Strike From the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet 1948-Present Hardcover – July 22, 2009

An excellent history of USN Attack aircraft. The chapters start with the changing requirements during WWII and the BuAer missteps as they struggled to find the right mix of size and capability within the VB, VS, and VT communities along with the impact the changes in the VF community were having in gradually blending various capabilities into a single aircraft.The history of the A-6, A-7, and F-18 were particularly spot on and unbiased. The history of the A-12 is probably as complete as it could be at the time of the writing. Having spun wrenches on the J52, J57, J79, TF30, TF41, and the F404 and interacted with a significant number of these aircraft on the flight line and the flight deck (A-4 onshore only, missed the RA-5 by one cruise.) I was pleased to catch a little bit more than what I was able read in the contemporary press or heard as various bits of rumor. The early nuclear operations get excellent coverage as well as the T40 derived failures. Pleasant surprises were the little tidbits on the seagoing Neptune and the Seaplane Striking Force. (Surprising considering they were "hook free".) I was a little surprised to see no reference to the "Lehman Wing" which was done with two A-6 squadrons (VA-75 and VA-85) and completely sans A-7 in 1983. Too bad the lessons were forgot in my opinion as the Navy has had no deep strike aircraft now for 20 years and NavAir has never recovered.(As much as I disliked the F-18 from a mission standpoint, I loved having the F404 in my shop. Turnaround time was typically 25% of a TF30 or a J52 and you could do more to it as far as getting it back out the door instead of canning it up and sending it off the ship. That's great when you only own four rails and have to share space with the buddy stores. Turnaround time was such that I only had to work my crew more than 24 hours straight only twice in six months.)Mr. Thomason is undoubtedly the doyen of technical and aircraft development writing about US Naval Aviation. (Apologies to Mr. Tillman.) If you're looking for squadron operational histories you'll probably be a little disappointed.If you want a chronological history of the technical development and overlapping histories of post war naval attack aircraft this is a great purchase.

We have been spoiled by Mr. Thomason in the past, and once again he has succeeded in putting together an interesting, entertaining, well researched and nicely produced volume about US Naval Attack and Strike aviation.This book covers the period between WW II and up to the development of the jack-of-all-trades F/A 18 and F-35. While there is a wealth of information in the chapters covering the many aircraft developed during this period, the author succeeds in never overwhelming the reader with unnecessary details. As with his other books, and in particular with the natural companion book, U.S. Naval Air Superiority: Delevelopment of Shipborne Jet Fighters - 1943-1962 , the quality of the production is superb, with many interesting and well-chosen pictures accompanying the informative text. With the many aircraft types developed during these years it is impossible to go into much detail of each one, but the reader is given enough information to understand the overall context and the many problems encountered. Strike and Attack Naval aviation has considerably developed since the torpedo-carrying Devastators and the dive-bombing Dauntless from WWII, and Mr. Thomason brilliantly presents the most important issues and facts of this long journey.Overall this is an authoritative presentation of the subject, and as such represents an excellent summary of US Naval Strike and Attack aviation - highly recommended.

This incredible book was a gift for my friend. We were on a Christmas/NY Cruise to the Hawaiian Islands when I presented this book to him. He was totally caught off guard and is looking forward to many good reads. In the meantime, I'm planning on purchasing another for his birthday in May! Now, for some applause to Amazon ... the first book arrived damaged and I was able, on very, very short notice to speak with a gracious Amazon C.S. Rep who immediately responded and promptly put my mind at ease by overnighting a replacement!!! Thank you Tommy Thomason for your personal attention to my requests and thank you Amazon for a memorable experience!!! Linda

This is wonderfully comprehensive and well written history of U. S. Navy attack aircraft and aviation over the past 60 years. The evolution of all the significant first-line planes and those that didn't quite make the grade and those that simply never left the drawing board is all presented in extremely readable and interesting fashion by Mr. Thomason. The quality and uniqueness of the photos and illustrations is excellent. The explanations of the differences, improvements, development of the aircraft and their weaponry is the best on the subject I've ever seen. A truly exceptional aviation volume, well above the usual offering. It expertly handles a complicated subject with great skill and accuracy. A fascinating and unique book, which I would unhesitatingly recommend to anyone interested in the subject matter. Additionally, Amazon is offering it at a very attractive price.

I hesitate to write a review at this point, as I haven't finished it yet, but.........this is good. Very, very good. Enough background information to satisfy almost anyone. A perfect companion to his US Naval Air Superiority, but covering a longer time period.You get the feeling that the work that went into this meant something, and the results are worth it. A touch of humour in what could be a dry subject in other hands. Also obvious personal knowledge of the people who were involved.Production stanadrds are high, most photos I haven't seen published prior to this, and the side excursions into related (non attack) aircraft and or problems illuminate the subject. Having read many books over the years, every page tells me something I hadn't known before.What's he going to write next?

a most interesting and fascinating book obviously written by someone with wide and profound knowledge of the aircraft and the procurement of them.this book complements steve ginters naval fighters series very well

Hier geht es um Angriffsflugzeuge der US-Flugzeugträgerverbände seit 1948, auf mehr als 200 Seiten werden diese recht anschaulich in Wort und Bild vorgestellt. Dabei stehen nicht zahllose Tabellen mit technischen Daten der einzelnen Flugzeugtypen im Vordergrund, sondern vor allem deren Entwicklungsgeschichte. Verschiedene Konzeptideen werden näher beleuchtet, denen unterschiedliche Erfolge und zum Teil auch gar keine beschieden waren. Recht interessant auch die Rolle der US Navy bei den trägergestützten Kernwaffen tragenden Bombern, die von der Air Force missbilligend beobachtet und als Konkurrenz angesehen wurden. Natürlich kommen die bekannten Einsatztypen an Jagdbombern wie Skyraider und Skyhawk, Intruder und Corsair, die Hornet sowie weitere, zum Teil weniger bekannte und fast exotische Einsatztypen nicht zu kurz und werden mit einer Vielzahl von Fotos und Grafiken illustriert. Gerade diese tollen Aufnahmen vermitteln viel Zeitgeist und tragen viel zum Gelingen dieser Publikation bei. Zum Schluss gibt es noch einen interessanten Anhang mit End Notes, welche die ganze Sache abrunden. Für Interessierte an der Geschichte der US-Flugzeugträger bzw. deren darauf stationierten Kampfflugzeugen eine feine Sache !