At the forefront of the carrier revolution has been the fighter, the premier asset parked on any flat-top deck. From the rather underpowered and ungainly designs of the late 1950s, three classic fighters emerged which have set the standard for modern combat aircraft of this genre. The F-8 Crusader, F-4 Phantom II and the Tomcat have had few peers over the last 30 years, and it is this trio of classic dogfighters which form the bulk of this book.