The first half of this 192-page monograph covers the developmental history of the F2F and F3F. Individual aircraft histories are provided for each aircraft, listing assigned commands, mishaps and final disposition. Detailed period engineering photos show every aspect of the aircraft. This is followed by an operational history of each Navy and Marine Corps squadron that operated the F2F and F3F.
By the last half of World War II, most new US fighter designs were much heavier and more complex than earlier fighters. When planning a replacement for their successful F6F Hellcat carrier fighter, however, Grumman chose to build as lightweight a design as possible around the most reliable large radial engine. The result was the F8F Bearcat, which was often called a "hot rod" by its pilots for its fantastic acceleration and climbing ability. Using the well-proven Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine, the first Bearcat prototype flew on August 21, 1944. After minor modifications, including the addition of a dorsal fin, early production F8F-1s began armament tests and carrier qualification trials in early 1945. By May of 1945, the Bearcat was cleared for operations, with very few restrictions on its flight operations over its wide speed range. A total of 654 F8F-1s were delivered, all fitted with the 2,100 hp R-2800-34W engine.
This comprehensive monograph covers the entire history of Brewster's much maligned Buffalo fighter aircraft. The book starts out with the background of the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation and the events that led to the selection of the F2A as the Navy's first monoplane fighter. Following this, each variant of the aircraft is covered in detail including all three major variants purchased by the US. Navy as well as the versions purchased by Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. Indivdual squadron histories are also included as they relate to the F2A. Many interviews are included with pilots who flew the Buffalo, some with glowing comments on its performance, while others cast a less than stellar light on the Brewster. It is up to the reader to draw his own conclusions as to where the F2A sits in the history of modern aerial warfare. It is interesting to note that the Brewster 239, as used by the Finnish Air Force during the 1939-1945 period achieved the highest kill ratio of any fighter plane of the war with an impressive 26-1 score. Finland produced many Aces with the Buffalo, including the all-time high scoring Buffalo Ace, Hans Wind with 39 aerial kills, and followed closely by Ilmari Juutilainen with 34. The book is lavishly illustrated with over 300 photos, many of which have never been published. This is the ultimate history of the Brewster Buffalo.
The Vought SB2U Vindicator Scout Bomber was the Navy's second production carrier monoplane to fly after the Douglas TBD and for a time was the fastest aircraft in the Navy's inventory. The extremely clean aircraft was a unique blend of the old stick-and-rudder fabric covered construction and that of the new all-metal monoplanes that followed. About half the aircraft was metal skined and half fabric covered and each fuselage structure was individually hand made from steel tubing. The SB2U was built in three models. The very simular SB2U-1 and SB2U-2 for the US Navy, and the long range SB2U-3 for the Marines. Aircraft were also supplied to France and the United Kingdom and are covered in the book. Equipped with folding wings and capable of carrying a 1,000 lb bomb, they were in service from 1938 to 1943. By the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Navy Vindicators had all been assigned to the Atlantic fleet, but the Marine SB2U-3 were on the East Coast and at Pearl Harbor and aboard the Lexington for delivery to Midway. The VMSB-241 Vindicators at Midway saw the planes only combat on 4-to-6 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway and Henderson Field was named after the squadron Commanding Officer who lost his life during the squadron's attack on the Japanese fleet on 4 June. Major Hendersons replacement Major Norris was also lost on 4 June during the squadron's second attack. On 5 June, Captain Fleming was also lost during his attack on the cruiser Mikumo, for which he received the Medal of Honor for his actions. This book has extensive first person narrative from Vought test pilots and USN/USMC pilots as well as the French V-156-F commander gathered by Joe Weathers in 1966 through 1974 when their minds were still sharp and their memories strong. All of which are gone today. A truly interesting read.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely adopted in the military world over the last decade and the success of these military applications is increasingly driving efforts to establish unmanned aircraft in non-military roles. Introduction to UAV Systems, 4th edition provides a comprehensive introduction to all of the elements of a complete Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). It addresses the air vehicle, mission planning and control, several types of mission payloads, data links and how they interact with mission performance, and launch and recovery concepts. This book provides enough information to encourage a student to learn more; to provide a specialist with a basic appreciation of the technical issues that drive other parts of the system and interact with their specialty; or to help a program manager understand system-level tradeoffs and know what questions to ask. Key features: Comprehensive overview of all elements of a UAS and of how they interact. Introduces the underlying concepts of key subsystems. Emphasizes system-integration issues and how they relate to subsystem design choices. Practical discussion of issues informed by lessons learned in UAV programs. Introduction to UAV Systems, 4th edition is written both for newcomers to the subject and for experienced members of the UAV community who desire a comprehensive overview at the system level. As well as being a primary text for an introductory course on UAS or a supplementary text in a course that goes into more depth in one of the individual technologies involved in a UAS, this book is a useful overview for practicing engineers, researchers, managers, and consultants interested in UAV systems.
