---

Close Air Support (CAS): Its Korean War Origin

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…

Military Jets: The Cornerstone of Post-WW2 Air Power

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…

The Essex Class Aircraft Carrier

The following article on the Essex Class Aircraft Carrier 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. By 1943 momentum was moving in America's direction against Japan in the Pacific Theatre of…

The Battle of the Coral Sea: The Debut of Aircraft Carriers

The following article on the Battle of the Coral Sea 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. The Battle of the Coral Sea was the world's first naval battle in which…

History of the Arresting System For Naval Aircraft

The following article on the arresting system for naval 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. In the century of conventional carriers, several methods of stopping an aircraft have been tried,…

Landing Signal Officer: Paddles and Batsmen

The following article on the history of the landing signal officer 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. Hand in glove with tailhook aircraft were the landing signal officer to guide carrier…

What Was the First Aircraft Carrier?

The following article on the first aircraft carrier 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. The first shipboard aviator was a civilian named Eugene B. Ely, a native Iowan who came…

Naval Aviation

The following article on naval aviation 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. Naval aviation—launching aircraft from sea vessels as opposed to land-based aviation—is a cornerstone of American global military power. But…

Carrier Based Aerial Refueling System (CBARS)

The following article on the Carrier Based Aerial Refueling System 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 2016, the Navy expanded the prospect of carrier-based drones as tanker aircraft. Previously called…

What is the biggest aircraft carrier?

The following article on the biggest aircraft carrier 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. The biggest aircraft carrier in the world in terms of displacement is the United State's Nimitz-class nuclear carriers.…