Jet Fighters of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Part 2: Mach 1 and Beyond

Jet Fighters of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Part 2: Mach 1 and Beyond covers the evolution of the United States Navy's aircraft carriers and covers continued modifications to the ESSEX and MIDWAY class carriers and to the initial supercarriers of the FORRESTAL CLASS.

The thirteen aircraft covered in Part 2 begin with the Chance Vought F-8 Crusader, the first Navy and Marine jet fighter able to routinely exceed supersonic speeds, and which brought U. S. Navy jet fighters on par in performance to their land-based counterparts. 

As with Part 1, the scope of this publication includes all Navy jet fighter designs that reached at least the flying prototype stage, so the F11F-1F Super Tiger, F5D Skylancer, and XF8U-3 Crusader III, each of which was developed from an existing aircraft design, are all covered.  Also included is the F-111B, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s vision of a be all, do all aircraft for both the Navy and the Air Force.  It was a concept which, at that time, was simply not possible to achieve. Of all the Navy and Marine jet fighters that became operational during the first ten years, only three, the F9F Panther, F2H Banshee, and F3D Skyknight, ever engaged in combat.  But the world was changing, and all of the fighters covered here in Part 2 that became operational with fleet squadrons saw, and continue to see, plenty of combat around the world. 

The Navy and Marines have also operated three different types of jet fighters, as well as other types of aircraft, strictly in a training role, that of serving as adversary aircraft in dissimilar air combat training (DACT).  These include the American built F-5E/F/N Tiger II and F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the Israeli F-21A Kfir.  These fighters are also included in this publication.