The Air Campaign

In certain situations or against certain enemies, local air superiority for a specified period of time may be a more realistic goal. Air parity is defined as the functional equivalency between enemy and friendly air forces in strength and capability to attack and destroy targets. Under the condition of air parity, where neither side has gained superiority, some enemy capabilities affect friendly ground forces at times and places on the battlefield. Air parity manifests itself to the commander primarily in the amount of fixed-wing aircraft used for direct support of ground forces.

Book Review: The Air Campaign- Planning for Combat | HistoryNet

More aircraft are dedicated to interdiction and strike missions to gain air superiority. Targeting priorities can be gauged by understanding enemy centers of gravity. The center of gravity is a label that planners and strategists find useful for devising maximum payoff courses of action.

Some military theorists hold that any function of vital importance to the enemy is a center of gravity, whether or not it is vulnerable. Those things that are both critical and vulnerable are normally the best candidates for direct attack. Key features of a center of gravity are its importance to the enemy's ability to wage war, its importance to the enemy's motivation and willingness to wage war, its importance to the enemy political body, population, and armed forces, and the enemy's consciousness of these factors.

At any given time there will be three ATOs in the works.

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The battle rhythm depends on a number of factors, and will probably be different for each exercise and contingency. The master air attack plan MAAP assigns available weapons delivery platforms to targets.

A target is a geographical area, complex, or installation planned for capture or destruction by military forces. Targets include the wide array of mobile and stationary forces, equipment, capabilities, and functions that an enemy commander can use to conduct operations at any level -- strategic, operational, or tactical. Targeting is the process of selecting targets and matching the appropriate response to them taking into account operational requirements and capabilities. Although commonly referred to as a "cycle," the joint targeting process is really a continuous process of overlapping functions independent of a particular sequence.

At the joint force commander JFC level, the CA effort should be a joint program, supported at all levels, designed to determine if the required effects on the adversary envisioned in the campaign or operation plan are being achieved by the joint force components to meet the JFC's overall concept. The intent is to analyze what is known about the damage inflicted on the adversary with sound military judgment to try to determine what physical attrition the adversary has suffered; what effect the efforts have on the adversary's plans or capabilities; and what, if any, changes or additional efforts need to take place to meet the objectives of the current major operations or phase of the campaign.

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One such instance had Iraq reporting that coalition forces attacked the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. The final number of Iraqi civilians killed was 2,, while 5, were reported wounded. On 13 February , two laser-guided smart bombs destroyed the Amiriyah blockhouse , which was a civilian air-raid shelter , killing hundreds of civilians. Jeremy Bowen , a BBC correspondent, was one of the first television reporters on the scene.

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Bowen was given access to the site and did not find evidence of military use. It missed and hit a residential area, killing up to civilians. The air campaign devastated entire Iraqi brigades deployed in the open desert in combat formation. It also prevented an effective Iraqi resupply of units engaged in combat, and prevented some , Iraqi troops from achieving a larger force concentration. The air campaign had a significant effect on the tactics employed by opposing forces in subsequent conflicts.

The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat

Entire Iraqi divisions were dug in the open while facing U. They were not dispersed, as with the Yugoslav forces in Kosovo. Iraqi forces also tried to reduce the length of their supply lines and the total area defended.

• The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat by John A. Warden III.
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Iraq lost a total of aircraft in the war, of which were lost in combat. During Desert Storm, 36 aircraft were shot down in aerial combat. Kuwait claims to have shot down as many as 37 Iraqi aircraft. These claims have not been confirmed. The Coalition lost a total of 75 aircraft — 52 fixed-wing aircraft and 23 helicopters — during Desert Storm, with 39 fixed-wing aircraft and 5 helicopters lost in combat.

Gulf War air campaign

One BG was lost while returning to its operating base on Diego Garcia, when it suffered a catastrophic electrical failure and crashed into the Indian Ocean killing 3 of the 6 crew members on board. The rest of the Coalition losses came from anti-aircraft fire. The Americans lost 28 fixed-wing aircraft and 15 helicopters; the British lost 7 fixed-wing aircraft; the Saudi Arabians lost 2; the Italians lost 1; and the Kuwaitis lost 1.

During the invasion of Kuwait on 2 August , the Kuwaiti Air Force lost 12 fixed-wing aircraft, which were destroyed on the ground, and 8 helicopters, 6 of which were shot down and 2 of which were destroyed while on the ground. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gulf War Air Campaign Operations: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.

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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. February Learn how and when to remove this template message. Gulf War Air Power Survey. The London Gazette Supplement. Archived from the original on Retrieved 18 January