Attack

The firepower available with current technology means that aircraft, including remotely piloted air systems and attack helicopters, now have the capability to destroy identified targets rapidly and with precision. At one end of the scale, this is achieved when supporting troops at risk, in contact with the enemy at close-quarters, as is often the norm in Afghanistan; this requires very careful cooperation to avoid 'friendly-fire' incidents. At the other end of the spectrum, air forces can act entirely independently of armies or naval forces to strike directly at the enemy's leadership, his will to make war, or key facilities: a good example is the Israeli Air Force's successful destruction of an alleged Syrian nuclear cache in 2007.

The accuracy of the precision weaponry available today means that a single bomb can be used to destroy a target where fifteen would have had to be used twenty years ago, or dozens of artillery rounds today, and these weapons can now be used whatever the weather, day or night. As a result, Western armies are rapidly rebalancing their force structures, for reasons of both cost and effectiveness, becoming increasingly dependent on air forces to provide the firepower to replace their own heavy equipment (such as artillery and tanks) so that they configure more appropriately as light and easily deployable forces for peace-keeping and stabilization operations. In the campaign that overthrew Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, over 75% of the 20,000 individual actions fought with Iraqi forces were brought to a conclusion by air power, and this was critical in minimizing the size and cost of the deployed footprint and, not least, casualties to British and American troops. The reliance of land forces on 'combat air' for the provision of heavy firepower - and the concomitant reorganisation of the Army to take advantage of it - must be acknowledged and understood in discussions about force structures, or the United Kingdom's capability to contribute to operations beyond the most limited counter insurgencies will be severely compromised in the future.

The use of force is always a last resort, especially in wars where the consent of the local populace is an important factor, so the employment of precision attack capabilities aims to influence behaviours - or cause the required effect - by targeting an enemy's will, rather than necessarily attacking his physical capabilities through the destruction of target sets. Because of the psychological dominance of air power in both Iraq and Afghanistan, fast and noisy shows of force have very often been effective in dispersing crowds and keeping insurgents' heads down without recourse to weaponry, and the mere presence of combat aircraft often provides a powerful deterrent against attack. While military operations cannot be conducted without the risk of civilian casualties, developments in weaponry (including the provision of small bombs and non-fragmentary warheads) mean that if force is required, it can be used proportionately, while the very high standard of training of RAF pilots, the useful detachment provided by the 'airmen's perspective' over the battlefield, strict adherence to the Laws of Armed Conflict and a stringent targeting process all mean that it is applied with much more discrimination than other forms of indirect fire, such as artillery, mortar or rocket fire.

Photography: RAF/MOD/Crown Copyright 2010.