Revered by Naval Aviators as the 'last of the gunfighters' due to its quartet of Colt-Browning Mk 12 20 mm cannon, the F-8 Crusader enjoyed great success against VPAF MiG-17s during the Rolling Thunder campaign of 1966-68. But, the MiG-17's unequalled low-speed manoeuvrability, small size and powerful cannon armament meant that the American forces didn't have it all their own way. This fully illustrated book, featuring photographs, maps and battlescene artwork, reveals the tactics that were developed by pilots on both sides to give themselves the edge in air-to-air dogfights, allowing the reader to understand how the differing design and development doctrines played a part in combat.

Introduction /Chronology /Design and Development /Technical Specifications /The Strategic Situation /The Combatants /Combat /Statistics and Analysis /Aftermath /Further Reading /Index

Peter Mersky is a former US Navy commander who won the highest naval award for journalism following the publication of his two Crusader books in the Osprey Combat Aircraft series in 1998. He retired from the service in 2001 to become a full time aviation writer, and since then he has written two more volumes (A-4 Skyhawk and A-7 Corsair II) for the Osprey Combat Aircraft series. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
Jim Laurier attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, from 1974-78, and since graduating with Honours, he has been working 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. Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international standing as well as an aviation history enthusiast. Gareth completed the battlescene artwork and cover artwork.