Amid the continuous struggle for aerial superiority during World War 1, two aircraft types were at the forefront. Both rotary-engined fighters, the Sopwith Camel and the Fokker Dr I triplane were relatively slow for their time, but were regarded as the most maneuverable machines produced during the [...]
The first VF-2 was a prewar unit that had been dubbed the 'hottest outfit afloat' due to the skill of their non-commissioned pilots. This first unit only saw combat at the Battle of the Coral Sea, although VF-2 pilots flying Grumman F4F Wildcats were able to rack up 17 claims there during the bitter[...]
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. It was the largest aircraft ever regularly o[...]
The untold story of A-10 units in Operation Enduring Freedom reaches its conclusion with this second of two volumes focusing on the type's combat missions in Afghanistan. Featuring numerous first-hand accounts and photography from those who experienced the conflict, along with imagery from official [...]
During the course of World War II, throughout the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (which encompassed some7500 square miles of enemy air space), five USAAF medium-class bomb groups and their 20 bomb squadrons used their allotments of B-25 Mitchell aircraft to perfection. From low-altitude strafin[...]
Destined to become one of the most influential postwar armoured cars, the V100 Commando was developed by the Cadillac Gage Company in 1962 as a private venture and the first prototype was completed in the same year. It was designed as a multi-purpose vehicle and could function as an 11-man personnel[...]
Entering service in the early 1960's, the M60 tank was in production for 23 years and formed the backbone of US Army and Marine armoured units during the Cold War. Over 15,000 were built in four basic models: the M60, M60A1, M60A2, and the M60A3. At its peak the US Army used over 8,887 tanks of this[...]
Flown exclusively by the US Marines, the PBJ was one of those rare examples of an air force type being procured by the navy due to its ability to do exactly the job that was required of it. Bought as a land-based patrol bomber for operations in the Atlantic and Pacific, the PBJ (Patrol, Bomber, Nort[...]
Since the limited Desert Fox campaign against Iraq in December 1998, the Tomcat has been integral to virtually all combat operations involving the US Navy in the Arabian Gulf. Indeed, on every carrier deployment to the Persian Gulf since Desert Fox, the F-14 unit(s) on station has ventured into 'The[...]
This book examines the design, development and deployment of the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas, formerly Hughes) AH-64A Apache - the US Army's primary attack helicopter, and the most advanced helicopter gunship flying today. It was the most expensive rotary-winged aircraft ever built when it was introdu[...]
The Bell Huey Cobra was the very first purpose-designed helicopter gunship to become operational and to see combat. Designed in the mid-1960s as an "interim solution" for an armed escort and close-support weapon to support the US Army in the Vietnam War, it is still being manufactured and improved i[...]
The light and agile A-4 Skyhawk was the first modern American jet to be offered to the Israeli Air Force, marking the point where the US took over from France as Israel's chief military supplier. Deliveries began too late for the A-4 to fight in the Six-Day War, but it soon formed the backbone of th[...]