This publication has its roots in the late 1980s when Detail & Scale originally published Colors & Markings of the A-7E Corsair II in 1988 as the ninth volume in the original Colors & Markings Series, and it covered Atlantic Fleet squadrons in the post-Vietnam War era. 

This volume expands on the color coverage provided in the earlier Corsair II books of the Color & Markings Series, providing a photographic record of the entire operational service life of the A-7 as used by the squadrons of the United States Navy based in the eastern United States and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.  The original A-7 Colors & Markings book was sixty-four pages with a limited amount of color, and it was only available as a printed edition.  This new volume has roughly twice as many print pages, with every one of the more than 325 photographs and drawings in full color.  The book is also available in digital editions for most popular operating systems and devices.

The book begins with a chapter on the basic color schemes used on this historic aircraft.  When the Corsair II first entered service, the standard for U. S. Navy carrier-based aircraft was a gray-over-white paint scheme that formed the basis for some of the most colorful markings ever seen on military aircraft.  Over the years, those colorful displays gave way to a much more subdued approach for Navy aircraft, until finally culminating in the muted grays of the tactical paint schemes (TPS) still in use today.

During the A-7’s final operational years, it was common for a squadron being disestablished or transitioning to a new aircraft to paint the Corsair II in more colorful markings.  This practice was primarily reserved for the squadron commander’s aircraft, typically given a modex (or side) number ending in 01, or the carrier air wing or air group commander’s (CAG) aircraft, if so assigned, which usually displayed a modex ending in 00.

Although the A-7 Corsair II first flew on September 26, 1965, it would take some time for testing before the first A-7A would be assigned to a fleet squadron.  That squadron was VA-174 “Hell Razors,” designated as the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), also commonly known as the “RAG,” for the type, and it received its first A-7A on October 14, 1966.  Just under twenty-five years later, VA-46 “Clansmen” & VA-72 “Blue Hawks,” both Atlantic Fleet units, were the final two light attack A-7 squadrons in Navy service when the last operational A-7 was retired on June 30, 1991. 

After examining and illustrating the paint schemes used on the A-7 during its twenty-four years of service with the Atlantic Fleet, the following chapters document the evolution of the colors and markings that occurred during the Corsair’s service with all thirteen active-duty Atlantic Fleet squadrons, the three Atlantic Fleet Reserve squadrons, and those assigned to the test & evaluation facilities in the eastern United States.

Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1:  U. S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons has over 325 full-color photographs and illustrations.  It is the most comprehensive book ever published on what the Atlantic Fleet A-7 Corsair II squadrons used for their distinctive unit markings, and how they evolved.