Alexander Lüdeke

The Bell AH-1 was the first helicopter designed and built exclusively for combat. First flown in 1965, the AH-1, with its characteristic streamlined silhouette and stub wings, quickly became an indispensable asset and feared opponent. Development continued over the years and even today much improved and higher performance versions are still in service around the world. Design, development, and construction are discussed, as well as modifications made during production and the addition of night combat capabilities. Operational use in Vietnam, Operations Desert Shield/Storm, as well as current day combat are extensively covered. AH-1 use by other armed forces around the world such as Spain, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, and others is described as well.

German armoured vehicles continue to generate great interest among historians and military vehicle enthusiasts alike. Many of these lightly armoured vehicles were used for transporting soldiers and in the provision of medical care. Alexander Ludeke has devoted himself to the Radpanzertechnik in particular in this Fact File volume, providing a concise technical history of these German Military Vehicles.

German Panzers continue to exert a tremendous fascination for military historians and military vehicle enthusiasts alike. To the delight of all fans of tank warfare, this Fact File provides valuable reference on vehicles of the German Wehrmacht. During the Second World War the tank became the main weapon of every army. This Fact File edition provides a concise technical history of German WW2 tanks.

This book describes in superb pictures and text the fascinating genre of tilt rotor airplanes. Since the first helicopters flew, attempts have been made to create a link between the mobility of the rotorcraft and the speed of the winged airplane. At first these attempts failed simply because of constructive difficulties, since the technology had not advanced far enough. The progressive development, though, created in the past decades new possibilities, and thus led to the V-22 “Osprey”, which has meanwhile been produced in series and is used by the U.S. forces. A civilian model, the Bell/Agusta BA 209, will soon be introduced commercially.