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Air War in the Falklands 1982

$17.95

Aircraft of the Aces: Men & Legends - Book 50

Published in 2001 by Del Prado / Osprey, UK
Softcover, 64 Pages
Size - 25cm * 19cm

The small but fascinating war fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982 for possession of the Falkland Islands was probably the last 'colonial' war that will ever be undertaken by the British.

Starting with an Argentine invasion and ending in the total reassertion of British sovereignty over the islands and their dependencies, the Falklands war was an object lesson in the superiority of small but well equipped and highly motivated professional forces over potentially larger but less well equipped and indifferently trained forces relying for their main strength on conscripts.

The key to British success was the speed with which the British gained and then maintained air superiority over the islands and the waters around them with their small force of Sea Harrier STOVL warplanes, which operated from two aircraft carriers. Though subsonic, the Sea Harrier and its Sidewinder AAM were a combination altogether superior to Argentina's mix of supersonic and subsonic warplanes with older weapons, and this advantage was emphasised by the significantly greater tactical acuity of the British pilots.

The Argentine pilots fought with considerable piloting skill and enormous courage, and scored a number of stunning successes against British warships, but ultimately they could not prevent the British landing and the following land campaign that resulted in complete Argentine defeat.

Fully Illustrated with B&W photos, 4 pages of colour photos, and 8 pages of colour drawings