This tape provides a lively and informative overview of the various planes employed by the United States and its coalition allies during the 1991 Gulf War, focusing on how particular tasks in the air campaign were fulfilled by specialized planes. The video examines the tactical application of such planes as the European Tornado bomber, whose low-level tactics made its pilots especially vulnerable; the American A-6 Intruder, a fighter-bomber that first flew in the early 1960s, and which evolved from flying with "vacuum tubes to microcircuits"; the F-16 Falcon, a sleek fighter that became the U.S. Air Force's workhorse in the Gulf; and the A-10 Warthog, a plane possessing no glamour that proved lethal as a "tank-killer." Relying on interviews with pilots, this video provides a wealth of detail about the various planes, from their inception on the drawing board to their deployments in the Gulf, and it's a treat for those who are fascinated by the technical aspect of jets. However, it also makes a responsible effort to portray the air campaign in the Gulf as a deadly and dangerous business, not the clean "Nintendo war" some observers thought it to be. For instance, there is a segment on the controversial air attacks on the Iraqi column retreating from Kuwait in the final hours of the war. Footage of jets streaking through brilliant blue skies is balanced with some thoughtful mention that these sleek and beautiful machines are also very deadly weapons. --Robert J. McNamara

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Documentary