Scramble 4 Productions' USAF Aggressors

Subtitled 'Know-Teach-Replicate, this book is a combination history and photo book for the USAF Aggressor fleet. As many of you know, the early years of the Vietnam War (or American War if you live in Vietnam), showed that the US military fighter force was not prepared for the sort of aerial warfare that they encountered. Flying what would be considered obsolescent or near obsolescent MiG fighters, The North Vietnamese Air Force used tactics that both Air Force and Navy pilots found difficult to combat. Despite having technical superiority, the kill ratio was surprisingly close to 1:1.

The Navy was the first to realize that pilots needed to be trained to combat dissimilar and often more maneuverable types so started the Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) in 1969, using what had been learned up to that period of time. It trained pilots to operate against more agile opponents using A-4 and T-38/F-5 aircraft. Graduates were sent out in the fleet to teach their squadron mates what they'd learned. It had profound results when the air war over North Vietnam became more intense.

The USAF was a bit late in getting on board with this sort of training so it wasn't until after all the major air battles were over in 1972 that they stood up the initial aggressor squadron. The training was similar to Top Gun with the USAF using T-38s and later F-5s to simulate Soviet MiGs. Eventually four squadrons were established; one in the Pacific, one in Europe, and one on the East and West coast of the US.

Just as the F-16 was starting to replace the F-5s, all but the West coast squadron was disbanded. This was the status quo for many years until slowly, other aggressor units came into being, some of them as part of the ANG/Reserves. Currently, all these units fly the F-16 with the Nellis squadron operating some F-15s and F-35s. In addition, the DOD has contracted out some of this training to civilian operators who fly a mixture of foreign aircraft.

Part of the pull of aggressor units for enthusiasts are the wide variety of camouflage schemes worn by these planes. That is where this book really shines. In addition to the history up until today are a huge number of large, crisply printed photographs. In all, it makes an outstanding book that is both informative and pure eye candy. I know you will like the book as much as did I and it is highly recommended.

Review copy courtesy of www.scramble4productions.com You can get your copy at this link.

June 2025

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