Download or read book F 105 Wild Weasel vs SA 2 Guideline SAM written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-20 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Vietnam war was the first conflict that saw extensive use of surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, and thus became a training ground for the tactics of this new type of battle. This Duel presents this story in the context of two of the main opponents: America's top fighter-bomber and the NVA's best anti-aircraft missile.

Download or read book F 105 Wild Weasel vs SA 2 Guideline SAM written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-12-20 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Vietnam war was the first conflict that saw extensive use of surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, and thus became a training ground for the tactics of this new type of battle. This Duel presents this story in the context of two of the main opponents: America's top fighter-bomber and the NVA's best anti-aircraft missile.

Download or read book B 52 Stratofortress vs SA 2 Guideline SAM written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-18 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever since its introduction in the late 1950s, the B-52 Stratofortress has been the United States' primary heavy bomber and a powerful symbol of its immense military might. Its powerful electronic countermeasures equipment (ECM) was thought to make the B-52 immune to ground-to-air missile attack, but in Vietnam, and later conflicts such as Operation Desert Storm in 1991, it came up against the Soviet-designed SA-2 SAM which used heavy salvoes of missiles to bring down the bombers. The losses of several of its most feared, powerful and supposedly invincible bombers per night to a torrent of Soviet missiles during the closing stages of the Vietnam War was sobering to Americans, but the B-52s' crushing attacks virtually eliminated North Vietnam's defences and forced a peace settlement. This fascinating book analyses the roles of the SA-2 operators and the B-52 Electronic Warfare Officers (EWOs) using specially commissioned artwork as well as first-hand accounts, and traces the cat-and-mouse tactics that each side employed.

Download or read book Republic F 105 Thunderchief written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-09-20 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was the fastest and most successful strike fighter of the Cold War. Designed to deliver nuclear weapons at low altitude and then fight its way back to base, by the early 1960s it was the primary weapon in the USAF's tactical strike arsenal. Thunderchief pilots in Europe, the Far East and the USA stood on short-notice alert, ready to take on the formidable defenses of their Communist Bloc targets. The F-105 was, however, to become a legend in a very different conflict. As direct American involvement in Vietnam increased, F-105s were deployed – initially as a deterrent, but ever more as conventional attack fighters against insurgency in Laos and Vietnam. With the start of the bombing campaign against North Vietnam, the Thunderchief became a vital element in attacks against some of the most heavily defended territory in modern history.

Download or read book Rolling Thunder 1965 68 written by Richard P. Hallion and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Operation Rolling Thunder was the campaign that was meant to keep South Vietnam secure, and dissuade the North from arming and supplying the Viet Cong. It pitted the world's strongest air forces against the MiGs and missiles of a small Soviet client state. But the US airmen who flew Rolling Thunder missions were crippled by a badly thought-out strategy, rampant political interference in operational matters, and aircraft optimised for Cold War nuclear strikes rather than conventional warfare. Ironically, Rolling Thunder was one of the most influential episodes of the Cold War – its failure spurring the 1970s US renaissance in professionalism, fighter design, and combat pilot training. Dr Richard P. Hallion, one of America's most eminent air power experts, explains how Rolling Thunder was conceived and fought, and why it became shorthand for how not to fight an air campaign.

Download or read book F 4 Phantom II Wild Weasel Units in Combat written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With first-hand insight into the into the key role of the US Air Force's fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to Operation Desert Storm during the First Gulf War, this book is an unmissable account of some of the most dangerous and demanding missions in the two wars. The advent of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the early 1950s threatened the whole concept of aerial bombing from medium and high altitude. Countermeasures were developed during the Korean War, but with little initial success. It was only in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, with the F-4Cww Phantom II (Wild Weasel 4), that this equipment started to become successful enough to allow a substantial investment in converting 116 F-4E Phantom IIs into dedicated SEAD aircraft. This move introduced a new generation of anti-radar missiles which became invaluable in later operations including operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Northern Watch over Iraq. This volume features dynamic archival photography from crews who flew the jet, alongside mission accounts and technical details of the development and fielding of the F-4 Wild Weasel in its various iterations. Including specially commissioned artwork of 'sharkmouthed' Phantom IIs in Vietnam jungle camouflage and more modern USAF 'Ghost Gray', this book is the ultimate visual and technical guide to the F-4 Phantom II Wild Weasel Units in combat.

Download or read book USAF F 105 Thunderchief vs VPAF MiG 17 written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-07-25 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The F-105D Thunderchief was originally designed as a low-altitude nuclear strike aircraft, but the outbreak of the Vietnam War led to it being used instead as the USAF's primary conventional striker against the exceptionally well-defended targets in North Vietnam and Laos. F-105 crews conducted long-distance missions from bases in Thailand, refuelling in flight several times and carrying heavy external bombloads. The MiG-17 was the lightweight, highly manoeuvrable defending fighter it encountered most often in 1965–68 during Operation Rolling Thunder. A development of the MiG-15, which shocked UN forces during the Korean War, its emphasis was on simplicity and ease of maintenance in potentially primitive conditions. Fully illustrated with stunning artwork, this book shows how these two aircraft, totally different in design and purpose, fought in a series of duels that cost both sides dearly.

Download or read book F 105 Thunderchief MiG Killers of the Vietnam War written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-20 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite its 'F-for-fighter' designation, the F-105 was designed and purchased to give the USAF an aircraft capable of the delivery of nuclear weapons at very high speed, long range and below-the-radar altitudes. However, when the Vietnam War began it also emerged as USAF's best available tactical bomber for a 'limited conventional' war as well. Extensively targeted by MiG-17s and MiG-21s the F-105 pilots developed innovative tactics that allowed them to compete in air-to-air duels with their smaller, more manoeuvrable enemies. Illustrated throughout with extensive photographs detailing weapon loads, internal features and action shots of actual engagements, this volume examines the conduct of the Rolling Thunder strike missions and the tactics used for attack and defence by the attack, escort fighter and radar monitoring elements within strike formations.

Download or read book Anti Aircraft Artillery in Combat 1950 1972 written by Mandeep Singh and published by Air World. This book was released on 2020-04-30 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the combat performance of ground-based air defenses during the Korean War, Vietnam War, Middle East conflicts, and other campaigns. Though anti-aircraft artillery was extensively used in combat in the First World War, it wasn’t until World War II that it came into prominence, shooting down more aircraft than any other weapon and seriously degrading the conduct of air operations. In the battle between the attackers and anti-aircraft artillery, the latter had the upper hand when the war ended. The post-war years saw a decline in anti-aircraft artillery as peace prevailed, and the advent of the jet aircraft seemed to tilt the balance in favor of the aircraft as they flew faster and higher, seemingly beyond the reach of anti-aircraft artillery. It would take all the hi-tech equipment and the guile and cunning that anti-aircraft artillery could muster to try and reclaim pole position. It is that story, of the tug of war between the aircraft and artillery, that forms the narrative of this book—as it traces the history of combat employment of anti-aircraft artillery from the Korean War, in effect the first Jet Age war, to the War of Attrition between Arab states and Israel when the missiles came of age, sending the aircraft scurrying for cover. Mandeep Singh’s book is the first attempt to look at the performance of anti-aircraft artillery, incorporating the views, analyses and experiences of Soviet, Arab and South Asian Armies through the major wars between 1950 and 1972.

Download or read book F 86 Sabre vs MiG 15 written by Douglas C. Dildy and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the routed North Korean People's Army (NKPA) withdrew into the mountainous reaches of their country and the People's Republic of China (PRC) funneled in its massive infantry formations in preparation for a momentous counter-offensive, both lacked adequate air power to challenge US and UN. Reluctantly, Josef Stalin agreed to provide the requisite air cover, introducing the superior swept-wing MiG-15 to counter the American's straight-wing F-80 jets. This in turn prompted the USAF to deploy its very best – the F-86A Sabre – to counter this threat. Thus began a two-and-a-half-year struggle in the skies known as “MiG Alley.” In this period, the unrelenting campaign for aerial superiority witnessed the introduction of successive models of these two revolutionary jets into combat. This meticulously researched study not only provides technical descriptions of the two types and their improved variants, complete with a “fighter pilot's assessment” of these aircraft, but also chronicles the entire scope of their aerial duel in “MiG Alley” by employing the recollections of the surviving combatants – including Russian, Chinese, and North Korean pilots – who participated.

Download or read book DH 2 vs Albatros D I D II written by James F. Miller and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-05-20 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flown by Victoria Cross recipient Lanoe Hawker and the members of No 24 Sqn, the ungainly yet nimble DH 2 helped the Allies attain air superiority over the Somme in early 1916 and hold it through the summer. With its rotary engine 'pusher' configuration affording excellent visibility and eliminating the need for a synchronized machine gun, the DH 2 was more than a match for anything the Germans could put in the air. That is, until the arrival of the Albatros D II, a sleek inline-engined machine built for speed and with twin-gun firepower. Thus, the later part of 1916 saw an epic struggle in the skies above the Somme pitting the manoeuvrable yet under-gunned DH 2s against the less nimble yet better armed and faster Albatros D IIs. In the end the Germans would regain air superiority, three squadron commanders – two of whom were considered pinnacles of their respective air forces – would lose their lives, and an up-and-coming pilot (Manfred von Richthofen) would triumph in a legendary dogfight and attain unimagined heights fighting with tactics learned from a fallen mentor.

Download or read book Crosswinds written by Earl H. Tilford, Jr. and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2008-12-19 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Tilford exposes the generals' tunnel-vision. . . . He demolishes the myth that the 1972 'Christmas bombing' brought Hanoi to its knees . . . . His controversial thesis is that the bombing of the North and the interdiction campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail were in no way decisive and that USAF leadership obtusely failed to perceive that North Vietnam, an agricultural nation, was simply not susceptible to strategic bombing."--Publishers Weekly ". . . . hard hitting study on the failure of American air power in the Vietnam War . . . . The acute intellectual content of the book and the author's engaging writing style make the book easy to recommend."--Armed Forces Journal International

Download or read book U 2 Dragon Lady Units 1955 90 written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-05-23 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illustrated account of the early service of the Lockheed U-2, one of the most important and longest-serving intelligence gathering platforms fielded by the US air force. The U-2 is one of the most recognizable aircraft of the Cold War; nicknamed the 'Dragon Lady' after the codename given to it by the CIA, this powered glider was designed and operated in great secrecy, providing US authorities with photographic and electronic information from areas of interest across the globe. This illuminating new volume dives deep into the U-2's most critical missions, exploring its role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, nuclear reconnaissance in the Soviet Union, and intelligence missions in China and North Vietnam. Using previously unpublished research, aviation expert Peter E. Davies examines the operations of one of the landmark aircraft of the 20th century from a fresh and engaging perspective, enhanced by more than 50 photos and 21 newly commissioned profile artworks.

Download or read book UH 1 Huey Gunship vs NVA VC Forces written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-08-19 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Often described as the US Army's aerial jeep the UH-1 Iroquois ('Huey') was the general-purpose vehicle that provided mobility in a hostile jungle environment which made rapid troop movement extremely challenging by any other means. Hueys airlifted troops, evacuated casualties, rescued downed pilots, transported cargo externally and enabled rapid transit of commanders in the field. Although 'vertical aviation' had only become a practical reality during the Korean War helicopters evolved rapidly in the decade before Vietnam and by 1965 the US Army and US Marines relied on them as primary combat tools. This was principally because North Vietnam's armed forces had long experience of jungle operations, camouflage and evasion. Generally avoiding set-piece pitched battles they relied on rapid, frequent strikes and withdrew using routes that were generally inaccessible to US vehicles. They commonly relied on darkness and bad weather to make their moves, often rendering them immune to conventional air attack. Gunship helicopters, sometimes equipped with Firefly searchlights and early night vision light intensifiers, were more able to track and attack the enemy. Innovative tactics were required for this unfamiliar combat scenario and for a US Army that was more prepared for conventional operations in a European-type setting. One of the most valuable new initiatives was the UH-1C 'Huey Hog' or 'Frog' gunship, conceived in 1960 and offering more power and agility than the UH-1B that pioneered gunship use in combat. Heavily armed with guns and rockets and easily transportable by air these helicopters became available in large numbers and they became a major problem for the insurgent forces throughout the war. Covering fascinating details of the innovations in tactics and combat introduced by gunship helicopters, this book offers an analysis of their adaptability and usefulness in a variety of operations, while exploring the insurgent forces' responses to the advent of 'vertical aviation'.

Download or read book F 4 Phantom II vs MiG 21 written by Peter E. Davies and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book draws us into the dangerous world braved by American and North Vietnamese airmen in the skies over Vietnam. Influential leaders and tacticians are profiled to provide a comparative evaluation of their contrasting skills. This book also reveals the technical specifications of each jet with an analysis of the weaponry, avionics and survival devices of the F-4 Phantom II as flown by the USAF and the MiG-21. The fighters' strengths and weaknesses are also compared, including turn radius, performance at altitude, range and structural integrity. First-person extracts reflect on the dangers of these aerial duels, as USAF pilots and their counterparts struggled to overcome each plane's shortcomings.

Download or read book Shooting Down the Stealth Fighter written by Mihajlo S. Mijajlovic and published by Air World. This book was released on 2022-01-28 with total page 579 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A look at the takedown of the presumably invulnerable aircraft during the Kosovo War, featuring perspectives on both sides, plus technical details. With its futuristic and unmistakable design, the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk, the so-called “Stealth Fighter,” was the wonder of the age. Virtually undetectable by radar, this ground-attack aircraft could slip unseen through enemy defenses to deliver its deadly payload on unsuspecting targets. Its effectiveness had been well demonstrated during the Gulf War of 1991, during which the F-117A achieved almost legendary status. But, at 20.42 hours on 27 March 1999, the military and aviation worlds were stunned when the impossible happened—a virtually obsolete Soviet-built surface-to-air missile system which had first been developed more than thirty years earlier, detected and shot down an F-117A, callsign “Vega 31.” This incident took place during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. It was, and remains, at least officially, the only time that a stealth aircraft was detected and shot down by a ground-based missile system. In this book, the authors, both of whom served in the Kosovo War, take the reader through every moment of that astounding event, from both the perspective of Lieutenant Colonel Dani’s 3rd Battalion, 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade, a Yugolsav Army unit, and that of the pilot of the F-117A, Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Patrick Zelko, who ejected and survived the loss of his aircraft. The reader is placed in the cabin of the missile fire control center and alongside “Dale” Zelko in the cockpit of his stealth fighter as each second dramatically unfolds. Stealth characteristics are now regarded as a standard part of modern military aircraft design but with each generation of aircraft becoming increasingly, almost cripplingly, expensive to produce and operate compared with the simpler surface-to-air defense systems, the outcome of the battle between missile and stealth hangs in the balance. That this is the case might be seen in the strange fact that it is claimed that two other F-117As did not return to the U.S. at the end of the Kosovo War, though, mysteriously, their fate has never been revealed. Were they too victims of Yugoslav missiles? Though intended for the general reader, Shooting Down the Stealth Fighter covers the technical details of the weapons involved and their deployment—and the authors should know, as one of them, Djordje Anicic, was a member of the Yugoslav team which brought down Zelko’s aircraft.

Download or read book F 15C Eagle vs MiG 23 25 written by Douglas C. Dildy and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2016-04-21 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Designed following the relatively poor performance of America's multi-role fighters during the Vietnam War, the F-15 Eagle was conceived as a dedicated air superiority fighter. But, having trained for 15 years in the Eagle it wasn't Eastern Bloc operated MiGs that the F-15 eventually came up against, but pilots of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi airforce. This book analyses the combat between the American and Soviet 'Cold War fighters' in a balanced manner, examining how the technical abilities of the aircraft combined with the different levels of training available to opposing pilots and groundcrews allowed the F-15s to destroy the Iraqi offensive abilities within weeks of the First Gulf War starting. Packed with artwork, illustrations and photographs, this book places the reader in the cockpit during one of the last major dogfighting air wars in modern history.