PROFESSIONAL READING.

Polmar, Norman. The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Eighteenth Edition. U.S. Naval Institute, 291 Wood Rd., Annapolis, MD 21402. 2005. 661 pp. Ill. $89.95.

This new edition of what has become a staple in reference and enthusiast libraries notes that with only 300 ships, the U.S. Navy's fleet assets are at the lowest level since WW I. This has resulted from a combination of factors, including major size reductions, new policies, and new ship types oriented toward changes in current or future conflicts. The author writes that the U.S. is "fighting World War III," and the collapse of the Soviet Union, its subsequent breakup into smaller, volatile countries and states, and the unforeseen--at least by the public at large--war on terrorism have drastically altered how America fights and with what equipment.

This 18th edition continues this compendium's established tradition of detailed commentary supported by thoughtfully selected photos and helpful tables, all of which give the reader a fine overview of U.S. naval organization and equipment. Polmar continues to offer an incredible amount of information that remains the best one-volume reference on the Navy and Marine Corps.

There is a new chapter on unmanned vehicles, as well as an interesting discussion on battleships' most recent history and their current status. Marine Corps enthusiasts will like the chapters on amphibious warfare ships and landing craft, describing new ships and programs along with many tables. The lengthy chapter on naval aircraft encompasses Navy and Marine Corps types and organization, complimented by many photos. The Coast Guard receives individual attention in a dedicated chapter.

The author goes into considerable detail about the past, present, and future of aircraft carriers. As the carrier fleet approaches an all-nuclear force, we are looking at the final tours for the fossil-fueled John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and Kitty Hawk (CV 63). And Naval Aviation as a whole is undergoing great change, especially with the impending retirement of the F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking, which have played a significant role in carrier air wings for more than 30 years. The F/A-18 Hornet and all its variants will fill the gaps until the introduction of new types like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Other newcomers like the Multimission Maritime Aircraft and the V-22 Osprey are also discussed, showing the direction naval air will take in the next 20 years.

As expected, Norman Polmar has done an outstanding job compiling this continuing description of the naval service and its hardware. You can't get better value for the money.

Cooper, Tom and Bishop, Farzad. Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat. Osprey Publishing, 1st Floor, Elms Court, Chapel Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 9LP, UK and Motorbooks International, 729 Prospect Ave., PO Box 1, Osceola, WI 54020. 2004. 96 pp. Ill. $19.95.

Undoubtedly one of the more unusual titles in Osprey's highly successful Combat Aircraft series, No. 49 presents a familiar U.S. Navy fighter in an unexpected venue, flying with the green-white-red roundels of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force  (IRIAF) and desert camouflage.

Before he was overthrown in 1979, the Shah of Iran bought 80 F-14A Tomcats, 79 of which were delivered, together with their AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. The bloody revolution saw many of the "Shah's pilots" thrown into prison. When the long and equally bloody conflict with Iraq began in September 1980, the religious leaders of Iran saw the merit of restoring these highly skilled aviators to the cockpits of these expensive planes. Despite long months of incarceration, most of the returning Tomcat crews of the newly formed IRIAF quickly demonstrated their collective skill and patriotism, eventually taking their F-14s through eight years of intense aerial combat.

Although hard-pressed to maintain their fleet of American-built fighters, Iranian ground crews kept as many as 60 Tomcats mission capable throughout much of the war, despite a lack of parts, normal attrition, and dwindling supplies of material and munitions. Iranian F-14 crews clashed repeatedly with Iraqi MiGs and French Mirage F-1s as the Iraqis attacked Iranian oil platforms and storage facilities. The fact that many of these highly skilled, aggressive Iranian crews had been in prison after the revolution makes their story all the more remarkable. These crews are responsible for the only kills scored by the highly touted Phoenix missile, which, along with the AWG-9 nose-mounted radar, was at the heart of the F-14's weapons system. Throughout the book, the Tomcat's capabilities are highlighted in a way not seen in accounts of U.S. Navy operations and are nearly too much to be believed. Iraqi MiG-21 and MiG-23 pilots didn't stand a chance against the big American swing-wing fighter. The equally large and powerful MiG-25--some flown by Soviet instructor pilots--had to rely on its eye-watering speed to disengage from a flight of IRIAF Tomcats.

IRIAF Tomcats scored the F-14's first kills a full year before the U.S. Navy's Fighter Squadron 41 Libyan MiG killers, and if the book is to be believed, went on to gain more than 150 victories against the Iraqis. According to the list of individual kills in the book's appendices, there appear to be two or three IRIAF F-14 aces, one of whom scored at least nine confirmed kills.

This book's photos and text abound with surprising details and accounts little known in the Western press, which the authors say was sadly misinformed as to the status and operational readiness of the IRIAF's Tomcat fleet. One unfortunately confusing aspect of the text is the authors' assertion that the names of the pilots whose experiences are featured in the text are not their true identities. Thus, as we read about a particular pilot's success or consult the appendices for details on Tomcat kills, we wonder who the Iranian aviator really was. However, I have since learned that the names given in the list of kills are the actual names. A little confusing, but at least we have some idea of these successful crews' identities.

This work is an entertaining look at an air force and arena that have seldom seen any in-depth exposure.

By Cdr. Peter B. Mersky, USNR (Ret.)