murder', 'Phoenix' (two different volumes) and 'Ghost' in the title while their text spends - maybe wastes - considerable numbers of pages alleging conspiracy on the part of the UK Government to kill off the TSR2 programme for reasons various and nefarious. McLeIland's take is more mundane; the Government genuinely wanted to provide the RAF the equipment it wanted, but Britain's role in the world 'east of Suez' was contracting while TSR2s costs continued to escalate. All aspects of the industrial programme flight testing and the inevitable political machinations are presented in an authoritative analytical and readable manner. Photos are plentiful and well reproduced. Many are familiar but some, such as shots of nuclear stores in the TSR2 bomb bay arranged 'two WEI77As one behind the other or two WEI77Bs side-by-side', are not and this volume presents the widest selection yet seen between the covers of one book. This is a great story of what might have been And great value at under £20. EAGERLY AWAITED, this book on the BAC TSR.2 ('Britain's Lost Cold War Strike Aircraft') is a comprehensive account of what many regard as symbolic of the start of the final decline of the British aircraft industry at the hands of politicians, specifically the British Labour government of Harold Wilson. The author covers the whole project from initial concepts through to cancellation after only one aircraft had been flown. It's a fascinating story well told. The author's depth of research is commendable and it's well-written, although the page design with its massively long paragraphs often makes the text seem overly dense and not easy to read. This is not the author's fault, but the designer's. I like the fact that the author doesn't get overly emotional about the subject as others have. It's not entirely dispassionate, but controlled. The information is presented in a straightforward way and there is a lot of it covering all the political, industrial and technical aspects of the programme. Supporting the text is what must be just about every photograph of the TSR.2 ever taken. There's also 1/72 scale line drawings and colour profiles including one depicting the official proposed camouflage scheme for production aircraft. The scale drawings make you realise what a large aeroplane it was - 20 feet (6.1m) longer than a Lancaster! One chapter is devoted to attempts to sell the TSR.2 to Australia and this makes for interesting reading. So are the parts covering Lord Louis Mountbatten, who took it upon himself to try to scuttle the project from the start and did it a great deal of damage in the process. This is a welcome addition to my library.