Publication Date

Winter 12-7-2024

School

School of Aeronautics

Major

Aviation; Aviation: Commercial

Keywords

Air Supremacy, Close Air Support, Air Campaigns, A-10, World War II, Russia, Ukraine, Russo-Ukraine War, Drones, UAS, Iran, China, North Korea, India, United States of America, Air Forces

Disciplines

Aeronautical Vehicles | Aviation Safety and Security | Management and Operations | Military History | Military, War, and Peace | Other Aerospace Engineering | Political History | United States History

Abstract

The achievement of gaining aerial supremacy, or lack thereof, is the hinge upon which Close Air Support (CAS) swings. The attainment of it enables CAS specialist aircraft, not unlike the Ju-87 Stuka or A-10 Thunderbolt II, to be exceptionally effective in their operating environment. While the lack of it, forces aircrews to pioneer new solutions either in the form of multi-role aircraft (capable of self-defense), or other innovative solutions similar to unmanned aerial systems (UAS’s), as aptly seen in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Thus, the ability of an air force to gain air supremacy and to do so quickly, not only drives what type and how many aircraft fill their air wings, but also dictates the operational strategy of how those air wings would be employed in a large-scale conflict. However, aerial supremacy is never a guarantee in the initial stages of a conflict. Consequently, an air force must have the flexibility to pivot between different approaches while also possessing the manufacturing power to support this evolution. This then is what makes the Air Forces of the United States of America so lethal: they keep a quiver stocked with a variety of arrows, empowering them with unparalleled adaptability—while simultaneously possessing capable fletchers on the Homefront, ready to exploit any vulnerability.

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