Osprey Combat Aircraft Series SC (1997-2011 OSPREY) comic books 2004-2006

Volume 43 - 1st printing. " B-52 Stratofortress Units in Combat 1955-73!" Written by Jon Lake. Art by Mark Styling. Designed to form the backbone of Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent, the B-52 force was brought to higher states of readiness whenever crisis threatened the USA, most notably when Kennedy and Khruschev went eyeball-to-eyeball over Cuba. Soon afterwards, B-52s formed the backbone of the USAF's bombing campaign in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This book follows the story of the B-52 from its genesis to its first combat missions in June 1965 and through to the briefly sustained but bloodily fought Linebacker II offensive in late 1972. Even after the withdrawal of US forces in 1973, B-52s remained in-theatre, flying training missions mainly from Guam. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 44 - 1st printing. " Arab MiG-19 & MiG-21 Units in Combat!" Written by David Nicolle. Art by Mark Styling. The MiG-21 provided the backbone of frontline Arab air combat strength for many years and remained the Arabs' only real hope of challenging Israeli air supremacy. This book provides a detailed history of the MiG-21 in Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi service. It includes numerous photographs, most of which have not been seen outside the Arab world and a large proportion of which have never previously been published anywhere. The material is drawn from official sources and from the private collections and recollections of men who flew, or met, these aircraft in combat. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 45 - 1st printing. " USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-68!" Written by Peter Davies. Art by Jim Laurier. The USAF introduced the F-4C Phantom II into the Vietnam war in April 1965 from Ubon RTAB, Thailand. The F-4C/D soon became the Air Force's principal fighter over the North, destroying 85 MiGs by the close of 1968. This book describes how the USAF turned a gunless naval interceptor into an opponent to the more nimble VPAF MiGs. It explains how the Air Force gradually followed US Navy initiatives in the use of the F-4's missile armament but employed very different tactics and aircrew training. The roles of key personalities such as Col. Robin Oldany are discussed, together with armament and markings, crews and engagements. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $11.00

Add to cart Near Mint $11.00

Volume 46 - 1st printing. " US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom: Part 1!" Written by Tony Holmes. Art by Chris Davey. 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. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 47 - 1st printing. " F-15C/E Eagle Units of operation Iraqi Freedom!" Written by Steve Davies. Art by Chris Davey. The F-15C/E has formed the backbone of US and Coalition operations in the Middle East for over a decade, patrolling the skies over northern and southern Iraq as part of Operations Northern Watch and Southern Watch. F-15Cs policed the skies for Iraqi aircraft operating in contravention of no-fly zone agreements, whilst the F-15E was constantly dropping weapons onto the Iraqi SAM and AAA emplacements that engaged Coalition aircraft undertaking this mission. The USAF's use of the F-15 in the region culminated with Operation Iraqi Freedom, which was launched in mid March 2003 in order to liberate the people of Iraq and ensure the destruction of Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. In doing so, the F-15C was used to protect friendly troops and aircraft from any last-ditch attempt to use the Iraqi Air Force. In the event, the F-15Es of the 4th Fighter Wing saw most prolific use, engaging Iraqi armour before Coalition ground troops moved forward, and providing close air support to soldiers and Special Forces as they came into contact with the enemy. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 48 - 1st printing. " US Navy A-7 Corsair II Units of the Vietnam War!" Written by Peter Mersky and Norman W Birzer. Art by Jim Laurier. Arriving on station with the USS Ranger (CVA-61) in early December 1967, the first Corsair II squadron became operational immediatedly and sustained its first combat loss three weeks later. This book tells how the A-7 soon proved its worth supporting ground operations in South Vietnam. As it continued to serve in the ground support role, the navy swiftly introduced the A-7E which soon ran into difficulties with supply lines - perhaps on account of what many perceived to have been a rushed introduction to service. Once these teething problems were resolved, the A-7E became the primary air-to-ground aircraft of the fleet. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 49 - 1st printing. " Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat!" Written by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop. Art by Chris Davey. So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq war, they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one downed by a ground-to-air missile. This book looks at the F-14's Iranian combat history and includes first hand accounts from the pilots themselves. It will consider key engagements and the central figures involved, illustrating the realities, successes and failures of the Iranian air campaign. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 50 - 1st printing. " B-52 Stratofortress Units in Operation Desert Storm!" Written by Jon Lake. Art by Mark Styling. With the ending of the Cold War, the B-52's traditional combat role became redundant, and the USAF looked for new ways to use the machine. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990 gave the B-52 the chance to prove its worth in the new world order, and Stratofortress crews flying the B-52G seized the opportunity with both hands. This book explains how, flying from bases in the Indian Ocean, Britain, Spain and Saudi Arabia, the B-52G was at the forefront of the campaign to free Kuwait of Saddam's forces and dropped the first bombs of Operation Desert Storm. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 51 - 1st printing. " RA-5C Vigilante Units in Combat!" Written by Robert R Powell. Art by Jim Laurier. Developed from the A-5 nuclear bomber and used in a reconnaissance role, the RA-5C Vigilante was the largest and fastest aeroplane ever to operate from the deck of an aircraft carrier. During the Vietnam War it sustained the highest loss ratio of any American aircraft in that conflict. This volume includes compelling accounts of combat missions over key communist targets, where crews dodged Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft fire to secure all-important mission photographs. Written by a Vigilante combat veteran this book is crammed full of action-packed first-hand accounts. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 52 - 1st printing. " US Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom!" Written by Tony Holmes. Art by Jim Laurier. Since the limited Desert Fox campaign against Iraq in December 1998, the Tomcat has been integral to virtually all combat operations involving the US Navy in the Arabian Gulf. Indeed, on every carrier deployment to the Persian Gulf since Desert Fox, the F-14 unit(s) on station has ventured into 'The Sand Box' over southern Iraq and prosecuted targets operating in contravention to United Nations security council resolutions. This book covers the F-14 Operation Iraqi Freedom actions against battlefield targets and integrated air defence sites, command and control centres, regime leadership targets and military installations in Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul and Kirkuk. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 53 - 1st printing. " F-15C Eagle Units in Combat!" Written by Steve Davies. Art by Chris Davey and Mark Styling. The F-15A/C is irrefutably the most successful jet fighter of the last 30 years. Serving in the Air Forces of Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia, it has racked up a kill ratio exceeding 105:0. Despite its age, it remains the leading operational air superiority and intercept platform in service today. The hi-tech wizardry of modern air combat detailed in this book makes for fascinating reading, even to those not immediately familiar with modern airpower, and a huge pool of previously unpublished information on both aircrafts' combat records is uncovered. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 54 - 1st printing. "C-47/R4D Units of the ETO and MTO!" Written by David Isby. Art by Chris Davey. The C-47 units of the USAAF were an integral part of some of the most dramatic episodes of the European war: the airborne assaults in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, southern France, Operation Market Garden and the crossing of the Rhine. The mass fratricide off Sicily, the night drop for D-Day and the Bastogne supply missions are also covered, along with more typical accounts of training, formation flying, airdrops and casualty evacuation missions. This book details an aircraft that remains a popular favourite and an acknowledged design classic, carrying out missions every bit as strategically important and as dramatic for the aircrew as those of the fighters and bombers. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 55 - 1st printing. " USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73!" Written by Peter Davies. Art by Jim Laurier. The F-4 Phantom II was the USAF workhorse fighter-bomber for the Linebacker campaign, which eventually saw US forces withdraw from Vietnam 'with honour' in 1973. This book covers the F-4 attacks on numerous targets in North Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi and Haiphong, as well as its engagements with Vietnamese MiG-19s and MiG-21s hell-bent on defending the north from 'Yankee air pirates'. The USAF's only ace crew, which scored their five kills during 1972, is also covered in a book containing many detailed photographs, a large proportion of which haven't been published before. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $11.00

Volume 56 - 1st printing. " US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom!" Written by Tony Holmes. Art by Chris Davey. Some 84 of the 250 Hornets committed by Central Command to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) proudly bore MARINE titling on their rear fuselages. A further 14 were marked with the distinctive kangaroo roundel of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The exploits achieved by the units that flew these jets into combat is detailed in this volume, the third of three titles published in the Combat Aircraft series on what has been dubbed by many TACAIR insiders the 'Hornet's War'. Although the bulk of this book deals with the major hostilities phase of OIF I, which ran from 20 March to 20 April 2003, the decade of pre-war OSW missions and ongoing post-war OIF II operations are also covered in significant detail from the Marine Corps perspective. Profusely illustrated with rare frontline photography and more than 30 specially commissioned colour artworks, this book also features the combat experiences of 24 pilots and Weapons Systems Officers. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 57 - 1st printing. " AH-64 Apache Units of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom!" Written by Jonathan Bernstein. Art by Jim Laurier. After the attacks on 11 September 2001, Apache units made significant contributions to the Coalition campaign against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. Functioning as the 'killer' part of US Army Hunter-killer teams, Apaches sought out and brought overwhelming firepower to bear on Taliban and al-Qaeda forces, as well as providing direct support to Coalition troops on the ground. Apaches spearheaded the advance of the 3rd Infantry and the 101st airborne divisions into Iraq, engaging in some of the heaviest fighting along the western axis of advance. Weather and enemy fire took a heavy toll on Apaches operating in Western Iraq, but the resilience and flexibility of the Apache was central to the success of this campaign. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 58 - 1st printing. " US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom Part 2!" Written by Tony Holmes. Art by Chris Davey. This book explores the role of the US Navy Hornet units in the northern Iraqi campaign. These units were the first Navy Reserve unit to be mobilized since the Korean War, and their attacks were launched from carriers off the coast of Turkey. The conflict for these squadrons was very different from the campaign fought in southern Iraq: they worked almost exclusively with clandestine Special Forces teams from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy SEALs, British and Australian SAS and Kurdish guerrillas. First-hand accounts accompany the indispensable role these units had in the battle to liberate Iraq. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 59 - 1st printing. " F-15E Strike Eagle Units in Combat 1990-2005!" Written by Steve Davies. Art by Chris Davey. The F-15E Strike Eagle has been at the center of every single conflict in which the US has been involved since 1990. This remarkable aircraft has repeatedly struck targets where no other Coalition, NATO or US fighter has been able to go, breaking records for combat endurance and effectiveness. In the last decade, the Strike Eagle has been consistently upgraded to accommodate the latest weapons and electronic equipment. This book provides a thorough study of this versatile strike aircraft, as well as exploring its role in Operation Desert Storm and, more recently, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 60 - 1st printing. " B-1B Lancer Units in Combat!" Written by Thomas Withington. Art by Mark Styling. The development of the B-1B Lancer bomber was difficult to say the least. Originally conceived to fulfill a USAF requirement for an Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, the original B-1A concept aircraft was accused of being a white elephant, capable of performing nothing which could not be achieved at less financial and human expense than an intercontinental ballistic missile. Cancelled by the Carter administration and finally commissioned by President Reagan as the modified B-1B, the Lancer began its duties as a nuclear-armed bomber in the mid-1980s. The end of the Cold War intervened and the jet was removed from its nuclear missions as a result of arms control legislation. However, the 1990s saw the metamorphosis of the Lancer into a potent conventional weapons carrier which has seen action in Iraq, the Balkans and Afghanistan. The Lancer has proved its critics wrong in demonstrating its use as a highly flexible and hard-working bomber, able to undertake diverse missions ranging from CAS to the targeting of weapons-of-mass-destruction installations. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Volume 61 - 1st printing. " F-16 Fighting Falcon Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom!" Written by Steve Davies and Doug Dildy. Art by Chris Davey. The F-16, called the Viper by its pilots, has been the most prolific fighter in US and Coalition operations in the Middle East for over a decade. Since the 1991 Gulf War, it has been the workhorse of the UN-sanctioned operations in the region, working in 'Wild Weasel', ground attack and air superiority roles. Operations Southern Watch and Northern Watch required daily and continuous combat patrols over Iraqi territory for over a decade - a task that was made simpler by the bountiful supply of F-16s in USAF service, and the fact that the jet has always been able to assume multiple roles and uses. When US President George W Bush ordered his forces into Iraq in March 2003, the F-16CJ was the second aircraft to enter enemy airspace-proper, sweeping the skies for electrons in a bid to find, identify and kill Iraq's comprehensive air defence system. With the mission fulfilled, hordes of other Coalition fighters followed, including F-16CGs, which were used with great success to strike numerous targets. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 64 - 1st printing. "B-2A Spirit Units in Combat!" Written by Thomas Withington. Art by Chris Davey. The B-2A 'Spirit' was an aircraft conceived to fight the Cold War but which has proved invaluable to both the 'New World Order' and more recently the 'War on Terrorism'. The combination of low-observability, precision strike, range and payload flexibility has made the 'Spirit' the weapon of choice when America hits its enemies at the start of a campaign. Spirits have fired the first shots of Operation 'Allied Force' over Kosovo and Serbia, as well as operations 'Enduring Freedom' and 'Iraqi Freedom'. Despite the tremendous cost of the aircraft - each unit is literally worth its weight in gold - the B-2 has had an impact on modern warfare which has vastly exceeded this small force of 21 bombers. Developed in utmost secrecy, the B-2's gestation saw the use of new computer design and manufacturing techniques and ultra-modern synthetic materials making it the most revolutionary aircraft in terms of design and performance. This book examines these incredible aircraft. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 65 - 1st printing. "US Navy PBY Catalina Units of the Atlantic War!" Written by Ragnar J Ragnarsson. Art by Jim Laurier. Several books have been written about US naval patrol aviation in World War 2, but none do full justice to the role played by patrol squadrons of the US Navy in the longest, most bitterly fought campaign of the war - the Battle of the Atlantic. From the Arctic to the Equator, anti-submarine aircraft of the US Navy patrolled both sides of the stormy Atlantic alongside their allied counterparts, escorting merchant shipping through submarine-infested waters - the crucial lifeline from the United States to Great Britain and the Mediterranean, and staging troops and supplies for the ultimate liberation of North Africa and Europe. This book details the PBY Catalina, without contest the most successful flying boat ever designed, and a key element in the success of the Atlantic War. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 67 - 1st printing. "Israeli F-15 Eagle Units in Combat!" Written by Shlomo Aloni. Art by Chris Davey. Post-Yom Kippur War, Israel purchased the F-15 Eagle, the then world's best air-to-air fighter, in an effort to prevent another surprise attack from the air. For the first time in its history the IDF/AF operated a fighter that was a full generation ahead of opposing interceptors in the region. The first 'kill' F-15 Baz (Buzzard) arrived in Israel in 1976 and soon proved its worth in combat. Israeli Baz pilots were credited with 12.5 kills between 1979 and 1981, with 33 victories following during the June 1982 Lebanon War. Despite substantial combat, no Israeli F-15 has ever been lost to enemy action. In the 1990s the US government supplied the IDF/AF with the F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) to fulfill the long-range surface-to-surface missile mission post-Desert Storm. From A to I, the extremely capable, and combat-tested, Israeli F-15 force will continue to deter potential enemies well into the foreseeable future. This book examines the history and development of these units. Softcover, 98 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $22.95.