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TOPGUN: The US Navy Fighter Weapons School: Fifty Years of Excellence
A unique, illustrated history of the US Navy Fighter Weapons School's 50-year history.
This book provides a unique, illustrated history of the US Navy Fighter Weapons School’s 50-year history. Currently located at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, TOPGUN was formed in late 1968 at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, to create a graduate-level course in fighter tactics for Navy pilots deploying to Vietnam. Before TOPGUN, Navy F-4 Phantom II fighter crews in Vietnam managed only a 2.5:1 kill ratio versus Soviet-built MiG-17 and MiG-21 after TOPGUN formed, the community tallied a 12.5:1 kill ratio. Since then, TOPGUN has become the standard-bearer of Navy fighter and strike fighter tactics and training and is recognized worldwide as a center of excellence. Brad Elward has written on military aviation topics since 1997. He has authored articles on TOPGUN for The Hook and Combat Aircraft magazines and has published 11 aviation books and over 50 aviation articles.
This book provides a unique, illustrated history of the US Navy Fighter Weapons School’s 50-year history. Currently located at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, TOPGUN was formed in late 1968 at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, to create a graduate-level course in fighter tactics for Navy pilots deploying to Vietnam. Before TOPGUN, Navy F-4 Phantom II fighter crews in Vietnam managed only a 2.5:1 kill ratio versus Soviet-built MiG-17 and MiG-21 after TOPGUN formed, the community tallied a 12.5:1 kill ratio. Since then, TOPGUN has become the standard-bearer of Navy fighter and strike fighter tactics and training and is recognized worldwide as a center of excellence. Brad Elward has written on military aviation topics since 1997. He has authored articles on TOPGUN for The Hook and Combat Aircraft magazines and has published 11 aviation books and over 50 aviation articles.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published July 28, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 2, 2020
Really happy I got this book about TOPGUN by Brad Elward from Amazon. I'm familiar with Brad's writing for Combat Aircraft Journal and AIR International, so felt this book had potential.
Well the day I got this book in the mail, I headed outside into the sun to start reading. This book was an easy read, but then again lots of pictures with concise writing about the history of TOPGUN printed very well. No, not the movie - the US Navy fighter pilot graduate school to learn dogfighting and later on surface strike. Really good value for money with this high quality book.
Well the day I got this book in the mail, I headed outside into the sun to start reading. This book was an easy read, but then again lots of pictures with concise writing about the history of TOPGUN printed very well. No, not the movie - the US Navy fighter pilot graduate school to learn dogfighting and later on surface strike. Really good value for money with this high quality book.
June 9, 2026
More or less a collection of excellent photos with captions and a few pages of text describing the history of TOPGUN. Perfect for a casual reader and aviation enthusiast. For the deep dive into the history of this coveted school I recommend same author's boom Topgun - The legacy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews