Being interested in military history naturally leads into being interested in modern military hardware and tactics. These days, understanding the basics of military technology can also be useful in other ways. I've accumulated a shelf or so of books about modern military subjects, mainly the US military but some about other countries as well.
| Arco military hardware guides | Tom Clancy's US Armed Forces series | Other books on military hardware |
During the early 1980s, Arco Books in England produced a series of small hardcover books that were illustrated guides to different types of modern weapons and warfare. A typical book in the series describes between thirty and sixty combat weapons or vehicles, complete with development histories and any available information about the item's combat record, if it has one. These guides were apparently written in cooperation with Jane's Defense Publications. Most are now rather outdated, since they were published between 1981and 1985. However, they still contain a lot of useful information. I've collected about a dozen of these guides:
MODERN AIRBORNE MISSILES
Gunston, Bill
c.1983, Arco
ISBN: 0-668-05822-6
An excellent guide to the air-launched missiles employed by major military powers. Includes air-to-air, anti-ship, anti-radar, and air-to-surface missiles. Covers everything from the latest anti-radiation missiles to guided smart-bombs like the American Paveway bomb series. However, this book does not include strategic missiles like the nuclear-tipped Tomahawk cruise missile. Since it's twenty years old, it also doesn't include such things as the new GPS-guided weapons which were used to such devastating effect in Afghanistan in 2001-02 and Iraq in 2003.
MILITARY HELICOPTERS
Gunston, Bill
c.1981, Arco
ISBN: 0-668-05345-3
Helicopters used by the world's major navies and air forces. Includes armed combat helicopters, transports, utility craft. Because there have been relatively few models of military helicopters, this book is able to include most of the major models going all the way back to the first production helicopters in the late 1940s.
MODERN FIGHTER COMBAT
Spick, Mike
c.1987, Prentice-Hall
ISBN: 0-13-451055-0
This is a slightly unusual volume in the series. Half the book is given to more or less typical descriptions of combat fighter aircraft, limited to those which are designed for air-to-air combat. The second half is about fighter combat tactics. As a whole, the book is an excellent introduction to modern fighter combat.
MODERN SOVIET AIR FORCE
Gunston, Bill
c.1982, Arco
ISBN: 0-668-05496-4
Guide to 40+ major aircraft types used by the Soviet Air Force. Of course, there isn't any Soviet Air Force anymore, but the Russian Air Force uses many of the same types. And the USSR sold so many aircraft to its client states that Soviet-design combat aircraft are likely to appear in many theaters of potential conflict.
MODERN SOVIET ARMY
This entry in the series discusses the major weapons systems used by the Soviet Army as of 1980. Small-arms (rifles, machine-guns, mortars, etc.) are not covered. The focus is on large mobile weapons systems: tanks, infantry carriers, other armored vehicles, artillery, and tactical rocket systems.
MODERN SUBMARINES
Miller, David
c.1987, Arco
ISBN: 0-668-05495-6
Compact directory of around 60 types of submarines employed by the world's navies. Divided into sections by submarine type: nuclear-missile submarines ("boomers"), guided-missile submarines, fast attack submarines, and coastal submarines. I was interested to see how many navies still use diesel-electric submarines for coastal patrol. The US Navy is the only navy which has eliminated diesel-electric designs and switched entirely to nuclear-powered submarines.
MODERN US NAVY
Jordan, John
c.1982, Arco
ISBN: 0-668-05505-7
A compact guide to the major ship classes operated by the US Navy, including line warships and support ships. Current only to 1980.
NATO FIGHTERS AND ATTACK AIRCRAFT
Gunston, Bill
c.1986, Prentice-Hall
ISBN: 0-668-05824-4
Guide to the major fighters and attack aircraft used by the NATO countries. "Attack aircraft" is given a rather loose definition, which lets this book include even heavy bombers like the B-1 and B-52. Only transport and electronic-warfare aircraft are excluded.
MODERN NAVAL WARFARE
Walmer, Max
c.1989, Salamander
ISBN: 0-13-451170-0
RIFLES AND MACHINE GUNS
Myatt, Frederick, Major
c.1981, Salamander
ISBN: 0-86101-077-9
This is an excellent guide to the rifles and sub-machine guns used by combat forces throughout the twentieth century. A slightly unusual entry in the series, because of the time span it covers (the whole 20th century) and the number of individual weapons described. The first section covers rifles, from old bolt-action rifles like the Mauser 98 and Springfield 1903 to advanced automatic rifles like the M-16 and AK-74. The second section covers submachine guns, which are defined as rifle-size automatic guns that fire pistol bullets at a high rate of fire.
SPY PLANES AND ELECTRONIC WARFARE AIRCRAFT
Gunston, Bill
c.1983, Arco
ISBN: 0-668-05825-0
A guide to the aircraft employed specifically for electronic warfare and strategic and tactical reconnaissance. These are some of the most exotic aircraft in the world's air forces, including the SR-71 Blackbird, EA-6B Prowler, and U-2.
TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRONIC WARFARE
Richardson, Doug
c.1985, Salamander
ISBN: 0-86101-265-8
An excellent capsule guide to techniques and tactics of electronic warfare (EW): radar, countermeasures, jamming, deception, etc. Another rather unusual entry in the series, because it spends more time discussing the theory of electronic warfare than it does on specific weapon systems. The tactics and equipment of EW have advanced greatly since this book was written, but the basic theory remains the same.
USAF: THE MODERN US AIR FORCE
Gunston, Bill
c.1986, Prentice-Hall
ISBN: 0-668-05497-2
A guide to the major aircraft types used by the United States Air Force. Includes combat fighters, tactical bombers, strategic bombers, and transport & supply aircraft.
After Operation Desert Storm in 1991, several of these guides were revised and a couple of new ones were written to take advantage of information revealed during the fighting against the Iraqi army. I have a few of these revised guides as well:
AMERICAN FIGHTERS & ATTACK AIRCRAFT
Mike Spick & Barry Wheeler
c.1992, Salamander Books
ISBN: 0-8317-5059-6
A detailed look at the combat aircraft used by all branches of the United States military: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
MODERN ELITE FORCES
David Miller and Gerard Ridefort
c.1992, Salamander Books
ISBN: 0-8317-5052-9
Most Americans have heard of Delta Force, or the US Army Rangers, or the US Navy SEALs. They're among the elite commando units maintained by the US armed forces. Many armies around the world maintain similar units, from the Special Air Service in Great Britain to the martial-arts-trained commandos of the Taiwanese army. This book looks at a selection of these elite commando units: background, mission, training. It's somewhat outdated now in that it lists the Soviet Spetsnaz and doesn't include commando units set up by former Soviet satellite nations, but it's still very interesting and well done. A companion volume titled WEAPONS OF THE ELITE FORCES, by the same authors and written at the same time, looks at the weapons used by these elite units.
MODERN TANKS & FIGHTING VEHICLES
Miller, David
c.1992, Smithmark
ISBN: 0-8317-5056-1
A guide to the main battle tanks, light tanks, and self-propelled artillery used by major land armies. This is the updated edition, which includes data from Desert Storm. It does not cover armored personnel carriers or other light armored vehicles.
MODERN SUB HUNTERS
Miller, David
c.1992, Salamander Books
ISBN: 0-8317-5060-X
A look at the surface ships and aircraft used in modern antisubmarine warfare (ASW). This is probably the least important of the guides that I have, since hardly anyone needs ASW anymore. But it's still interesting to read about; ASW was one of the major focuses of naval development in the Cold War, and some of the systems devised became very elaborate and technologically advanced.
MODERN US NAVY
Jordan, John
c.1992, Salamander Books
ISBN: 0-8317-5061-8
Revised and updated guide to the US Navy. This revision uses data from Desert Storm. It also adds information on new ship types and drops a couple of types that were retired during the 1980s.
Tom Clancy's US Armed Forces series
Starting in 1993, military-thriller author Tom Clancy published a series of books which are detailed looks at various segments of the United States armed forces. Clancy is more of a cheerleader and enthusiast than an objective reporter; on the other hand, the factual information in these books generally matches what I've read and heard elsewhere, and Clancy does tell the soldier's side, which non-military people don't often see. I have six of these books:
AIRBORNE: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Regiment
Clancy, Tom
c.1997, Berkley
The 82nd Airborne Division is one of the US's oldest and most respected units. Its job is to be first to key trouble spots, and to hold the line until the heavy units can get there. This is a detailed look at the weapons, tactics, and training used by the 82nd.
ARMORED CAV: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment
Clancy, Tom
c.1994, Berkley
ISBN: 0-425-15836-5
"Armored Cavalry" is what the US Army calls its heavy tank units. Modern US tanks are high-speed mobile forts, with amazing speed, maneuverability, and fire control. This book is a survey of an armored-cavalry regiment: troops, equipment, weapons, vehicles, support units, and tactical combat doctrine.
CARRIER: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier
Clancy, Tom
c.1998, Berkley
The Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier is the most powerful warship in the US Navy, which makes it the most powerful warship in the world. This is a guided tour of a modern aircraft carrier: the ship, the crew, the aircraft and personnel and weapons of its air wing, etc.
FIGHTER WING: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing
Clancy, Tom
c.1995, Berkley
ISBN: 0-425-14957-9
In recent years the US Air Force reorganized its air squadrons into combat wings, in which one wing has all the essential units for its missions -- not only combat aircraft but also support and transport units. This book looks at one of these combined wings: men, aircraft, weapons, training, and tactical doctrine. It's a fighter wing so it doesn't include anything about the USAF's heavy bomber units; however, the rest of it is quite good.
MARINE: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit
Clancy, Tom
c.1996, Berkley Books
ISBN: 0-425-15454-8
US Marines are shock troops who specialize in rapid assaults by sea or air. This book looks at the men, machines, weapons, equipment, and tactics of a single Marine Corps combat unit: the regiment-sized Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU. It's interesting to compare the weapons, tactics, and training used by the Marine Corps with that used by the 82nd Airborne, as described in AIRBORNE (see above).
SUBMARINE: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship
Clancy, Tom
c.1993, Berkley
ISBN: 0-425-13873-9
The 688-class (aka Los Angeles class) nuclear attack submarine is the most advanced sub in service today. This book goes aboard a 688 and talks about what it does and how it does it, excluding only classified material. Subjects covered include the 688's crew, equipment, weapons, and missions.
Other books on military hardware
I have a number of miscellaneous books on military hardware as well:
AIRCRAFT ARMAMENTS RECOGNITION
Chant, Christopher
c.1989, Ian Allen
ISBN: 0-7110-1841-3
Field guidebook to recognizing aircraft armaments: bombs, missiles, rockets, guns, and anything else a warplane might carry.
COMBAT AIRCRAFT RECOGNITION
March, Peter
c.1988, Ian Allen
ISBN: 0-7110-1730-1
This is a sort of field guide to combat aircraft, including photos and brief text descriptions. Includes both fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters.
FIGHTING JETS
Walker, Bryce
c.1983, Time-Life Books
ISBN: 0-8094-3362-1
A history of military fighter jets from WWII through 1982. It doesn't go into much depth, and it doesn't have much information that can't be gotten in other, better books. I only have this book because it cost only a couple of dollars at a library book sale.
ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE WORLD'S ROCKETS & MISSILES
Gunston, Bill
c.1979, Leisure Books
ISBN:
Complete guide to all past and present missiles and rockets: air-launched, ship-launched, and ground-launched. I've found it useful when looking for information on missiles that are obsolete and no longer used.
MODERN LAND COMBAT
Miller, David and Foss, Christopher
c.1987, Crescent Books
ISBN: 0-517-63854-1
A complete guide to weapons and tactics used by modern military land forces, from infantry rifles to main battle tanks. Each individual weapon system gets a capsule description. It's not very detailed, but it's a good overview.
THE POCKET GUIDE TO MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND THE WORLD'S AIR FORCES
Donald, David
c.1986, Gallery Books
ISBN: 0-817-7020-1
A field guide to major types of combat aircraft used by the world's air forces, plus brief summaries of every country's air force strength as of about 1985.
SKUNK WORKS
Rich, Ben & Janos, Leo
c.1994, Little, Brown
ISBN: 0-316-74330-5
The story of Lockheed's super-secret aircraft development unit, which was run by Kelly Johnson and was responsible for the development of such aircraft as the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, and F-117 Stealth fighter.
SUPER CARRIERS: US NAVAL AIR POWER TODAY
Montbazet, Jean-Pierre
c.1985, Osprey
ISBN: 085045-639-8
A look at life aboard United States aircraft carriers.
