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Category Archives: Cold War

Long Live the ‘King

Featuredby navalairhistory 2 Comments

If all goes to plan on Wednesday 26 September, the last Westland Sea King helicopters in UK military service will make a farewell flight around the Devon-Cornwall peninsula, where the […]

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Cold War, Falklands conflict, Fleet Air Arm, Postwar history

USS Ranger – a supercarrier at risk

August 2, 2014by navalairhistory 6 Comments

Sixty year ago, on 2 August 1954, the first truly modern aircraft carrier from the keel to the truck was laid down. The Forrestal-class supercarrier USS Ranger (CV-61) was the […]

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Cold War, Postwar history, Restoration and preservation, US Navy, Vietnam War

Farewell HMS Illustrious

July 22, 2014by navalairhistory Leave a comment

HMS Illustrious, the Royal Navy’s flagship, returned to her home port of Portsmouth on 22 July 2014, for the last time. Earlier that day she had handed over her duties […]

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Air displays, Cold War, Falklands conflict, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Illustrious, Postwar history

Fleet Air Arm twins, HMS Illustrious

April 3, 2014by navalairhistory Leave a comment

The following series of photographs from the Dave Bull collection (see previous post for images of prototype naval aircraft) depicting postwar naval aircraft landing on aircraft carriers, believed to be […]

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Cold War, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Illustrious, Postwar history, Prototypes, WW2 History

Happy Birthday Sea Vixen XP924

October 18, 2013by navalairhistory 1 Comment

Wednesday 16 October 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the first flight of de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 XP924. ‘Foxy Lady’, as she is known by her operators DS (Drilling […]

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Air displays, Cold War, Fleet Air Arm, Restoration and preservation

Prototypes and trials, HMS Illustrious

September 13, 2013by navalairhistory 2 Comments

Naval Air History is very lucky to have been given access to Dave Bull’s wonderful collection of photographs of aircraft on HMS Illustrious in the late 1940s-early 1950s. The first […]

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Cold War, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Illustrious, Pre-war fleet air arm, Prototypes, Supermarine Specials, WW2 History

Sea Hawk Swansong

May 22, 2013by navalairhistory Leave a comment

It’s hard to know whether to envy or pity the Fleet Air Arm aircrew who take part in the bundle of naval flying tasks known as Fleet Requirements, as these […]

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Cold War, Fleet Air Arm, Postwar history, Restoration and preservation

The Aviation Historian – Issue 3 review

April 23, 2013by navalairhistory 1 Comment

The Aviation Historian launched without fanfare in October 2012. This was a far quieter start than was deserved by a publication that is quite unique in the ranks of aviation […]

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Cold War, WW1 History, WW2 History

Fleet Air Arm Museum reserve collection

March 15, 2013by navalairhistory Leave a comment

The Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton has the biggest collection of naval aircraft in Europe. The main collection is unquestionably impressive, but the museum also holds a reserve collection […]

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Cold War, Falklands conflict, Fleet Air Arm, Golden age of flight, Pre-war fleet air arm, Restoration and preservation, WW1 History, WW2 History

Sea Harriers in the Med, 1995

October 15, 2012by navalairhistory 1 Comment

I am indebted to Bryan Mulheran for the use of the following photographs from his collection. These images were taken aboard HMS Illustrious between April and June 1995, prior to […]

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Cold War, Falklands conflict

Supermarine Type 510 – The First of the Future

July 9, 2012by navalairhistory Leave a comment

One of the catalogue of almost unremarked but nonetheless significant aviation ‘firsts’ in the postwar period was claimed by Supermarine, despite its star then being on the wane as an […]

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Cold War, Restoration and preservation, Supermarine Specials

British naval anti-aircraft weaponry – a brief history

June 28, 2012by navalairhistory Leave a comment

With reference to the Explosion Museum of Naval Ordnance, Gosport All the photographs of preserved naval AA weapons below show items in the extensive collection of the Explosion Museum The […]

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Cold War, Falklands conflict, History and its lessons, Pre-war fleet air arm, WW1 History, WW2 History

When God of Thunder became Mighty Hunter

May 6, 2012by navalairhistory 1 Comment

The Avro Vulcan was a truly versatile aircraft, whether as a part of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, a conventional bomber at low and medium altitude and even as a tanker. However, […]

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Cold War, Restoration and preservation

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Naval Air History News

The first of three novellas from Sharpe Books was released in June 2019 – ‘Harpoon’ chronicles the struggles of a Sea Hurricane pilot on the vital Malta convoys of 1942. Available from Amazon

Matt Willis’ publications

A full list of Matthew Willis' non-fiction publications can be found here

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Categories

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