TSR2 - Britain's Lost Bomber (Crowood Aviation) [Hardcover]

An absolutely wonderful & informative book, full of little bits you might not notice in others of its ilk. Like many of my age, I was keen to see TSR2 take to the skies and take its proud place in the ranks of British world-beating aircraft.
Sadly, it was not to be.
Politics and economics, together with inter-service rivalry, got in the way of a piece of design so far ahead of others that it was given the chop; not only the chop, but 3 months before the promised time.

The illustrations are very good, the text lucid and understandable and the photos of various bits of it make understanding what was a very complex system easily understood.

An alternative title might have been "How to design an aircraft under difficult circumstances".

It's simply that good.

This is by far the best volume I have read on this ill fated project. Damien has done an excellent job of presenting a balanced view of the project from inception to cancellation and beyond. This story has always been, and will always be a very emotive subject, but this book gives an excellent account of the true facts. Inter service squabbling, government interference and a vague then shifting requirement, all in the times of rapidly changing world circumstances. I was a child at the time of cancellation, but remember by father (RAF Radio Tech at Wyton training on TSR2 systems) coming home utterly disappointed in the governments decision. Many good things came from this project in the end, i.e. Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon (itself escaping cancellation against overwhelming criticism and a changing world scenario again). In many respects the cancellation of this beautiful but deadly weapons system has ensured its place in history and myth, and elevated it to a position possibly higher than if it had entered service. Additionally, the cover artwork is excellent; depicting the role this aircraft would undertake after all other means had failed.
Well done Damien 10/10

The TSR 2, a doomed bomber project, was perhaps the poster boy of the decline and fall of the British aviation industry in the latter half of the 20th century. For those who love aircraft, it was a strikingly beautiful shape, wrapped around intricate systems and advanced technology aimed at a demanding technical specification. It showed every promise of being a true pilot's aircraft and achieving performance targets which few aircraft types would achieve even today. The other side of the coin was a mix of wishful thinking, over-reaching, messy compromise and muddled planning. The aircraft project could well have ruined its manufacturers, and possibly the nation, had it been permitted to continue. It had the misfortune to exist (fleetingly) at a time when the technology (especially electronic) which it needed was in its relative infancy and when the military-industrial complex which sponsored it was undergoing a rapid decline. This led to over-reliance on premature technologies in an environment where the inevitable cost over-runs were not sustainable.

This book is, I think, as close as possible to the definitive analysis. It could be misjudged by its lurid cover showing a hypothetical scene of the TSR 2 having failed in its avowed aim of deterrance (a scene which the author himself seems slightly embarrassed about at page 296). In fact the book appears to be the result of intense and intelligent research, marshalled together by an author who (perhaps assisted by the detachment which almost half a century brings) shows objectivity and judgment which has perhaps been lacking up until now. The evident depth of research is impressive. From the origins of the operational requirement to the dismal end of the project, with political in-fighting (both in Parliament and among the Services), technical setbacks and desperate attempts to cut costs and fight off other contenders, the whole story is told in depth and with judgment. The text is accompanied by photographs and diagrams (a mix of contemporary drawings and those produced especially for this book) which, again, perfectly illustrate the points which need to be made. Much like the aircraft it portrays, the book as a whole is a beautiful thing.

Criticisms are minor - the cover is unfortunate, as already mentioned. For this reviewer, a set of comparisons would have been nice. A constant theme of the book (and the project) was the TSR 2's struggle at the design, prototype and projected development stage to meet the targets of runway performance, low-level flight, speed at altitude and low-level, combat radius and warload. But these seem to be portrayed only against the somewhat arbitrary target. A comparison of what the TSR 2 was realistically likely to have achieved as against the aircraft it would have replaced or supplanted (the Canberra and the V-Bombers), its competitors (the Mirage IV, Buccaneer, A6, A5 and the F-111) and the aircraft which could have or eventually did take its place (the AFVG, UKVG, Tornado and Strike Eagle) would have been informative. But these are relatively minor criticisms, and if these comparisons had been included, no doubt something else of value and interest would have had to go.

In summary, if you only buy one TSR 2 book, without doubt, buy this one.