{"title":"Michael Napier","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMichael Napier\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a compelling insight into modern military aviation, focusing on the operational histories of iconic aircraft and squadrons. His works delve into detailed accounts of combat units, exploring their roles across conflicts such as the Korean War and the Iraq conflict of 2003.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thorough research combined with vivid narrative, bringing to life the experiences of those who served in aircraft like the Harrier GR 7\/9 and the RAF Jaguar. These books provide an engaging perspective on the strategic and tactical aspects of air warfare within the broader context of 20th and 21st-century military history.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"harrier-gr-79-units-in-combat-by-michael-napier-9781472857613","title":"Harrier GR 7\/9 Units in Combat","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormer RAF Tornado pilot Michael Napier chronicles the action-packed history of the Harrier GR 7\/9, and its missions in West Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Afghanistan over a 14-year period of ceaseless operations.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Harrier GR 7\/9 was at the ‘tip of the spear’ for the RAF when it came to employing weapons against well-equipped standing armies and irregular forces in the 1990s and during the first decade of the new millennium. Assigned to the Harrier GR 7\/9 Force, the aircraft undertook No Fly Zone patrols over northern Iraq, supported UN forces in the Balkans, and embarked in Royal Navy carriers to bolster the RAF presence ashore in the Arabian Gulf.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHarrier GR 7s also flew from HMS \u003ci\u003eIllustrious\u003c\/i\u003e over Sierra Leone in 2000 and were involved in the second Gulf War during early 2003, acting as Close Air Support for Coalition forces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUsing first-hand accounts from his extensive service contacts, supported by both official and personal photographs and 30 artwork profiles illustrating the wide range of colours worn and ordnance employed by the ‘jump jet’, Michael Napier provides a rare insider’s look at the deployment of Harrier GR 7\/9 up to its withdrawal from RAF service in 2010.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMoreover, Napier also covers the numerous upgrades received by the aircraft over the years, from more powerful engines to the creation of the GR 9\/9A variants in 2005.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849230962924,"sku":"9781472857613","price":38.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10713653482712.jpg?v=1759029295"},{"product_id":"korean-air-war-by-michael-napier-9781472844446","title":"Korean Air War","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrom acclaimed aviation historian Michael Napier, this is a highly illustrated survey of the air war over Korea.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Korean War holds a unique place in aviation history. It saw the first large-scale jet-versus-jet combat and it was the first military action of the Cold War, fought by both the newly independent United States Air Force and the recently formed Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a meticulously researched volume, former RAF Tornado pilot Michael Napier unravels the complex narrative of events, describing the course of operations in the air and the major campaigns of the land war. He examines in detail the air power of the major combatants, which included North and South Korea, the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa as well as China, the USA and the USSR.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePacked with stunning contemporary images and including first-hand combat reports, \u003ci\u003eKorean Air War\u003c\/i\u003e is a groundbreaking exploration of a much forgotten conflict, which nevertheless provided lessons about the organization and prosecution of modern aerial warfare that remain relevant through to the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849389560044,"sku":"9781472844446","price":64.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10581983482712.jpg?v=1759044694"},{"product_id":"over-cold-war-seas-by-michael-napier-9781472865526","title":"Over Cold War Seas","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMichael Napier describes the naval air power deployed by NATO, Warsaw Pact and neutral countries throughout the Cold War.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1949, an Iron Curtain was drawn across Europe, and the Cold War that ensued between the Western North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and the Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact lasted through to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. NATO and Warsaw Pact naval forces spread over the world’s oceans, and the powerful forces of the US Navy’s Second Fleet patrolled the North Atlantic, while the Sixth Fleet was positioned in the Mediterranean. The age of the nuclear-powered supercarrier arrived in 1957 with the USS \u003ci\u003eForrestal\u003c\/i\u003e, while the Soviet Union’s first aircraft carrier, the \u003ci\u003eKiev\u003c\/i\u003e, was commissioned in 1975.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eOver Cold War Seas\u003c\/i\u003e, respected aviation author Michael Napier examines the naval air power of the major combatant forces as it developed from 1949 through to 1989. All the major naval aircraft types are covered, both fixed wing and helicopters, which entered service in the 1950s for light transport or rescue duties and evolved into multi-purpose machines capable of performing anti-submarine and airborne early warning missions. This detailed text is supported by a wide range of first-hand accounts of operational flying during the Cold War, as well as over 220 high-quality, contemporary images.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000697667820,"sku":"9781472865526","price":89.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10792783482712.jpg?v=1763298410"},{"product_id":"raf-jaguar-units-in-combat-by-michael-napier-9781472865250","title":"RAF Jaguar Units in Combat","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRAF Jaguar Units in Combat\u003c\/em\u003e is an illustrated account of the development and action-packed service history of the Jaguar attack jet, featuring first-hand accounts from the pilots that flew it into combat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped as a joint venture between Britain and France, the SEPECAT Jaguar was originally intended to be a jet trainer aircraft, but quickly evolved to fulfil a need for a supersonic attack jet with close air support, reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike capabilities. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter first entering service in the 1970s, it flew operational missions for the RAF almost continuously between 1990 and 2003, including numerous combat missions during the first Gulf War and Bosnian War, and reconnaissance missions over northern Iraq and the Balkans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this eventful volume, former RAF pilot Michael Napier expertly chronicles the storied career of the Jaguar, as well as the remarkable experiences of those that flew it into combat. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eComplemented by 24 aircraft profiles that demonstrate the variety of colours worn and ordnance employed by the Jaguar, a combination of detailed research, first-hand accounts, and both official and personal photographs bring to life the actions of an aircraft that was a mainstay of the RAF’s attack force for more than a decade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000720834796,"sku":"9781472865250","price":64.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10790023482712.jpg?v=1763300350"},{"product_id":"iraq-2003-by-michael-napier-9781472868053","title":"Iraq 2003","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFully illustrated, this study explores the technology, roles, and combat performance of Coalition airpower in the biggest air campaign of the early 21st century.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2003, a US-led Coalition invaded Iraq with the aim of overthrowing Saddam Hussain’s regime. Just as it had in the 1991 Gulf War, airpower played a vital role. However, this war was very different to its predecessor and represented a new style of warfare: focused targeting with precision-guided munitions and close integration with land forces made air power particularly effective and efficient.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAirpower scholar and former RAF pilot Michael Napier explains how the 2003 air campaign was planned and fought. He describes the preparatory work that was carried out in the No Fly Zones before hostilities began, how the plan was changed at the last minute to attempt a decapitation of the Iraqi government, and how the campaign then developed to support both the advance of Anglo-American land forces and SOF operations against tactical ballistic missiles in the western desert. He analyses in detail the relationship between the conduct of air operations and progress on the battlefield during the three-week war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIllustrated with dramatic artwork, 3D diagrams, maps and photos, this book assesses what made \u003cem\u003eIraq 2003\u003c\/em\u003e the textbook air campaign of the early 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47664159555820,"sku":"9781472868053","price":42.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781472868053-iraq-2003.jpg?v=1779660816"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/michael-napier.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}