Brad Elward's Books

Topgun

The US Navy Fighter Weapons School: Fifty Years of Excellence

By: Brad Elward

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Topgun

The US Navy Fighter Weapons School: Fifty Years of Excellence

By: Brad Elward

This book provides a unique, illustrated history of the US Navy Fighter Weapons School's 50-year history. Currently located at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, TOPGUN was formed in late 1968 at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, to create a graduate-level course in fighter tactics for Navy pilots deploying to Vietnam. Before TOPGUN, Navy F-4 Phantom II fighter crews in Vietnam managed only a 2.5:1 kill ratio versus Soviet-built MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters: after TOPGUN formed, the community tallied a 12.5:1 kill ratio. Since then, TOPGUN has become the standard-bearer of Navy fighter and strike fighter tactics and training and is recognized worldwide as a center of excellence. TOPGUN's tactics and pilot training are explained, as well as changes and developments throughout the years to the present day. All aircraft flown at TOPGUN since its founding are also shown, including A-4 Skyhawk, T-38A/B Talon, F-5E/F Tiger II, F-16N Viper, F-14A Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet, F-16A/B Falcon, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

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Page Count

144

Publisher

Schiffer Military History

Published Date

ISBN 10

0764360140

ISBN 13

9780764360145

Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers

By: Brad Elward

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Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers

By: Brad Elward

The Nimitz class aircraft carrier is the ultimate symbol of the United States superpower status. A true behemoth, this is an unsurpassed weapons platform that overshadows all of its nearest rivals. A history of the world's largest aircraft carriers, with runways over 300 meters long, this book looks at the development and deployment of the nuclear-powered Nimitz class aircraft carriers from 1975 when the USS Nimitz, the lead ship of the class, was commissioned, to the present day. All of the class are still operational and the tenth and last of the class, the USS George H. W. Bush, was commissioned in 2009. Here, Brad Elward provides a detailed overview of their design and development, highlighting their unique features, from jet blast deflectors to cutting edge radar systems, and a history of the Nimitz class in service, from deployment in the Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, through to the enforcement of the no fly zone over Bosnia.

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Page Count

105

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

184908971X

ISBN 13

9781849089715

US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965–70

By: Brad Elward,Peter E. Davies

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US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965–70

By: Brad Elward,Peter E. Davies

For every American fighter pilot involved in the Vietnam War, the ultimate goal was to 'kill a MiG'. In eight years of conflict 43 Vietnamese Peoples Air Force aircraft were claimed by US Navy and US Marine Corps Phantom II crews, and one single ace crew produced. Navy Phantom IIs scored the first kills of the Vietnam War, in April 1965, as well as scoring the last in January 1973. This volume charts the successes of the navy fighter crews as they encountered 'MiGs, Missiles and AAA' over the jungles of North Vietnam.

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Page Count

225

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1782006583

ISBN 13

9781782006589

US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972–73

By: Brad Elward,Peter E. Davies

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US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972–73

By: Brad Elward,Peter E. Davies

The second of two books on the Navy's Phantom II MiG killers of the Vietnam War, this book covers the numerous actions fought out over North Vietnam during the Linebacker I and II operations of 1972-73. No fewer than 17 MiGs were downed during this period, five of them by the Navy's sole aces of the conflict, Lts Randy Cunningham and Willie Driscoll of VF-96. Drawing on primary sources such as surviving Phantom II aircrew and official navy documentation, the author has assembled the most precise appraisal of fighter operations involving US Navy Phantom II units and those elusive MiGs ever seen in print.

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Page Count

235

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1782006591

ISBN 13

9781782006596

US Cold War Aircraft Carriers

Forrestal, Kitty Hawk and Enterprise Classes

By: Brad Elward

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US Cold War Aircraft Carriers

Forrestal, Kitty Hawk and Enterprise Classes

By: Brad Elward

The Forrestal class (Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger, and Independence) was the first completed class of US Navy supercarriers, so-named for their 25 percent size increase over the World War II-era carriers such as the Midway class, and the strength of their air wings (80–100 aircraft, compared to 65–75 for the Midway, and fewer than 50 for the Essex class). Design-wise, the Forrestals were a huge improvement over their predecessors, being more stable and comfortable, while maintaining advancements such as the armored flight decks that had been introduced with the Midway. The Kitty Hawk class was an improvement on the Forrestal-class designs, and four were built in the 1960s – Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America and John F. Kennedy. These were even longer than the Forrestals, and fitted with advanced defensive weapons systems and an improved elevator layout. All nine of the carriers covered by this volume are icons, and hold a much-respected place in US naval history. They are also some of the more well-known vessels outside of the military, for their long service histories, as well as for some of the more unfortunate events that seem to follow them.

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