AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom

by Lon Nordeen, Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Overview

In the 1970s the USMC bought the AV-8A Harrier from the UK whose VTOL capabilities allowed it to serve as a tactical aircraft that could deploy with Marine forces on amphibious assault ships and provide air cover and close air support from large deck aircraft carriers. Third in a trilogy on US Marine Corps Harrier IIs in combat, it will be the first volume to cover the whole story of the AV-8B's service employment during peacekeeping operations and then in Afghanistan. With profile artwork for all frontline AV-8B units detailing the unique colours and markings applied by each squadron, this volume presents the widest variety of first-hand accounts of AV-8B air operations and missions by pilots and ground forces involved in Operation Enduring Freedom published to date.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782003465
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	07/20/2014
Series:	Combat Aircraft , #104
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Lon Nordeen has more than 35 years of aerospace industry and editorial experience. He has been employed on the staff of the American Institute of Aeronautics&Astronautics, McDonnell-Douglas and Boeing, where he worked in the areas of market research, communications and field marketing. He is also the author of eight books (including COM 90 - AV-8B Units of Shield and Desert) and more than 150 articles, and has been highlighted as a historian on multiple History Channel television programmes covering air warfare such as the Dogfight series.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England, growing up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and throughout his life he has worked in many mediums creating artwork on a variety of subjects. He has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000, and in that time he has produced some of the finest artwork seen in these volumes.
Lon Nordeen worked for more than 40 years in aerospace at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and then as a manager of marketing communications and business development for a wide range of McDonnell Douglas/Boeing products (including the Harpoon/SLAM ER missile) and as a technical writer in defence, aviation and military technology. He has a long-term interest in aerospace, defence technology and military history. He is the author/co-author of more than 12 published books on these subjects, including four for Osprey. Lon lives near Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Jim Laurier is a native of New England and lives in New Hampshire. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, from 1974–78, and since graduating with Honours, he has been working professionally in the field of Fine Art and Illustration. He has been commissioned to paint for the US Air Force and has aviation paintings on permanent display at the Pentagon.

Table of Contents

Development, deployment and training/Marine Air Ground Team/Harrier IIs in support of NATO Peacekeeping/Harrier IIs in support of relief and peacekeeping operations in Somalia, Rawanda, Liberia, Central African Republic, Zaire/Congo and Sierra Leone/Growth pains and Modernisation of the AV-8B Harrier II/Operation Enduring Freedom 2001/Ongoing Close Air Support Operations in Afghanistan 2002-10/Appendices - listing of USMC squadrons and locations - listing of the major production types of Harrier IIs, which include four different types of aircraft, AV-8B day attack, TAV-8B trainers, AV-8B Night Attack and AV-8B Radar-equipped Harrier IIs. - listing of combat sorties per squadron for all operations - colour plates commentary

Editorial Reviews

Recommended.  OEF was a long war, but there wasn't much coverage of the aircraft used.  This book fills in a gap in the USMC air history.  And it's got a great update on how CAS has evolved in the digital age.” —IPMS/USA

“...offers the final book in a trilogy covering the Harrier IIs, and offers a fine survey of the plane's use in air assaults and modern efforts up to 2013. With artwork for all the Harrier II units and photos from pilots who flew the jets, this covers the Afghanistan campaigns and offers the latest insights and tactics.” —James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review (October 2014)

“...an interesting read and anyone who likes the AV-8B or this period of history should pick this one up.” —Scott van Aken, www.modelingmadness.com (August 2014)

From the Publisher