How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare - Hardcover

Walter J. Boyne

3.75

12 ratings by Goodreads

9781589807006: How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1589807006 ISBN 13: 9781589807006

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 2011

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The helicopter was introduced to warfare during World War II. Since then, it has had a profound effect at both the tactical and strategic levels. This in-depth book by a military aviation expert examines the growth of the helicopter's importance in warfare and argues convincingly that severe flaws in the military procurement process have led to U.S. troops using antiquated helicopter designs in combat despite billions spent on research and development.

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From the Author:

The recent wonderful mission in which our Navy Seals killed the world's leading terrorist, Osama bin Laden, illlustrates perfectly the three thrusts of this book. The first thrust is to honor not only the combat crews that fly the helicopters but their equally important ground crews. The second thrust is to show lthat helicopters have become the point of America's sword, being used for missions that could otherwise never be accomplished. The third thrust is that, sad it is. the United States, the richest country in the world, is sending its combat troops into battle in helicopters whose basic design dates back to the 1970s and 1980s. The crash of the modified Black Hawk in Osama's compound illustrates the risk involved in using ancient equipment. We have fifth generation jet fighters with stand-off weapons, but are fighting at close quarters with first and second generation jet helicopters. My books points out the terrible R&D and Procurement problems of the services and suggests a Skunk Works approach to solving the difficulties and getting new combat helicopters into the field.

From the Inside Flap:

"Walter Boyne has made what could be a prosaic subject read like one of his thrillers. It never slows and is packed with an immense amount of information and sometimes alarming, but illuminating, insights. This guy is good!"
-Budd Davisson, editor in chief, Flight Journal magazine

"Anyone interested in helicopters or flying generally will find this book indispensable."
-Philip Handleman, Handleman Filmworks

"In yet another home run, Walter Boyne sets forth and definitively explains the transformational importance the helicopter has gained on American battlefields from Korea to Iraq and Afghanistan. This is an insightful and thought-provoking book."
-Eric Hammel, author, The Road to Big Week

The vertical lift aircraft was a unique invention when introduced to combat during World War II. Since then, it has changed the way we perform transport, soldier extraction, and close air support. Carefully cataloging the steps from idealistic concept to fantastic killing machine, this historical overview touches on the major points of the helicopter's developmental journey.

The helicopter has proven advantageous in overcoming problematic geography and terrain and has empowered the United States military in ways previously unimaginable. Unfortunately a combination of factors, including arguments over the machine's role in the military, operating costs, maintenance, and the increased attention toward nuclear weapons, has stalled its progress. Blaming Congress and the Department of Defense for this irresponsible oversight, this account simultaneously pays tribute to all those who made the technological advancements possible.

Walter J. Boyne cofounded the cable channel Wingspan, the Air and Space Channel, which was bought out by the Discovery Channel in 1998. Since then he has appeared as a commentator, discussing aviation, space, and military events on broadcast networks and on such cable channels as the History Channel, A&E, the Discovery Channel, and the Military Channel. Boyne, a retired air force colonel, was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2007 and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Medal by the Air Force Association in 2010. He is the author of more than fifty fiction and nonfiction books on his subject of expertise, including The Influence of Air Power upon History, available from Pelican. He resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Terri.

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