Osprey Combat Aircraft Series

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. Reprieved from premature retirement, the A-10 would see combat in the Balkans during the mid-1990s and over Iraq in Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch until Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. Following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, the Bush administration responded with the...

A-10 Thunderbolt II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom 2008-14 from Osprey Publishing Item Number:OSPCOM111 Combat Aircraft Series: Each Combat Aircraft book concentrates on one of the greatest aircraft in aviation history, the technology behind it and the men who flew it. Examining the design, development and deployment of the aircraft throughout history, from World War II and Korea through to current actions in the Gulf and Afghanistan, each book features up to 30 aircraft profiles, pages...

Designed to combine the bombing capability of the B-26 Marauder with the versatility of the ground-attack A-20 Havoc, the A-26 Invader would become the USAAF's attack bomber par excellence. Capable of flying low-level strafing or conventional bombing missions by simply changing the nose configuration of the aircraft, the Invader first saw action in 1943 in the Pacific Theatre attacking Japanese-held islands. Arriving in Europe several months later, the A-26 served with distinction for the...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe 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 operated from the decks of aircraft carriers, earning it the fleet-wide nickname -Whale'. It excelled in every mission area assigned to it and operated in the US Navy...

The Douglas AD Skyraider is considered the most effective naval aircraft of the Korean War despite the emergence of new jet fighters that captured public imagination. Built to replace the World War 2 workhorses like the Dauntless, Helldiver and Avenger diveand torpedo-bombers, the Skyraider operated numerous combat missions from carrier decks and from US Marine Corps land bases throughout the conflict. Drawing from personal interviews with AD pilots, the authors paint a harrowing picture of...

Author: Osamu TagayaIllustrator: Jim LaurierAbout this bookThe Aichi Type 99 Carrier Bomber (D3A) _ code named _Val_ by Allied intelligence _ was the mainstay of the Imperial Japanese Navy_s carrier dive-bomber force from 1941 to 1943. It sank more Allied warship tonnage than any other Axis aircraft during World War 2. While the Val_s participation in the major carrier battles has been widely covered in other English language sources, details of its operations have received scant attention in...

Air War In The Gulf 1991 by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM27Combat Aircraft 27Author: Chris ChantIllustrator: Mark RolfeAbout this bookIn August 1990 Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. This book analyses the ensuing Gulf War (16 January - 28 February 1991) - a war fought to expel Iraq and restore Kuwaiti independence if not, as one British MP tartly observed, to defend democracy. The allies under General Schwarzkopf launched five weeks of air attacks,...

The war fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982, for the possession of the Falkland Islands was probably the last 'colonial' war that will ever be undertaken by the British. This book shows how the key to British success was the speed with which the British gained and then maintained air superiority over the islands and the waters around then with their small force of Sea Harrier STOVL warplanes, which operated from two aircraft carriers. Though subsonic, the Sea Harrier and...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe MiG-21 provided the backbone of frontline Arab air combat strength for many years and remained the Arabs' only real hope of challenging Israeli air supremacy. This book provides a detailed history of the MiG-21 in Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi service. It includes numerous photographs, most of which have not been seen outside the Arab world and a large proportion of which have never previously been published anywhere. The material is drawn from official...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe 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. Having seen action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the Harrier II returned to the theatre from March 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the initial conflict some 76 AV-8Bs were deployed, providing more than 40 per cent of the...

AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPCOM90The AV-8B is the only tactical aircraft that can deploy with Marine forces on amphibious assault ships and provide air cover and close air support separate from large deck aircraft carriers. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, a coalition of nations launched Operation Desert Shield in order to defend Saudi Arabia, and the Harrier II was among the first tactical air assets to be...

B-17 Flying Fortress 8 by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPCOM36The Boeing B-17, which has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe, took the fight to Germans from the late summer of 1942 through to VE-Day. Its primary operator in Western Europe was the 'Mighty Eighth', who controlled 27 bomb groups for much of the war. This second of two volumes covers the 14 Bomb Groups of the Third Air Division. First hand accounts, period photography, profile artworks and nose art scrap views...

B-17 Fortress Of The 8th Af by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM18Combat Aircraft 18Author: Martin BowmanIllustrator: Mark StylingAbout this bookThe Boeing B-17 has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe, the huge four-engined heavy day bomber taking the fight to Germany from the late summer of 1942 through to VE-Day. The primary operator of the Flying Fortress in Western Europe was the 'Mighty Eighth'. This volume, which is the first of two dealing exclusively with the 'Mighty Eighth',...

B-1b Lancer Units In Combat by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM60Combat Aircraft 60Author: Thomas WithingtonIllustrator: Mark StylingAbout this bookThe development of the B-1B Lancer bomber was difficult to say the least. Originally conceived to fulfill a USAF requirement for an Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, the original B-1A concept aircraft was accused of being a white elephant, capable of performing nothing which could not be achieved at less financial and human expense than an...

B-24 Liberator Units 15th Af by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM21Combat Aircraft 21Author: Robert F DorrIllustrator: Mark RolfeAbout this bookThe B-24 was heavily utilised in the North African and Mediterranean theatres by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force, with operations over the Ploesti oilfields in Rumania being some of the most famous missions undertaken by the big American 'heavy' in World War 2. The stirling work of the Fifteenth Air Force is often overshadowed by the glamorous 'Mighty Eighth',...

B-24 Liberator Units 8th Af by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM15Combat Aircraft 15Author: Robert F DorrIllustrator: Mark RolfeAbout this bookThe B-24 Liberator was built in greater numbers than any other US warplane, yet its combat crews live, even today, in the shadow of the less plentiful, but better-known, B-17. Accounts of the 'Mighty Eighth' in Europe, and indeed many of the books and films that emerged from the greatest air campaign in history, often overlook the B-24, even though it was in...

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...

B-24 Units Of Pacific War by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM11Combat Aircraft 11Author: Robert F DorrIllustrator: Mark RolfeAbout this bookEver present in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the B-24 Liberator proved to be the staple heavy bomber of the campaign. From its ignominious beginnings in the Allied rout in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, the bomber weathered the Japanese storm with a handful of bomb groups, which played a crucial role in checking the enemy's progress...

Mitchell bombers took on the task of disrupting the flow of Japanese supplies to the frontlines at medium ranges, bombing Japanese supply centres, railway depots and bridges. It was in this last capacity that the B-25 established a unique role as a ? bridge-buster'. This provided significant support for the British Fourteenth Army as they advanced into Burma.

Author: Steve PaceIllustrator: Jim LaurierAbout this bookFrom November 1942 through to May 1945, the backbone of the USAAF_s medium bomber force was provided by the clutch of bomb groups equipped with the B-25 Mitchell. First seeing action in North Africa in the wake of Operation Torch, and in the Battle of El Alamein, the _bombing twin_ proved to be one of the most successful allied combat types in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO). The first of four volumes planned for the Combat...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe revolutionary design of the B-26, with its seemingly impossibly short and dangerous wingspan initially gained it a reputation as a -widow maker'. However, improvements to the design and the development of effective combat tactics enabled these units to make the B-26 a very effective and safe combat aircraft which went on to play a major role in the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany.Packed with first-hand accounts and rare...

B-29 Units Of The Korean War by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM42Combat Aircraft 42Author: Robert F DorrIllustrator: Mark StylingAbout this bookThis book is the story of a majestic bomber of the propeller era flying perilous combat missions against a sleek, nimble warplane of the jet age, the Soviet MiG-15. A very heavy bomber and a sky giant during World War 2, at that time the B-29 was the most advanced combat aircraft in the world. By the time North Korea attacked its southern neighbour in 1950,...

The B-2A ? Spirit' was an aircraft conceived to fight the Cold War but which has proved invaluable to both the ? New World Order' and more recently the ? War on Terrorism'. The combination of low-observability, precision strike, range and payload flexibility has made the ? Spirit' the weapon of choice when America hits its enemies at the start of a campaign. Spirits have fired the first shots of Operation ? Allied Force' over Kosovo and Serbia, as well as operations ? Enduring Freedom' and ?...

B-52 Stratfortress Units 1955- by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM43Combat Aircraft 43Author: Jon LakeIllustrator: Mark StylingAbout this bookDesigned to form the backbone of Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent, the B-52 force was brought to higher states of readiness whenever crisis threatened the USA, most notably when Kennedy and Khruschev went eyeball-to-eyeball over Cuba. Soon afterwards, B-52s formed the backbone of the USAF's bombing campaign in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This book...

B-52 Stratofortress Units '80- by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPCOM50With the ending of the Cold War, the B-52's traditional combat role became redundant, and the USAF looked for new ways to use the machine. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990 gave the B-52 the chance to prove its worth in the new world order, and Stratofortress crews flying the B-52G seized the opportunity with both hands. This book explains how, flying from bases in the Indian Ocean, Britain, Spain and Saudi...

About this Osprey Publishing BookOne of the most dramatic bombers of its day, the Convair B-58 came to epitomise the Cold War power of Strategic Air Command. Introduced only 12 years after the sound barrier was first broken, this iconic plane became the first large long-range supersonic bomber to take to the skies, a feat which had seemed far-fetched only a few years previously. Outstripping its contemporaries in terms of speed, and agile enough to escape most interceptors, the B-58 was a...

Blenheim Squardrons Of Ww-Ii by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM5Combat Aircraft 5Author: Jon LakeIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookBuilt in large numbers in the years leading up to World War 2, Bristol's Blenheim saw use as both a fighter and bomber thanks to its high speed in relation to the biplane types it was then replacing. Aside from its work as the staple medium RAF bomber from 1939 through to 1942, Belnheims also served as pioneer radar-equipped nightfighters in 1940/41 and long-range...

C-47/R4d Units Of Pacific & Cb by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM66Combat Aircraft 66Author: David IsbyIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookFrom Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the humble Douglas C-47/R4D carried out missions every bit as strategically important, and as dramatic for the aircrew involved, as those of the fighters and bombers in the vast Pacific/CBI theatres. The C-47's wartime operations paved the way for post-war military and civil air transport, proving that aircraft could safely conduct...

About this Osprey Publishing BookInitially designed as a high-speed mail aeroplane and airliner, the Do 17 first made an appearance as a military aircraft in the Spanish Civil War, both as a bomber and in reconnaissance roles. In the early stages of World War II, it, together with the Heinkel He 111, formed the backbone of the German bomber arm over Poland, France, Belgium and the Low Countries, and saw action in almost every major campaign in this period. However, by the start of the Battle...

Perhaps the most seaworthy flying boat ever built, the elegant, tri-motor Dornier Do 24 served with both the Allied and Axis forces in very different parts of the globe during World War 2, garnering an excellent reputation along the way This study uses archival records, first-hand accounts and revealing photographs to illuminate the combat career of this remarkable aircraft for the first time in English. The German-built Do 24 was the Netherlands Navy's principal aerial asset during the...

This title covers the technical characteristics of the F-104 Starfighter, one of the most widely-used and popular aircraft in history. Although built in small numbers for the USAF, the F-104C fought and survived for almost three years in Vietnam. There, it was engaged in some of the war's most famous battles including the legendary operation Bolo, where seven North Vietnamese MiGs were destroyed without the loss of a single US fighter. This small, tough and very fast fighter, dubbed 'The...

Despite its 'F-for-fighter' designation, the F-105 was designed and purchased to give the USAF an aircraft capable of the delivery of nuclear weapons at very high speed, long range and below-the-radar altitudes. However, when the Vietnam War began it also emerged as USAF's best available tactical bomber for a ? limited conventional' war as well. Extensively targeted by MiG-17s and MiG-21s the F-105 pilots developed innovative tactics that allowed them to compete in air-to-air duels with their...

Author: Peter DaviesIllustrator: Jim LaurierAbout this bookFacing the most formidably concentrated air defences in history, pilots of the F-105D flew against North Vietnamese targets day after day during the 43 months of Operation Rolling Thunder. Despite its limited maneuverability and the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, which made it susceptible to combat damage, the _bombers_ shot down 27 MiG fighters in 1966 _ 67. This book illustrates the importance of the Thunderchief in the Rolling...

F-15e In Combat 1990-2005 by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM59Combat Aircraft 59Author: Steve DaviesIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookThe F-15E Strike Eagle has been at the center of every single conflict in which the US has been involved since 1990. This remarkable aircraft has repeatedly struck targets where no other Coalition, NATO or US fighter has been able to go, breaking records for combat endurance and effectiveness. In the last decade, the Strike Eagle has been consistently upgraded to...

F-16 Fighting Falcon Oper Iraq by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM61Combat Aircraft 61Authors: Steve Davies Doug DildyIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookThe F-16, called the Viper by its pilots, has been the most prolific fighter in US and Coalition operations in the Middle East for over a decade. Since the 1991 Gulf War, it has been the workhorse of the UN-sanctioned operations in the region, working in 'Wild Weasel', ground attack and air superiority roles. Operations Southern Watch and...

This book tells the story of the 26 US Navy Squadrons, most of which were carrier based, and the six Marine Corps F-4 squadrons that flew combat missions against the North Koreans. Drawing from a vast repository of personal interviews with F-4 pilots, the author paints a harrowing picture of the deadly combat of this often forgotten air war. Included in this volume is the story of Lt Guy Bordelon, the US Navy's sole ace of the Korean War, who flew an F4U-5N night-fighter against the night...

F-51 Mustang Units of the Korean War from Osprey Publishing Item Number:OSPCOM113 Combat Aircraft Series: Each Combat Aircraft book concentrates on one of the greatest aircraft in aviation history, the technology behind it and the men who flew it. Examining the design, development and deployment of the aircraft throughout history, from World War II and Korea through to current actions in the Gulf and Afghanistan, each book features up to 30 aircraft profiles, pages of full-colour nose art and...

F-8 Crusader Units Of Vietnam by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM7Combat Aircraft 7Author: Peter MerskyIllustrator: Tom TullisAbout this bookKnown to its pilots as the 'last of the gunfighters' due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannon, the F-8 Crusader was numerically the most populous fighter in the US Navy at the start of America's involvement in the Vietnam conflict in 1964 ' some 482 F-8C/D/Es equipped 17 frontline units. It enjoyed great success against North Vietnamese Mig-17s and...

About this Osprey Publishing BookBuilt within a 180-day time limit in 1943, the F-80 Shooting Star first saw service in Italy in the final year of World War 2, and consequently was sent to bases in the US, Europe and the Far East after VJ Day. It was the latter groups based in Japan that initially bore the brunt of the early fighting in Korea, engaging MiG-15s in the world's first jet-versus-jet combat.Flown principally by the 8th and 49th Fighter Bomber Wings, the F-80 served until the end of...

F/A-18 Units Iraqi Freedom by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM46Combat Aircraft 46Author: Tony HolmesIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookThe F/A-18 Hornet in its various guises was the 'universal soldier' of OIF, with around 250 seeing combat. Flown by various squadrons and groups, the Hornet attacked a range of targets including tanks of the various Iraqi Republican Guard units and government buildings housing elements of the Baath party regime. Apart from its ability to drop precision munitions...

The Fw 200 Condor first made an appearance over Norway in April 1940, flying with the unit that eventually become synonymous with it - Kampfgeschwader 40. As the war in the west progressed, and German forces advanced, French airfields opened up, allowing the Condor to fly around the UK and out into the Atlantic, where it rapidly established itself as one of the key menaces to Allied shipping. Able to attack shipping directly, or able to guide U-Boats to their prey the Condor scored its first...

About this Osprey Publishing BookOriginally designed in the mid-1930s as a fast airliner that could be easily adapted for the bombing role, the He 111 first saw action in Spain with the Legion Condor during the civil war. By the time Germany invaded Poland, more than 700 were in service with the Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwadern, and they were used with devastating effect during the fall of Poland and France. However, the He 111 met its match during the Battle of Britain when over 240 were lost. It...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe twin-engined He 111 was the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's bomber arm at the start of World War ll. Accompanied by the Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber, it provided the aerial striking power for all the early Blitzkrieg campaigns, sweeping all before it throughout the first 12 months of hostilities. Although it was found wanting when faced by the RAF during the Battle of Britain, it gained new renown on the Eastern Front.The He 111 bomber was in action against the...

About this Osprey Publishing BookWith the Third Reich on the brink of defeat Hitler's instructions to his designers were clear. He wanted a Volksjager - a People's Fighter that was quick to produce and used minimal quantities of strategic materials. Heinkel rose to the challenge with the He 162, a fighter constructed of wood and metal that was designed, built and flown in the staggeringly short time of ten weeks. Professional pilots were in short supply, and so the Luftwaffe was ordered to man...

In many ways, the Heinkel He 177 'Greif' (Griffon) was Nazi Germany's 'lost' strategic bomber. With some fundamental creases ironed out, and built in large numbers, the He 177 would have offered the Luftwaffe the means with which to carry out long-range, mass bombing attacks against targets of a strategic nature. Although competing interests and personalities served to prevent this from happening, from mid-1943 the aircraft nevertheless saw service over England, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean...

Iranian F-14 Tomcat In Combat by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM49Combat Aircraft 49Authors: Tom Cooper Farzad BishopIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookSo formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq war, they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one...

Different versions of the jet have provided the backbone of the frontline strength of the Iranian air force since the 1970s, and whole generations of Iranian pilots and ground personnel have been trained to fly and maintain them. Indeed, the type bore the brunt of active combat operations during the long war with Iraq. Iranian F-4 Phantom IIs were also some of best equipped examples ever exported by the USA. Some Iranian Phantom II pilots gathered immense experience on the type, flying it in...

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....