Libyan Air Wars: 1985-1986

Author: Tom Cooper
Publisher: Africa@War
ISBN: 9781910294536
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Between 1973 and 1989, various Western powers and Libya were entangled in a seemingly never-ending exchanged of blows. Supposedly launched in retaliation for one action or the other, this confrontation resulted in a number of high-profile, even though low-scale, clashes between the Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF), the US Navy and even the French. Meanwhile, almost as a slideshow, the LAAF - quantitatively one of the most potent air forces in North Africa and the Middle East - also saw intensive deployment in Chad. Initially, with sporadic fighting between different parties for control of N'Djamena, the Chadian capital, this conflict eventually turned into a major war when Libya invaded the country outright. The LAAF deployed not only French-made Mirage but also Soviet-made fighter-bombers of MiG and Sukhoi design, Mil-designed helicopters and even bombers of Tupolev design, to establish her dominance over the extensive battle field of the Sahara Desert. Because of the Cold War but also due to confrontation with Libya over a number of other issues, France - a one-time major arms supplier to Libya - and the USA gradually got dragged into the war. Deployments of their troops and intelligence services in Chad, Egypt and the Sudan never resulted in a full-scale aerial operations that proved crucial to developments on the ground , several of which are still a matter of extensive debate. Detailing not only the aerial operations but the ground war and the geo-political background of these conflicts, and illustrated with over 100 contemporary photographs, maps and all-new colour profiles, this volume provides a unique insight into a otherwise completely forgotten conflict that raged from the skies over the southern Mediterranean to southern Chad and northern Sudan, yet one that not only represented a formative period of the LAAF, but which also prompted a number of crucial modifications and developments in France and the USA." -- from back cover.

Libyan Air Wars

Author: Tom Cooper
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781910294543
Category : Air forces
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description

Libyan Air Wars

Author: Tom Cooper
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1909982393
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

Book Description
Between 1973 and 1989, various Western powers and Libya were entangled in a seemingly never-ending exchange of blows. Supposedly launched in retaliation for one action or the other, this confrontation resulted in a number of high-profile, even though low-scale, clashes between the Libyan Arab Air Force (LAAF), the US Navy and even the French. Meanwhile, almost as a sideshow, the LAAF - quantitatively one of the most potent air forces in North Africa and the Middle East - also saw intensive deployment in Chad. Initially, with sporadic fighting between different parties for the control of N'Djamena, the Chadian capital, this conflict eventually turned into a major war when Libya invaded the country outright. The LAAF deployed not only French-made Mirage but also Soviet-made fighter-bombers of MiG and Sukhoi design, Mil-designed helicopters and even bombers of Tupolev design, to establish her dominance over the extensive battlefield of the Sahara Desert. Because of the Cold War but also due to confrontation with Libya over a number of other issues, France - a one-time major arms supplier to Libya - and the USA gradually got dragged into the war. Deployments of their troops and intelligence services in Chad, Egypt and the Sudan never resulted in a full-scale war against Libya, but time and again culminated in small-scale aerial operations that proved crucial to developments on the ground, several of which are still a matter of extensive debate. Detailing not only the aerial operations but the ground war and the geopolitical background of these conflicts, and illustrated with over 100 contemporary photographs, maps and all-new color profiles, this volume provides a unique insight into an otherwise completely forgotten conflict that raged from the skies over the southern Mediterranean to southern Chad and northern Sudan, yet one that not only represented a formative period of the LAAF, but which also prompted a number of crucial modifications and developments in France and the USA.

Libyan Air Wars

Author: Tom Cooper
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 191077751X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 81

Air Wars Over Congo, Volume 1: 1960-1968

Author: Daniel Kowalczuk
Publisher: Africa@War
ISBN: 9781911628644
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Ever since the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo, or DRC) was released into independence by Belgium, in June 1960, its skies have been full of action. During the crisis, and immediately afterwards, the Belgians evacuated their colonists and military personnel. Hardly was this action was over when the mineral-rich province of Katanga attempted to break away and the separatists created their own air force, the Force Aérienne Katangaise (FAK), which existed from 1960 until 1963 and saw action against forces of the United Nations (UN). In line with decisions by its members, the UN deployed contingents from several air forces of its member states to protect the integrity of the DR Congo and eliminate the FAK. In response to the emergence of leftist insurgencies, the CIA created the Congo Air Force (or Force Aérienne Congolaise), staffed entirely by foreign mercenary personnel due to the lack of native pilots and mechanics. In 1964-1965, this service saw action during the so-called 'Simba Rebellion', in eastern DRC, and in support of government and mercenary forces. In 1964, the Belgians launched their daring operation 'Red Dragon', during which their Parachute Regiment was deployed to liberate hostages held by the Simbas in Stanleyville. Finally, in eastern Congo in 1967, the former 'brothers-in-arms' - including pilots of the FAC - fought each other during the famous mercenary mutiny. From the existence of a colonial air force attached to the Belgian military and civilian colonial administration during the time before Congo's independence (June 1960), to the involvement of the Central Government Congo Air Force in fighting against mercenary mutinies in Eastern Congo (1966-67), Volume I of "Air Wars over The Congo" provides detailed coverage of the aircraft and air forces involved in an entire series of conflicts in this huge country. Illustrated with over 100 photographs, 15 colour profiles and half a dozen maps, it offers a unique source of reference for enthusiasts and professionals alike.

The Paras

Author: John P. Cann
Publisher:
ISBN: 1913118231
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 74

Book Description
Portuguese paratroopers or “paras” began as a stepchild of the army and found a home in the Portuguese Air Force in 1955. Initially, the post-World War Two Portuguese Army seemed to have had mixed emotions about the need for elite, special-purpose forces that operated in small units with the attendant flexibility and elevated lethality. Shock troops have been traditionally controversial, and even the vaunted military theorist Baron Karl von Clausewitz saw little point in them. The history of the paras in the Portuguese Army is illustrative of this ambivalent view. Nevertheless, in a “war of the weak” in which insurgents avoid government strengths and exploit its vulnerabilities using agility, deception, and imagination, such small, crack government units are particularly well suited to counterinsurgency operations. This appreciation emerged with the threat of a new kind of war in Portuguese Africa, an insurgency, and the new and visionary Air Force well understood the potential of paras when combined with the mobility of the helicopter. The Air Force saw an urgent need for troops who could fight an unconventional war, who could not only defeat an enemy but separate him from the population in which he sought concealment and support and on which he depended for funding, recruits, and intelligence. These were specialised warfighters who in one minute were physically destroying an insidious enemy and in the next administering aid and support and protecting a vulnerable population. These were just the troops that Portugal would require for military success in its approaching battle fought between 1961 and 1974 to retain its African possessions, and this vision would be realized on the African battlefield with devastating consequences. This book tells the paras’ story as researched from Portuguese sources. It details how they were formed and trained and how they developed their imaginative, effective, and feared tactics and applied them in operations to protect the population from insurgent predations and destroy a vicious enemy.

Arab Migs

Author: Tom Cooper
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780985455460
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Arab MiGs Volume 6 continues Harpia Publishing's renowned coverage of air actions by Arab air forces during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. After researching in the Middle East for more than 40 years, interviewing and discussing the fighting in detail with pilots, participants and eyewitnesses from almost every unit involved, the authors provide the first ever coherent narrative of this air war. While it has often been argued that air power did not play a dominant role in the conflict, it eventually proved critical to its outcome. Moreover, thousands of combat experiences that were learned during this war -- and paid for in blood by both sides -- proved extremely influential for the development of new aircraft types and new weapons systems. The October 1973 conflict was one of the best examples of the ever increasing importance of electronic warfare and unmanned aircraft upon the modern-day battlefield, and therefore prompted fundamental changes in the tactics and strategy of the dominant air powers across the globe during the late 20th century. As well as enabling the reader to gain a clear insight into the nature of the air operations by all involved air powers - and the Arab air forces in particular - and the weaponry deployed, this book contains a detailed cross-examination of claims from both sides, analyses aircraft losses on both sides and lays bare the over-claims, regardless of whether officially confirmed. Descriptions based on the reminiscences of veteran aircrews provide an unprecedented insider's view of key aircraft and operations, illustrating how developments in technology and information warfare added a new dimension to the history of air warfare. Supported by a plethora of background information, more than 300 photographs, color profiles, maps and diagrams depicting the action, aircraft, camouflage patterns, markings, and weaponry deployed, Arab MiGs Volume 6 is set to become the standard reference work on the subject.

Ethiopian-Eritrean Wars. Volume 2

Author: Tom Cooper
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1913118355
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 80

Book Description
Ethiopia, a country of ancient origins in eastern Africa, remains a military powerhouse of that continent until our days. Nowadays involved in the war in neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia was also involved in half a dozen of other armed conflicts over the last 60 years. Crucial between these was the Eritrean War of Independence. Fought 1961-1991, this was one of biggest armed conflicts on the African continent, especially if measured by numbers of involved combatants. It included a wide spectrum of operations, from ‘classic’ counterinsurgency (COIN) to conventional warfare in mountains – with the latter being one of the most complex and most demanding undertakings possible to conduct by a military force. Campaigns run during the Eritrean War of Independence often included large formations of relatively well-equipped forces, led by well-trained commanders, along well-thought-out plans, based on homegrown doctrine. The air power played a crucial – although not necessarily decisive – role in many of battles. Nevertheless, most of details about this conflict remain unknown in the wider public. Similarly, relatively few Western observers are aware of relations between the Eritrean liberation movements, and various dissident and insurgent movements inside Ethiopia – although the synergy of these eventually led the downfall of the so-called Derg government, in 1991. While the first volume in this mini-series spanned the history of wars between Ethiopia and Eritrea between 1961 and 1988, the second covers the period since. Correspondingly, it is providing coverage of military operations that led to the fall of the Derg government in Ethiopia of 1991, the period of Eritrean military buildup and a complete reorganization of the Ethiopian military in the 1990s, and concludes with the first detailed account of the so-called Badme War, fought between Ethiopia and Eritrea in period 1998-2001. It is illustrated by many contemporary photographs, maps and color profiles.

Air Warfare in the Missile Age

Author: Lon O. Nordeen
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution
ISBN: 1588344398
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Book Description
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 political background of each conflict and includes in-depth discussions of the aircraft, weapons, tactics, training, new systems, and other factors that influenced the outcome of each war. New and existing chapters have been enhanced with information based on recently declassified material—especially regarding Vietnam—and new sources in Egypt, Israel, and the former Soviet Union. As “smart” bombs have become more successful in reducing the risks for pilots and frontline troops, air-missile warfare has become the central player in military conflicts. Air Warfare in the Missile Age, Second Edition, is a valuable resource for understanding the evolution of modern air warfare.

The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale

Author: Leopold Scholtz
Publisher: Africa@War
ISBN: 9781909384620
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The battle for the town of Cuito Cuanavale is a myth. The conduct of Operations Modular, Hooper, Packer and Displace by South African and UNITA forces in the 6th Military Region of southeastern Angola initially prevented FAPLA and its allies from occupying the UNITA town of Mavinga. The success achieved in this endeavor then led to the conduct of offensive military operations to force FAPLA and its allies to relinquish their bridgehead over the Cuito River and to redeploy to the western bank at Cuito Cuanavale. The FAPLA deployment and occupation of Cuito Cuanavale, on the western bank of the Cuito River, was never contested militarily by opposing forces during 1987 and 1988.