Robert L. Shaw

Fighter Combat explains the art and science of air-to-air combat as no book has before! The culmination of eight years of effort by veteran fighter pilot and aeronautical engineer Robert "Mouse" 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 combat.

It includes nearly 150 detailed illustrations, over 250 quotes from fighter pilots and other combat authorities, and numerous firsthand 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 tactics necessary for success in 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 defense, and escort. Radar intercept tactics and procedure 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.

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Relevant to past, present, and future aircraft and weapons, this thoroughly researched study is the definitive text on air combat!

Recommended reading for supplemental education to the aircombat section of this site. Noted lack in tactics in implementation of medium range ARH type missiles. This deficiency is due to the publication date of the early 1980s.

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