Carrier Strike
US Naval Air-Power at Sea

by Andy Evans

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron.com

From the SAM Publications Book-A-Zine series Carrier Strike is both a written and pictorial (recent) history of the aircraft of the United States Navy’s air wings and the recent conflicts they have been involved in. Curiously, the AV-8 Harriers of the United States Marine Corps have sneaked in but I guess that they are included to give you a full picture.

The book is soft bound, measures 210 x 297 mm in size and comprises 100 pages in all.

Within the 100 pages you are treated to 24 chapters that have been divided into four sections - Strike fighters. Air Support. Operations, and US Navy Carrier Wings.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

Strike Fighters is further divided into nine sub chapters:

• Stingers – The F/A-18 Hornet.

• Spooks at Sea – The F-4 Phantom.

• Bomb Truck – the A-6 Intruder.

• SLUFF – Light Strike – The A-7 Corsair II

• Top Cat – The F-14 Tomcat.

• Jump Jets – The AV-8 Harrier II

• Long Range Kill – The AIM-54 Phoenix

• Glide Bomb AGM-154 JSOW

• Slammer – AGM-84K SLAM-ER

Air Support comprises nine sub chapters:

• War Hoover – The S-3 Viking.

• Shadow Vikings – The ES-3A.

• Electronic Intruders – The EA-6A.

• On the Prowl – The EA-6B Prowler.

• Super-Bug Zappers – The EA-18G ‘Growler’.

• Eyes of the Fleet – The E-2 Hawkeye.

• Super COD – The C-2 Greyhound.

• The Frog – Boeing-Vertol CH-46

• Dragon Riders – The MH-53E

The text of each chapter within the book is a compilation of selected articles and features, some of which have previously appeared in issues of the SAM Publications magazine Model Aircraft Monthly and have been expanded and enlarged whilst others have been specifically written for the book. Basically, the text of each sub chapter comprises a précis of the aircraft it features which includes its genesis and operational employment.

Operations has three sub chapters:

• Desert Storm – Wings over the Sand.

• Shock and Awe – Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Big Stick – USS Theodore Roosevelt

These sub chapters deal with the individual conflict. They provide a thumb nail of the conflict and of the operations of the aircraft involved by type.

US Navy Carrier Air Wings has a further three sub chapters:

• Tip of the Spear 1 – CVW-1 on board the USS Enterprise.

• Tip of the Spear 2 – CVW-7 on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

• Tip of the Spear 3 – at sea with CVW-3 USS Harry S. Tuman.

Each chapter provides a history of the particular ship and of the detailed Air Wing.

The book is lavishly illustrated with 299 images all but two of them in full colour. Full colour side profile art work is also included for selected aircraft and air wings. The images in the main appear to be official U.S. Navy ones and as such feature the aircraft in action rather than chocked and chained on the flight deck although there are a few like that. Hard bitten fans of U.S. Naval aviation will have seen some of the images before but the vast majority have not been printed before.

This is a great “meat and potatoes” book. It provides you with a potted history of each aircraft as well as some great reference images of the aircraft and the weapons they use.

Thanks to SAM Publications for this review sample.

Review Copyright © 2012 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 2 April, 2012
Last updated 2 April, 2012

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page