Air superiority

From Free net encyclopedia

Air superiority is the dominance in the air power of one side air forces of another side during a military campaign. It is defined in the NATO Glossary as "That degree of dominance in the air battle of one force over another that permits the conduct of operations by the former and its related land, sea, and air forces at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by the opposing force."

Air superiority allows greatly increased bombing efforts as well as tactical air support for ground forces. In addition, paratroop assaults and airdrops can move ground forces and supplies.

With mid-air refueling it is possible to keep a number of attack aircraft airborn and on call for ground support. The aircraft can then assist ground forces often within a matter of minutes of being requested.

As air power has become an increasingly powerful element of military campaigns, military planners view having at least an environment of air superiority as a necessity. For example, Britain's successful air defence in the Battle of Britain during World War II denied the German military air superiority in the English Channel, making a seaborne invasion (planned as Operation Sealion) impossible. The element of air superiority has also been the driving force behind the development of aircraft carriers, which allow aircraft to operate in the absences of designated airbases. For example, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out by aircraft operating off of Japanese aircraft carriers miles away from the nearest Japanese air base. Air superiority however requires a significant investment in military resources to achieve, and overinvestment might lead to a shortfall of other crucial aspects of military deployment. A balance therefore should be achieved.

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