A-3 Skywarrior Units of the Vietnam War - (Combat Aircraft) by Rick Morgan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior, though something of a cult favourite, remains a largely unremarked classic of Naval Aviation. Built for nuclear weapon delivery, the A-3 made its name in Vietnam as a conventional bomber, tanker and Electronic Warfare platform. It was the largest aircraft ever regularly operated from the decks of aircraft carriers, earning it the fleet-wide nickname 'Whale'. It excelled in every mission area assigned to it and operated in the US Navy for more than four decades, from 1956 through to 1991. Fully illustrated to depict the incredible array of paint schemes and awesome size, this volume focuses on the type's Vietnam service, which saw the aircraft briefly used as a bomber over both North and South Vietnam from March 1965, before the Skywarrior proved far more valuable as a multi-role tanker (KA-3B) and tanker/tactical jammer (EKA-3B). The title includes details on all of these operations as well as more clandestine reconnaissance missions, and provides information about the men that flew them.

About the Author

Rick Morgan is the author of three previous books on Naval Aviation history (including Osprey A-6 Intruder of the Vietnam War) and more than 20 historical articles on the subject of Naval Aviation. Twice named 'Contributor of the Year' by the editorial staff of The Hook - The Journal of Carrier Aviation, Rick is a retired lieutenant commander from the US Navy with more 2300 hours of flight time, principally in EA-6B, A-4 and A-3 type aircraft. He amassed 440.5 carrier arrested landings (the 0.5 involved him ejecting from an aircraft that crashed on a carrier deck), and also flew 41 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Rick currently works for Boeing in St Louis, Missouri.