The Soviet SA-2 of the Vietnam era gave way to the SA-6 that was so devastating to the Israeli Air Force early in theġ973 Yom Kippur War, and that led to the SA-10, which is said to be capable of intercepting cruise missiles. Both countries effectively employed the much-improved Paveway II bombs, which can make midcourse corrections to destroy specific critical targets.Īs US technology improved, so did that of the enemy. The significance of laser-guided weapons was shown by both the British in the Falklands War and by US forces in the April 1986 raid on Libya. The laser designator of Paveway I and later munitions introduced weapons delivery of far greater accuracy than was possible with the radio guidance previously used. The previous 871 sorties, with losses of eleven aircraft, had produced no more than superficial damage to the “Dragon’s Jaw.” Although Paveway I (officially designated GBU-10) had been introduced in 1968, the destruction of this bridge is regarded as a watershed event in weapons evolution. Shortly after the Linebacker I operations began over North Vietnam in 1972, four aircraft carrying Paveway I laser-guided “smart” bombs knocked out the 540-foot-long railroad and highway bridge at Thanh Hoa. Ordnance delivery is so crucial that Strategic Air Command, even though its main concern is delivery of nuclear weapons, dedicates several of its bombardment wings to conventional and theater roles.įor all of these aircraft and aviators, the air-to-ground job is getting tougher all the time. The A-10 and the Air National Guard’s A-7 exist to fight the air-to-ground war. Even the F-5 can carry 1,000 more pounds of ordnance than could a B-17G in its internal bomb bay. That’s nearly twice the bomb load of a B-24 in World War II. Nearly all eventually acquire the mission as well.Īny of USAF’s first-line fighters-the F- 15, the F- 16, the F- 111, and the F-4-can carry at least 16,000 pounds of air-to-surface munitions. Throughout history, most “pure fighter” aircraft-including P-51s, F-86s, and even F-15s-have come with structural provisions to take on an air-to-ground configuration. But it can keep the enemy tank commander out of your snack bar.Ĭonsequently-and regardless of where the prestige lies-a great deal of the serious work for tactical squadrons today is in the air-toground mission. It’s difficult and dangerous, flying on the deck and into the teeth of defenses to attack armor, airfields, troop concentrations, and command and control centers. Sooner or later, aerial warfare gets down to putting bombs on a target. But important as it is, air superiority alone is not enough.
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