Air Warfare in the Missile Age

by Lon O. Nordeen

Book Overview

Lon O. Nordeen has completely updated his 1985 chronicle of military aviation's evolving role in warfare, now covering the major conflicts of the past four decades. He presents the historical and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158834083X
• ISBN13: 9781588340832
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books (DC)
• Length: 337 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive and fascinating!

This is a top-notch review of the evolution of air power in recent decades. The background and course of each conflict covered is clearly and succintly discussed. Nordeen is a good writer with an impressive command of the facts. Anyone familiar with the world of military aviation will devour this book, and will find it useful for constant future reference. The chapters on the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, the War of Attrition, and the Iran-Iraq war are fascinating and valuable, especially because they are not well-covered elsewhere.However, I offer a few minor criticisms that are not intended to take anything away from the work, but may be of interest to buyers. First, do NOT plan on using this book as a primer. The author assumes a readership with a good knowledge of military aircraft, weapons, and systems. A book of this type could do with a lot more illustrations, and the maps are almost worthless. If you are not familiar with all this, the book could be just a dense laundry list of alpha-numeric designations and names. On the other hand, if you are familiar with the subject, you will not find much new in the book, although it is one of the better single volume comprehensive works in the field.Second, certain conflicts are omitted. The 1986 USN action against Libyan ships and SAM sites is ignored (except for one photo caption), when I believe the HARM was used for the first time(?). The Russian actions in Chechnya are not mentioned. 1988's PRAYING MANTIS is not discussed (and I am sure I have missed a few lesser conflicts). The Iraqi No-Fly-Zone activity is lightly brushed over, and the Soviet air war in Afghanistan is given short shrift. However, I realize including every minor action may not add anything to the author's overall goal.Third, the book has a half-dozen or so small errors, some inaccurate dates, and the rare typo.None of these criticisms are in any way meant to denigrate an excellent work. I only offer them as a heads-up to buyers.For the initiated, I give the book a strong endorsement.

Outstanding Analysis of Air Warfare Since the Missile

Lon Nordeen has been a writer in various defense and aviation magazines for more than twenty years. I first became aware of him after reading his book "Fighters Over Israel," a very cogent and incisive account of the rise of Israel's air force and the many battles they have fought. Mr. Nordeen has done no less with this book; he has turned out one of the best overviews of the effect that missiles have had on aerial warfare since the Vietnam conflict until the Falkland Island War and the various wars in the Middle East as of the book's 1985 publishing date.The book has an introduction, ten chapters, two appendices, notes, a glossary, an index, and a very comprehensive bibliography. The book devotes the first two chapters to the Vietnam conflict detailing the constantly evolving tactics between North Vietnam's excellent air force and air defenses versus the combined air forces of the United States. The next two chapters detail the little-known conflicts between Pakistan and India, which were a paradigm for the shape of aerial warfare to come. The next four chapter detail the many Arab-Israeli wars as well as inter-Arab warfare such as the conflict between Iraq and Iran. The book's last two chapters detail the short but intense Falkland Islands conflict and draws conclusions about the effect and direction missiles have had on military aviation. The supplemental material at the end of the book is extremely useful: lists of aircraft, aerial cannon, missiles, and bombs. The notes reference all of the hard data that Mr. Londeen uses. If you want to know where he read that information, look it up by footnote and you'll find it. The glossary is of immense use to those of us studying military aviation who weren't a part of military aviation. For instance, do you know what an Ironhand flight is? If you don't, both the text and the glossary have ready explanations / definitions for you.The bibliography is very comprehensive and uses books from both sides of every conflict where they were available. When reading about the Arab-Israeli conflict, for example, Mr. Londeen has made every effort to quote both Arab and Israeli sources. In fact, rather than state that "so many aircraft were shot down on this day," Mr. Londeen states both sides' claims and often additionally references other sources that support those claims. For example, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War (known popularly in the Arab world as the Ramadan War), he states at one point the combined claims of the Arab air forces accounted for more aircraft than the Israel Air Force flew! He quotes an Egyptian Air Force officer who explained that the Israelis have more aircraft than anyone knows. Very interesting. I also want to mention that Mr. Nordeen has written not only a history of Israel's air force, but also a history of Egypt's air force called: "Phoenix over the Nile: A History of Egyptian Air Power 1932-1994." I would also like to mention that my edition is the older 1985 printing and that a more u

Insightful

This work provides a very useful background in developing a perspective for the evolution of aircraft and strategic utilization of aviation assets post-WWII. It is easy to read and will keep you interested throughout. As a former military pilot (USMC) my 1985 edition was never far from reach. Unfortunately I let a friend borrow it aboard ship and never saw it again! I'm ordering the updated edition today.