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Warriors
Commander John Bennett values flesh-and-blood fighter pilots over high technology - and he gets a chance to put his theories to the test. Invited by the Saudi king to build a secret air wing capable of matching the elite Israeli air force, Bennett recruits American and British top guns to train a corps of young Saudi pilots - the "Tiger Force." It's a strategist's dream come true; a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to launch Bennett's brand of young warriors into military history. But now, as a fierce Arab-Israeli war breaks out, thundering confrontations high above the desert will determine the fate of nations - and give John Bennett's Tigers the fight of their lives.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Barrett Tillman
118 books64 followersBorn a fourth-generation Oregonian, descended from American pioneers, Revolutionary War Patriots, Pilgrims (e.g. Priscilla Alden) and Pocahontas, Tillman was raised on the family wheat and cattle ranch. His younger brothers include a breeder of exotic animals and a Rhodes Scholar. In high school he was an Eagle Scout[citation needed], won two state titles as a rudimental drummer, and was a champion speaker and debater. Tillman was first published in 1964 at age 15 and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Like his father, a Navy trained pilot in World War II, Tillman developed an early passion for aviation and learned to fly at age 16. Over the next several years he flew a variety of vintage and historic aircraft, including a pre-WW II Navy trainer and a restored dive-bomber. The latter became the subject of his first book, The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, published in 1976. It established the format for many subsequent books, operational histories of U.S. Navy aircraft.
After college Tillman worked as a freelance writer until 1982 when he founded Champlin Fighter Museum Press in Mesa, Arizona, publishing out-of-print and new titles on military aviation.
In 1986 he moved to San Diego to become managing editor of The Hook, quarterly journal of the Tailhook Association. He remained in that position for three years before deciding to focus full time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in June 1990. Warriors[1] depicted a Mideast air war and became an immediate best seller when Iraq invaded Kuwait two months later.
Tillman's next two novels appeared in 1992: The Sixth Battle, (written with his brother John) which captured a wide following among computer war gamers; and Dauntless, intended as the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Hellcats, nominated as military novel of the year in 1996. He has also published original fiction in the Stephen Coonts anthologies, Combat and Victory.
Tillman remains active as a magazine writer. He is a regular contributor to The Hook, Flight Journal, and several firearms publications. He has also reported from Africa for Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Tillman is a former executive secretary of the American Fighter Aces Association.[2]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_...
Like his father, a Navy trained pilot in World War II, Tillman developed an early passion for aviation and learned to fly at age 16. Over the next several years he flew a variety of vintage and historic aircraft, including a pre-WW II Navy trainer and a restored dive-bomber. The latter became the subject of his first book, The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II, published in 1976. It established the format for many subsequent books, operational histories of U.S. Navy aircraft.
After college Tillman worked as a freelance writer until 1982 when he founded Champlin Fighter Museum Press in Mesa, Arizona, publishing out-of-print and new titles on military aviation.
In 1986 he moved to San Diego to become managing editor of The Hook, quarterly journal of the Tailhook Association. He remained in that position for three years before deciding to focus full time to writing fiction. His first novel was published in June 1990. Warriors[1] depicted a Mideast air war and became an immediate best seller when Iraq invaded Kuwait two months later.
Tillman's next two novels appeared in 1992: The Sixth Battle, (written with his brother John) which captured a wide following among computer war gamers; and Dauntless, intended as the first in a trilogy. It was followed by Hellcats, nominated as military novel of the year in 1996. He has also published original fiction in the Stephen Coonts anthologies, Combat and Victory.
Tillman remains active as a magazine writer. He is a regular contributor to The Hook, Flight Journal, and several firearms publications. He has also reported from Africa for Soldier of Fortune magazine.
Tillman is a former executive secretary of the American Fighter Aces Association.[2]
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 16, 2022
I was not expecting much from this book; I had snagged it from the "free box" at King Books a little while ago, and tossed it on the floor of my Jeep, behind the driver's seat, where I have developed the habit of keeping a small pile of military & spy thrillers and mysteries as "emergency books" in case I'm stuck waiting somewhere and forgot to bring something to read. Although I had seen Barrett Tillman's name before (probably because he co-authored On Yankee Station: The Naval Air War over Vietnam), as far as I know I had never read any of his books until now.
This book was published in 1990, at the tail end of the Cold War, which makes it somewhat dated and even anachronistic now; according to Mr. Tillman's Goodreads bio, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait made it a best-seller...
Over all, this was one of the better military thrillers I've read recently (meaning the last decade or so). The air combat scenes were extremely well-written, but there is more here than just combat- the other aspects of the book were handled quite well also. If you enjoy this sort of novel, I would definitely recommend it.
This book was published in 1990, at the tail end of the Cold War, which makes it somewhat dated and even anachronistic now; according to Mr. Tillman's Goodreads bio, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait made it a best-seller...
Over all, this was one of the better military thrillers I've read recently (meaning the last decade or so). The air combat scenes were extremely well-written, but there is more here than just combat- the other aspects of the book were handled quite well also. If you enjoy this sort of novel, I would definitely recommend it.
October 17, 2025
The Saudi king hires an American fighter pilot to create and train a fighter unit consisting of highly motived, young Saudi men to protect his state. Commander Bennett, the US fighter jock, is convinced that it's the man in the machine that makes the difference and that the ever rising costs of new fighters are no guarantee for a win. He is of the opinion that well trained pilots, flying 'cheaper' yet well performing fighters, can do a better job.
The jet that shines in the book is the F-20 Tigershark. I liked the Tigershark from the moment I saw pictures of it. Chuck Yeager liked it too, so that's something to consider.
Suddenly the Middle East flares up again and a conflict between the Arab states and Israel starts. Bennett and his 'mercenary' pilots will see close up if the theory can stand its ground.
Yes, the book is somewhat dated, but the aerial parts are really good. The overall story still keeps one focused to read what happens next. Unfortunately the end of the book feels a bit improvised and I think that a better ending could have been found. So it is still a fun read, but the ending lacks in my opinion.
The jet that shines in the book is the F-20 Tigershark. I liked the Tigershark from the moment I saw pictures of it. Chuck Yeager liked it too, so that's something to consider.
Suddenly the Middle East flares up again and a conflict between the Arab states and Israel starts. Bennett and his 'mercenary' pilots will see close up if the theory can stand its ground.
Yes, the book is somewhat dated, but the aerial parts are really good. The overall story still keeps one focused to read what happens next. Unfortunately the end of the book feels a bit improvised and I think that a better ending could have been found. So it is still a fun read, but the ending lacks in my opinion.
September 26, 2021
It was okay not too bad really. It was hard to get a sense of what time they were writing about. It was hard for me to picture service men working for other countries.
June 4, 2008
More of a strategic exercise than a novel.
A brave attempt at making the F-20 Tigershark into an action hero. The setup is essentially an American fighter jock is hired by the Saudi government to build them an air force.
It is transparently the author's fantasy in written form "What if you were given unlimited funds and carte blanche. What would you do?"
Tillman apparently would buy beefed up F-5s, take out their radars, and rely on ground-based radar.
There are some fun tactics and a definite wow finish - but the characters are merely sounding boards for Tillman's lecture on how he'd run things.
A brave attempt at making the F-20 Tigershark into an action hero. The setup is essentially an American fighter jock is hired by the Saudi government to build them an air force.
It is transparently the author's fantasy in written form "What if you were given unlimited funds and carte blanche. What would you do?"
Tillman apparently would buy beefed up F-5s, take out their radars, and rely on ground-based radar.
There are some fun tactics and a definite wow finish - but the characters are merely sounding boards for Tillman's lecture on how he'd run things.
November 25, 2016
I have read quite a few books of the same genre and this alone has a very unusual and interesting story line.
April 23, 2017
Everything up to the ending was great. Then the ending was really time snapped and shortened. That's the reason for the missing 2 stars. As for the match up between the F-20 Tigershark versus F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcons, most of it is hypothetical because the F-20 never made it to full production in the real world. That said, this book explores the what-ifs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews