Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 2: U. S. Navy Pacific Fleet Squadrons and Test & Evaluation Facilities is the tenth title in the Colors & Markings Series.  It follows Volume 9, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 1:  U. S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Squadrons, which covered all of the A-7 units assigned to the U. S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet.  Together, these two volumes constitute the most profusely illustrated coverage ever published on the paint schemes and markings applied to one of the premier and most popular attack aircraft operated by the United States Navy during the latter half of the twentieth century.

This publication prominently features the colorful and unique unit markings of the A-7 attack squadrons attached to the United States Pacific Fleet.  Each of the seventeen active-duty units and the three squadrons in the U. S. Naval Reserve are covered chronologically and in extensive detail.  The Corsair II began service in all twenty of these squadrons while the Navy’s gray-over-white paint scheme was in use, providing the perfect backdrop for colorful and often spectacular unit markings.  These markings are illustrated in detail as they evolved over the years in each of the units covered, as are the significant changes made when the Navy responded to the need for lower visibility for its combat aircraft.  This move to the Tactical Paint Schemes (TPS) resulted in much more subdued markings used by each squadron.  Following this treatment of the attack squadrons, the book examines the markings used by Navy organizations based in the western United States that provided training and test and evaluation support for the attack mission.

The paint schemes used on the A-7 were covered in Part 1.  This Part 2 provides an appendix covering the non-unit markings observed in the more than 300 full-color photographs throughout the book.  Detailed information on the general, safety, and informational markings specified for use by the United States Navy for the Corsair II is provided and illustrated.

Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II, Part 2:  U. S. Navy Pacific Fleet Squadrons and Test & Evaluation Facilities provides all of its content in full color, with the great majority of these color photographs taken by some of the best private aviation photographers of the past half-century.  Together, the current ten volumes of the Colors & Markings Series provide an amazing historical chronicle of United States military aviation.