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Welcome to the website for the
CVW: US Navy Carrier Air Wing Aircraft 1975-2025 book series

Explore the unparalleled history of the US Navy Carrier Air Wings, featuring detailed insights and declassified information about the squadrons and aircraft that have shaped carrier-borne US Naval Aviation since 1975. Immerse yourself in decades of meticulous research and discover a unique reference for enthusiasts, historians, and model makers that pays tribute to the people involved and the aircraft they flew

Our Publications

Volume One: Fighter Aircraft

Dive into 325 pages covering the F-4 Phantom II, F-8 Crusader, and F-14 Tomcat.

Volume Two: Attack Aircraft

Explore 677 pages dedicated to attack aircraft, featuring the A-3 Skywarrior, A-4 Skyhawk, RA-5C Vigilante, A-6 Intruder, EA-6B Prowler and A-7E Corsair II

Upcoming Volume Three

Due in early 2027, our next volume covers the F/A-18 Hornet, Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and F-35C Lightning II.

Thanks to recently declassified data, the book series is now expanded to an end date of 31st December 2025 for Volumes 3 and 4.

E-Book Format

All our volumes are available in PDF format for easy access and reading on any device.  iPad users should find their downloaded file in their iBooks library, while other users will find the PDF in their 'downloads' folder

Unique Reference Source

Perfect for historians, enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the intricate world of carrier-borne US Naval Aviation, this is a self-published four-volume set and is a project that I started in 2004.  Previous customers automatically receive updates to the volumes as they are re-issued - Volume 1 is currently in its 7th edition, while Volume 2 is in its 2nd edition with more updates planned for early 2027

Data sources

A massive amount of hitherto classified information has been sourced under FOIA over many years by the author to present a narrative of operations and details of individual airframe histories (by Bureau Number).  Photographs from many sources are also included, including archive material from The Tailhook Association and renowned photographers such as Michael Grove, Dave Baranek, Dave Parsons, Bruce Trombecky, Tom Chee and Stephen Miller

**PURCHASE VOLUMES 1 and 2 HERE!**

Select your choice of volume - you will be taken direct to complete a PayPal or credit card payment

See sample pages here from each published volume

Testimonials

From CDR Dave 'Bio' Baranek USN(Ret), former F-14 RIO, TOPGUN instructor and author

Great new book: "CVW: US Navy Carrier Air Wing Aircraft, 1975-2015, Volume Two: A-3, A-4, RA-5C, A-6, EA-6B, A-7, AV-8" by Mike Crutch.

Following his earlier parallel book on fighters, author Mike Crutch's new volume offers 677 incredible pages of US Navy attack aviation history, service, and action, developed through his detailed research on units and individual aircraft.

The largest part of the book reports the operational history of all carrier air wings

(CVW) during the forty years identified in the book title, listing combat, peacetime deployments, and major training activities - written in an engaging style and focused on the squadrons that flew the aircraft listed. This is followed by a summary of every airframe of the types listed (although only the EA-6B actually served until 2015), which reports the squadrons it served with and unusual details. He then cross-references MODEXes and BuNos (see note below). The final pages include a list of US Navy squadrons that operated these types, bibliography, and glossary. Throughout the book, carefully chosen high-quality photos depict aircraft and events. Crutch has done an excellent job of capturing the wide range of activity that a CVW engaged in, while presenting a detailed reference that is useful and entertaining. Both volumes are available only as e-books (PDF format) and can be purchased through the author's website: http://www.carrierairwings.com/. The website also shows example pages. Two more volumes are planned.

From Tom, UK

A publication that any serious aviation enthusiast should have in their reference e-library.

From Richard, USA

Those are two of the best books in my library and I look forward to buying Volume 3!