Summary of Dan Hampton's Viper Pilot

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 Since the first man combined flight with warfare, other men have been trying to shoot aviators down.

The British Royal Air Force became concerned about the German bomber threat in 1917, and developed a 37-mm pom-pom gun.#2 The 1960s saw great technical advances in both aircraft and weapons, which led to the development of new air-combat missions.

The Soviets developed the SA-2 Goa, a surface-to-air missile system that could reach speeds of more than 2,600 miles per hour.#3 The American involvement in Vietnam started with air and sea power in 1965.

The Vietnamese began importing huge amounts of Soviet hardware, and U.

S. pilots flying strike missions were suddenly faced with a very dangerous and unanticipated air-defense threat.#4 The final link in the chain that created the Wild Weasels was the death of Ross Fobair, who was shot down by a SAM near Hanoi in November 1965.

His nephew, Bruce Giffin, returned to Vietnam and found his uncle's remains.