RAF Harrier Ground Attack: Falklands

Front Cover
Pen and Sword, Jun 15, 2008 - History - 256 pages
During the Falklands war Jerry Pook, a pilot in No. 1(F) Squadron RAF, flew air interdiction, armed reccon, close-air-support and airfield attack as well as pure photo-reccon missions. Most weapons were delivered from extreme low-level attacks because of the lack of navigation aids and in the absence of Smart weapons. The only way he could achieve results was to get low down and close-in to the targets and, if necessary, carry out re-attacks to destroy high-value targets. Apart from brief carrier trials carried out many years previously there had been no RAF Harriers deployed at sea. The RAF pilots were treated with ill-disguised contempt by their naval masters, their professional opinions ignored in spite of the fact that the RN knew next to nothing about ground-attack and reccon operations. Very soon after starting operations from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes the squadron realized that they were considered as more or less expendable ordnance. The Harriers lacked the most basic self-protection aids and were up against 10,000 well-armed troops who put up an impressive weight of fire whenever attacked.
 

Selected pages

Contents

1 In at the Deep End
1
2 Ascension
20
3 A South Atlantic Cruise
26
4 Hermes
35
5 First OperationFox Bay
49
6 Invasion21 May
56
7 Fourship Attack on Goose Green
66
8 Sea Harrier Night Raid
71
21 SAM Kill
151
22 LGBS on Target
159
23 ENDEX14 June
162
24 Dry Land at Last
165
25 Jeff Comes Back
171
26 1F Squadron Returns to the Falklands
173
27 Afterthoughts
177
Letter to Wing Commander Neal
182

9 The Counter Air Programme
74
10 Blue on Blue
82
11 Exocet Attack
86
12 Routine Operations
89
13 Enroute Tactics
99
Photo Gallery
106
14 Goose Green FAC Shambles
107
15 Dusk Strike at Goose Green
113
16 My Luck Runs Out
121
17 More Navy Cockups
128
18 Bad Weather Sets In
134
19 Yet More Navy Cockups
138
20 A Crash on the Strip
144
Conclusions
183
Harrier GR3 Technical Details
185
Singleseat Low Flying
186
Fighter Ground Attack Weapons
190
Bombing Techniques
192
Rocket Firing Techniques
197
Strafing Techniques
199
Forward Air Control Techniques
201
Air Combat
204
Maps
207
Notes
213
Index
217
Copyright

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Jerry Pook is an author and a historian.

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