The mission:
Become the most skilled, highly-trained, and deadliest
fighter pilots in the world.
The place: TOP GUN
In the darkest days of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy's kill ratio had fallen to 2:1 -- a deadly decline in pilot combat effectiveness. To improve the odds, a corps of hardened fighter pilots founded the Fighter Weapons School, a.k.a. TOP GUN. Utilizing actual enemy fighter planes in brutally realistic dogfights, the Top Gun instructors dueled their students and each other to achieve a lethal new level of fighting expertise. The training paid off. Combining the latest weaponry and technology, mental endurance, and razor-sharp instincts, the Top Gunners drove the Navy's kill ratio up to an astounding 12:1, dominating the skies over Vietnam.
This gripping account takes you inside the cockpit for an adventure more explosive than any fiction -- in a dramatic true story of the legendary military school that has created the most dangerous fighter pilots the world has ever seen.
Robert K. Wilcox is the award-winning, bestselling author of such military works as Wings of Fury, Japan's Secret War, and Black Aces High. In addition to his writing for film and television, he has reported for The New York Times, contributed to the Miami Herald's Tropic magazine as well as numerous other publications, and was an editor at the Miami News. During the Vietnam War, he served as an Air Force information officer. He lives in Los Angeles. Please visit his website at www.robertwilcox.com