Bøger i Combat Aircraft serien

In the three decades following Vietnam, the veteran A-6 Intruder remained the most powerful strike aircraft available to the US Navy and Marine Corps. Engaged in operations over Cambodia, Lebanon and Libya during the 1970s and 80s, the A-6 maintained its reputation as the 'Main Battery' of carrier aviation, remaining in service through the First Gulf War up until 1996 when its duties were taken over by the F-14 Tomcat.Following on from his study of the A-6 Intruder's exploits during the Vietnam War, Rick Morgan details the technological developments that were introduced to the airframe after that conflict and how it shaped the operational employment of the aircraft. Filled with first-hand accounts from pilots and navigators, as well as profile artwork and photographs, this is the complete story of the US Navy's main medium attack aircraft in the latter part of the Cold War.

The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous post-war fighter. This title examines the unique aspects of the Phantom that made it so crucial to US Navy pilots during the Vietnam War - its massive engine power, long range, speed, and, the most powerful airborne search and fire-control radar installed in a fighter at the time.

The Fw 200 Condor first made an appearance over Norway in April 1940. Able to attack shipping directly, or to guide U-Boats to their prey the Condor scored its first major success when it crippled the liner Empress of Great Britain. Packed with photographs, this is the history of one of the unsung types to take to the skies during World War 2.

Entering service during the Sino-Japanese War, the Nakajima B5N (code-named 'Kate') excelled and went on to achieve surprising and dramatic successes in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It also contributed to the sinking of the US aircraft carriers USS Lexington at the Battle of the Coral Sea, USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway, and USS Hornet at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Its replacement, the Nakajima B6N 'Jill', while a marked improvement over its illustrious predecessor, was never able to achieve its full potential in combat due to advances in Allied aircraft, finding itself relegated to the dreaded Kamikaze strikes in the latter part of the war.Using previously unpublished photographs as well as colour illustrations, this book will cover the history of the 'Kate' and 'Jill' torpedo/attack bombers, including their design and development, as well as the combat highs and lows of the Imperial Japanese Navy's premier torpedo-bombers.

Hawker's charismatic Tempest V entered RAF service just in time to be the most successful counter to the V1 flying bomb assault on southern England in the summer of 1944. With more than 800 of the robot missiles to its credit, Tempest V units then crossed the Channel to lock horns with the best the Luftwaffe had to offer - Fw 190D-9s, Ta 152s, Me 262s and Bf 109G/Ks - achieving an impressive kill/loss ratio in aerial combat.With incredibly detailed aircraft profiles and exciting combat reports this title covers the full history of Tempest squadrons, from their initial design and combat experience in World War 2 through to their post-war role and the eventual decline of this iconic British fighter.

Drawing from personal interviews with AD pilots, the authors paint a harrowing picture of the deadly combat of this often forgotten air war as pilots took on Chinese and North Korean forces during daring night attacks and whilst outnumbered in daytime attacks.

The striking appearance of Luftwaffe's Mistel Composite attack aircraft might seem ridiculous to modern eyes, but employed correctly, these original 'fire and forget' weapons were devastatingly effective, as Allied sources testify. This book presents a comprehensive account of the Mistel units, from their design to development.

The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, though something of a cult favourite, remains a largely unremarked classic of Naval Aviation. Built for nuclear weapon delivery, the A-3 made its name in Vietnam as a conventional bomber, tanker and Electronic Warfare platform. This volume focuses on the type's Vietnam service.

Featuring numerous first-hand accounts and photography from those who experienced the conflict, along with imagery from official military archives, this book offers a detailed insight into the record of the A-10 in one of the 21st Century's most significant conflicts.

The General Dynamics F-111 was one of the most technically innovative designs among military aircraft, introducing the variable-sweep wing, terrain-following radar, military-rated afterburning turbofan engines and a self-contained escape module among other features. This title deals with this aircraft.

In 1948 the USAF, Marine Corps and US Navy were concentrating on converting over to an all-jet force. This title deals with this topic.

Although built in small numbers for the USAF, the F-104C fought and survived for almost three years in Vietnam. This book covers the technical characteristics of the F-104 Starfighter, one of the most widely-used and popular aircraft in history. It also features photographs detailing the variety of nose-paint schemes and weapons configurations.

The A-10 was never a favourite amongst the USAF's senior staff, and prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 they had attempted to transfer the aircraft to the US Army and Marine Corps. This title tells the story of the A-10 in Enduring Freedom.

Twenty-five US Marine Corps squadrons flew versions of the Phantom II and 11 of them used the aircraft in Southeast Asia from May 1965 through to early 1973. Although one deployment was from an aircraft carrier, and included a successful MiG engagement, most missions were flown from land bases at Da Nang and Chu Lai in South Vietnam, and Nam Phong in Thailand. Rather than the air-to-air missiles that were the main component in the original F-4 armament, these aircraft carried an ever-expanding range of weaponry. Some toted 24 500-lb bombs and others strafed with up to three 20 mm gun pods, while most flew daily sorties delivering napalm, Snakeye bombs and big Zuni rockets. Many US Marines holding small outpost positions in Laos and South Vietnam against heavy Viet Cong attack owed their lives to the Phantom II pilots who repeatedly drove off the enemy. Very often their bombing passes had to be made at very low altitude beneath low cloud or at night, dropping their ordnance only 50 metres from ''troops in contact''. Like US Navy Phantom IIs, they flew Skyspot blind-bombing sorties, offshore barrier CAP missions to fend off MiGs and air defence ''hot pad'' missions for their home bases. The US Marine Corps prided itself on being a self-contained fighting force. The RF-4B reconnaissance version of the Phantom II was produced exclusively for the USMC to provide its own airborne photo intelligence, and one unit equipped with these jets flew more than 200 missions per month with only five aircraft serviceable on most days. The book will examine these missions in the context of US Marine Corps close-support doctrine, using the direct experience of a selection of the aircrew who flew and organised those missions.

Designed in the years following the Korean war and then manufactured for over 30 years starting in 1960, the A-6 quickly became the most capable attack aircraft in the US Navy's stable. The first squadron, VA-75, made its initial deployment directly into combat in south-east Asia in 1965, and, over the next eight years, ten US Navy and four Marine Intruder squadrons would conduct combat operations throughout Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After initial problems and a high loss rate, the type proved itself beyond all doubt as the Naval services' best night and foul-weather platform, particularly during the region's notorious monsoon season, which could ground almost all other in-theatre aircraft due to heavy rains and low visibility. The A-6 Intruder became a true classic of naval aviation over the skies of North Vietnam, with 14 of its crews being honoured with the second highest decoration in Naval service, the Navy Cross. The cost was high as 69 Intruders were lost in combat to all causes during the war. This work tells the complete story of these aircraft in combat during the Vietnam War.

USAF Skyraider units were originally tasked to serve as quasi-training units for the fledgling VNAF. This arrangement was changed as enough Vietnamese pilots were trained to man their own squadrons, while USAF squadrons were tasked with close support for US ground forces.

Petlyakov's Pe-2 was the most numerous Soviet twin-engined bomber of World War 2, the aircraft being used as a dive-bomber, ground attack platform and dedicated reconnaissance type. The first examples entered service in August 1940, and by the time production came to end in late 1945, no fewer than 10,547 examples had been built.

When the revolutionary Messerschmitt Me 262 jet first appeared as a bomber in the skies over north-west Europe in late 1944, it represented both a new dawn in aeronautical development and a great shock to the Allied air forces and armies. This book covers the complete history of the Me 262 bomber and reconnaissance units during World War 2.

The RAF's first Cold War strategic bomber, the Vickers Valiant, was procured as an insurance measure in case either the Vulcan or Victor was found to have a serious flaw. The Valiant was the equivalent of the US B-47 Stratojet.

"Av-8b Harrier II Units of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm".

From its first public demonstration at the Farnborough Airshow of 1949, the English Electric Canberra bomber captured the attention of the aviation world. It could outmanoeuvre all the fighters of the time and it could climb way above their operating ceilings. This book deals with this aircraft.

The AV-8B Harrier was, and still is, the only tactical aircraft that can deploy with the US Marine Corps on amphibious assault ships and provide air cover and close air support separate from large deck aircraft carriers. This book deals with this aircraft.

The P-47 Thunderbolt became the principal US fighter-bomber of World War II. It earned the nickname 'Juggernaut', which was quickly shortened to 'Jug' throughout the MTO and ETO. This title includes first-hand accounts and period photography that reveal the success enjoyed by the Thunderbolt in the MTO in the final year of the war.

"He 111 Kampfgeschwader in the West".

Italy's most successful wartime bomber, the S.79 saw combat with the Regia Aeronautica in France, Yugoslavia, Greece, North Africa, East Africa and in the Mediterranean. Initially developed as a transport, the aircraft evolved into a dedicated medium bomber during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. This title covers the history of S.79.

Details the technical features and operational performance of the Soviet Su-25 'Frogfoot', which proved itself as a durable and versatile attack aircraft in a variety of theatres such as Afghanistan, Georgia and Ossetia.

The first monoplane aircraft ordered by the US Navy for carrier operations, the short-lived TBD Devastator saw action in the Battle of Midway. Scale drawings, original artwork and rare wartime colour photography illustrate the text, with crews describing their experiences.

Osprey's study of the B-24 Liberator Units in the CBI Theatre of World War II (1939-1945). The B-24 Liberator was the mainstay of the US Army Air Force's strategic bombing effort in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre from 1942 until the end of the war in 1945. With longer range and a greater load-carrying capacity than the B-17, the B-24 was well suited to the demands of the CBI. The CBI's two air forces - the Tenth in India and the Fourteenth in China - each had one heavy bomb group equipped with Liberators. These two groups, the 7th and the 308th, carried the war to the Japanese across China and South East Asia, flying over some of the most difficult terrain in the world. The 308th had the added burden of having to carry its own fuel and bombs over the Himalayan 'Hump' from India to China in support of its missions. Despite the hardships and extreme distances from sources of supply, both units compiled a notable record, each winning two Distinguished Unit Citations.

Of the three jet bombers that formed the RAF's V-Force in the early years of the Cold War, the Victor was perhaps the most technologically advanced. First flown on 24 December 1952, the Victor entered service in B 1 configuration in November 1957. Further improvements were introduced with the B 2, which was optimized for high altitude. Most B 2s were equipped to carry the Blue Steel stand-off missile, but eight were modified in the strategic reconnaissance role because the Victor 2 was then the longest-ranging aircraft in the RAF. The Victor ceased to be a low-level bomber after the nuclear mission was taken over by the Royal Navy's Polaris submarine force in the late 1960s. Thereafter, Victor 1s and 2s continued in frontline service as airborne tankers, supporting operations such as the Falklands War and the Gulf War until the last Victor flight took place on 30 November 1993.

The B-57 Canberra was the first jet-powered American attack aircraft committed to the Vietnam War. The B-57E was involved in the Patricia Lynn missions, parts of which remain classified. This book documents the role of the Australian Canberra B-20 in working alongside the B-57.