A facsimile reprint of the original NATOPS flight manual for the F-4J.

This book examines the evolution of airpower and specifically the growth and proliferation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs). While most existing literature examines either the law or ethics of RPAs, and some newer scholarship looks to the battlefield effectiveness (the gains from strikes versus the potential for 'blowback, etc.), this work investigates it from a broader military perspective. It examines the strategy for employment of RPAs across the spectrum of warfare, the potential deterrent value of RPAs in some circumstances, and the resulting ability of RPAs to fundamentally shift the character of when and how wars are fought. The central aim of this book is to evaluate the role of 'drones' in warfare to date, and make basic projections on how states will adopt RPAs and UCAVs in the future. At the core is the goal of answering a broad, underlying research question: How will the RPA innovation impact military strategy and international security? This book will be of much interest to students of airpower, drone warfare, military and strategic studies, security studies and IR.

Much has been written about the Royal Air Force during the Second World War-memoirs, biographies, histories of Fighter and Bomber commands, technical studies of the aircraft, accounts of individual operations and exploits - but few books have attempted to take the reader on a journey through basic training and active service as air or ground crew and eventual demobilization at the end of the war. That is the aim of James Goulty's Eyewitness RAF. Using a vivid selection of testimony from men and women, he offers a direct insight into every aspect of wartime life in the service. Throughout the book the emphasis is on the individual's experience of the RAF - the preparations for flying, flying itself, the daily routines of an air base, time on leave, and the issues of discipline, morale and motivation. A particularly graphic section describes, in the words of the men themselves, what it felt like to go on operations and the impact of casualties - airmen who were killed, injured or taken prisoner. A fascinating varied inside view of the RAF emerges which is perhaps less heroic and glamorous than the image created by some post-war accounts, but it gives readers today a much more realistic appreciation of the whole gamut of life in the RAF seventy years ago.

On Wednesday, 27 September 1944, a force of 283 Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers from the USAAF's 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing, took off from their bases in Britain and headed out across the North Sea escorted by 198 P-51 Mustang fighters. The bombers' target was the industrial city of Kassel in northern Germany. Among the bombers assigned to the raid were the aircraft of the 445th Heavy Bombardment Group. Thirty-five of the 445th's Liberators, along with the 336 men who made up their crews, took off from their base near the village of Tibenham in Norfolk. Their specific target that day was the engineering works of Henschel & Sohn which built Tiger and Panther tanks. Kassel had been bombed by the Allied air forces in the past, most notably in October 1943 when more than 500 bombers had dropped 1,800 tons of bombs creating a firestorm that had ravaged the city. The raid on 27 September 1944, however, would have a far different result. Due to a navigational error, the lead Liberator of the 445th Heavy Bombardment Group turned due east instead of east-south-east and the following thirty-five bombers missed Kassel altogether, attacking an alternative target. But the worst was to come. The change of direction meant that the bombers lost their escorting Mustangs and on the return flight they were pounced on by 150 enemy fighters - and massacred. Within just six minutes, the 445th experienced the greatest single-day losses suffered by any group from one airfield in the history of aviation warfare. Twenty-five of the Liberators were shot down inside Germany itself; three crashed en route to the coast (two in France and one in Belgium); two made forced landings at an emergency airfield in England; and the last came to grief within sight of home. Just four of the original thirty-five B-24s landed safely back at Tibenham. The human cost was equally high. In the course of just a few minutes, 117 airmen lost their lives, including eleven who were murdered after parachuting safely to the ground. A further 121 men were taken prisoner; only ninety-eight returned to duty. In this highly moving account of the Kassel raid, the author, who lives close to the Tibenham airfield, uncovers the painful details of those terrible moments in September 1944 through the stories of those who survived one of the Second World War's most disastrous operations in the USAAF's battle against the Luftwaffe.

This series of books provides a fresh user-friendly look at the military airfields of the British Isles. The series is split geographically, each book including a number of counties on a regional basis. Entries cover every military airfield within the counties, from WW1 to the present day and comprise:

A Detailed History of RAF Manston 1941-1945 covers the station's history during the period that the RAF was on the offensive against the Luftwaffe. Having been badly damaged during the Battle of Britain and the only airfield to have been put out of action, Manston rose from the ashes to become a base for numerous fighter units that attacked Hitler's 'Fortress Europe'. From 1941 onwards, Manston was used by damaged aircraft returning from operations, especially those from Bomber Command. Consequently, a large runway was built and was one of three in the country that was equipped to deal with emergencies. In 1944, 501 Squadron was formed with the Hawker Tempest to destroy enemy armour, aircraft and the feared V1; Squadron Leader Joe Berry was credited to destroying sixty-one V1s. Another first was the arrival of the Meteor jet fighter in August 1944. After the war, Manston became a base for a number of civil airlines, but continued in its role as a major diversion airfield and an emergency landing ground.

The 448th Bomb Group from its inception at Gowen Field, Idaho, in 1943 until the cessation of hostilities in Europe in 1945. An in-depth, personal look into the men who carried the war to the heart of the German Reich. Although the 448th Bomb Group never received the notoriety of some of the more famous Groups of the Eighth Air Force, it was one of the many units that successfully completed its mission every day. Among the unsung heroes of World War II were these normal men who completed their missions, day after day.

The worlds first operational jet fighter in its variety of types.

Air warfare was a decisive component of World War II, especially in western Europe and over Japan, where Allied bombers damaged 66 of the country's largest cities. The guts and glory of the bomber crews came, however, with a high casualty rate which had only improved marginally by the war's end. Descriptions of the bombers' harrowing missions told from the firsthand perspective of their pilots, navigators, bombardiers and gunners create the immediacy of a single person's experience during one of America's most daring military expeditions. A short biography of each veteran accompanies these tales of typical and not-so-typical missions.

One of the many wartime airmen who documented his day to day experiences in a diary, was RCAF navigator Jan Gellner. Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, Jan was a lawyer practicing in the Czechoslovak town of Brno. With the outbreak of hostilities on the European continent, he went to Canada and trained as an air observer on the first course of the fledgling British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Jan Gellner began his operational tour with No. 311 Czechoslovak (B) Squadron flying the venerable Vickers Wellington. It did not take long for Jan's abilities to shine, especially as an instructor in astro navigation. For his farrowing role in the attack on the German cruise Prinz Eugen, Jan received the coveted Distinguished Flying Cross. After an incredible 37 operations over occupied France and Germany, he became Operational Tour Expired. Jan was selected for pilot training and went to Canada. During his postwar service with the RCAF, he had a distinguished career as an administrative officer, retiring in 1958. Now a civilian, Jan turned to writing and became one of Canada's most knowledgeable and sought after aviation and military affairs journalist."

Oswald Boelcke was Germany's first ace in World War One with a total of forty victories. His character, inspirational leadership, organisational genius, development of air-to-air tactics and impact on aerial doctrine are all reasons why Boelcke remains an important figure in the history of air warfare. Paving the way for modern air forces across the world with his pioneering tactics, Boelcke had a dramatic effect on his contemporaries. The fact that he was the Red Baron's mentor, instructor, squadron commander and friend demonstrates the influence he had upon the German air force. He was one of the first pilots to be awarded the famous Pour le Merite commonly recognised as the 'Blue Max'. All of this was achieved after overcoming medical obstacles in his childhood and later life with a willpower and determination. Boelcke even gained the admiration of his enemies. After his tragic death in a midair collision, the Royal Flying Corps dropped a wreath on his funeral, and several of his victims sent another wreath from their German prison camp. His name and legacy of leadership and inspiration live on, as seen in the Luftwaffe's designation of the Tactical Air Force Wing 31 'Boelcke'. In this definitive biography RG Head explores why Oswald Boelcke deserves consideration as the most important fighter pilot of the 20th century and beyond; but also for setting the standard in military aviation flying. This book will appeal to enthusiasts of the German air force, military aviation in general and World War One in particular.

The names Raoul Lufbery, Doug Campbell, Reed Chambers, Ham Coolidge, and the greatest American fighter ace of World War I, Eddie Rickenbacker, are those most closely associated with Uncle Sam's "Hat in the Ring" squadron, the 94th Aero Squadron, U.S. Air Service, 1917-1919. This all new book, "The Hat in the Ring Gang," contains a rich mixture of official as well as personal contemporarily written accounts of the 94th Aero Squadron, the most successful pursuit squadron in the United States Air Service. Combat reports, letters of the aces, and diary entries of other pilots are woven together to tell the story. Over 375 photographs, color profiles on Nieuports and Spads, rosters of pilots, aircraft, and citations for bravery awards round out this lively history of war in the air American style, spotlighting the gallant 94th.

This is the story of my experiences with the medium bomber designated by the Army as a B-26 and named by the British as the Marauder. The book includes a history of the development of the plane. My war experience began with ferrying our Marauder to England, which included a Sahara Desert stretch from Dakar to Marrakesh. Less than a third of the way there we lost the right engine but flew on safely on one engine, making an emergency landing at the oasis village of Tindouf, an old French Foreign Legion base. The Marauders were involved in the tragic, low-level mission over the E-boat pens in Holland where 60 percent of the officers and airmen and all ten aircraft were lost. This mission resulted in a reconsideration of low level operations in Europe (decision: move to medium altitude). My journal entries were created after each mission and offer details (target, date, crew members, their emotions, action narrative) of 50 combat missions (Appendix A). Considerable background on the design and construction of the Marauder is included, as well as a description of the B-26 reconstructed by the Confederate (now: Commemorative) Air Force. The book ends with a description of each of the crew members and their activity since the war if available.

A comprehensive history of the Second World War Fighter Command airfield at RAF Drem located near Edinburgh. It was one of Scotland's most important airfields in this conflict. Its predecessor, the Royal Flying Corps Gullane air station is included in the account. When war broke out in 1939 among the first targets attacked by the Luftwaffe was the Royal Navy base at Rosyth. The Spitfires at RAF Drem were scrambled to protect this vital installation and were engaged in some of the first air battles over Britain. The exploits of its pilots received much attention from the press at the time. By mid-1940, much of the fighting had gravitated to the south of England. Spitfires and Hurricanes based at Drem would, however, continue to patrol the skies over the Firth of Forth until the end of the war. Night fighter squadrons were also based here, first flying the Blenheim and later the Mosquito. Appropriately the Drem lighting system for assisting the landing of aircraft at nightwas invented here. The Fleet Air Arm also had a presence at RAF Drem, with a squadron for the training of night fighter pilots. The airfield ended the war on a high note when three white painted Ju 52s arrived with German generals to surrender their forces in Norway. Like many other military airfields, Drem closed shortly after the end of hostilities and the runways were ploughed up and returned to agriculture.

The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the RAF. Although overshadowed by the Spitfire, during the Battle of Britain the Hurricane accounted for 60% of the RAF's air victories in the battle, and served in all the major theatres of the Second World War. The 1930s design evolved through several versions and adaptations, resulting in a series of aircraft that acted as interceptor-fighters, fighter-bombers (also called 'Hurribombers'), and ground support aircraft. Further versions known as the Sea Hurricane had modifications that enabled operation from ships. Some were converted as catapult-launched convoy escorts, known as 'Hurricats'. More than 14,583 Hurricanes were built by the end of 1944 (including at least 800 converted to Sea Hurricanes and some 1,400 built in Canada.

The book collates a variety of pamphlets and manuals on the plane that were produced throughout the war for the benefit of pilots and others associated with the aircraft.

The inspiring memoir of the remarkable Jackie Moggridge: ATA girl, Spitfire expert and pioneer. 'We had returned to a different world. We had taken off in peace at nine-thirty and landed in war at noon.' Jackie Moggridge was just nineteen when World War Two broke out. Determined to do her bit, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. Ferrying aircraft from factory to frontline was dangerous work, but there was also fun, friendship and even love in the air. At last the world was opening up to women... or at least it seemed to be. From her first flight at fifteen to smuggling Spitfires into Burma, Jackie describes the trials and tribulations, successes and frustrations of her life in the sky. What Amazon readers are saying about Spitfire Girl: 'There is something for everyone in this remarkable autobiography, adventure, romance, flight, struggle, victory. Must read!' 5* 'An amazing book by an inspirational woman' 5* 'Drama, aircraft, relationships... it's all there in this great page-turner!' 5* 'I am left with real admiration for Jackie Moggridge, truly an amazing lady' 5* 'Brilliant book. What an amazing women she was' 5*.

The Navy Carrier Torpedo Bomber Tenzan or Nakajima B6N, was codenamed Jill by the Allies. It was the replacement of the famous Nakajima B5N (Kate) torpedo bomber and although more B6N's were built than B5N's, the plane never achieved the spectacular success of its predecessor. It entered service in the second half of 1943 but wouldn't be used on a large scale until June, 1944 during the air and sea battles in the Philippine Sea for the Mariana Islands. Later it would be used in Taiwan, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and for Kamikaze attacks. The crushing air superiority of the Allies and the loss of nearly all the Japanese aircraft carriers and their trained pilots led to many Tenzans being lost, while never having had a chance to prove their worth. In spite of the fact that the Tenzan never achieved any real successes, it was undoubtedly one of the best carrier based torpedo bombers of WWII.

This book aims to provide a complete exposure about armaments from their design to launch from the combat aircraft. The book details modern ammunition and their tactical roles in warfare. The proposed book discusses aerodynamics, propulsion, structural as well as navigation, control, and guidance of aircraft armament. It also introduces the various types of ammunition developed by different countries and their changing trends. The book imparts knowledge in the field of design, and development of aircraft armaments to aerospace engineers and covers the role of the United Nations in peacekeeping and disarmament. The book will be very useful to researchers, students, and professionals working in design and manufacturing of aircraft armaments. The book will also serve air force and naval aspirants, and those interested in working on defence research and developments organizations.

Michael Napier details the critical role of air power in the skies over Afghanistan, from the ten-year occupation by the USSR in the 1980s through to the US and NATO campaign from 2001 to 2021. US and British forces, strongly supported by air power, invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 in response to the Al Qaida attacks on 9/11. What began as a small-scale operation of 2,500 troops with the limited objective of destroying Al Qaida became ever larger, growing to over 100,000 troops ten years later. This experience matched that of the Soviets after their invasion in late 1979, when they saw a massive increase in resistance by Mujahidin. Afghan Air Wars details how Soviet aircraft including the MiG-21, MiG-23, Su-17 and Su-25, as well as Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters supported Soviet offensives in the Panjshir Valley and other regions. Despite these high-octane operations and overwhelming air superiority, Soviet forces eventually withdrew. Some 20 years later, US and NATO air forces were deployed in similar roles. F-15E, F-16, F/A-18, A-10, Mirage, Harrier and Tornado aircraft all saw action in the skies over Afghanistan as did the CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters. Mike Napier fully details their series of operations in a hostile environment as well as the advent of high-resolution targeting pods and Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) which enabled aircraft to stand off from threat areas and also to deploy their weapons with deadly accuracy. The conflict also saw the groundbreaking introduction of Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPV) into routine air operations. Afghan Air Wars is richly illustrated with over 240 images – both official photos and privately taken, in-theatre images which have not been previously published. It also includes first-hand accounts by aircrews involved to create a unique and comprehensive picture of the part played by air power over Afghanistan in the last 40 years.

The product of a lifetimes reflection, The Last Escaper is Peter Tunstall's unforgettable memoir of his days in the RAF and as one of the most celebrated of all British POWs. Tunstall was an infamous tormentor of his German captors dubbed the cooler king (on account of his long spells in solitary), but also a highly skilled pilot, loyal friend and trusted colleague. Without false pride or bitterness, Tunstall recounts the high jinks of training to be a pilot, terrifying bombing raids in his Hampden and of elaborate escape attempts at once hilarious and deadly serious all part of a poignant and human war story superbly told by a natural raconteur. The Last Escaper is a charming and hugely informative last testament written by the last man standing from the Colditz generation who risked their lives in the Second World War. It will take its place as one of the classic first-hand accounts of that momentous conflict.

Of all the Allied bombers of WWII, the Douglas A-20 Havoc is probably the least well known, but was a major contributor to the air war effort, flying yeoman and unheralded missions not only for the USAAF, but also for the Royal Air Forces of Britain, South Africa, and Australia; the Vichy and Free French Air Forces; and most importantly, for the Soviet Army and Navy Air Forces, where more A-20s flew than with the USAAF. This is the sixth in the "Ultimate Look" series and presents the same meticulous depth of research as the other books, using a multitude of original sources, technical manuals, and photographs. It includes an in-depth look into the history of the Douglas Company, its founder, Donald Douglas, and its legendary designer, Ed Heinemann. This book is truly the definitive look at the Havoc.

This title tells the story of an iconic aircraft from World War II, that is illustrated with over 250 colour and black and white photographs. It takes you through the creation, construction, production and history of the Spitfire, as well as its role in the major battles of the war. It includes moving first-hand accounts from the pilots who flew the Spitfires, including both their experiences in combat and the way of life for the RAF at that time. It features a fascinating and engaging narrative written by a leading military history expert. It lists sites where surviving Spitfires can be viewed today so you can go and see this incredible aircraft for yourself. It compares the Spitfire with other great fighters - both Axis and Allied - in the skies at the time. It shows how the famous fighter plane had its origins in a series of trophy-winning seaplanes from the 1920s and 1930s, and how it was developed. This engrossing book retells the story of the iconic aircraft of World War I. It goes into the heart of the action, showing what it was like to fly a spitfire in the Battle of Britain, and tells the moving stories of the brave young pilots who flew this all-conquering machine. In addition, this book lists where surviving planes can be seen today so that you see the incredible aircraft for yourself. The fascinating and informed text, written by a leading expert in the field and accompanied by over 250 stunning contemporary and historical photos, make this the ultimate reference for anybody with an interest in military history or aviation.