Osprey Publishing, 1997. — 98 p. — ISBN: 9781855326361. The Ju 87 Stuka was the most feared weapon in the German arsenal in the first year of World War 2, the Luftwaffe using it to deadly effect during the Blitzkrieg between September 1939 and June 1940. Although vulnerable to the enemy fighters due to its moderate speed in level flight and general lack of manoeuvrability, the...
Osprey Publishing, 1986. — 48 p. The F-15A/C is irrefutably the most successful jet fighter of the last 30 years. Serving in the Air Forces of Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia, it has racked up a kill ratio exceeding 105:0. Despite its age, it remains the leading operational air superiority and intercept platform in service today. The hi-tech wizardry of modern air...
Osprey Publishing, 1997. — 98 p. — ISBN: 185532637X. The medium bomber 'workhorse' of the Ninth Air Force, Martin's much-maligned B-26 Marauder recovered from its poor start with the Eighth Air Force to go on and equip no less than eight bomber groups in the ETO. Although initially dubbed 'the widow maker', a change of tactics from low- to medium-level bombing for the Marauder...
Osprey Publishing, 1997. — 96 p. — ISBN: 9781855326897. The most numerous Allied dive-bomber of World War 2, the Curtiss Helldiver endured a prolonged gestation period to mature into one of the most effective aircraft of its type to see service in the Pacific theatre of war. Some 7200 aircraft were built between 1942 and 1945, the type making its service debut over Rabaul on 11...
Osprey Publishing, 1997. — 100 p. — ISBN: 9781855326903. Truly an example of engineering ingenuity born out of the desperation of war, the legendary 'all-wooden' Mosquito was perhaps the best twin-engined fighter-bomber of its size to see action in World War 2. The first bomber variant to enter service was the B Mk IV, initial examples of which were issued to No 2 Group's No...
Osprey Publishing, July 1998; 106 pages; ISBN: 9781855327238
Built 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, Blenheims also served as pioneer...
Osprey Publishing, July 1998; 100 pages; ISBN: 9781855327221
The 'terror weapon' of the invasion of Poland, the assault on Scandinavia and the Blitzkrieg through western Europe, the Ju 87 Stuka had had its reputation severely dented during the Battle of Britain, where its vulnerability to fighter aircraft in hostile skies was savagely exposed. Licking their wounds, the...
Osprey Publishing, August 1998; 116 pages; ISBN: 9781855327245
Known 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 98 p. — ISBN: 1855327252. The first aircraft to be purposely designed as a radar-equipped nightfigher, Northrop's P-61 Black Widow was heavily influenced by early RAF combat experience with radar-equipped aircraft in the years 1940/41 of World War II (1939-1945). Built essentially around the bulky Radiation Laboratory SCR-720 radar, which was mounted...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 1998. — 100 p. The second volume in the trilogy of Combat Aircraft titles devoted to de Havilland's 'wooden wonder', this book focuses on the Mosquito fighter/fighter-bomber variants, and their users. From its earliest development phase, the aircraft was considered as much a fighter as a bomber, and this was duly reflected when the...
Illustrator: Tom Tullis. — Osprey Publishing, 1998. — 98 p. Unquestionably the most successful dive-bomber ever to see frontline service with any air arm, the Douglas SBD Dauntless was the scourge of the Japanese Imperial Fleet in the crucial years of the Pacific War. The revolutionary all-metal stressed-skin design of the SBD exhibited airframe strength that made it an ideal...
Illustrator: Mark Rolfe. — Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 100 p. Ever 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...
Osprey Publishing, 1987. — 48 p. Developed from the A-5 nuclear bomber and used in a reconnaissance role, the RA-5C Vigilante was the largest and fastest aeroplane ever to operate from the deck of an aircraft carrier. During the Vietnam War it sustained the highest loss ratio of any American aircraft in that conflict. This volume includes compelling accounts of combat missions...
Illustrator: Tom Tullis. — Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 98 p. Although the Crusader was built first and foremost as a Navy interceptor, as has often been the tradition with US fighters, a photo-reconnaissance variant was also produced by Vought. The photo-bird's first operational test came in the autumn of 1962 when its overflights of Cuba alerted the world to the likely presence of...
Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 98 p. — ISBN: 1855328917. The third volume in the trilogy of Combat Aircraft titles devoted to de Havilland's 'wooden wonder', this book focuses on the Mosquito photo-recce variants, and their users. The design's superb performance, and ability to escape interception by enemy fighters made the Mosquito the ideal choice for the RAF's then embryonic...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 116 p. The second of Britain's four-engined bombers to enter frontline service, Handley Page's Halifax has forever lived in the shadow of Avro's superb Lancaster. However, it was a Halifax which became the first RAF 'heavy' to drop bombs on Germany when No 35 Sqn raided Hamburg on the night of 12/13 March 1941. Between...
Illustrator: Mark Rolfe. — Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 100 p. The 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 97 p. — ISBN: 1855329026. As its name suggests, the Avenger meted out severe retribution on the Japanese in the Pacific, participating in every major engagement through to VJ-Day. As a key weapon of World War II (1939-1945), the Avenger was so highly valued by the US Navy that its demand for the aircraft soon outstripped Grumman's production capacity,...
Illustrator: John Weal. — Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 96 p. Undoubtedly the most versatile German aircraft of World War 2, the Junkers Ju 88 served as a fighter, bomber and patrol aircraft on every front on which the Luftwaffe fought. Blooded in action during the Blitzkrieg, the Ju 88 soon proved to be a formidable opponent for the beleaguered Allied air forces. This book is the...
Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 111 p. — ISBN: 1841760218. The Boeing B-17 has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe during World War II (1939-1945), 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 112 p. The elegant Sunderland was the RAF's staple maritime patrol aircraft throughout WW2. Crucial in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Sunderland was instrumental in defeating the U-Boat menace which threatened to starve the UK into submission. Nicknamed the Flying Porcupine due to its heavy armoury of 14 guns, the Sunderland...
Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 100 p. — ISBN: 1841760250. Osprey's title examining the TBD Devastator Units' short-lived participation in World War II (1939-1945). The first monoplane aircraft ordered by the US Navy for carrier operations, the Douglas TBD Devastator was designed to fulfil a requirement for a new torpedo bomber. Just 129 were built, and when it entered service it...
Illustrator: Mark Rolfe. — Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 96 p. The 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...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 112 p. The most produced Japanese bomber of the war the G4M saw action on every front from the first day of the Pacific conflict through to VJ-Day. The 'Betty's' very long range made it a key weapon during the opening year of the war. However, to achieve this, the aircraft was built with very little protective armour for its...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 100 p. — ISBN:
1841762946. When the UN called for the end of the British mandate and the partition of Palestine into two independent states, the RAF found itself under attack from both sides. Tracing the development of hostilities in the Middle East, this book covers the period from the establishment of the first proper Israeli Air Force in 1948 to the...
Illustrator: Mark Rolfe. — Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 96 p. Exposing the true scale and significance of the deployment of air power in the Balkans, this book details the activities of NATO and UN aircraft as well as local pilots in the former Yugoslavia. From bombing by B-2 stealth bombers to air-to-air combat; from moving ground troops by helicopter to 'food-bombing' for...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 96 p. — ISBN: 1841761621. The erstwhile enemy of the USAF and US Navy during the nine years of American involvement in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) quickly grew from an ill-organised rabble of poorly trained pilots flying antiquated communist aircraft into a highly effective fighting force that more than held...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 99 p. — ISBN: 184176163X. For every American fighter pilot involved in the Vietnam War (1955-1975), 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 99 p. — ISBN: 1841762954. In 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 99 p. — ISBN: 1841762938. The Falklands War (1982), fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina 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...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 96 p. Having honed their piloting skills on the subsonic MiG-17 and transonic MiG-19, the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force (VPAF) received their first examples of the legendary MiG-21 supersonic fighter in 1966. Soon thrown into combat over North Vietnam, the guided-missile equipped MiG-21 proved a deadly opponent for the USAF,...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 100 p. — ISBN: 1841762644. The second of two books on the Navy's Phantom II MiG killers of the Vietnam War (1955-1975), this book covers the numerous actions fought out over North Vietnam during the Linebacker I and II operations of 1972-73. No fewer than 17 MiGs were downed during this period, five of them by the Navy's sole aces of the conflict, Lts...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 96 p. Osprey's study of the RAF's most successful heavy bomber of World War II (1939-1945). The Avro Lancaster formed the backbone of Bomber Command during the large-scale night bombing campaign against occupied Europe. In this, the first of two volumes on the British bomber icon of Worl
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 96 p. From 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...
Osprey Publishing. — 93 p. The ultimate piston-engined heavy bomber of World War 2, the first production B-29s were delivered to the 58th Very Heavy Bomb Wing in the autumn of 1943. By the spring of 1944 the Superfortress was bombing targets in the Pacific, and by war's end the aircraft had played as great a part as any weapon in ending the conflict with the Japanese. Indeed, the...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 97 p. — ISBN: 1841763837. Osprey's examination of the PV Ventura/Harpoon Units and of their participation in World War II (1939-1945). A 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 96 p. The RAF's most successful heavy bomber of World War 2, the Avro Lancaster formed the backbone of Bomber Command during the large-scale night bombing campaign against occupied Europe. Produced in massive numbers (over 7300 up to VE-Day), the first examples entered squadron service on Christmas Eve 1941, and tasted combat...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 100 p. — ISBN: 1841764345. The Boeing B-17, which has come to epitomise the American war effort in Europe during World War II (1939-1945), 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 100 p. — ISBN:
1841766585. 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...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 96 p. Although the Fifteenth Air Force was dismissed as 'minor leaguers' by the Eighth Air Force, strategic bombers from this outfit had done a 'major league' job on Axis targets in southern Europe following its formation in Italy in November 1943. And the heavy bombers employed by the Fifteenth were of course the venerable...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 96 p. The B-17 saw combat in the Pacific from the moment a formation of these bombers arrived at Pearl Harbor during the midst of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack. By the end of the war, SB-17 rescue craft were saving combat crews in the waters off Japan. This book reveals why, to the public, the Flying Fortress was better...
London: Osprey Publishing, 1986. — 49 p. — ISBN 0-85045-719-X. A description of the best American recon airplanes. Introduction Lockheed U-2 U-2 Variants Colours and Markings Performance ‘The U-2/TR-1 in Service “Vhe Lockheed A-12/Y F-12/SR-71 ms) Production and Service air American Strategic Reconnaissance Units
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 96 p. 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, North American) was kitted...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 99 p. — ISBN:
1841766062. Osprey's study of AH-1 helicopters and their participation in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Bell’s AH-1 Cobra was the first dedicated helicopter gunship to reach frontline service anywhere in the world. Developed as a private venture by the manufacturer, and based on the mechanics of the ubiquitous UH-1 Huey, the Cobra proved a...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 96 p. This 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...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 96 p. Designed 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...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 96 p. The 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 96 p. The USAF introduced the F-4C Phantom II into the Vietnam war in April 1965 from Ubon RTAB, Thailand. The F-4C/D soon became the Air Force's principal fighter over the North, destroying 85 MiGs by the close of 1968. This book describes how the USAF turned a gunless naval interceptor into an opponent to the more nimble...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 99 p. — ISBN: 1841768014. The first installment examining the US Hornet Units' participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present). The 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 99 p. — ISBN: 1841768022. The F-15C/E has formed the backbone of US and Coalition operations in the Middle East for over a decade, patrolling the skies over northern and southern Iraq as part of Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch. F-15Cs policed the skies for Iraqi aircraft operating in contravention of no-fly zone agreements, whilst the...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 100 p. — ISBN: 184176731X. Osprey's examination of A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Arriving on station with the USS Ranger (CVA-61) in early December 1967, the first Corsair II squadron became operational immediatedly and sustained its first combat loss three weeks later. This book tells how the A-7 soon proved its worth supporting...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 100 p. — ISBN:
1841767875. So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), 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),...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 100 p. — ISBN: 1841767514. With the ending of the Cold War (1946-1991), 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 96 p. Developed from the A-5 nuclear bomber and used in a reconnaissance role, the RA-5C Vigilante was the largest and fastest aeroplane ever to operate from the deck of an aircraft carrier. During the Vietnam War it sustained the highest loss ratio of any American aircraft in that conflict. This volume includes compelling...
Osprey Publishing, 2005 — 99 p. — ISBN: 1841768030 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 Sand Box’ over southern Iraq...
Osprey Publishing, 2005 — 100 p. — ISBN: 1841767301 The F-15A/C is irrefutably the most successful jet fighter of the last 30 years. Serving in the Air Forces of Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia, it has racked up a kill ratio exceeding 105: 0. Despite its age, it remains the leading operational air superiority and intercept platform in service today. The hi-tech...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 96 p. The C-47 units of the USAAF were an integral part of some of the most dramatic episodes of the European war: the airborne assaults in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, southern France, Operation Market Garden and the crossing of the Rhine. The mass fratricide off Sicily, the night drop for D-Day and the Bastogne supply...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 96 p. The F-4 Phantom II was the USAF workhorse fighter-bomber for the Linebacker campaign, which eventually saw US forces withdraw from Vietnam 'with honour' in 1973. This book covers the F-4 attacks on numerous targets in North Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi and Haiphong, as well as its engagements with Vietnamese MiG-19s...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 100 p. — ISBN: 1841768472. Some 84 of the 250 Hornets committed by Central Command to Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present) proudly bore MARINE titling on their rear fuselages. A further 14 were marked with the distinctive kangaroo roundel of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The exploits achieved by the units that flew these jets into combat is...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. - 100 p. - ISBN:
1841768480. After the attacks on 11 September 2001, Apache units made significant contributions to the Coalition campaign against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. Functioning as the 'killer' part of US Army Hunter-killer teams, Apaches sought out and brought overwhelming firepower to bear on Taliban and al-Qaeda forces, as well...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 101 p. — ISBN: 1841768855. The second installment examining the US Navy Hornet Units' participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present). These units were the first Navy Reserve unit to be mobilized since the Korean War, and their attacks were launched from carriers off the coast of Turkey. The conflict for these squadrons was very different from...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 100 p. — ISBN:
1841769096. The 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...
Osprey Publishing, 1986. — 48 p. The Boeing (McDonnell Douglas, formerly Hughes) AH-64A Apache is the US Army's primary attack helicopter, and the most advanced helicopter gunship flying today. The most expensive rotary-winged aircraft ever built when it was introduced in the early 1980s, it has since proved its worth on battlefields all over the world, seeing action in the Gulf...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 97 p. — ISBN 1841769924. The 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. - 100 p. - ISBN: 1841769940 Osprey's study of the F-16 Falcon Fighters' role in Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present). The 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 96 p. Deadly in its primary role as a submarine hunter, the PBY Catalina was the scourge of the Imperial Japanese Navy's submarine force. Its amphibious traits also made the aircraft well suited to air-sea rescue, and thousands of Allied airmen were saved from a watery grave by PBY crews. Using personal interviews, war diaries...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 96 p. The 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. - 101 p. - ISBN:
1841769932. The B-2A ‘Spirit’ was an aircraft conceived to fight the Cold War (1946-1991) 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 96 p. Several books have been written about US naval patrol aviation in World War 2, but none do full justice to the role played by patrol squadrons of the US Navy in the longest, most bitterly fought campaign of the war - the Battle of the Atlantic. From the Arctic to the Equator, anti-submarine aircraft of the US Navy...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 96 p. From 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,...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 100 p. — ISBN: 1846030471. By 1973, the Israeli Air Force had built a strong reputation. While its aircraft were broadly equivalent to those of its enemies, the Israelis were generally superior in training, motivation, maintenance, intelligence and command and control. This situation dramatically changed when the Israelis became the first foreign...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 96 p. During the final years of the 20th century, the most significant break-through in military weaponry was the concept of Stealth technology, and the first mass-produced weapon to utilize this to perfection was the F-117 Nighthawk. Originally delivered in 1982, its existence was officially denied until the Iraqi invasion...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 112 p. The Skyhawk was involved in Vietnam from the very beginning, including the first offensive operations in 1963 into Laos, and the Pierce Arrow operations immediately following the Tonkin Gulf Incident of August 1964. Navy and Marine Corps A-4s quickly established a presence in south-east Asia participating in thousands...
Osprey Publishing, 1987. — 48 p. Boeing's mighty B-52 is undoubtedly the most famous jet bomber ever built, having served now for over 50 years. The last in the line of Boeing ‘heavies', the Stratofortress has gone on to break all records for longevity, firstly with Strategic Air Command, and more recently with Air Combat Command.
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 100 p. — ISBN:
1846032059. The legendary F-14 Tomcat was the weapon of choice to strike hard and fast against the enemies of the United States in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Determined to hit the al-Qaeda bases within Afghanistan, US plans were hampered by the reluctance of neighboring countries to allow US military aircraft to operate from...
Illustrator: Andrey Yurgenson. — Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 96 p. Over 43,000 Il-2/10s were built between 1941 and 1955, more than any other combat aircraft in history, making this one of the most important Soviet aircraft deployed in World War II. Built originally as a two-seater, the Il-2 had lost the rear gunner's position by the time it started to reach frontline units. Armed...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 20091. — 96 p. The best of the three RAF jet bombers in the early years of the Cold War, the Vulcan was designed as the Avro 698, and possessed fighter-like manoeuvrability at low level despite its size. First flown in August 1952, the Vulcan entered service in February 1957. Most were equipped to carry the Blue Steel stand-off...
Illustrator: Mark Postlethwaite. — Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 96 p. The 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...
Illustrator: John Weal. — Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 96 p. This final volume of the Osprey trilogy on the Luftwaffe dive-bomber charts its fortunes in the toughest theatre of all: the Eastern Front. Written by John Weal, a leading authority on the Luftwaffe, this book examines how, following its comprehensive defeat over the English Channel in the summer of 1940, the Stuka was...
Illustrator: John Weal. — Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 96 p. This volume follows the Luftwaffe's twin-engined 'Wunderbomber' southwards to describe its deployment in North Africa and the Mediterranean theatre of war. Early 1941 saw the first sporadic air raids on Malta, followed by the campaign in the Balkans which resulted in the conquests of Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete. After...
Illustrator: Chris Davey, Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 96 p. Even before the first operational flight of the U-2 spy plane, aircraft designers began work on the type's replacement. The result was the SR-71. First deployed on March 9, 1968, this tri-sonic 'hotrod' flew its first operational sortie over North Vietnam just 12 days later. Thereafter, the SR-71 roamed...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 96 p. Nicknamed the 'flying dump truck', the A-1 was a key component in naval air wings from the end of World War II into the 1960s, allowing the aircraft to play its part in the escalating conflict in Vietnam. Both A-1 attack and EA-1F airborne early warning aircraft saw action in Southeast Asia from 1960 through 1969, when...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: John Weal. — Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 96 p. The Ju 88, "Wunderbomber” was the main punch of the Luftwaffe's bomber arm during the initial invasion of the Soviet Union and went on to provide critical ground support to the advancing Wehrmacht. This book tells the complete story of the Ju 88's activities on the Eastern Front including their participation in the...
Osprey Publishing, 1987. — 48 p. The 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 96 p. First employed in the Far East over North Vietnam and North Korea, American military intelligence quickly realized the SR-71 'Blackbird's' potential value over European targets. In 1976, SR-71 Detachment 4 commenced operations from the RAF base at Middenhall in the UK. Its mission was to monitor Warsaw Pact troop...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 96 p. 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 the IAF's ground-attack...
Illustrator: Janusz Swiatlon. — Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 96 p. 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,...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 100 p. — ISBN10: 1849087490; ISBN13: 978-1849087490. 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. In mid-1944, Adolf Hitler, having seen the impressive and...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 96 p. Facing 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 96 p. The B-57 Canberra was the first jet-powered American attack aircraft committed to the Vietnam War. Involved in day-to-day interdiction missions as well as in classified "black” missions and a starring role in Operation Rolling Thunder; the B-57 evolved to become one of the most valuable weapons in the USAF inventory. The...
Illustrator: Chris Thomas. — Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 96 p. The Typhoon was the RAF's heavyweight fighter-bomber of choice to support the British and Canadian armies during the invasion of northwest Europe. In this book Chris Thomas extols the great importance of the Typhoon wings in the ultimate Allied victory in Europe. He describes their destruction of German radar in the...
Illustrator: Mark Styling. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 96 p. 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,...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Rolando Ugolini. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 96 p. The F-100 Super Sabre may have been superseded by the superior technology of the F-105 Thunderchief and the F-4 Phantom by the Vietnam War it remained in service. The Super Sabre was deployed as an air defence fighter, and was later given nuclear capability. The F-100's toughness, adaptability and reliability made it...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 96 p. The 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,...
Illustrator: John Weal. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 96 p. Originally 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 100 p. The P-47 Thunderbolt, originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor, became the principal US fighter-bomber of World War II. First adapted to the ground attack role by units of the Twelfth Air Force in early 1944, the strength and durability of the P-47 airframe, along with its massive size, earned it the nickname 'Juggernaut', which was...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 96 p. 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,...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 96 p. Twenty-five US Marine Corps squadrons flew versions of the Phantom II and 11 of them used the aircraft in South-East Asia from May 1965 through to early 1973. 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 96 p. 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, and it blazed the trail for the British airborne nuclear deterrent as the aircraft enjoyed a...
Illustrator: Andrey Yurgenson. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 96 p. USAF Skyraider units were originally tasked to serve as quasi-training units for the fledgling VNAF. Equipped only with the two-seat models of the Skyraider, American pilots were required to have VNAF ‘observers' in the aircraft for every mission. Eventually, this arrangement was changed as enough Vietnamese pilots were...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 96 p. 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. Having seen action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the Harrier II returned to the theatre from...
Illustrator: John Weal. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 96 p. The 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...
Illustrator: Rolando Ugolini, Gareth Hector. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Rolando Ugolini. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. 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. Designed as a cost-saving, multi-role interceptor,...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. In 1948 the USAF, Marine Corps and US Navy were concentrating on converting over to an all-jet force. When the Korean War started in June 1950, the USAF had built up a sizable jet force in the Far East, while the US Navy was in the early stages of getting F9F Panthers operational as replacements for its piston-engined...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. In the 1970s the USMC bought the AV-8A Harrier from the UK whose VTOL capabilities allowed it to serve as a tactical aircraft that could deploy with Marine forces on amphibious assault ships and provide air cover and close air support from large deck aircraft carriers. Third in a trilogy on US Marine Corps Harrier IIs in...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. 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. Yet this Cold War equivalent of the Mosquito was simple to...
Illustrator: Richard Caruana, Mark Postlethwaite. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. 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....
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier, Gareth Hector. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 96 p. 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 operated...
Illustrator: Rolando Ugolini, Gareth Hector. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 96 p. This volume 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. Today it is widely accepted as the true successor to the types of...
Illustrator: Chris Davey, Mark Postlethwaite. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 96 p. 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 military archives,...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 96 p. 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 draws on a wealth of first-hand reports and revealing contemporary photographs...
Illustrator: Chris Davey, Gareth Hector. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 96 p. By the time the Korean War erupted, the F-51 Mustang was seen as obsolete, but that view quickly changed when the USAF rushed 145 of them to the theatre in late 1950. They had the endurance to attack targets in Korea from bases in Japan, where the modern F-86 fighters and other jets did not. Rather than...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 96 p. The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous post-war fighter. Primarily used as a land-based fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform, its naval origins and the immense contribution made to the US war effort in Vietnam by its original carrier-based versions began its legend. This title examines the unique aspects of...
Illustrator: Chris Thomas. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 96 p. With the Third Reich on the brink of defeat Hitler's instructions to his designers were clear. He wanted a Volksjäger - 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,...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 96 p. The all-metal Junkers Ju 52/3m enjoyed a solid - indeed, revered - reputation amongst its crews and the troops and paratroopers who used and depended on it. For more than ten years, it saw service as a successful military transport, with its distinctive, three-engined design and corrugated metal construction becoming...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 96 p. 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...
Illustrator: Richard Caruana. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 96 p. Initially developed by Savoia-Marchetti as a transport, the aircraft had evolved into a dedicated medium bomber by the time the S.79-I made its combat debut in the Spanish Civil War in 1936. During World War 2, it became Italy's most successful bomber, and the most produced, with around 1370 built between 1936 and...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 96 p. n 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 96 p. Of the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 159 p. Osprey's examination of the F-100 Super Sabre Units' participation in the Vietnam War (1955-1975). While the F-105 Thunderchief and F-4 Phantom flew the majority of the fighter-bomber missions over North Vietnam, the Thunderchief's service predecessor, the F-100 Super Sabre stayed on to fight the air war in South Vietnam until June 1971. Although...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 96 p. Flying from and between bases in China and India, the B-25s bombed every type of Japanese target during World War 2 in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre, ultimately dropping more ordinance than their larger four-engined B-24 Liberator brethren. Mitchell bombers took on the task of disrupting the flow of Japanese...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 96 p. McDonnell's F-101 Voodoo series was in many ways the most interesting of the ‘Century Series' fighter programmes of the 1950s, partly because the type's design and intended mission changed radically during a 40-year career. Originally designed as a fighter-bomber, it was converted to be a reconnaissance aircraft,...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 96 p. Built 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...
Illustrator: Chris Davey. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 96 p. Initially 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 96 p. One 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...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier.— Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 96 p. Intended as a progressive development of the twin-engined Bf 110 Zerstörer (‘destroyer' or heavy fighter), the Me 210 first took to the air in September 1939. However, due to a lack of sufficient flight-testing before being declared service-ready, the Me 210 suffered from a less than satisfactory reputation in respect to...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier.— Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 96 p. World War II saw the development of the heavy bomber as a decisive weapon which, in sufficient numbers, could overcome defensive fighters and guns and lay waste to strategic targets. The addition of nuclear weapons to the bomber's armament made it even more formidable, and by the late 1940s, US planners saw the growth...
Illustrator: Janusz Swiatlon, Mark Postlethwaite. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 96 p. The Vickers Wellington was one of very few aircraft types to have been in production and frontline service throughout World War II, and more than 10,000 Wellingtons were built in the period. They took part in the first RAF bombing mission of the conflict when, on 4 September 1939, 14 examples...
Illustrator: Janusz Swiatlon, Mark Postlethwaite — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 96 p. When the revolutionary twin jet-powered Arado Ar 234 first appeared in the skies over north-west Europe in the summer of 1944, it represented the state-of-the-art in terms of aeronautical and technical development. The Ar 234 was a formidable aircraft - powered by Jumo 004Bs, the same engine...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier, Gareth Hector— Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. At the A-7 Corsair II's peak in the mid-1980s, some 30 US Navy squadrons flew various versions of the aircraft, including six Naval Air Reserve units, and these many of these units saw action across the Middle East. By the time the jet saw combat in Operation Desert Storm (1991), there remained only two...
Illustrator: Janusz Swiatlon, Mark Postlethwaite. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. Beating its biplane rivals in a 1936 Reich Air Ministry design competition, the Arado Ar 196 provided the Kriegsmarine with possibly the best shipborne reconnaissance seaplane of World War II. Replacing the Heinkel He 60 biplane as the standard catapult-launched floatplane embarked on the...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier, Gareth Hector. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. Studies of air combat in the Vietnam War inevitably focus on the MiG-killing fighter engagements, B-52 onslaughts or tactical strikes on the Hanoi region. However, underlying all these was the secretive ‘electron war' in which highly-skilled electronic warfare officers duelled with Soviet and North...
Illustrator: Janusz Swiatlon, Gareth Hector — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. When the Gulf Crisis of 1990 was triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the RAF responded by sending Tornado F 3 fighters to Saudi Arabia to help defend the country against further aggression. These aircraft were followed by the deployment of Tornado GR 1 strike/attack aircraft to Bahrain....
Illustrator: Swiatlon Janusz , Postlethwaite Mark — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. The Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had considerably greater range than the Do 17, which it replaced in frontline service from mid to late 1941. Although initially used simply as a bomber, later variants were developed to allow the Do 217 to undertake the precision maritime...
Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 148 p. — ISBN 9781472846174. The Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had considerably greater range than the Do 17, which it replaced in frontline service from mid to late 1941. Although initially used simply as a bomber, later variants were developed to allow the Do 217 to undertake the precision maritime strike role. In order to perform...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Postlethwaite Mark — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. In 1938, the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, acting under the requirements issued by the Kaigun Koku Hombu for a Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne specification for a dive-bomber to replace the venerable ‘Val' aboard carriers. The resulting D4Y Suisei (‘Comet'), codenamed ‘Judy' by the...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Postlethwaite Mark. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 96 p. In 1938, the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, acting under the requirements issued by the Kaigun Koku Hombu for a Navy Experimental 13-Shi Carrier Borne specification for a dive-bomber to replace the venerable ‘Val' aboard carriers. The resulting D4Y Suisei (‘Comet'), codenamed ‘Judy' by the...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 142 p. — ISBN 9781472846211. The F2H Banshee was an extraordinarily successful early-generation jet that outlasted both contemporary and more modern fighter types on the decks of the US Navy's aircraft carriers in the 1950s. It served in a variety of roles, undertaking fighter, strike fighter, night-fighter, nuclear strike and photo-reconnaissance...
Illustrator: Hector Gareth, Laurier Jim — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 96 p. The F2H Banshee was an extraordinarily successful early-generation jet that outlasted both contemporary and more modern fighter types on the decks of the US Navy's aircraft carriers in the 1950s. It served in a variety of roles, undertaking fighter, strike fighter, night-fighter, nuclear strike and...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 139 p. — ISBN 9781472850249. After the Gulf War of 1990, No Fly Zones (NFZ) were established over northern and southern Iraq and the Tornado GR 1 force stepped up to operations over the southern NFZ. The Tornado GR 4 took responsibility for RAF combat air operations in Afghanistan from the Harrier force in 2009, and in 2011 was involved in missions...
Illustrator: Swiatlon Janusz, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 96 p. After the Gulf War of 1990, No Fly Zones (NFZ) were established over northern and southern Iraq and the Tornado GR 1 force stepped up to operations over the southern NFZ. The Tornado GR 4 took responsibility for RAF combat air operations in Afghanistan from the Harrier force in 2009, and in 2011 was...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 96 p. The Douglas F3D Skyknight was an early but effective attempt at combining new technologies together in a lethal package capable of shipboard operation. Whereas most fighters relied on speed and maneuverability, the portly, straight-winged F3D relied on three radars, four 20mm cannon, and - most...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 133 p. — ISBN 9781472846259. The Douglas F3D Skyknight was an early but effective attempt at combining new technologies together in a lethal package capable of shipboard operation. Whereas most fighters relied on speed and maneuverability, the portly, straight-winged F3D relied on three radars, four 20mm cannon, and - most importantly - darkness....
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 96 p. Conceived during 1941 in case Germany occupied Britain, when US bombers would then have insufficient range to retaliate, the B-36 was to be primarily a ‘10,000-mile bomber' with heavy defensive armament, six engines and a performance that would prevent interception by fighters. Although rapid...
Illustrator: Hector Gareth, Caruana Richard. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 96 p. Italian fighters, such as the Fiat G.50 and Macchi C.200, had always struggled with their straight-line speed and restricted armament when engaging their Allied counterparts. To solve these problems, Macchi initially designed the C.202 Folgore using German engines, which contributed to create a...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 147 p. — ISBN 9781472836380. The Junkers Ju 188 was the epitome of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design, representing the enhancement of an earlier type and incorporating increased performance and technological sophistication. As part of the 1939 ‘Bomber B' programme, it was intended as a replacement for the Ju 88 and He 111 medium bombers,...
Illustrator: Hector Gareth, Swiatlon Janusz — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 96 p. The Junkers Ju 188 was the epitome of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design, representing the enhancement of an earlier type and incorporating increased performance and technological sophistication. As part of the 1939 ‘Bomber B' programme, it was intended as a replacement for the Ju 88 and He...
Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 142 p. — ISBN 9781472854568. The advent of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the early 1950s threatened the whole concept of aerial bombing from medium and high altitude. Countermeasures were developed during the Korean War, but with little initial success. It was only in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, with the F-4Cww Phantom II (Wild Weasel...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 96 p. The advent of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the early 1950s threatened the whole concept of aerial bombing from medium and high altitude. Countermeasures were developed during the Korean War, but with little initial success. It was only in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, with the F-4Cww...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 96 p. The Nakajima Ki-49 Donryu ('Dragon Eater'), codenamed 'Helen' by the Allies, was a twin-engined Japanese bomber designed to undertake daylight attacks without the protection of escort fighters. Consequently, while it was officially known as the Army Type 100 Heavy Bomber, its formidable defensive...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 96 p. One of the principal types in the Luftwaffe's inventory at the beginning of World War II, the piston-engined Bf 109 was central to the many initial victories that the Germans achieved before coming up against the unbeatable RAF during the Battle of Britain. Nevertheless, by the second half of 1940 the Bf...
Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 96 p. — ISBN 9781472854452. One of the principal types in the Luftwaffe's inventory at the beginning of World War II, the piston-engined Bf 109 was central to the many initial victories that the Germans achieved before coming up against the unbeatable RAF during the Battle of Britain. Nevertheless, by the second half of 1940 the Bf 109's operability...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 96 p. The photographic reconnaissance (PR) versions of the Supermarine Spitfire saw service against the Axis Tripartite throughout World War 2. Its superior performance even led to the USAAF adopting the type for the Eighth Air Force's reconnaissance needs in Europe. PR Spitfires were responsible for some of...
Illustrator: Hector Gareth, Swiatlon Janusz — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 97 p. — ISBN 9781472857637. The Harrier GR 7/9 was at the 'tip of the spear' for the RAF when it came to employing weapons against well-equipped standing armies and irregular forces in the 1990s and during the first decade of the new millennium. Assigned to the Harrier GR 7/9 Force, the aircraft undertook...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 96 p. The U-2 is one of the most recognizable aircraft of the Cold War; nicknamed the 'Dragon Lady' after the codename given to it by the CIA, this powered glider was designed and operated in great secrecy, providing US authorities with photographic and electronic information from areas of interest across the...
Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 143 p. — ISBN 9781472860620. Respectively codenamed the 'Mavis' and 'Emily' by the Allies, Japan's H6K and H8K flying boats outstripped their RAF and US Navy counterparts. The 1941 outbreak of war in the Pacific and Southeast Asia saw these remarkable aircraft carry out offensive missions across vast tracts of ocean and employ their unique...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 96 p. Respectively codenamed the 'Mavis' and 'Emily' by the Allies, Japan's H6K and H8K flying boats outstripped their RAF and US Navy counterparts. The 1941 outbreak of war in the Pacific and Southeast Asia saw these remarkable aircraft carry out offensive missions across vast tracts of ocean and employ their...
Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 160 p. — ISBN 9781472861948. In July 1943, the Nachtjagdverband defense of Germany against the increasingly effective night bombing of the Royal Air Force was practically stopped. A "window" was introduced – strips of paper with aluminum foil covering one side, which were dropped by bombers to drown out German radars. Fortunately for the Luftwaffe,...
Illustrator: Hector Gareth, Swiatlon Janusz — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 97 p. In July 1943, the Nachtjagdverband's defence of Germany from the RAF's increasingly effective night bombing campaign was nearly brought to a standstill. 'Window' – strips of paper with aluminium foil covering one side – had been introduced, dropped by bombers to jam German radar. Fortunately for the...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 96 p. Powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower, offering, as an interceptor, a formidable punch with four 30 mm MK 108 nose-mounted cannon. Such a blend of armament and speed allowed the Me 262A-1a not just to inflict carnage on the...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim, Hector Gareth — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 96 p. Powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, the Me 262 outclassed anything the Allies had in terms of speed and firepower, offering, as an interceptor, a formidable punch with four 30 mm MK 108 nose-mounted cannon. Such a blend of armament and speed allowed the Me 262A-1a not just to inflict carnage on the...
Osprey Publishing, 1988. — 49 p. — ISBN: 0850458315. The Osprey Combat Aircraft series comprised a number of monographs on modern US and Soviet military aircraft and helicopters. The text presented a concise development and service history of the aircraft, but the main attraction of each title was the illustrations. Each title featured more than 30 b+w photos and 8 pages of...
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