United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911

'United States Navy Aircraft since 1911' has been completely revised and updated and, like the earlier editions, will become the standard reference work covering all the aircraft of the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

From humble beginnings in 1911 with floatplanes, by the 1930s, the US Navy possessed dirigibles and were introducing fighter planes. By the start of WW2, monoplane fighters were replacing bi-planes and a major aircraft carrier build was underway.Fighters such as the Grumman FLF Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair were joined by carrier attack aircraft such as the Dauntless, Devastator and Helldriver. As well as carrier-borne aircraft, others operated from shorebases using both wheels and floats.Post WW2, jet aircraft took over from prop driven, and famous early examples were the Shooting Star and McDonnell Phantom, which saw action in Korea. By Vietnam the F4 Phantom II, Skyhawk and Intruder were in service. As well as these fighter attack aircraft were the Lockheed Viking, anti-sub and nuclear capable Douglas Skywarrior.Post Vietnam the F14 Tomcat and Hornet came into service along with the Prowler (Electronic warfare) and Hawkeye (early warning).These aircraft were complemented by a range of helicopters from the massive Super Stallion, through Sea Kings, Seasprites and Seahawks.Today the Super Hornets predominates along with an impressive multi-capable range of aircraft and helicopters.All these and more are described in expert detail and illustrated in this fine book. Future projects are also covered.

Within six months of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy had checked the Japanese military advance in the Pacific to the extent that the United States could return to its original “Defeat Germany First” strategy. That the Navy was able to accomplish this feat with only six fleet aircraft carriers and little more than 1,000 combat aircraft was not sheer luck but the culmination of more than two decades of determined preparation. This thorough study, with detailed drawings and photographs, explains and illustrates the trial and error process which went into developing the aircraft, airships and ships of the interwar period. The critical factors that shaped Naval Aviation after World War I—naval treaties, fleet tactics, government programs, leadership and organization, as well as the emergence of Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation—are discussed in depth.

This book provides a concise historical survey of the various types of aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps, Army Air Forces, and Air Force, and the Navy and Marine Corps to accomplish air attack missions since 1926. The text covers four types of fixed-wing aircraft: designated attack aircraft; light, medium, and tactical bombers; fighter-bombers; and adapted attack aircraft. Reports on individual aircraft types include the aircraft's original military requirements, production history, and operational record, usually accompanied by photographs, illustrations, and technical specifications. Four appendices detail aircraft designations and nomenclature used throughout the military, the organizational structure of various military air units, aircraft designs that never made it into official service, and the evolution of attack aircraft weapons and tactics.