The struggle for air supremacy is, first of all, a WAR OF MOTORS. The experience of World War II showed that superiority in speed is the decisive factor in air combat, and the USSR's lag in engine building became the main "Achilles heel" of our Air Force in the Great Patriotic War. The entire history of aviation is a fierce BATTLE FOR SPEED, and therefore for the power of aircraft engines, which are rightfully considered the pinnacle of technology and proof of the scientific and technical viability of the state. This book is the first serious study of the great war of engines, which lasted throughout the 20th century and determined the development of the aircraft industry, from the first piston engines to the latest gas turbine engines, from the clumsy “whatnots” that flew at the speed of a moped, to the latest generation of hypersonic stratospheric superjets. A recognized authority on aircraft engine design for more than 40 years, the author has personally participated in this battle for speed, and his book is not only highly competent, but also extremely entertaining, reading like a gripping techno-thriller.