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[[File:Sremska mitrovica all force.jpg|thumb|200px|Result of an airstrike during the [[Kosovo War]]]] |
[[File:Sremska mitrovica all force.jpg|thumb|200px|Result of an airstrike during the [[Kosovo War]]]] |
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An '''air strike'''<ref>[http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/a/2237.html air strike- DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms]</ref> is an attack on a specific objective by [[military aviation|military aircraft]] during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]]s, [[bomber]]s, [[ground attack aircraft]], and [[attack helicopters]]. The official definition includes all sorts of targets, including enemy air targets, but in popular use the term is usually narrowed to [[Military tactics|tactical]] (small-scale) attack on a ground or [[naval]] objective. Weapons used in an airstrike can range from [[machine gun]] [[bullet]]s, [[missile]]s, to various types of [[bomb]]s. Also commonly referred to as an '''air raid'''. |
An '''air strike'''<ref>[http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/a/2237.html air strike- DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms]</ref> is an attack on a specific objective by [[military aviation|military aircraft]] during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]]s, [[bomber]]s, [[ground attack aircraft]], and [[attack helicopters]]. The official definition includes all sorts of targets, including enemy air targets, but in popular use the term is usually narrowed to [[Military tactics|tactical]] (small-scale) attack on a ground or [[naval]] objective. Weapons used in an airstrike can range from [[machine gun]] [[bullet]]s, [[missile]]s, to various types of [[bomb]]s. Also commonly referred to as an '''air raid'''. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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| − | On November 1, 1911, |
+ | On November 1, 1911, Italian aviator Second Lieutenant [[Giulio Gavotti]] dropped four bombs on two Turkish-held oases in Libya, carrying out the world's first air strike as part of the [[Italo-Turkish War]].<ref>U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission: [http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/Pre_WWI/AP1.htm Aviation at the Start of the First World War]</ref> Use of air strikes were extended in [[World War I]]. For example, at the [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle]] in 1915, the British [[Royal Flying Corps]] dropped bombs on German rail communications. However, it was not until World War II that the Oxford English Dictionary first records usage of the term "air strike,"<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/4366?redirectedFrom=airstrike#eid7952116 OED]</ref> which remained two separate words for some time thereafter. WW2 also saw the first development of [[precision-guided munitions]], which were fielded successfully by the Germans, and contributed to the modern sense of air "strike," a precision targeted attack as opposed to a [[strafing|strafing run]] or [[area bombing]]. The importance of precision targeting cannot be over-stated: by some statistics, over a hundred raids were necessary to destroy a point target in World War 2; by the [[Persian Gulf War]] the US Air Force was able to release to media precise footage of television- or radar-guided bombs directly hitting the target without significant collateral damage (using, for example, the [[LANTIRN]] pod). [[Paul Fussell]] noted in his seminal work [[The Great War and Modern Memory]] the 20th century popular tendency to assume an errant bomb hitting a church, for example, was completely deliberate and reflective of the inherent evil of the enemy; over time, expectations for reduced collateral damage have increased to the point that developed countries engaging in war against less technologically advanced countries approach near-zero in terms of such damage and to a large degree, they have done so. |
Today, airstrike terminology has extended to the concept of the [[strike aircraft]], what earlier generations of military aviators referred to as [[light bombers]] or [[attack aircraft]]. With the near-complete air supremacy enjoyed by developed nations in undeveloped regions, fighter jets can often be modified to add strike capability in a manner less practicable in earlier generations, e.g. [[Strike Eagle]]. |
Today, airstrike terminology has extended to the concept of the [[strike aircraft]], what earlier generations of military aviators referred to as [[light bombers]] or [[attack aircraft]]. With the near-complete air supremacy enjoyed by developed nations in undeveloped regions, fighter jets can often be modified to add strike capability in a manner less practicable in earlier generations, e.g. [[Strike Eagle]]. |
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==Collateral damage== |
==Collateral damage== |
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[[File:Two F-22A Raptor in column flight - (Noise reduced).jpg|right|thumb|150px|Most modern military aircraft such as this [[F-22 Raptor]] carry precisely guided munitions which are claimed to decrease the chance of causing collateral damage during an airstrike.]] |
[[File:Two F-22A Raptor in column flight - (Noise reduced).jpg|right|thumb|150px|Most modern military aircraft such as this [[F-22 Raptor]] carry precisely guided munitions which are claimed to decrease the chance of causing collateral damage during an airstrike.]] |
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{{main|Collateral damage}} |
{{main|Collateral damage}} |
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* [[Aerial bombing of cities]] |
* [[Aerial bombing of cities]] |
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* [[Aerial warfare]] |
* [[Aerial warfare]] |
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| − | * [[Air raid (disambiguation)]] |
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* [[Time On Target]] |
* [[Time On Target]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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{{Wikipedia|Airstrike}} |
{{Wikipedia|Airstrike}} |
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Latest revision as of 05:51, 12 April 2022
Result of an airstrike during the Kosovo War
An air strike[1] is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, and attack helicopters. The official definition includes all sorts of targets, including enemy air targets, but in popular use the term is usually narrowed to tactical (small-scale) attack on a ground or naval objective. Weapons used in an airstrike can range from machine gun bullets, missiles, to various types of bombs. Also commonly referred to as an air raid.
In close air support, air strikes are usually controlled by trained observers for coordination with friendly ground troops in a manner derived from artillery tactics.
History
A-26 airstrike on warehouses in Wonsan during the Korean War
On November 1, 1911, Italian aviator Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti dropped four bombs on two Turkish-held oases in Libya, carrying out the world's first air strike as part of the Italo-Turkish War.[2] Use of air strikes were extended in World War I. For example, at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915, the British Royal Flying Corps dropped bombs on German rail communications. However, it was not until World War II that the Oxford English Dictionary first records usage of the term "air strike,"[3] which remained two separate words for some time thereafter. WW2 also saw the first development of precision-guided munitions, which were fielded successfully by the Germans, and contributed to the modern sense of air "strike," a precision targeted attack as opposed to a strafing run or area bombing. The importance of precision targeting cannot be over-stated: by some statistics, over a hundred raids were necessary to destroy a point target in World War 2; by the Persian Gulf War the US Air Force was able to release to media precise footage of television- or radar-guided bombs directly hitting the target without significant collateral damage (using, for example, the LANTIRN pod). Paul Fussell noted in his seminal work The Great War and Modern Memory the 20th century popular tendency to assume an errant bomb hitting a church, for example, was completely deliberate and reflective of the inherent evil of the enemy; over time, expectations for reduced collateral damage have increased to the point that developed countries engaging in war against less technologically advanced countries approach near-zero in terms of such damage and to a large degree, they have done so.
Today, airstrike terminology has extended to the concept of the strike aircraft, what earlier generations of military aviators referred to as light bombers or attack aircraft. With the near-complete air supremacy enjoyed by developed nations in undeveloped regions, fighter jets can often be modified to add strike capability in a manner less practicable in earlier generations, e.g. Strike Eagle.
Airstrikes can be carried out for strategic purposes outside of general warfare. Operation Opera was a single eight-ship Israeli airstrike against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor, criticized by world opinion but not leading to a general outbreak of war. Such an example of the preventive strike has created new questions for international law.
Collateral damage
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Most modern military aircraft such as this F-22 Raptor carry precisely guided munitions which are claimed to decrease the chance of causing collateral damage during an airstrike.
In any air strike, there is a risk of injuring, killing, or destroying non-combatants, allies or non-military buildings. This is called collateral damage.[4]
Collateral damage can be advantageous by damaging nearby enemy troops and installations. The negative side effects to collateral damage may include the infliction of damage to civilian facilities and accidental injury of friendly troops near the target.
See also
References
- ↑ air strike- DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
- ↑ U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission: Aviation at the Start of the First World War
- ↑ OED
- ↑ "Air Force Law Review". Jefferson D. Reynolds. Winter, 2005. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m6007/is_56/ai_n14700122/pg_16.
The original article can be found at Airstrike and the edit history here.