Navy Jet Fighters

US Navy Hornets in Operation Iraqi Freedom
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 Iraqi Republican Guard units and government buildings housing elements of the Baath party regime. Apart from its ability to drop precision munitions such as laser-guided bombs, the Hornet was also capable of launching anti-radar missiles and acting as an aerial tanker and reconnaissance platform for other strike types. This book explores the Hornet's versatility which has enhanced its reputation as one of the world's leading strike-fighter aircraft.

F/A-18 Hornet
Actually I have written the review about this book, but I just have to say some more about this book. This is a wonderful book, you won't get boring after reading it a few times. This book contain very useful technical information about the F/A-18 Hornet & no other books have this kind of information. The book tells you the background of the F/A-18 Hornet which I find it very interesting & the technical part is really amazing, telling you just everything that is in use with the F/A-18 Hornet. Although the images are in black & white, it still have good images & there are 8 pages of images which is in color. Well, from my point of view, this will be the most valuable book to the fans of the F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18 Hornet is a jet fighter not to be look down upon & the enemies won't know what sting them.

Representing the leading edge of the Navy's combat strike force, the multipurpose F/A-18 Hornet stands poised on decks of aircraft carriers around the world, ready to execute U.S. military policy swiftly and decisively. Outfitted with the most sophisticated electronic offensive and defensive weaponry yet devised, this potent and versatile warplane is a visible symbol of U.S. combat strength. But it wasn't always so. The F/A-18's phenomenal success story began with a tale of hard luck. Beaten out by General Dynamics' F-16 for the Air Force's lucrative lightweight fighter contract, the Hornet (then Northrop's YF-17) might have languished--had not an executive had the bright idea of marketing it to the Navy. The Hornet's troubles were not over when the Navy chose the new plane to replace its older F-4 Phantoms. Simply put, the F/A-18 Hornet's capabilities were not up to snuff. The rapid and determined development of new weapons-delivery avionics for the Hornet comprises one of the most fascinating and exciting highlights in this now super-capable aircraft's tale. More agile than most planes, engineered with the durability needed to survive carrier landings, the F/A-18 Hornet has even enjoyed a surprising popularity in the export market, attracting seven foreign governments as purchasers, in an arena generally dominated by Air Force models. In this technically detailed history, noted aviation writer and engineer Dennis R. Jenkins takes readers closer to the F/A-18 Hornet than anyone other than its designers and crew have ever been. You'll find a full exploration of the cutting-edge electronic systems that guide and protect the Hornet, and make it such a fearsome antagonist; see the integration of these highly advanced weapons systems; and embark on a knowledgeable tour of the developmental design of this astounding powerhouse of military muscle. All in all, this book delivers one of the most compelling and complete portraits of a new war machine ever written. What's more, you'll also get an exclusive look--limited only by national security considerations--of advanced F-18 Hornet models now in development.

Feet Wet
Rear Admiral Paul Gillcrist, USN (Retired), gives an account of his 33-year Navy career from training in a radial engined SNJ to combat in Vietnam to his final carrier trap in a supersonic F-14A Tomcat. The book is presented in an anecdotal form, like an old salt spinning his yarns for a fascinated audience.
Gillcrist's memoir has several high points. One of the most interesting parts of the book is how the Navy transitioned from a propeller-driven fleet to a jet-plane, supersonic navy. He gives a good layman's discussion of the three important advances required for jet carrier aviation: the angled carrier deck, the powerful steam catapult, and the optical landing system (aka "the meatball" or "the ball").

His accounts of two ejections (one of which left him in recovery for sixteen months) are harrowing. Some stories are laugh-out-loud funny, like the one about a pilot landing on the wrong carrier and his grace and humor dealing with the inevitable ribbing. It's easy to devour this book, and wish you had a story of your own that was half as good as only one of Gillcrist's!

What impresses me most is Gillcrist's complete lack of egotism. It's hard to write one's memoirs and not come across as at least a little self-promoting, but he pulls it off in grand style. Gillcrist is humble, and loves naval aviation enough to make it the star of the book. His account of his last trap on a carrier is Gillcrist at his most humble; it's a sad goodbye indeed.

The biggest fault of the book is its episodic format. That format worked wonderfully in Gillcrist's book "Tomcat! The Grumman F-14 Story," which was heavy on the pictures but the text was effective and authoritative as well. In "Feet Wet" the stories don't have the narrow-subject connection that "Tomcat!" does so it feels disjointed and jumpy at times; mere vignettes instead of threads in a grand story. It's easy to get the feeling that these are stories that Gillcrist would tell you over a few beers--you'd love the stories but not have too much of an idea about the man or the hows and whys of his profession.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat
This addition to the Aerofax series describes all the variants, including the so-called "Bombcat" attack version and the extremely capable F-14D. It covers color schemes, squadrons and markings, and aircraft production details. Lavishly illustrated, it includes close-up details of cockpits and weaponry, giving modelers and enthusiasts superb access to one of the classic jet fighters of all time.

I agree with another reviewer that a book of 88 pages is insufficient to do this airplane justice. But given that was all the publisher seems to have given the author, I think Jenkins did a remarkable job of telling the story. Perhaps now that the Tomcat is being phased out of service the publisher will allow a larger, more complete, book to be written.
This book is half-a-dozen years old and just barely touches on the "bombcat" version since it was just being fielded at the time. But otherwise, it goes into sufficient detail on the technology, variants, and history of the airplane to satisfy most anybody. It makes a good addition to any library.

Military Discounts