Revell RV5623

Agusta-Westland A109 This 116 page book was made in collaboration with the popular Belgian Air Force A109 Demo Team "The Razzle Blades". It contains some 40 pages of behind the scenes look at the workings of the Demo Team and some 70 pages of walk-around of the agile light helicopter. Every detail of the helicopter is shown, from the airframe, cockpit, cargo compartment, main rotor and tail. An impressive maintenance chapter shows every hidden detail of the helicopter, including the engines, avionics, drive shafts, etc. Included are photos of helicopters from the Belgian Air Force, RAF and air forces of New Zealand, Sweden, South Africa, Italy, ...This is the first in depth portrait of the popular A109, which remains in production, after more than 30 years.

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Dassault Rafale After 4 years of work, we can present the 45th book in our series: a 196 page book on the Dassault Rafale. This book, filled with more than 400 photos, shows the highly manoeuvrable fighter jet in never before seen detail, including an extensive chapter on the jet's cockpit, detailed maintenance photographs and a lot of action! Every version of the Rafale is included: both the single seat and two-seat version, as well as the naval Rafale M-variant. Aircraft from Greece, Indonesia, Qatar, India, Egypt and Croatia are included in this book.

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Building the Messerchmitt Bf-109. The iconic Messerschmitt Bf-109 was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during World War II. The aircraft first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of the War in 1945. The Bf-109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945. It was also one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 engine. It was conceived as an interceptor, and later models were developed to fulfil multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter- bomber, day-night all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to and operated by several countries during World War II and served with a number of air arms for many years after the war. The Bf-109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them. The highest scoring fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann, flew the Bf-109 and was credited with 352 aerial victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring German ace in the North African Campaign, who achieved 158 aerial victories. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany's allies, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest scoring non-German ace on the type. This second book in the MA Publications 'Model Aircraft Extra' series brings you a guide to building some of the variants of the Bf-109. In all some 14 build projects are included in a 'how-to' format using kits in popular scales from some of the best model makers around.

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Panzer Vor! 84 pages The Armoured Vehicles of the Panzerwaffe in Profile and Miniature There is no doubt, almost eighty years after the end of World War II, that the tanks and other armoured vehicles developed and employed by Nazi Germany from 1933 until 1945 continue to fascinate historians and modellers alike. Their popularity is evident in the rate at which new kits of German vehicles appear from all the major model manufacturers. These new kit releases are fuelled by an ongoing search for information on these AFVs and a steady of stream of period photographs, many from private archives, that are a constant source of fascination for modellers This book brings together the best of more than a decade's research articles published in Military Modelcraft International, redesigned and presented for this book. Together they shed light on Nazi Germany's armoured forces-the Panzerwaffe-and the men-the Panzertruppen-who fought with them. Rare archival photographs reveal unique camouflage schemes and unusual field modifications, while colour profiles will provide inspiration beyond the marking and camouflage options provided in model kits. As well as this unique reference source, the book contains a build of a small-scale armoured car by master modeller Alex Clark and a previously unpublished build of Tamiya's Panzer IV Ausf.

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Boeing F4B Biplane written by retired Navy Captain Richard S. Dann. With 408 b&w photos and 24 drawings filling its 160-pages. After three years of intensive research, author Richard S. Dann has finally produced the definitive history of the Boeing F4B, the Navy's iconic Golden Age fighting plane. The Boeing F4B, a favorite of pilots who flew it, still draws interest of hobbyists and historians alike, primarily due to the striking paint schemes worn by these aircraft during their service. Boeing, a company in existence since 1916, had produced a number of fighter aircraft for both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Derived from the company's successful PW-9 series for the Army, Boeing developed what can be considered the first truly successful carrier fighter with their FB series. First flown in 1925, the FB set the stage for the development of several follow-on aircraft for the Navy, namely the F2B and F3B. These aircraft were manufactured using state-of-the-art techniques, being constructed with welded tube fuselages and wooden wing structure, with fabric covered surfaces. These standard construction methods were also used in the Boeing Models 83 and 89, which were built on speculation, tested by the Navy in 1928 and subsequently purchased as the XF4B-1. Sufficiently impressed with their performance, the Navy ordered 27 F4B-1s with deliveries commencing in 1929. A second version, the F4B-2 was developed with improvements over the initial model and also put into production with 27 built. As the decade of the 1930s began, the use of traditional construction techniques of welded tube fuselages gave way to airframes manufactured using lightweight aluminum alloys. Use of semi-monocoque, stressed skin aluminum offered lighter airframes and subsequently, higher performance. In the F4B series, this was first seen on the company-funded Model 218 prototype, which bridged the gap between the earlier and later versions of the F4B. The later versions of the F4B, the F4B-3 and F4B-4 were partially constructed of aluminum alloys as first used on the Model 218 in place of steel tubes, offering high strength and light weight. Just 21 F4B-3s were built before Boeing switched production to the F4B-4, of which 92 were built. Boeing's F4B dominated U.S. Navy fighter and some bomber squadrons from 1931 to 1935, with the last squadrons of F4Bs transitioning in 1938. As F4Bs were phased out of front-line service, they were turned over to the training command, and later, as unmanned aerial targets used for training shipboard anti-aircraft gunnery crews as part of Project FOX. The last F4Bs were withdrawn from service in 1942. The first half of this 160-page monograph covers the developmental history of the F4B. Each version from F4B-1 to F4B-4 is covered, as well as the Boeing Model 218, which served as the prototype for the F4B-3 and F4B-4. 408 photographs and 24 drawings provide an in-depth study of each version. Much of the data for this section comes from period test reports and specification documents. In addition, a history of each airframe is provided, including squadron assignments, mishaps, strike dates, final disposition and total hours of flight time, if known. This is followed by an operational history of each Navy and Marine Corps squadron that operated the F4B as well as other Navy/Marine Corps commands that operated the type. Also included is a history of the Boeing Models 256 and 267, export variants that were sold to Brazil and the F4B-4A, which consisted of P-12s given to the Navy. Just two F4Bs found their way to civilian operators, and their civilian use is also included in this book. The final chapter dedicated to the aircraft discusses eight new-build Boeings that have been under construction in Gardnerville, Nevada since 1993. The first of these aircraft is expected to fly in late 2023 or early 2024. As with nearly all Ginter books, the final chapter is devoted to model kits. In the latest book of Steve Ginter's Naval Fighters series, you'll find many interesting facts you may not have known about the F4B.

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PIASECKI HRP-1/2 "RESCUER" (helicopter)By Tommy Thomason 56-pages, 127 b&w photos, 20-drawings, 4-color photos ABOUT THIS BOOK: The big U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter is the direct descendant of a Navy contract awarded during WW II to a young helicopter pioneer, Frank Piasecki, and his group of part-time engineers to design, build and fly what would be at the time the world's largest helicopter, the HRP-1 Rescuer. It would also be the first successful tandem-rotor helicopter. His experience?: A tiny single -eat, single-main-rotor helicopter built in a garage from junk and used hardware that he taught himself to fly. The degree of difficulty was clearly high. Neither of the two companies that the Army had first awarded helicopter development contracts to was able to qualify one for production. In the US, only the much better known now Igor Sikorsky also succeeded before the war ended. As it happened, like Frank he had begun his long career with the intention of flying a helicopter. Frank's initial success was not a fluke. In the next ten years, his nascent enterprise, not even a company at first, grew along with the size and success of his helicopter product line to a full-fledged aerospace company, competing head to head with Sikorsky for military contracts and civil helicopter sales. Its descendant is now part of the Boeing Company that produces the CH-47.

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US NAVY SQUADRON HISTORIES - NO. 305 WORLD WATCHERS A Pictorial History of Electronic Countermeasures Squadron ONE (ECMRON-1) and Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE (VQ-1). by Angelo Romano Pages: 304 Size: 8.5 X 11 (inches) Format: Paperback with semi-rigid cover Illustrations: 633 mostly color photos, 39 color profiles, 82 patches Publisher: Ginter Books The lineage of VQ-1's "World Watchers" can be traced back to two PBY-5A Catalina "Black Cats" modified for electronic reconnaissance during World War II. In Oct 1951, the unit was formally established as the Special Electronic Search Project (SESP) at NAS Sangley Point, Republic of the Philippines, in Oct 1951. On 13 May 1953, the unit was redesignated Detachment Able of Airborne Early Warning Squadron One (VW-1), and operated four P4M-1Q Mercator aircraft. On 1 Jun 1955, Detachment Able was reorganized into Electronic Countermeasures Squadron One (VQ-1) at MCAF Iwakuni, Japan. This was the first Navy squadron dedicated to electronic warfare. In Sep 1956, VQ-1 received the first A3D/A-3 Skywarrior, or "Whale" as it came to be known, which served the squadron for the next three decades. In 1960, VQ-1 moved to NAS Atsugi, Japan and redesignated Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron ONE. The last Mercator was retired and replaced by the WV-2Q Super Constellations. The "Willie Victor" would remain the backbone of VQ-1's long range, land-based reconnaissance efforts through the Vietnam Era and into the 1970s. The squadron's involvement in the Vietnam War started characteristically, at the very beginning, when a Skywarrior crew was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for their role in the Gulf of Tonkin incident of 2-5 Aug 1964. For the next nine years, VQ-1 would operate from DaNang, Cubi Point, Bangkok, aircraft carriers on patrol in Yankee Station and other bases in Southeast Asia. VQ-1's aircrews supported countless air strikes and were credited with assisting in the destruction of numerous MiG aircraft and Komar patrol boats. In 1969, The first EP-3B joined the squadron, which began the replacement program for the Super Constellations, which was completed in 1974. In 1971, VQ-1 moved its homeport to NAS Agana, Guam. At that time it absorbed Heavy Photographic Squadron SIXTY ONE (VAP-61) and its former parent unit, VW-1. For a time, VQ-1 consisted of thirty aircraft: sixteen Skywarriors, twelve Super Constellations and two Orions. In Jul 1974, VQ-1 welcomed the first of three EP-3E ARIES I, which served well until retirement, in 1992. On 29 Nov 1988, the last four Skywarriors left the squadron which now flew EP-3E exclusively. In 1991, the squadron closed its permanent detachment at Atsugi, after 30 years and relocated it to Misawa, Japan. In the same year, VQ-1 received the first EP-3E Aries II, an upgraded version of the ARIES I, using modified P-3C airframes. The squadron played a key role in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. Tasking included strike support, combat search and rescue, communications and over-the-horizon-targeting support to Coalition forces. In 1994, as a result of the base closure of NAS Agana, VQ-1 was notified of the homeport change to NAS Whidbey Island. Coincidentally, in Jul 1994, VQ-1 retired the Navy's oldest operational P-3, EP-3E ARIES I BuNo 148887. Its retirement also marked VQ-1's transition to all EP-3E ARIES II mission aircraft. The next aircraft upgrade, the Sensor Systems Improvement (SSIP) Program, became operational in Aug 2000. On 1 Apr 2001, a VQ-1 EP-3E collided with a People's Republic of China F-8 II fighter, 70 nm off the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea. After struggling to regain control of the crippled aircraft, the crew performed a successful three-engine, no-flap emergency landing at Lingshui Air Base on Hainan Island. The crew of 24 was detained for ten days. After the terrorist attacks of 11 Sep 2001, VQ-1 surged aircraft and crews to the Central Command, where missions were flown in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM and NEW DAWN. On 17 May 2012, VQ-1 became the largest operational aviation squadron in the Navy when Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Two (VQ-2) was officially disestablished and its personnel consolidated into VQ-1. Today, VQ-1 continues to provide Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) flights over an area of responsibility spanning 17 time zones from the East Coast of Africa to the West Coast of the United States. The World Watchers maintain a constant, forward-deployed status to ensure global support to Combatant, Joint and Fleet Commanders. This book is a tribute to all World Watchers who have served the squadron since its establishment to date. A special mention goes to those crews who were lost in tragic accidents, while serving their country.

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Douglas C-74 Globemaster By Nicholas M. Williams, 104 pages (88 in b&w, 16 in color), 141 b&w photos, 35 color photos, 22 illustrations. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 brought U.S. Army Air Corps strategists to the realization that a new global transport was needed to carry large loads over great distances. The Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California, also quickly saw this need and design studies were begun immediately on an expanded version of the company's DC-4. The "C-74 Project Group" adopted a design philosophy to produce a "no frills" transport able to accommodate at least two of the Army's T-9 tanks, two 105mm Howitzers, or two angle dozers. Douglas contacted the Air Corps early in 1942 to determine their interest and a letter of intent was issued in March 1942 for procurement of the Model 415A, now designated the C-74. A contract of over $50 million was signed in June 1942 for fifty airplanes. To speed its delivery to operational units, the C-74 was designed to be released without the benefits of an experimental or prototype model, all aircraft being designated as C-74s with design features following conventional "state-of-the-art" practice. Originally, powered by Wright R-3350 engines, a decision was made in March 1943 to switch to the new, mammoth Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major. The first C-74 was rolled out in July 1945 from the Douglas Long Beach factory. At rollout, the C-74 was the largest land-based transport in the world with a wingspan of 173 feet, length of 124 feet, and gross weight of 145,000 pounds. Able to carry 125 passengers, the C-74 was called the Globemaster as its 11,100-gallons of internal fuel gave it a maximum range of over 7,000 miles, enabling it to circumnavigate the world with only two refueling stops. In its final form, the C-74 was a remarkably efficient airplane, using a semi-laminar flow airfoil for its wings with a full-span flap arrangement. The pilots were enclosed by two teardrop-shaped, double-bubble canopies that provided them with a 360-degree view. Douglas had every intention of adapting the C-74 into a civil airliner once hostilities had ended. In 1944 Pan American World Airways ordered 26 examples of the civil version, the DC-7, for a route expansion program into Latin America. However, further development of this DC-7 design increased its gross weight to 162,000 pounds and the unit cost to $1.4 million and Pan American cancelled its order in October 1945, opting for smaller transports. The first C-74, 42-65402, made its maiden flight from Long Beach in September 1945, but with the end of World War II, most of the C-74 production order was cancelled and only 14 Globemasters were built. Unfortunately, during contractor demonstration flights the second Globemaster crashed. The fourth C-74 was subsequently diverted for static tests and its components tested to destruction at Wright Field, Ohio. Beginning in September 1946, the remaining twelve C-74s were flown for the next nine years by the Army Air Forces' Air Transport Command and the U.S. Air Force's Military Air Transport Service. Once in service, the C-74 Globemaster, based first in Memphis, Tennessee, then Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida, finally at Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama, set many records for tonnage carried. In November 1949, a C-74 flew the Atlantic to England with a record 103 passengers aboard. One Globemaster set several records during the Berlin Airlift, averaging over 38,000 pounds of cargo and setting a new Airlift Task Force utilization record by flying 20 hours in a 24-hour period. Until one C-74 was converted to the prototype C-124A and the Globemaster II became available, the C-74 was the only Air Force transport capable of carrying outsized cargo. After the C-74's retirement from service in 1955, several were purchased surplus and began flying for a contract air carrier, Aeronaves de Panama, hauling prize cattle from Denmark to the Middle East, horses to Singapore, and ships' parts and vegetables throughout Europe. Unfortunately, after the tragic crash in 1963 of one C-74 in Marseilles, France, the airline suspended operations and its C-74s eventually were scrapped. Today, no examples of this record-setting transport exist. This monograph of the C-74 Globemaster is written by Nick Williams, an award-winning author of over two dozen articles published in the Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society and publications in the U.K. Nick has written two previous books in Steve Ginter's Naval Fighters series as well as his 1999 book published in the U.K., "Aircraft of The Military Air Transport Service 1948-1966". His new book on the C-74 is the result of nearly fifty years of research, containing comments from several of the C-74's engineers as well as former Douglas and Air Force pilots.

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Douglas XB-42/42A Mixmaster and XB-43 Jetmaster Air Force Legends number 229 ISBN: 979-8-9899509-3-5 88-pages, 182 b&w photos, 3-color, 40 drawings During WWII, the unsolicited Douglas Aircraft proposal for a contra-rotating pusher propeller powered light bomber would become the most unusual and iconic U.S. military aircraft built during the war. Shades of "Buck Rogers" to be sure. Amazingly, no major problems were encountered by this challenging design. The XB-42 "Mixmaster" performed well, even setting a transcontinental speed record. It's fuselage housed two Allison V-1710 engines and their long propeller driveshafts. This gave the fuselage enough width to house two jet engines and the all-jet XB-43 proposal was born. Where the XB-42 was designed, built, and flown within a year of Douglas first proposing it, the XB-43 "Jetmaster" took many years to complete, mostly waiting for its promised J-35 engines to be delivered.

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Mutt In Action (Soft cover) The 4WD M151 was intended to be a lightweight, high-mobility replacement for the M38A1, itself a successor to the famed World War II jeep. Dubbed the Military Utility Tactical Truck or "MUTT" by the military - GIs almost universally referred to the vehicle as a "jeep." The series' service life spanned more than 40 years and four manufacturers, and the vehicles saw service everywhere the U.S. GI was deployed. This volume chronicles the development and field use of the 4WD M151 series in Europe, the Middle East and, of course, there is extensive coverage of the vehicles' service in Vietnam. The photos, many previously unpublished, are augmented by seven line drawings. Illustrated with 220 photographs; 80 pages.[4WD M151A1 Ford Jeep Mutt 4WD M151A2]

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From Submariners to Tank Killers Marine-Panzerjagd-Regiment 1 and the Fighting near Hamburg in April-May 1945 Author: Axel Urbanke ISBN: 978-3-941437-53-1 Pages: 192 Photos: 157, 48 of them in colour Illustrations: 15 color maps Format: 24 x 28,5 cm - Large format, Hard cover plus dust jacket At the beginning of April 1945, it became clear that the surrender of the Wehrmacht was only a matter of days or weeks. But despite this hopeless prospect, the German troops still put up fierce resistance to the enemy. Most of the front-line soldiers had long since given up hope of an already illusory final victory. Other goals now had priority. The way to the west had to be kept open for columns of refugees; steps had to be taken to ensure that civilians and wounded comrades could be evacuated by sea; and a path to the west had to be cleared for their own troops. The great spectre on the Eastern Front was that of being overrun by the Russians and then being subjected to their reprisals. Very few interested people today know that a stubborn fight against the British and Americans was also necessary on the Western Front in order to achieve these goals. So in April, the Germans were playing for time, because every day that the Wehrmacht troops in the West delayed surrender saved the lives of thousands, even tens of thousands of people in the East. But Hitler was still alive and making his unrealistic decisions in Berlin. To oppose his orders in those days could quickly mean death. In this situation, Hamburg, a city of millions, made preparations for a "defence to the last round of ammunition". Disaster loomed. Due to a lack of troops, at the beginning of April, the High Command of the Wehrmacht increasingly resorted to sailors whose ships had been sunk, were damaged, or are no longer able to sail due to a lack of fuel. Among these men were about 2,000 submariners who had been waiting in the Elbe metropolis for the completion or repair of their U-boats. Now, instead of putting to sea in their boats to fight the enemy, they stood up to the British with Panzerfaust anti-tank weapons as part of the 1st Naval Anti-Tank Regiment. Under the level-headed battle commander of Hamburg, they put up such a measured resistance that time was gained to finally surrender Hamburg without a fight and, by stopping the British at the Elbe, keep the Baltic ports open to refugees for about 14 days longer. This book is an exciting piece of contemporary history that provides a somewhat different view of the events of that time. Follow the submariners' fight in the Harburg Hills and on the Elbe, which has never been summarised until today and which saved the lives of tens of thousands of people. Important note for submarine enthusiasts: Photos of Type XXI and Type XXIII submarines are known to be very rare. This book contains 31 unpublished color photos of the construction of these boat types and their commissioning at Blohm-und-Voss and Deutsche Werft AG in Hamburg. The photos were taken as part of film recordings made by war correspondent Walter Frentz on behalf of Hitler. Frentz was to film all of the modern new weapons in the summer of 1944. During filming, he privately made color slides. The color recording is therefore a small sensation that can finally be seen 78 years after it's creation.

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AM-23 The Junkers Ju-88 Part 1: V1 to A-17 plus B-series-A Complete Guide to the Luftwaffe's Legendary Twin by Richard A. Franks. The Junkers Ju-88 has become a very popular aircraft modelling subject in recent years and our latest book will go some way towards unpicking the bewildering choice of variants and schemes that apply to the type. This twenty-third book in our much-acclaimed series contains over 264 pages packed with vital information that no active modeller and Luftwaffe enthusiast should be without. The Junkers Ju-88 Part 1 contains: - 40+ pages of technical information - 60+ pages of walk-around images and technical diagrams - 35+ pages of camouflage and markings - 25+ pages of model builds and modelling information - 200+ photographs including wartime images - Colour side views and stencil diagram by Richard J. Caruana - 3D isometric views of all Ju 88A and B-series variants by Wojciech Sankowski - Specially commissioned extensive full kit builds by Steve A. Evans and specially commissioned front cover artwork by Jerry Boucher - Set of 1/48 scale plans ISBN: 978-1-912932-30-6. Airframe & Miniature No.23

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Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thunderflash. Fraught with engine and aerodynamic teething problems that resulted in its missing the Korean War for which it was intended, the F-84F Thunderstreak, initially seen as languishing in the shadow of the more well-known and proven F-86 Sabre, matured to become a formidable fighter-bomber that served not only with the USAF's Tactical and Strategic Air Commands, but also with numerous European air forces for many of which it also offered the first experience in swept wing jet fighter operation. It provided a much-needed deterrent during the critical early years of the Cold War and the 1960s, especially with NATO air forces, where it normally replaced its straight-wing predecessor, the F-84 Thunderjet. No fewer than 2,711 examples of the Thunderstreak were built, so that for a time it was the fighter most in widespread use in Europe, becoming the backbone of the Alliance's combat element. In contrast, its service with the USAF was rather short-lived when newer fighters such as the F-100 Super Sabre and F-4 Phantom with superior and supersonic performance supplanted it in service. However, with the outbreak of the Vietnam War, when these modern fighters and the USAF's other more valuable combat aircraft were deployed to Southeast Asia, the USAF recalled the Thunderstreak for another spell of frontline service in defence of mainland United States. It was only the French who used it in anger when it carried out strikes on Egyptian targets during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Sharing the Thunderstreak's main characteristics including its vices and virtues, its offshoot, the RF-84F Thunderflash, was considered to be the best photo-reconnaissance fighter of its time, capable of carrying six cameras in its abundant nose in 15 different combinations. The Thunderflash, too, was exported to most of NATO's air forces, as well as to the Republic of China Air Force where it carried out routine overflights over mainland Communist China in a hostile environment. The French, too, used it in a firing war, again in Suez, while the Turkish Air Force similarly employed it during its brief war with Greece in 1974. Again, the advent of such types as the RF-101 recce Voodoo and the RF-4C Phantom replaced it in USAF service, while the F-104 was the type that most replaced it in NATO air arms. But both the Thunderstreak and Thunderflash remained in service for a long period in some of the European air forces, the last Thunderflash being retired from the Greek Air Force in 1991. This latest Warpaint title gives an account of these two types' service, with detailed lists of serials, squadron service, production and variants in 80 pages of text accompanied by no fewer than 190 colour and B&W photos, eight pages of colour artwork by and foldout scale drawings, describing the development and operational career of these remarkable aircraft. This book is written by Charles Stafrace and is superbly illustrated by Richard J.Caruana.

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Sikorsky S-55 Chickasaw and Westland Whirlwind The S-55 was deemed to be the first completely successful design for helicopter entrepreneur Igor Sikorsky, the type first entering service with all three United States services in the early 1950s Korean War years and going into mass production, seeing service with vast number of countries worldwide.

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Panavia Tornado ADV by Des Brennan The Tornado F.3 spent just over twenty-three years in frontline operational service with the Royal Air Force compared to a similar period for air-defence Phantoms, and twenty-eight years for the Lightning. While every operational Tornado F.3 unit bar 25 Squadron had been operating one of those aircraft types before transitioning to the F.3 only 29 (as OCU) and 11 Squadrons along with 1435 Flight would move forward from Tornado onto the Eurofighter Typhoon. And of them only the latter transitioned directly without a break in service. Its entry-to-service was not, just like many other types before and since, particularly smooth especially with regard to its Foxhunter radar, however once the initial problems were resolved it went on to possess and deliver an outstanding BVR CAP capability. It was not and was never intended to be one of the 'dogfighters' it was often erroneously compared with, and through the design compromise with the IDS variants was undeniably more suited to a low/mid-level environment. Despite this and with the ever growing constraints on RAF budgets and concomitant growing demands on the Tornado F.3 throughout its service, the skills and dedication of its air and ground crews along with the expertise of the British aviation industry ensured that the aircraft more than excelled in all that was asked of it. Perhaps most tellingly the Tornado F.3/ADV was taken into combat by all three operators, with the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia over Iraq and by the United Kingdom and Italy over the Balkans. In both theatres the opposing regimes had proven records of manipulating propaganda and were forever alert to exploit any imagined weakness as some armchair Air Marshals would have had the F.3/ADV to be. Yet while all three operators faced threats from ground defences, on not one occasion did any hostile force attempt get close enough to expose itself to the real and present threat posed by the Tornado F.3 ADV. This book is written by Des Brennan and is superbly illustrated by Richard J.Caruana.

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Grumman F-14 Tomcat By Charles Stafrace. The US Navy embarked on the VFX fighter programme when it became obvious that the weight, engine and manoeuvrability issues plaguing F-111B, the naval variant of the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX), would not be resolved to the Navy's satisfaction. The Navy requirement was for a fleet air defence fighter whose primary role was intercepting Soviet bombers before they could launch missiles against the carrier battle group. The Navy strenuously opposed the TFX, which incorporated the US Air Force's requirements for a low-level attack aircraft that were not required by the Navy. Grumman came up with a solution in the form of their F-14 Tomcat, a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing aircraft. But what made the Tomcat head and shoulders above all other fighters was its AWG-9 weapons control radar married to the superlative AIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missile. The Tomcat was all the US Navy required, and the F-111B episode was soon forgotten. The F-14A was the first version of the Tomcat, and it entered US Navy service in 1972 with VF-1 and VF-2 and first deployed overseas on USS Enterprise in 1974, gradually replacing the later versions of the F-4 Phantom on the US carriers' decks. The F-14A served only with one foreign air force, the Imperial Iranian Air Force which, after the 1978 revolution, came to be known as the Iranian Islamic Iranian Air Force. The Tomcat's role in Iran's war against Iraq from 1980 to 1988 is explained in detail. The Iranian, in its locally-improvised versions, is still in service. The F-14A version of the Tomcat inherited not only the AWG-9/AIM-54 system from the ill-fated F-111B but also its troublesome TF30 engine. In the US Navy it was only when the F-14B was re-engined with the more powerful and more reliable F-110-GE-400, as was also the F-14D, that the Tomcat really showed its true potential in the air. The Tomcat went on to serve on all US carriers of the Forrestal and Kitty Hawk Models Class of carriers and on all nuclear powered carriers built until 2006, the year when the Tomcat was retired from service. During the years it spent on deck, the Tomcat, in its F-14A, F-14B and F-14D versions, participated in all US interventions of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Horn of Africa, and distinguished itself not only as an interceptor fighter, but later also as a ground support and reconnaissance aircraft when the need for these two new roles were needed and when equipped with the LANTIRN and TARPS systems. The Tomcat's story was immortalised by the Hollywood production that made 'Tomcat' and 'Top Gun' household names, but in real life the Tomcat was truly a confirmed 'MiG-killer' and a 'Sukhoi-killer' in encounters with hostile Libyan opposition. Its exit from the US Navy scene in 2006 was a controversial one, as the aircraft was still considered a valuable asset to the fleet. However, its astronomical maintenance hours per flight hours and its ageing systems compared with the newer F/A-18 Hornet worked against it. All this is explained in detail in this new Warpaint title, a 124-page account of America's most famous fighter of recent times, that contains no fewer than 280 photos, ten pages of colour profiles, scale plans, fourteen information tables and a text that give exact details of every squadrons, details of all deployments with carrier, CVW, dates and destination, conversions to later versions, and many other information as now expected from titles by author Charles Stafrace, supported by superb artwork by John Fox.

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Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota By Adrian M. Balch When the prototype Douglas DC-3 " actually a DST Douglas Sleeper Transport first flew from Clover Field, Santa Monica, California on Sunday 17 December 1935, Donald Wills Douglas never imagined that the production run would total more than 10,000, with more licence built in Russia and Japan, let alone many would be still be flying 86 years later, the C-47 being perpetuated by turbo-prop conversions, seeing the type probably still flying to see its 100th anniversary! Arguably the most famous transport aircraft of all time, the DC-3 and C-47 has been operated by just about every country in the world in service with their airlines and military air arms. This Warpaint has not skimped on the colour schemes and markings used by military operators, the C-47 being named by the USAAF as the Skytrain and the RAF and Commonwealth countries as the Dakota, both names being adopted worldwide. This lavish and extensive Warpaint by author Adrian Balch includes over 300 photographs of military C-47s, nearly all in colour, accompanied by 10 pages of colour profiles by artist Sam Pearson making this the most comprehensive reference to colours and markings for modellers and historians on the type to date.

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North-American OV-10 Bronco written by Mike Verier The full story of the first true Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, the OV-10 Bronco, still flying operationally after nearly six decades of service, is told here for the first time in a bumper 104-page Warpaint. Detailed first-hand information gathered over many years has enabled the author to bring together the many facets of this remarkably versatile aircraft including pre-cursors, competitors and prototypes, through Vietnam and combat service with some eleven US and foreign Air Arms, and its part in the development of modern precision weapons, to its astonishing array of uses since. These include fighting drug cartels in Columbia, fires in California, mosquitos in South Carolina, and ISIS in Northern Iraq. Also, finally covered in full and accurate detail are the German 'jet' Broncos. The world's largest restoration project and current training of US and NATO JTACS bring the story up to date. De-classified information has made it possible to detail for the first time all the long-nose D model conversions and all the Broncos that served in Desert Storm, their preparation, the epic trans-continental deployment of one squadron by air, and the key role played by the Broncos during the war. The detailed and revealing narrative is copiously illustrated throughout with fully captioned photographs - many previously unseen- and backed by personal accounts, Individual aircraft histories, airframe lists, scale plans and specially commissioned art work with comprehensive colour scheme information. Warpaint 140 North-American/Rockwell OV-10A/OV-10B Author: Mike Verier Content: 104 pages

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Hawker-Siddeley 748 & Andover in Military Service. Author Adrian Balch 56 pages Making its first flight on 24 June 1960 the prototype AVRO 748, G-APZV, became a very successful rugged replacement for the many DC-3 Dakotas flying around the world. In production, it became the second most successful British turboprop transport aircraft and was only superseded in numbers produced by those of the Vickers Viscount. A total of 381 Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft were built, including eighty-nine manufactured under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India, with production running from 1960 to 1988 for this successful turboprop airliner and its military variant, the Andover. The total included, thirty-seven Andovers for the RAF and RNZAF. Over fifty military HS 748s were sold, seventy-two for the Indian Air Force, plus others for RAAF, Brazilian Air Force and others, making a substantial portion of the 381 total built, with many going to various air forces worldwide for roles like transport, navigation training and VIP transports. The HS748 was selected for the Royal Family as the Andover CC.2 and three of them served The Queen's Flight faithfully and reliably for over twenty years from 1964 There are other publications that focus on all the civil airlines that have operated the HS748, but as a Warpaint publication, this is the first time all those that saw military service with air forces around the world have been featured-and nearly all in over 160 top quality colour photographs with notes on colour schemes and markings. This is another quality Warpaint by author Adrian Balch, supported by accurate profile drawings by artist Sam Pearson and a must-have addition for aviation historians and modellers alike.

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Grumman F6F Hellcat. Even before Pearl Harbor the U.S. Navy realised that it would be hard for its existing fighters, the F2A Buffalo and F4F Wildcat, to deal with Japan's shipboard fighters, especially the A6M Zero. The situation was such that in June 1941 the U.S. Navy placed orders with Grumman 's 'Iron Works' for the F6F Hellcat before the first prototype had even flown. It was the right decision for Grumman 's new fighter, although much larger and heavier than the Zero, proved to be the latter's nemesis, so that the American fighter's better fire-power, sturdiness, range and speed more than matched the Zero's agility. Its entry into service was also timely, for the much- awaited F4U Corsair suffered from a flawed carrier deck capability, so that the Hellcat remained the main carrier fighter of the U.S. Navy throughout the rest of the Second World War and established air superiority in the Pacific. Indeed, in barely two years of war it destroyed no less than 5,271 enemy aircraft of the 6,477 claimed by the U.S. fighters, attaining a fantastic kill-to-loss ratio of 19.1:1, and fully deserving the nickname of 'Ace-Maker'. It certainly was the most important Allied shipboard fighter of that world conflict. The Hellcat was used also by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, during the war, while in the postwar period it saw service with the French Aeronavale, which used them in Indochina, as well as with the Uruguayan Navy, the latter flying them until 1961. [F6F-3 F6F-5 F6F-3N F6F-5N]

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Messerschmitt Bf-109. When it comes to famous aircraft of the 20th Century, one that is sure to come to the top of the list is the Messerschmitt Bf-109. With a career spanning nearly 20 years and over 30.000 examples of being built the Messerschmitt Bf-109 is probably the most recognised of all the World War 2 fighters. Ironically this German fighter started and ended its life being powered by British engines.

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