Product Description

Helmand Province, October 2006: British soldiers are engaged in the most intense, sustained fighting they've faced since the Korean War. Against a tough, experienced and frighteningly motivated enemy, their lives too often depended on the success of danger-close, pin-point attacks pressed home from the air. When 800 Naval Air Squadron - callsign 'Recoil' - arrived in theatre, their Boss, Commander Ade Orchard, knew there could be no slip-ups. Day and night, the Fleet Air Arm crews were on constant alert, ready to scramble their heavily armed Harrier attack jets at a moment's notice in support of the men on the ground. The call wasn't slow in coming. Just fifteen minutes after getting airborne for the first time, Orchard and his wingman were in the thick of it, called in when an Apache helicopter gunship was forced back by heavy fire . . . The first book written by a serving British fast jet pilot since the 1991 Gulf War, Joint Force Harrier offers an unprecedented, heart-stopping insight into the realities of modern air warfare. The complexity and sophistication of the equipment may have moved on since the epic war battles of WWII, but it's clear that the courage, skill and character of the men engaged in this struggle for a country's survival has not.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20541 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

Review
'A hardcore insight into the courage and brutal struggle our soldiers in Afghanistan face' Zoo 'Gripping ... a white-knuckle ride in the face of intense fire' News of the World

Review
'Gripping detail ... a white knuckle ride in the face of intense fire ... a compelling insight into the dangerous world of modern air warfare where any error is met with death.'

Review
'Gripping detail ... a white knuckle ride in the face of intense fire ... a compelling insight into the dangerous world of modern air warfare where any error is met with death.'

Customer Reviews

Joint Force Harrier
Joint Force Harrier is the personal story of Commander Ade Orchard the first Officer Commanding 800 Naval Air Squadron following its transition from the Sea Harrier FA2 to the Harrier GR7. Commander Orchard details the Squadrons highs and lows from standing up on 3rd April 2006, through a work up on HMS Illustrious, to deployment to the Afghan airbase of Khandahar, and goes on in depth to outline the trials, tribulations, and fears of a commanding officer, and his personnel on a front line ground attack squadron, in an all to real shooting war.

The book is a gripping read throughout; putting it down almost became a chore. Commander Orchard details in an easily digestible manner the preparations for, and the detail in which, every sortie is planned and executed, and the level of professionalism that is inherent in ensuring that the right target is accurately identified even in the heat of the battle, both by those in the air and those on the ground.

If you enjoy reading about military history, military aviation, just like the Harrier, or simply want to try to understand what the pressures and conditions in Afghanistan are like for the men and women that serve there, then in my opinion you really should add this fine book to your bookshelves, and I can assure that you will read it again and again.

As good as it gets in a Harrier.
First of all I would like to thank Peter Thompson for his review which prompted me to purchase and read this account by Commander Ade Orchard on the part played by the Gr7 crews in the Afghan theatre of war.
It has been well written and is a documented account of the time spent by the Royal Navy on a land based, ground attack tour of duty.
This is a very educated read and comes without all the humerous anecdotes of life in the mess rooms and bunk houses. No accounts of wives, children or what they are missing back home.
This is what the reader wants to hear...scrambles to get airborne, pressure on crews to direct attacks at the right targets, life in the cockpit of a Harrier jump jet and what happens when the going gets tough and things go wrong....this hero stayed cool, calm and collected under immense pressures and it is an honour to have read his book.
Much like the pilots during WW2 they remain a cut above the rest and have a quality that few of us share.
A damm good read...this will become essential reading for many many years to come.

Must read
This is a first hand insight into the afghanistan war, from the eyes of a RN pilot. It is very well written, with Ade's sense of humour it makes for a thrilling book. I cannot reccomend this enough.