Fighter Combat
Fighter Combat
Robert L. Shaw: Fighter Combat - Tactics and Maneuvering
Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering explains the art and science of air-to-air combat as no book has done before. The culmination of eight years of effort by veteran fighter pilot and aeronautical engineer Robert L. Shaw, this book brings together for the first time in one volume all the theory, mechanics, history, and spirit of the past seventy years of air combat. It includes nearly 150 detailed illustrations by U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School artist Greg High, over 250 quotes from fighter pilots and other combat authorities, and numerous first-hand accounts of actual combat engagements.
This innovative text begins with a thorough discussion of fighter weapons - how they work, how they are employed, and how to defend against them. Maneuvering mechanics, theory, and doctrine are then discussed, beginning with basic one-versus-one engagements between two fighters with equivalent performance and weapons, and progressing through performance and weapons variations to the teamwork
(My personal copy was bought from Farnborough Air Show in 1986 and it is a bit worn out by now)
tactics necessary for success in a multiple-fighter combat environment. An analysis is provided of the elements required for victory in the primary missions of fighter aircraft: fighter sweeps, point and area defence, and escort. Radar intercept tactics and procedures are also covered in detail. An appendix on fighter performance serves as a convenient guide for the layman and as an authoritative refresher course for the expert. Many veteran fighter pilots, according to Shaw, vowed this book could not be written. They argued that the subject was too complex, had too many variables, and was too dependent on unpredictable factors. Remarkably, the author has overcome these problems and presents a lucid examination of air combat that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Wargamers, modellers and air-combat enthusiasts, as well as fighter-design engineers, air-combat analysts and active fighter pilots will appreciate the wealth of information it offers.
Relevant to past, present, and future aircraft and weapons, this thoroughly researched study is destined to become the definitive text on air combat.
Robert L. Shaw holds a master's degree in aeronautical engineering and is a veteran of fourteen years in U.S. Navy fighter aviation. His assignments have included duty as a carrier-based fighter pilot, and test director for the Navy's Air Combat Maneuvering Range (ACMR). He has flown over 4000 hours, mostly in fighters such as the F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat. He currently holds the rank of Commander in the U.S. Navy reserve. An avid aviation enthusiast, Shaw is today a civilian flight instructor, airline pilot, and consulting engineer specializing in fighter aircraft and weapons systems performance evaluation. He is the founder and president of Fighter Command International, which provides consulting services in the fields of air combat training and engineering.
Webmaster's Notes:
This is THE book of fighter tactics for all enthusiasts, simulation fighter pilots and also professionals. I regret that I got my copy as late as 1986 after having already done some work in developing fighter tactics and syllabi for the Finnish MiG-21BIS community.
This book would have saved a lot of our basic work and training effort in the early 1980s. When we initiated this Fighter Tactics Academy during the summer of 1997 we contacted Bob "Mouse" Shaw in order to ask for a foreword for our brand-new fighter tactics forum. To our great surprise we found out that Bob Shaw had already studied the Finnish Winter War of 1939-40 and had visited Finland (and would do so annually). We were delighted to get the Foreword text from Bob in September 1997 and our chairman General (FiAF ret) Heikki Nikunen met him later. More Information:
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J Lindberg. Copyright © 1997-2006 Fighter Tactics Academy. All rights reserved.
Revised: tammikuu 01, 2006.
