A Military Photo Logbook (1946-1979)
Authors: Marty Isham & David McLaren
Publisher: Specialty Press
ISBN: 978-1-58007-150-5
Binding: Softcover
Pages: 128
This new title from Specialty Press covers a branch of military that has not had much coverage over the years: Air Defense Command. The ADC was responsible for the defense of the United States during much of the Cold War, until absorbed by the Tactical Air Command in 1979. Throughout that period, ADC flew some of the hottest interceptors of the time, including the classic Convair deltas, the large F-89 Scorpion, and even the Mach 2 F-104. Support aircraft ran a wide range as well, from C-121s to B-57s. Given that these were primarily based stateside, one would expect that photos of these aircraft would be quite prevalent, but the opposite tends to be true. Whether this is due to the security surrounding the aircraft or the fact that books detailing wartime aircraft tend to sell better, I don't know. Whatever the reason, this book is very welcome as it sheds light on the little known world of Air Defense Command.
The book takes a chronological approach, with each chapter covering a group of aircraft. The first section details the origins of ADC and the piston-engined aircraft assigned to the Command. These were generally former WW2 fighters, such as the P-51 and P-47, as well as dedicated radar fighters such as the P-61 and P-82. The propeller era did not last long, though, as jets quickly supplanted them throughout the Air Force. Early ADC jets mimicked regular AF jets, with the F-84, F-86 and F-80 filling the ranks.
The first dedicated interceptor aircraft for ADC were modified from existing aircraft. Thus we have the F-94 (developed from the F-80/T-33 family) and the F-86D (developed from the day fighter Sabre). Both of these were designed as interim fighters until the purpose-built F-89 came along, but in the case of the F-86D, that plane ended up serving in greater numbers than any other ADC interceptor. Given the numbers involved, the F-86D, along with the F-86E/F, is covered in a separate chapter.
These interim fighters soon gave way to the supersonic interceptors, the first being the F-102 and F-104. While the F-102 would go on to serve for many years in ADC, the F-104 had a fairly short career before being transitioned out of the Command. The other Century Series found in ADC include the F-101B and the F-106, which are combined with the F-102 and F-104 in a chapter on the Century Series.
The remaining chapters cover the support aircraft, which includes the EC-121, T-33, B-57, C-54, and C-119, Icelandic operations, and a final chapter on what might have been. The latter includes several project aircraft, including the F-106X and the USAF version of the F-14, as well as photos and information on the ADC YF-12.
The photos presented here are excellent, ranging from popular photos to never-before-seen photos. The captions offer up additional information to the already detailed text, although there are some discrepancies here and there (Tyndall placed in Texas, for example, rather than Florida where it is). Overall, though, the book is beautifully presented and well worth having, especially since ADC is not well covered elsewhere. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copy.