The Soviets did not need to ‘steal’ or ‘get’ any Tomcats: obtaining quite good intel on the F-14 – from the…
Tom Cooper
Tom Cooper
Tom Cooper, from Austria, is a military-aviation journalist and historian. Following a career in a worldwide transportation business — in which, during his extensive travels in Europe and the Middle East, he established excellent contacts — he moved into writing. An earlier fascination with post-Second World War military aviation has narrowed to focus on smaller air forces and conflicts, about which he has collected extensive archives of material. Concentrating primarily on air warfare that has previously received scant attention, he specializes in investigative research on little-known African and Arab air forces, as well as the Iranian Air Force. Cooper has published 21 books — including the unique Arab MiGs' series, which examines the deployment and service history of major Arab air forces in conflicts with Israel — as well as over 200 articles on related topics, providing a window into a number of previously unexamined yet fascinating conflicts and relevant developments.
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Cold War EraF-14 TomcatMilitary Aviation
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Aviation HistoryF-14 TomcatMilitary Aviation
You either love it or hate it: why 50 years after its first flight the F-14 Tomcat is still a highly controversial aircraft
by Tom CooperThe F-14 saw much more combat than usually thought: indeed, much more than the other ‘teen fighters’ – including F-15, F-16,…
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Military Aviation
During the I Karabakh War of 1992-1994 both Armenia and Azerbaijan claimed lots of ‘MiG-25’ shot downs. But most of jets were either L-39s or Su-25s
by Tom CooperDuring the I Karabakh War both sides were claiming a lots of ‘MiG-25s’ as shot down – almost all by MANPADS.…
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Cold War EraHelicoptersMilitary Aviation
The fake story of the Iraqi Mi-24 attack helicopter that shot down an Iranian F-4 using an anti-tank guided missile
by Tom Cooper‘On popular request’: what’s the story about ‘Iraqi Mi-24 shot down an Iranian F-4’ – and then using an AT-4 or…
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Cold War EraMilitary Aviation
The story of Abbas Dowran, the Iranian F-4E pilot who was shot down while trying to conduct a low level attack on Baghdad during the summit of non-aligned nations
by Tom CooperThe Iraqi air defences lost the track of Dowran’s jet until it entered the zone covered by their low-altitude radars, about…
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Cold War EraMilitary Aviation
The Iraqi MiG-21 F-14 Killer than never was: the story of the MiG-21 Jay Fighter
by Tom CooperIs there a chance for such an aircraft to have ever shot down an IRIAF F-14? This is to address one…
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Cold War EraLosses and Aviation SafetyMilitary Aviation
When Gaddafi ordered a MiG-23 to collide with a Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727 to demonstrate negative effects of international sanctions imposed on Libya
by Tom CooperThe MiG-23UB crew were shocked to sense a detonation on the underside or below their aircraft. A fire broke out. A…
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Aviation HistoryCold War EraMilitary Aviation
Former Pakistan Air Force pilot decorated for having scored three (unconfirmed) kills against Israeli military aircraft during the Six-Day War passes away
by Tom CooperSaif ul-Azam claimed, and was credited with downing 3 Israeli jets in the June 1967 War. His claims remain ‘unclear’, though.…
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Military Aviation
The MiG-29s deployed to al-Jufra Air Base may belong to Libyan National Army Air Force but it doesn’t really matter: they are in Libya ‘in the name of Russia’
by Tom CooperIt doesn’t matter if the MiG-29s are operated by or on behalf of the LNA, Belarus, Vanuatu, or Mars People. Just,…
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Military Aviation
The deployment of Russian MiG-29 and Su-24 Jets to al-Jufrah Air Base and all you need to know about what’s going on in Libya
by Tom CooperFor those who might still have doubts, or prefer to call this ‘fake news,’ the main image of this post features…