Aircraft - USA - US Air Force (USAF): Illustrated History Books & Guides

AMARG: America's Strategic Military Aircraft Reserve

The United States military stores more than 4,000 aircraft in the Arizona desert at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) facility adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Known as the "Boneyard," this facility is much more than a place where aerospace vehicles come to die. Here some aircraft are maintained in both short- and long-term storage, while others serve as a "parts inventory on the wing" holding valuable spare parts in known locations ready to be harvested, overhauled, and returned to the fleet when needed.
When an aircraft has yielded all the parts necessary to keep its brethren in the air, its carcass eventually meets the scrapper's torch.

AMARG's storage rows are home to massive fleets of F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 fighters, aerial refuelling tankers, C-130 and C-5 transports, helicopters of varying sizes, and bombers from the frontline B-1 to B-52s that are much older than the pilots flying them around the globe today.
Among the rows are special use aircraft including the AWACS, P-3 maritime patrol bombers, aeromedical evacuation aircraft, and reconnaissance planes that serve a variety of missions, along with celebrity aircraft such as MiG killers that dominated the skies in aerial combat.

As well as bringing the reader up to date with recent activities at AMARG, including the intake of new aircraft types, regeneration and the return to the fleet of aircraft formerly in storage, this book presents new, never-before-seen images that provide a visual tour of the Boneyard.

Product details

Author:	Jim Dunn, Nicholas A. Veronico
Details:	96 pages, 9 x 6.5 x 0.31 in (24 x 16.5 x 0.8 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	160 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Key Publishing Ltd (GB, 2022)
ISBN:	9781913870614

American Aircraft Development of WWII : Special Types 1939-1945

Focusing almost exclusively on official programs and aircraft that entered development this book shows how U.S. aviation weapons progressed under the pressure of war.

From the state of the art at the beginning of the war, to the advances during the conflict, armed photo reconnaissance, catapult launched seaplanes, autogyros and, amongst others, armed drones are covered in detail.
Often described as less glamorous that fighters and bombers, these special types offer a unique contribution to aeronautical advancement.

Product details

Author:	William Norton
Details:	272 pages, 11.4 x 8.5 x 0.75 in (29 x 21.5 x 1.9 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	300 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Crecy Publishing (GB, 2015)
ISBN:	9780859791885

American Bomber Aircraft Development in World War 2

A new perspective on the development of US bomber aircraft during World War 2, revealing how the intense combat pressures of the war accelerated the scientific and technological advances of aeronautics, propulsion. aircraft systems, avionics and ordnance.

Packed with three-view drawings and rare photographs including a wide variety of little-known experimental aircraft.

Product details

Author:	Bill Norton
Details:	224 pages, 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.71 in (28.5 x 22 x 1.8 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	extensively illustrated
Language:	English
Publisher:	Ian Allan Publishing (GB, 2012)
ISBN:	9781857803303

American Military Gliders of World War II - Development, Training, Experimentation, and Tactics of All Aircraft Types

The U.S. Army glider corps was formed in the tumultuous period of rapid buildup of American military might prior to the nation's December 1941 entry into World War II. It then had to mature rapidly, under the persistent pressure of wartime conditions, to be ready for action when American airborne troops first deployed. This meant haste and misconceptions that fostered inefficiencies in all aspects of the effort.

The program produced a cadre of pilots and fleet of wood and fabric gliders that executed challenging combat missions unlike anything done before or since. Despite the numbers and combat record, the glider is almost never mentioned in accounts of World War II combat aircraft.

The U.S. Army and Britain shared aircraft and knowledge, both employing the other's gliders in combat. The U.S. Navy also spent time developing amphibious transport gliders for Marine Corps landings. All are covered in this book.

Product details

Author:	Bill Norton
Details:	256 pages, 9.25 x 12 x 1.1 in (23.5 x 30.5 x 2.8 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	illustrated
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2012)
ISBN:	9780764340512

American Military Training Aircraft - Fixed and Rotary-Wing Trainers Since 1916

The U.S. did not become the world's foremost military air power by accident. The learning curve - World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and more recently the war on terror - has been steep.
While climbing this curve, the U.S. has not only produced superior military aircraft in greater numbers than its foes, but has - in due course - out-trained them, too.

This book provides a comprehensive historical survey of U.S. military training aircraft, including technical specifications, drawings and photographs of each type of fixed and rotary-wing design used over a 98-year period to accomplish the first step of the learning process: the training of pilots and aircrews.

Product details

Author:	E.R. Johnson, Lloyd S. Jones
Details:	277 pages, 10 x 6.9 in (25.5 x 17.5 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	275 photos, 166 drawings
Language:	English
Publisher:	McFarland & Co Inc (USA, 2015)
ISBN:	9780786470945

Combat Aircraft of the United States Air Force - Rare photographs from wartime archives (Images of War)

From its humble beginning in August 1907, when the U.S. Army Signal Corps created its Aeronautical Division assigned: "to take charge of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred matters." That small inconsequence portion of the U.S. Army would grow progressively over the many decades to become its own separate entity following the Second World War, named the U.S. Air Force in 1947.

It became overnight the world's most powerful military establishment, able to deliver conventional and nuclear ordnance anywhere around the globe. Today's cutting-edge example of that is best represented by the supersonic, bat-winged B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, which can fly at an altitude of 50,000 feet, and is built of carbon-graphite composite materials.
The B-2 Spirit is a far cry from the early days of the service when it relied on fragile prop-driven, wood and fabric-covered aerial platforms, such as the Wright Type B, which could barely reach an altitude of 100 feet.

As this superb illustrated and well informed book vividly demonstrates, in between have been such iconic aircraft as the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolt fighters and bombers such as the B-25 Mitchell, B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Super Fortress which dropped the first A-Bomb in 1945.
The Cold War demanded ever more powerful aircraft, such as the B-58 Hustler and B-52 Stratofortress and fighters including the F-86 Sabre, F-104 Starfighter and F-4 Phantom.

Product details

Author:	Michael Green
Details:	200 pages, 9.7 x 7.5 in (24.5 x 19 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	250 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2016)
Series:	Images of War
ISBN:	9781473834750

Desert Boneyard - Retired Aircraft Storage Facilities in the U.S.

The "Desert Boneyards" are a concept well known to every aeronautical enthusiast, and yet also veiled in secrecy. Gigantic desert aerodromes in which military and civilian aircraft from all over the world are stored, either permanently or for a time, in order to serve as sources of spare parts or to be reactivated after a certain time. In this unique photo documentation, the reader is shown the best-known of these "desert boneyards" in Arizona and California and presented fascinating insights into a world far away from the well-known airports.

This book was originally published in German under the title Desert Boneyards by Motobuch-Verlag.

Product details

Author:	Patrick Hoeveler, Adel Krämer
Details:	160 pages, 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.79 in (28.5 x 22.5 x 2 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	200+ color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2010)
ISBN:	9780764336621

Early Jet Fighters : British and American 1944-1954 (Images of War)

In almost 200 archive photographs Leo Marriott traces the course of the development of British and American jet fighters during the first pioneering decade of their production.
In many ways the period from 1944 to 1954 was one of the most exciting and innovative in the history of military aviation. Rare images show the first jet fighters flown by the RAF towards the end of the Second World War and takes the story forward to the most advanced designs that played a key role in the war in Korea.

The range of experimental and operational warplanes that were conceived and built during this short time was remarkable. The initial straight-wing jets began with the Gloster Meteor and Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star which were later superseded by the first operational swept-wing fighters such as the Hawker Hunter, North American F-86 Sabre and Grumman F9F-6 Cougar.
Development of all these benefited greatly from German Second World War advances in aerodynamics that were exploited by the British and Americans when the war ended.

Progress was so swift that, by the mid-1950s, the prototypes of the next generation of truly supersonic fighters were starting to appear, and these are featured in Leo Marriott's fascinating selection of images.
He even includes a variety of prototypes which for various reasons did not result in production orders, as well as several unusual concepts such as flying boat fighters and mixed-power designs.

Product details

Author:	Leo Marriott
Details:	128 pages, 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.51 in (24.5 x 19 x 1.3 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	200 photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2018)
Series:	Images of War
ISBN:	9781526727770

Night Hawks & Black Widows - 13th Air Force Night Fighters in the South and Southwest Pacific, 1943-1945

Aerial night fighting against the Japanese in World War II demanded the merger of a special type of pilot and plane. This is the story of those pilots who risked their lives night after night flying P-38 Lightnings, P-70 Nighthawks, and P-61 Black Widows - America's first purposely designed night fighter - for the 13th Air Force in the South and Southwest Pacific between 1943 and 1945.

Night fighting included aerial intercepts of Japanese aircraft as well as raids against Japanese installations.

This book provides detailed accounts of all these missions including the first solo night fighter raid over the highly defended Japanese base at Rabaul, night aerial combat against Japanese bombers and fighters, and harrowing night attacks against Japanese ground targets.
Coverage of American night fighter tactics and Japanese counter-tactics add to the tale as 13th Air Force pilots battled the Japanese for control of the night skies.

Product details

Author:	Terry M. Mays
Details:	240 pages, 11.4 x 8.9 x 1.02 in (29 x 22.5 x 2.6 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	300+ photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2010)
ISBN:	9780764333446

The 'C' Planes - US Cargo Aircraft from 1925 to the Present

Cargo aircraft are the backbone of today's military operations. From Operation Vittles to Operation Desert Storm, without the "C" planes the battles would have been lost.

This book is the definitive history of every cargo aircraft that displayed the American flag, from the commercial Douglas C-1 built in 1925, to the newest C-33 designation given to a potential commercial, off-the-shelf transport aircraft to supplement the C-17. The authors have attempted to trace the roots of each of the "C" aircraft.

Product details

Author:	William G. Holder, Scott Vadnais
Details:	160 pages, 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.67 in (28.5 x 22.5 x 1.7 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	200+ b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2004)
ISBN:	9780887409127

The Lafayette Escadrille : A Photo History of the First American Fighter Squadron

The Lafayette Escadrille was an all-volunteer squadron of Americans who flew for France during World War I. In this work the entire history of these gallant volunteers - who named themselves after the Marquis Lafayette, who came to America's aid during its Revolution - is laid out in both text and pictorial form.
In time for the centennial celebration, this work not only tells the fascinating story of the Lafayette Escadrille, it shows it. Already a student of the squadron, the author spent a full year sifting through university and museum archives in the United States and France for photographs and documents relating to the famed unit.

To complement these images, he traveled extensively, taking snapshots of existing markers and memorials honoring the men of the Lafayette Escadrille. In France, he specifically sought out locations where the squadron operated and its pilots frequented. In several cases, he was able to match his present-day color photos with contemporary images of the same scene, thus creating a unique then-and-now comparison.

To add even more color, the author included artwork and aircraft profiles by recognized illustrators, along with numerous full-color photographs of artifacts relating to the squadron's men and airplanes, as they are displayed today in various museums in the United States and France.

The result is undoubtedly the finest photographic collection of the Lafayette Escadrille to appear in print. Along with the expert text revealing air-combat experiences as well as life at the front during the Great War, it is a never-before-seen visual history that both World War I aviation aficionados and those with a passing interest in history will appreciate.

Product details

Author:	Steven A. Ruffin
Details:	288 pages, 10 x 7.1 in (25.5 x 18 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	many b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Casemate Books (GB, 2016)
ISBN:	9781612003504

US Army Aircraft Since 1947 - An Illustrated Reference

This is the only comprehensive guide to the 124 aircraft and experimental flying machines used by the United States Army since 1947. The definitive reference source on its subject.

Product details

Author:	Stephen Harding
Details:	264 pages, 11 x 8.9 x 1.02 in (28 x 22.5 x 2.6 cm), hardback
Illustrations:	220 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2004)
ISBN:	9780764301902

US Military Helicopters - Rare photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)

The helicopter came on the scene too late to play other than a minor role in the Second World War but by the Korean conflict the Bell H-13 Sioux, OH-23 Raven and Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw were in service.

It was in Vietnam that the US military helicopters really came into their own and the best known were the Bell UH-1 Iriquois (known as the Huey), the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and the massive CH-37 Mojave. The USAF combat search and rescue Jolly Green Giant was indispensable.

Attack helicopters have evolved from the early Huey Cobra or Snake and the Boeing AH-64 Apache came into service in the late 80s when the Sikorsky UH-60 series became the military general purpose chopper.

All these formidable aircraft and many more are covered in detail in this superbly illustrated and comprehensive book.

Product details

Author:	Michael Green
Details:	208 pages, 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.55 in (25 x 19 x 1.4 cm), paperback
Illustrations:	250 b&w and color photos
Language:	English
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2017)
Series:	Images of War
ISBN:	9781473894846