This publication is the first of a multi-volume Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Volume I deals with the development, deployment, and operations of fighter aircraft between 1945 and 1973, commencing with the F-80 Shooting Star and ending with the development of the F-15 Eagle. Many of these aircraft were employed during the Korean War, the war in Southeast Asia, and during cold war crises throughout the world. Additional volumes to be published in this series will cover Air Force bombers, transports, trainers, other military aircraft, and missile systems.