A collection of articles related to aircraft carriers.
The following article on Operation Desert Storm is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime invaded Kuwait, seeking to secure a greater share of…
The following article on the end of the Vietnam War is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Beset at home and abroad, in 1968 Lyndon Johnson decided against running for re-election. In…
The following article on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In early 1964, increasing American concern over events in Laos led to “Yankee Team” reconnaissance flights…
The following article on Russian aircraft carriers is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. During the Cold War the Soviet Navy was caught between communist dogma and nautical reality. Though Russia had…
The following article on aerial refueling is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Jet aircraft brought unparalleled performance to carrier aircraft, but at a price. Aside from the difficulty of landing…
The following article on angled deck aircraft carriers is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Early in the jet era of the 1950s, higher speeds presented a challenge in carrier landings. It…
The following article on the USS Forrestal is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In 2001 retired Vice Admiral Jerry Miller reflected, “If the Forrestal had not been successful, it is quite…
The following article on Korean War aircraft is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. When communist North Korea’s forces smashed southward across the thirty-eighth parallel on June 25, 1950, U.S. naval aviation…
The following article on Close Air Support (CAS) is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In the wake of World War Two, the value of carrier aviation was proven repeatedly, to the…
The following article on the history of military jets is an excerpt from Barrett Tillman's book On Wave and Wing: The 100 Year Quest to Perfect the Aircraft Carrier. It is available to order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. While navalists pondered and argued the future in the wake of the Second World War, wondering…