Jane's History

Jane's, for years, has been the authority on military affairs and equipment for nations all over the world. Any military information that is not classified and is considered "public" is captured and documented by Jane's.

Anyone who is looking to find a one-stop shop for aviation or military matters can expect to pay upwards of $1000 for each yearly volume of Jane's (in some cases) 9" thick books. Do people pay these prices for a single book? You bet. Why? Read on.

F-15E on final

That F-15E is HUGE!

Jane's Enters the Software world

A few years ago Electronic Arts and Jane's decided to enter into an agreement and begin working together on PC titles under EA distribution and sporting the Jane's name. Since the introduction of US Navy Fighters (USNF) and Advanced Tactical Fighters (ATF), EA and Jane's have cooperated on several titles from those serving the "soft" simulations (ATF and USNF) to the hardcore, Jane's F-15 and Longbow II. Virtually all of the titles from Jane's have had excellent sales.

Jane's USAF

The Jane's title newest introduction of a Jane's product is USAF. Previously in USNF, Jane's attempted to represent and allow the player to fly all the planes in the US Navy's inventory plus one Russian aircraft, the Su-33. Now, Jane's is allowing simmers to fly most every aircraft in the USAF inventory from today and even some from yesteryear. Lets review the aircraft from oldest to newest:

F-4E with a combat load

F-4E on runway

F-105D Thrunderchief: This aircraft was the ground workhorse of the Vietnam War. Pilots referred to the F-105 as "Thud". For the time, the F-105 could carry quite a load of bombs and "iron" while still maintaining a decent air-to-air role. In a dogfight however, the smaller and more nimble MiG's of North Vietnam put it at a quick disadvantage.

F-4E Phantom: Of all the planes during Vietnam, it was the F-4 Phantom that became legend. It was the primary interceptor and dogfighter of the war in addition to its role as carrying loads of bombs. The F-4 was the first plane able to fight its way to the battlefield and fight it's way back out. The first true multi-role plane ever.

F-15C Eagle: The Eagle was the USAF answer to the mystery that the Russian MiG-25 Foxbat posed. Once the Foxbat streaked over Israel at Mach 3.2, the USAF went into a panic. Since Israeli F-4's were unable to intercept the MiG-25 Foxbat, the USAF knew it needed a true Air Superiority aircraft capable of owning the skies. With a huge radar, large engagement envelope, powerful engines, and great agility, the F-15 has proven itself as the greatest interceptor the world has ever seen.