THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING MEMOIR OF 21ST-CENTURY AIR COMBAT, BY "ONE OF THE MOST DECORATED PILOTS IN AIR FORCE HISTORY" (NEW YORK POST)
151 combat missions
21 hard kills on surface -to -air missile sites
4 Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor
1 Purple Heart
First into a war zone, flying behind enemy lines to purposely draw fire, the wild weasels are elite fighter squadrons with the most dangerous job in the Air Force
One of the greatest aviation memoirs ever written, Viper Pilot is an Air Force legend's thrilling eyewitness account of modern air warfare. For twenty years, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Hampton was a leading member of the Wild Weasels, logging 608 combat hours in the world's most iconic fighter jet: the F-16 "Fighting Falcon," or "Viper." He spearheaded the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leading the first flight of fighters over the border en route to strike Baghdad. Earlier, on 9/11, Hampton's father was inside the Pentagon when it was attacked; with his dad's fate unknown, Hampton was scrambled into American skies and given the unprecedented orders to shoot down any unidentified aircraft. Viper Pilot is an unforgettable look into the closed world of fighter pilots and modern air combat.
This gripping true story of modern warfare puts you in the cockpit for:
- Wild Weasel Missions: Go behind enemy lines on the most dangerous job in the Air Force—hunting and killing enemy air defenses before they can kill you.
- F-16 Viper Combat: Experience the raw power and lethal precision of the F-16 Fighting Falcon from the perspective of one of its most decorated pilots.
- Shock and Awe: Lead the first flight of fighters into Iraq in 2003, spearheading the historic "Shock and Awe" campaign from the front lines over Baghdad.
- A Fighter Pilot's Memoir: Get a rare, firsthand account of being scrambled on 9/11 with shoot-down orders and the intense reality of flying 151 combat missions.