The Ault Report...... The Birth of "Top Gun"

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The "Ault Report", or more formally the Air-to-Air Missile System Capability Review, was a sweeping study of US Navy air-to-air missile performance during the period of 1965 to 1968, conducted by Navy Captain Frank Ault. The study was initiated at the behest of Admiral Tom Moorer, Chief of Naval Operations, who had taken office in August 1967. He was disturbed by the dismal performance of Navy air-to-air missiles in engagements with North Vietnamese fighter jets. Admiral Moorer tasked the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIRSYSCOM) to conduct "an in-depth examination of the entire process by which Air-to-Air missile systems are acquired and employed" and further directed that Ault be placed in charge of the effort. The full report (actually a series of reports) is available for free download in Adobe PDF format from the Naval Historical Center Aviation History web page. This is not "light reading" by any stretch, but it should be of interest to serious naval aviation history buffs, or anyone with a keen interest in the origins of the Top Gun concept.

The "Ault Reports" here: http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org4-25.htm