Hot Skies over Yemen Volumes 1-2 (PDF Edition)

Exclusive Deal: 30% Off

Hot Skies over Yemen – Volumes 1 & 2 
By Tom Cooper

For more than six decades, Yemen has been the scene of near-continuous conflict — from civil wars and tribal uprisings to Cold War proxy battles and modern high-tech air campaigns. Despite the intensity and longevity of these wars, the country’s military history — particularly its air warfare — remains one of the least documented in the world.

In Hot Skies over Yemen, renowned aviation historian Tom Cooper draws on newly released intelligence sources, memoirs, and first-hand accounts to deliver the definitive study of aerial warfare in Yemen from 1962 to the present day. Richly illustrated with more than 140 photographs, colour profiles, maps, and data tables, these volumes reveal a forgotten but fascinating story of regional rivalry, foreign intervention, and evolving air power across six turbulent decades.

Volume 1 – Air Wars in Yemen 1962–1994
Since the outbreak of civil war in September 1962, Yemen has seldom known peace. This first volume explores the rise of Yemeni military aviation from its origins during Egypt’s intervention in the 1960s through the formation of two rival air forces — one in North Yemen and one in South Yemen — and their deep entanglement in the global Cold War.

Using newly declassified intelligence reports and rare local sources, Cooper reconstructs the campaigns of the Egyptian Air Force, the creation of the North and South Yemeni air arms, and the series of inter-Yemeni wars that followed.
With over 140 rare photographs, detailed maps, and full-colour profiles, this volume provides an unprecedented account of a little-known chapter of modern aerial warfare — where Soviet, Western, and Arab equipment and doctrine clashed in the skies over Arabia.

Volume 2 – The Modern Air Wars, 2004–Present
Following the 1994 civil war, Yemen entered a brief period of stability — shattered in 2004 by the first of six government offensives against the Houthi movement. The Yemeni Air Force, though partially modernised, struggled with logistics and coordination, while the conflict gradually drew in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

This second volume examines the evolution of air warfare in Yemen during the 21st century — from the Saudi intervention of 2009–2010 to the large-scale coalition operations launched in March 2015. Cooper analyses the deployment and combat use of some of the most advanced aircraft in the region, including the F-15S, F-16E/F, EF-2000 Typhoon, and Mirage 2000, revealing how modern doctrine and technology were tested in one of the world’s most complex conflicts.
Extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, and colour profiles, this book offers exclusive insight into the conduct, challenges, and consequences of contemporary aerial warfare in the Middle East.

Together, Volumes 1 & 2 present a comprehensive and meticulously researched history of aerial warfare in Yemen — from the Cold War to the modern era — making them essential reading for aviation historians, military analysts, and enthusiasts of modern combat operations.