Tony Buttler was born in England. He joined High Duty Alloys in 1974 as a metallurgist and for nearly 20 years was involved in the testing of aluminum and titanium airframe and engine components for all of the world's major aircraft. It was during this period that his great interest in aviation began to blossom. After leaving HDA, Buttler earned his Masters Degree in Archives and Library Studies at Loughborough University, and became a freelance aviation historian specializing in the design and development of military aircraft.

The highly respected British Secret Projects series covers the design and development of UK military aircraft since the mid-1930s with the strongest emphasis given to designs that were never built. British Secret Projects 3: Fighters 1935 to 1950 describes the design and development of the British fighter from the end of the biplane fighter to the start of the jet era and through the crucial years of World War II. The coverage of the projects and programs begins in the mid-1930s in the knowledge that war was coming, and goes through to some proposals which appeared after the war had ended. During this period the art of fighter design took huge steps forward from fixed-gun and turret fighters, such as the Supermarine Spitfire and Boulton Paul Defiant programs, to the first generation of jet fighters, the studies of which included the Gloster Rocket. In most cases these types were designed specifically to meet the requirements of the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm. As with the companion volumes in the British Secret Projects series, author Tony Buttler has made full use of archive materials, much of it never published before. Three-view drawings, photographs of models and original artist's impressions combine to show how these unbuilt designs would have appeared, and examples new to this volume include the Folland Fo.118 and the Westland P.13. Data and appendices summarize the project, their contracts and specifications as part of a detailed insight into many fascinating aircraft designs. This latest fully revised edition of British Secret Projects 3: Fighters 1935 to 1950 provides a wealth of new information and many new photographs for the aviation historian and modeler alike.