Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1979, 112 p. — ISBN 0-684-16286-5.This book describes worlds Air Forces at the state they were in 1979. Very well illustrated.The protection of a nations land, its people and its resources has been of paramount importance for
more than a thousand years. Today, that protection is more than just an army and its weapons. It
comprises in many cases sophisticated missile defence systems, supersonic combat aircraft, nuclear
submarines and large surface fleets. The investment In current national defence is measured in millions and billions of dollars and the content of this book endeavours to show where exactly some of those dollars are being spent.The entries in this book have been arranged alphabetically for ease of reference, each one divided into two main categories, Combat elements and Transport and Support types. The 'Strength' figure at the heading of each entry is the total number of aircraft in service which is generally more reliable than a combat strength which can be misleading as many training aircraft are capable of conducting light strike duties, giving them a quasi combat status. Where a country has naval and army aviation components which are not large enough for separate entries, they have been included at the end of the main air force text. To maintain readability, certain air force unit designations have been simplified into squadrons, groups and wings while other, more accepted ones have been retained, such as the German Geschwader.
