Название: MiG Kill Markings from the Vietnam War, Part 1: U.S. Air Force AircraftАвтор: Bert Kinzey, Ray Leader
Издательство: TAB Books
Год: 1989
ISBN: 0830685367
Серия: Colors & Markings, Vol. 12
Формат: pdf
Страниц: 82
Размер: 29,9 mb
Язык: English
When the airplane was first introduced to warfare, its primary purpose was that of observation. But it was not long before opposing pilots started taking shots at each other, and the deadly contest of aerial combat became the true test of skill for a military pilot. In spite of the wide variety of roles and missions that these pilots have been asked to perform during the wars of the twentieth century, scoring a victory or kill over an enemy aircraft in the air has become the most important and glamorous accomplishment that could be performed in the cockpit of a military aircraft. Nothing else is more publicized, and nothing can make a pilot a hero more quickly than meeting the enemy in the air and winning. It has been called the ultimate video game where living is the prize for the victor.
The war in Vietnam was different in many ways from every war that had preceded it. The aircraft that were flown on successful MiG killing missions over Vietnam are referred to as “MiG killers” themselves. Considering the aircraft a MiG killer as well simply added a new dimension to this phenomenon, and is the reason that MiG kill markings remained on the aircraft long after the American involvement ended and after the pilots who scored the victories no longer flew the aircraft. The pages that follow is the most extensive look at these MiG killers ever published.