Following Argentina's military operation to take possession of the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government launched a major naval operation to return them to British rule. Defending the Royal Navy task force were two small squadrons totalling 20 Sea Harriers (SHARs). Initial clashes between SHARs and Argentine Mirages and Daggers on 1 May 1982 failed to eliminate the Sea Harrier defenders. FAA fighter-bomber pilots relied on daring and courageous ultra-low level attacks, frequently escaping the Sea Harrier's limited capabilities, against Royal Navy warships and auxiliaries, causing considerable damage during Operation Corporate, the large-scale amphibious operation to repossess the islands. Publishing 35 years after the end of the conflict, this fully illustrated volume offers a balanced and objective examination of the SHAR and the Argentine Mirage and Dagger aircraft, highlighting the attributes of both and the skills and courage of the pilots flying them.

On 5 December 2002, trainee pilot Nathan Gray walked away from an 'unsurvivable' crash at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire. His instructor, seated behind him, was killed instantly. Despite the physical pain and mental scars, he found the strength and resilience to continue his flying career. Today Commander Nathan Gray is one of the UK's elite test pilots - the best of the best. Hazard Spectrum allows us to share Nathan's dizzying journey to the top of the Fleet Air Arm. With over 140 combat missions to his name, he is among the most decorated pilots in the British armed forces - our very own Maverick. In an exhilarating first-person narrative, Nathan takes us inside the cockpit as he holds Taliban fighters at bay in Afghanistan, and leads a top-secret mission to seek out kill Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of the Hindu Kush. In 2018, Nathan was chosen to complete the first take-off and landing of the world's most advanced fighter aircraft - the F35 stealth jet - on the flight deck of the flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth. A television audience of millions held its collective breath as he geared up for the task. This is the inspiring and unforgettable story of a man with a supreme ability to fly the most sophisticated and deadly planes ever created, who overcomes his personal demons to push the hazard spectrum to the limit - and beyond.

Royal Air Force: The Official Story is the most up-to-date official history of the Royal Air Force - the oldest airforce in the world. From its genesis in the horrors of the First World War when pilots were open to the elements in craft made of little more than wood and fabric, to the iconic air battles of the Second World War, through to the lifesaving missions carried out in today's trouble zones, this book looks at the men, women and aircraft that are at the heart of this great service. With unique access to the RAF's historic archives, bestselling historian James Holland uses photographs and documents to bring the story of the people, planes and missions to life as never before.

Previously self-published by the author, this book charts the course of a dramatic career as a Wing Commander. Living through one of the most dynamic periods in the history of military and aviation development, Bruce Gibson saw events play out from his elevated aerial position. His fascinating story will appeal to a wide audience, focussing as it does not only upon aviation concerns but also on his eventful personal life. From life as a mischievous child living in the East End of London, to realising his true direction and joining the RAF Air Volunteer Reserves in 1937, the book then goes on to chart a dynamic career with the Royal Air Force, and beyond into aviation ventures in a civilian capacity. His amusing observations and anecdotes provide the most colourful insight into life during the monochromatic blackout years of World War II, and beyond. Many historical records and operational logs are available on the market for those looking for cold facts and statistical analyses of events; this account is peppered with illuminating anecdotes that evoke the spirit of camaraderie that characterised Gibson's experiences.

The most iconic German aircraft of the Second World War, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's principal fighter from 1939 until 1942 when the superior Focke-Wulf Fw 190 came into greater prominence. The Bf 109 served in every theatre of the war, though in this book the author examines the Tip and Run era, D-Day and the Eastern Front. In the later years of the war, the Bf 109 fought with some success in the defence of Germany against Allied bombers. The Bf 109 was the most produced fighter aircraft in history and more aerial kills were made with this fighter than any other aircraft. Indeed, A total of 105 Bf 109 pilots were each credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft; thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two scored more than 300\. The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of the war: Erich Hartmann, the top-scoring fighter pilot of all time claiming 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories, and Gunther Rall, who claimed 275 victories. All of them flew with JG 52, a unit which exclusively flew the Bf 109 and was credited with over 10,000 victories, chiefly on the Eastern Front. The Bf 109 was also supplied to several of Germany's allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. In this selection of unrivalled images collected over many years, the operations of this famous aircraft in the latter part of the Second World War are portrayed and brought to life.

The Fuerza Aerea Revolucionaria (FAR), one of the most powerful and little-publicised air forces in the Americas, had Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) fighters as its main fighter aircraft, both in the defence of Cuban territory against the threat of US invasion and in support of Cuban leader's efforts to export their revolutionary ideals. The book casts an unprecedented look at the introduction and utilisation of all MiG models in Cuban service, since their arrival before the Cuban Missile Crisis, to current times, going through all of the conflicts in which Cuba was involved, from incidents with the Dominican Republic ('Operacion Pico') and the Bahamas, to its entanglements in wars in Vietnam, Syria, Guinea, Southern Yemen, Angola, Ethiopia and Nicaragua and the recent apprehension of 'export goods' to North Korea in the Panama Canal. The story of military aviation in Cuba before the arrival of the MiGs is also briefly presented, from the beginning of their air corps and its role in the political crises that affected the country, in Castro's Revolution and the ill-fated attempted invasion at the Bay of Pigs, contextualising the times when they happened. This is the result of extensive research using Cuban publications, documents, interviews with former pilots, historians and contributions by veteran Cuban airmen both in exile and residing in their homeland. The book is richly illustrated with over 170 photographs and colour profiles detailing the history of all twenty models of MiG fighters operated by Cuba from 1962 to the present.

Contains 124 extraordinary color profiles, portraying examples of nearly all types of single-seated fighter aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. All of the detailed profiles represent aircraft flown by German aces, some of the most famous and successful as well as those of lesser known. Also contains over 100 color illustrations of Luftwaffe unit markings, uniform insignia, camouflage colors, unit code styles, kill markings, and related features.

During the Second World War, the Soviet Union's Petlyakov Pe-2 Peshka dive-bomber was unique in that it was as fast as most fighter aircraft. This was in a period when it was considered by the RAF that it was impossible for monoplane aircraft to conduct vertical bombing with any degree of success. During the war the Pe-2 was the principal dive- and light-bomber of Russia's air power across the vast Eastern Front and it continued in service until the early 1950s with the air forces of the Warsaw Pact countries and Yugoslavia. Conceived by a team of top aircraft designers whom Stalin had incarcerated in a prison camp on trumped-up political charges, the Pe-2 had originally been designed as a high-altitude twin-engine fighter plane, but, due to the outstanding success of the German Stukas in the Blitzkrieg, its role was quickly changed to that of a fast dive-bomber. The Pe-2 arrived in service around the time of the German attack on its hitherto ally. Although only a handful had reached front line units by the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, the Pe-2 soon became the main dive-bomber in both the Soviet VVS and Naval service. Mass production, by factories hastily moved back beyond the front, meant that numbers increased rapidly, and more than 11,000 of the type, including many variants, were built up to 1945. The Peshka became the mainstay of the Soviet counter-offensive that ultimately resulted in the fall of Berlin. Pe-2s also led the way in the brief but annihilating Manchurian campaign against Japan in the closing days of the war in 1945. Using official sources, including the official Pe-2 handbook, and numerous colour and black-and-white photographs made available to the author from both official and private sources and collections, this book is the definitive record of the Pe-2 - the dive-bomber supreme!

Developed during the Second World War, but too late to see combat, the Twin Mustang was created by the engineering team at North American Aviation to provide long-range escort for larger, slow bombers. With the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, the Twin Mustangs were fortuitously positioned to provide immediate impact to the advantage of United Nations forces in the opening stages of the action. Later, a record-breaking long-distance flight was accomplished by a single aircraft, and the type was found useful for testing numerous experimental designs, from ramjet bodies to the first air-to-air missile concepts. The plane was effective as a radar-toting night fighter, and it could also carry large bombs, rockets, extended-range fuel tanks, and an eight-gun nacelle, providing a substantial increase in machine gun firepower. This book also details the amazing story of XP-82 44-83887, from test bed use, to a landing accident and disposal, to its discovery and restoration to flying status.

An ideal textbook for classes on modern airpower and joint operations.

Since the early days of flight, military pilots have personalized aircraft with artistic creations, giving each plane a unique identity and aircrews a sense of pride in ""their war bird."" This comprehensive volume covers the technical aspect on how nose art was applied to vintage military aircraft, with hundreds of fighters and bombers pictured. The uses of materials, supplies, and development of nose art designs are discussed with surviving nose artists. The author examines and analyzes WWII-era photographs and reveals their content along with numerous photos never before published. Recreating step-by-step flying war bird nose art restorations is outlined for the first time. Fighting Colors is an enjoyable read for military personnel and a graphic tool for all enthusiasts of pinup and vintage aircraft nose art.

On one day in June, the balance of air power in the Middle East was turned upside down by perhaps the most ruthlessly effective air superiority campaign in history – Operation Moked, or Focus.

In 1967, the Israeli Air Force was outnumbered more than two to one by the jets of hostile Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Operation Focus was Israel's ingenious strike plan to overturn the balance. At 0745hrs on June 6, Israeli jets hit Egypt's airfields simultaneously, first bombing runways and then strafing aircraft. Another 20 follow-up missions were already in the air, initially scheduled to hit every five minutes.

This new history of Operation Focus explains how the concept for Focus was devised and meticulously planned, the astonishing rate of serviceability and turnaround speed it required from ground crews, and how the relentless tempo of strikes shattered one air force after another. It is the story of how Israel's victory in the Six-Day War began with a single, shocking day.

A series of books that provide, for the first time, the detailed information every pilot needs to know about the aircraft they are flying. Each book in the series covers all aspects of a popular aircraft type and is illustrated throughout with photographs and diagrams.

109s! Two, head-on views diving from my left, blinking with light. Curling blue tracers strand about me as I turn towards them. A third got my sight on him for an instant before he went under my nose. My helmets too big for me. Turn pressure pulls it over my eyes. Can't see. Stupid. Push it up and straighten out: that's better. Two more 109s, from the right this time. Turn in towards them. Can't turn sharply enough. Damn the helmet! Another 109 below me. Drop on to his tail. I'll get him all right. My aircraft shudders and shudders and shudders and shudders as I pour bullets and shells into it. It bursts with black smoke and topples over sideways.' Malta Spitfire Pilot is the journal of Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham. Having joined the RAF at the outbreak of war, Denis grew from an inexperienced young pilot into a battle-hardened Spitfire ace - most of which occurred in the 200 gruelling operational hours that followed his arrival on the embattled island of Malta, in a period of just ten weeks in the spring and summer of 1942. Malta was of great strategic importance to the Allies and was pivotal to their success in North Africa as it provided the perfect launching pad for aircraft to attack Axis supply ships in the Mediterranean. As a direct result, the island, in turn, suffered intensive aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica. This memoir was written by the author as he and his fellow pilots battled against terrible odds and under constant attack. It is one man's dramatic and moving account of the air battle to save Malta.

This book explores the reconnaissance aircraft used by the British armed forces in the 1970s and '80s, namely the Avro Shackleton, Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, Fairey Gannet and English Electric Canberra. The maritime patrol and airborne early warning (AEW) Shackleton was a descendant of the Avro Lancaster and Lincoln and was in service from 1951 to 1991. The Nimrod, based on the de Havilland Comet, was also a maritime patrol aircraft and served between 1969 and 2011. The Gannet first flew in 1949, but, during the period covered by this book, flew in the AEW role with just one Royal Navy squadron. Finally, the Canberra, which first flew in 1949, was used as a bomber and then mainly in the reconnaissance role. It was finally retired from the RAF in 2006. With over 180 black and white and colour photographs, this book, the fourth in a series covering British combat aircraft of the 1970s and '80s, looks at the aircraft used in the reconnaissance or AEW roles.

A reprint of the German title that described the development and history of the Fi 156 Storch. Detailed photos and line drawings are included to add to the detailed text on this German plane.

Studies of air combat in the Vietnam War inevitably focus on the MiG-killing fighter engagements, B-52 onslaughts or tactical strikes on the Hanoi region. However, underlying all these was the secretive 'electron war' in which highly-skilled electronic warfare officers duelled with Soviet and North Vietnamese radar operators in the attempt to enable US strike forces to reach their targets with minimal losses. Orbiting at the edge of heavily-defended territory, the vulnerable EB-66s identified and jammed the enemy's radar frequencies with electronic emissions and chaff to protect the American bombers. Their hazardous missions resulted in six combat losses, four of them to SA-2 missiles and one to a MiG-21, and they became prime targets for North Vietnamese defences when their importance was realised. This illustrated study focuses on the oft-overlooked B-66 series, examining their vital contributions to the Vietnam War and the bravery of those who operated them in some of the most challenging situations imaginable. Author Peter E. Davies also explores how the technology and tactics devised during the period made possible the development of the EF-111A Raven, an invaluable component of the Desert Storm combat scenario over Iraq and Kuwait in 1991, and the US Navy's EA-6B Prowler, which entered service towards the end of the Vietnam War.

The incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, now a major motion picture directed by Angelina Jolie. THE INTERNATIONAL NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER In 1943 a bomber crashes into the Pacific Ocean. Against all odds, one young lieutenant survives. Louise Zamperini had already transformed himself from child delinquent to prodigious athlete, running in the Berlin Olympics. Now he must embark on one of the Second World War's most extraordinary odysseys. Zamperini faces thousands of miles of open ocean on a failing raft. Beyond like only greater trials, in Japan's prisoner-of-war camps. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini's destiny, whether triumph or tragedy, depends on the strength of his will ... Now a major motion picture, directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Jack O' Connell.

The Finnish Air Force operates at the world's most northerly latitudes in an often extreme climate. During the Cold War, it was overshadowed by the Soviet Union, but remained fiercely independent. Since then, it has worked hard to deepen cooperation with its neighbours. It modernised its aircraft fleet and intends to acquire a new generation of combat aircraft through its HX fighter competition. Illustrated with over 170 photographs, this book examines the development of the Finnish Air Force from the Cold War, concentrating on its modern organisation, training and operations. It also covers its increased cooperation with neighbouring countries and NATO, and the use of reserve air strips, along with wartime mobilisation and its reserve forces. Although concentrating on the Finnish Air Force, there will also be coverage of the Finnish Army's helicopters and HX Competition.

For anyone who is interested in the air war 1941-45, the information provided here is of inestimable value. There are no more than a handful of Second World War Luftwaffe members alive today. Patrick Eriksson had the foresight to record these experiences first-hand before it was too late. Some witnesses ended up as senior fighter controllers. The recollections and views of the veterans are put within the context of the German aerial war history. By no means all the witnesses were from the ranks of the so-called 'aces'. It was on the Eastern Front that, essentially, much of the Luftwaffe was destroyed, and this is the subject of the second in the author's trilogy. Death wasn't always in the air: '"Quick, out of the aircraft, the Russians are here." The airfield had been overrun. Chaos followed.' In addition to giving voice to those who were there, Patrick Eriksson describes pilot training and scrutinises the Luftwaffe's complicated victory claims system to find out if it really was as accurate as is often suggested.

Airpower can achieve military objectives sometimes, in some circumstances It sounds simple: using airpower to intervene militarily in conflicts, thus minimizing the deaths of soldiers and civilians while achieving both tactical and strategic objectives. In reality, airpower alone sometimes does win battles, but the costs can be high and the long-term consequences may fall short of what decision-makers had in mind. This book by a long-time U.S. intelligence analyst assesses the military operations and post-conflict outcomes in five cases since the mid-1990s in which the United States and/or its allies used airpower to "solve" military problems: Bosnia in 1995, Kosovo in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001, Lebanon in 2006, and Libya in 2011. In each of these cases, airpower helped achieve the immediate objective, but the long-term outcomes often diverged significantly from the original intent of policymakers. The author concludes that airpower sometimes can be effective when used to support indigenous ground forces, but decision-makers should carefully consider all the circumstances before sending planes, drones, or missiles aloft.

Over the last two decades, the A ronautique Navale, French Naval Aviation, has grown into a powerful and battle-hardened force equipped with a large inventory of Rafale Marine naval strike fighters, E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, Falcon 50, Gardian and Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance/maritime patrol aircraft, Dauphin, Panther, Alouette and Ca man naval helicopters and CAP 10, Xingu and Falcon 10 trainers/light transport aircraft. Its well-trained aircrews, supported by highly qualified engineers, air traffic controllers, intelligence specialists and firemen, perform a wide range of missions over land and sea, both in continental France and abroad. With over 200 full-colour images and detailed information, this book plunges the reader right into the heart of French Navy squadrons, as it depicts the everyday life of modern-day A ronautique Navale units.

The P-40E Warhawk is often viewed as one of the less successful American fighter designs of World War II, but in 1942 the aircraft was all that was available to the USAAC in-theatre. Units equipped with the aircraft were duly forced into combat against the deadly A6M2 Zero-sen, which had already earned itself a near-mythical reputation following its exploits over China and Pearl Harbor. During an eight-month period in 1942, an extended air campaign was fought out between the two fighters for air superiority over the Javanese and then northern Australian skies. During this time, the P-40Es and the Zero-sens regularly clashed without interference from other fighter types. In respect to losses, the Japanese 'won' these engagements, for many more P-40Es were shot down than Zero-sens. However, the American Warhawks provided a potent deterrent that forced the IJNAF to attack from high altitudes, where crews' bombing efficiency was much poorer. Fully illustrated throughout, and supported by rare and previously unpublished photographs, this book draws on both American and Japanese sources to tell the full story of the clashes between these iconic two fighters in Darwin and the East Indies.

The SR-71 Blackbird was a high-altitude, long-range Lockheed reconnaissance black' jet that emerged during the 1960s. It was produced under tremendous secrecy and initially flown from areas away from public gaze. It was stationed in the USA but plied its trade from a handful of selected sites worldwide. SR-71 missions were flown by the USAF, but often on behalf of other agencies, with it frequently gathering intelligence for the Navy against maritime targets in the Soviet Arctic. Unfortunately, the Blackbird was unpopular with the fighter' and bomber' generals, who were not privy to its outstanding intelligence gathering capability, and the staggering operating costs were such that eventually it lost support within the USAF and succumbed to budgetary constraints. Illustrated with over 160 illustrations, this book will detail the operations, select missions and the colour schemes/markings of this amazing aircraft.

On a moonless night in January 1991, a dozen U.S. aircraft appeared in the skies over Baghdad. To the Iraqi air defenses, the planes seemed to come from nowhere. Their angular shape, making them look like flying origami, rendered them virtually undetectable. Each aircraft was more than 60 feet in length and with a wingspan of 40 feet, yet its radar footprint was the size of a ball bearing. Here was the first extensive combat application of Stealth technology. And it was devastating. Peter Westwick's new book illuminates the story behind these aircraft, the F-117A, also known as the Stealth Fighter, and their close cousin the B-2, also known as the Stealth Bomber. The development of Stealth unfolded over decades. Radar has been in use since the 1930s and was essential to the Allies in World War Two, when American investment in radar exceeded that in the Manhattan Project. The atom bomb ended the war, conventional wisdom has it, but radar won it. That experience also raised a question: could a plane be developed that was invisible to radar? That question, and the seemingly impossible feat of physics and engineering behind it, took on increasing urgency during the Cold War, when the United States searched for a way both to defend its airspace and send a plane through Soviet skies undetected. Thus started the race for Stealth. At heart, Stealth is a tale of not just two aircraft but the two aerospace companies that made them, Lockheed and Northrop, guided by contrasting philosophies and outsized personalities. Beginning in the 1970s, the two firms entered into a fierce competition, one with high financial stakes and conducted at the highest levels of secrecy in the Cold War. They approached the problem of Stealth from different perspectives, one that pitted aeronautical designers against electrical engineers, those who relied on intuition against those who pursued computer algorithms. The two different approaches manifested in two very different solutions to Stealth, clearly evident in the aircraft themselves: the F-117 composed of flat facets, the B-2 of curves. For all their differences, Lockheed and Northrop were located twenty miles apart in the aerospace suburbs of Los Angeles, not far from Disneyland. This was no coincidence. The creative culture of postwar Southern California-unorthodox, ambitious, and future-oriented-played a key role in Stealth. Combining nail-biting narrative, incisive explanation of the science and technology involved, and indelible portraits of unforgettable characters, Stealth immerses readers in the story of an innovation with revolutionary implications for modern warfare.