Osprey Combat Aircraft Series

Combat Aircraft 81Author: Shlomo AloniIllustrator: Jim LaurierAbout this bookThe 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 the IAF_s ground-attack force. From 1969 to 1970 it flew endless sorties against Egyptian forces in the War of Attrition....

Authors: Dmitriy Khazanov Aleksander MedvedIllustrator: Andrey YurgensonAbout this bookPetlyakovs 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. These equipped more than 80 bomber air regiments, and of the latter, two were...

Pv Ventura/Harpoon Units WW II by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPCOM34A development of the successful Lockheed -medium twins- of the late 1930s, the PV Ventura/Harpoon family of patrol bombers saw widespread service with both the US Navy/Marine Corps and the TAF and Commonwealth from October 1942 onwards. The USAAF also used surplus Venturas originally ordered by the RAF, designated B-34 Lexingtons, in the bomber training and coastal patrol roles. The final variant in this family was the...

Us Navy F-4 Phantom Ii by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM26Combat Aircraft 26Author: Brad ElwardIllustrator: Jim LaurierAbout this bookFor every American fighter pilot involved in the Vietnam War, the ultimate goal was to 'kill a MiG'. In eight years of conflict 43 Vietnamese Peoples Air Force aircraft were claimed by US Navy and US Marine Corps Phantom II crews, and one single ace crew produced. Navy Phantom IIs scored the first kills of the Vietnam War, in April 1965, as well as scoring the last...

Author: Andrew BrookesIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookThe 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, and it blazed the trail for the British airborne nuclear deterrent as the aircraft enjoyed a far more active service career than later V-bombers. It was the launch platform for all British free fall nuclear...