Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Airforce Combat Wing (Tom Clancy's Military Referenc) [Paperback]

Tom Clancy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tom Clancy's Military Referenc | Publication Date: November 1, 1995

The mega-popular author presents an insider's look at the planes, technology, and people involved in an Air Force combat wing, capturing the thrill of a takeoff, the drama of a dogfight, and the constant dangers faced daily by pilots.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Now, for the first time, an insider's look at an Air Force combat wing--the planes, the technology, and the people--with Tom Clancy as your guide. Tom Clancy's previous explorations of America's armed forces, Submarine and Armored Cav, revealed exclusive, never-before-seen information an the people and technology that protect our nation. Now, the acclaimed author of takes to the skies with the U.S. Air Force's elite: the Fighter Wing.

With his compelling style and unerring eye for detail, Clancy captures the thrill of takeoff, the drama of the dogfight, and the relentless dangers our fighter pilots face every day of their lives, showing readers what it really means to be the best of the best.

Fighter Wing includes:

• Detailed analyses of the Air Force's premier fighter planes, including the F-15 Eagle
• Exclusive photographs, illustrations, and diagrams
• An insider's look at the people behind the planes and weapons
• Combat strategies and training techniques used by the U.S. Air Force

About the Author

Since the phenomenal worldwide success of "The Hunt for Red October', his controversial, ground-breaking first novel, Tom Clancy has become one of the world's fastest-selling thriller writers. Three of his novels have been made into highly successful films: 'The Hunt for Red October', 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger'. He is also the author of several non-fiction books on military subjects, and the co-creator of the 'Op-Centre' series. He lives in Maryland, USA. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; First edition. edition (November 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425149579
• ISBN-13: 978-0425149577
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,781,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Clancy is America's, and the world's, favorite international thriller author. Starting with THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, all thirteen of his previous books have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. His books, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS have been made into major motion pictures. He lives in Maryland where he is a co-owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate account of a top Air Force Base and its mission., October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Airforce Combat Wing (Tom Clancy's Military Referenc) (Paperback)

Mr. Clancy is right on when it comes to writing about the military, I only wish I had as many powerful allies in the military. His ability to capture both the science of flight and the thrill of getting aboard a F-15E Eagle and hitting the target range is excellent! He uses descriptions of how air power made it possible to swiftly win the war over Iraq, and incorporates inverviews with key commanders from that conflict!

One piece of advice, I too hope that someday the Republic of Vietnam decides that communism isn't for them and revolts, but that type of fiction is better left for one of his action/thriller novels.

I am about to enter the USAF, and piced this book up to begin to familiarize me with the language and equipment the USAF uses to carry out its various missions. It certainly was the right choice.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Off we go into the wild blue with Clancy and Gresham...., September 29, 2003

By 

Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Airforce Combat Wing (Tom Clancy's Military Referenc) (Paperback)

The third book in The Guided Tour series, Fighter Wing is a non-fiction book devoted to an Air Force Composite Wing. (Why it's called "Fighter Wing" escapes me, since the 366th Wing includes a wide range of combat aircraft!) Like the other books in this seven-volume series, Fighter Wing gives the readers a reasonably interesting look at the U.S. Air Force since its restructuring in the early 1990s. Here, for instance, is where I found out the Air Force had renamed its major commands; Strategic Air Command (which controlled the bombers, particularly the B-1, B-2, FB-111, and B-52 aircraft) and Tactical Air Command (which controlled the smaller fighters and fighter-bombers) merged and became Air Combat Command.

The book discusses the theory and history of air power, the training of the men and women who fly for the Air Force, and, of course, the planes and weapons of a typical Composite Wing. As in most of the books in the Guided Tour series, photographs, graphics, an interview with a senior flag officer, and a fictional scenario depicting the combat roles of a Composite Wing are included.

The book is informative without getting too technical, and one comes away with a bit more inside information about how the modern Air Force works.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is Your United States Air Force, February 13, 2001

By 

Rottenberg's rotten book review (nyc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Airforce Combat Wing (Tom Clancy's Military Referenc) (Paperback)

"Fighter Wing" as you can expect, offers a guided tour of a composite air wing, an air force combat unit compromising squadrons of mixed aircraft. With the end of the cold war, USAF brought together the once separate Strategic Air Command with the fighters and support planes of Tactical Air Command, creating a new Air Combat Command with a flexible range of assets in terms of equipment and manpower. New units now include both bombers like the B-1b and F-111 as well as fighters like the F-16. Clancy goes further than that, also surveying the essential technologies of military aviation (vectored-thrust, low-bypass engines; radar absorbsent material; reduced radar cross-section; smartbombs; etc..) from the basics to the cutting edge. While anybody could have put this package togther, I doubt that they could have done as good a job as Clancy who never loses touch with the fact that he's not a fighter pilot or even any military material himself, and always knwos just how to get across to the reader. It's sort of like a textbook you don't mind reading. The survey concludes in a hypothetical airwar set in (or over) Viet Nam. (Guess who wins...)