The Development of Ground Attack Aviation in the United States Army Air Arm

The Development of Ground Attack Aviation in the United States Army Air Arm PDF Author: Ronald Robert Fogleman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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The Development of Ground Attack Aviation in the United States Army Air Arm

The Development of Ground Attack Aviation in the United States Army Air Arm PDF Author: Ronald Robert Fogleman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force PDF Author: Stephen Lee McFarland
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description
Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917-1941

The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917-1941 PDF Author: Thomas H. Greer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
En redegørelse for doktriner for luftvåbnet i USA i perioden 1917-1941. Den medtager taktiske og strategiske erfaringer opnået under deltagelsen i Den 1. Verdenskrig 1914-1918. Emnerne er doktrinudvikling, anvendelse af luftvåbnet, langdistancebombning og doktrin for 2. Verdenskrig 1939-1941.

Beyond the Battle Line: US Air Attack Theory and Doctrine, 1919-1941

Beyond the Battle Line: US Air Attack Theory and Doctrine, 1919-1941 PDF Author: Major Gary C. Cox
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1786250373
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 107

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Book Description
This study examines the development and usefulness of US air attack theory and doctrine during the interwar period, 1919-1941. This period represents more than twenty years of development in US Air Corps attack theory and doctrine. It was the first peacetime period of such development. Attack aviation during this time was a branch of aviation used to provide direct and indirect combat support to ground forces in the form of machine gun strafing, light bombing, and chemical attacks. From the earliest origins, attack theory and doctrine evolved primarily along two paths direct and indirect support of ground and air force objectives. The direct support approach was based on fundamental beliefs by the Army that attack aviation was an auxiliary combat arm, to be used directly on the battlefield against ground forces and to further the ground campaign plan. The indirect support approach, or air interdiction, was derived from the fundamental beliefs by the Air Corps that attack aviation was best used beyond the battle line and artillery range, against targets more vulnerable and less heavily defended, to further both the Air Force mission and the ground support mission. As attack doctrine evolved, range and hardened targets became problematic for the single-engine attack plane. Thus, attack theory and doctrine in terms of the indirect support approach, was adequately developed to be useful at the start of WWII. The use of light and medium bombers in North Africa showed the effectiveness of air interdiction and the indirect approach. Attack aviation had, indeed, established itself before WWII. Attack aviation, in the form of close air support, would have to wait for the lessons of WWII.

The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917-1941

The Development of Air Doctrine in the Army Air Arm, 1917-1941 PDF Author: Air University (U.S.). Extension Course Institute
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428915729
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Army Fixed-Wing Ground Attack Aircraft

Army Fixed-Wing Ground Attack Aircraft PDF Author: U. S. Military
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN: 9781731421890
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Close Air Support (CAS) depends on close cooperation between ground and air units, predicated on mutual understanding and close proximity. CAS also depends on aviator training and aircraft characteristics. Despite predictions of air power's dominance, air-ground teams are the most effective employment of military power. This thesis demonstrates that the modern Army Combat Aviation Brigade mimics the WWII Tactical Air Command's effective, close working relationship between air and ground units. However, Army Aviation lacks fixed-wing attack aircraft, forcing the Army to rely on the Air Force for fixed-wing CAS. Utilizing non-organic means for critical functions violates unity of command and results in CAS performed by aircraft primarily designed for other missions. This situation is likely to worsen in the coming years. This thesis summarizes Army-Air Force CAS issues since WWII and argues that the Army requires an organic fixed wing attack aircraft to bridge the capability gap between its helicopters and USAF platforms at the tactical level. Fielding such aircraft would free the Air Force to focus on its broader missions while enhancing the capabilities of Army Aviation.On June 9 2014, a United States Air Force (USAF) B-1B bomber dropped two 500lb GPS-guided bombs on a team of Army Special Forces and Afghan security forces, killing five. Numerous errors on by the aircrew and ground element contributed to deaths on the ground, all of which are historically endemic to Close Air Support (CAS). The terminal controller was unfamiliar with the operating environment and the aircrew could not visually acquire either the friendly or the enemy positions from 12,000 feet above ground level. Because they believed the aircraft's targeting pod could identify friendly strobe lights, the air-ground team "collectively failed to effectively execute the fundamentals, which resulted in poor situation awareness and improper target identification." Sadly, when it comes to CAS, this type of tragic incident is too common.No military cooperation issue creates more acrimony than CAS. CAS has been contentious since the first aircraft teamed with ground forces and remains so today. These friction points are relative priority of CAS and Interdiction; operational control of CAS aircraft and; aircraft characteristics. The history of Army-Air Force CAS largely consists of poor initial efforts followed by the development of workable systems success as effective air-ground teams and aircraft developed on the battlefield. No organizational processes or technology has been able to bridge the Army-Air Force CAS divide. This thesis examines that divide, proposing an Army Fixed-Wing (FW) aircraft as a solution.

Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939

Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939 PDF Author: Maurer Maurer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Aeronautics, Military
Languages : en
Pages : 706

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Beyond the Battle Line

Beyond the Battle Line PDF Author: Gary C. Cox
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Air power
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
This study examines the development and usefulness of US air attack theory and doctrine during the interwar period, 1919-1941. This period represents more than twenty years of development in US Air Corps attack theory and doctrine. It was the first peacetime period of such development. Attack aviation during this time was a branch of aviation used to provide direct and indirect combat support to ground forces in the form of machine gun strafing, light bombing, and chemical attacks. From the earliest origins, attack theory and doctrine evolved primarily along two paths -- direct and indirect support of ground and air force objectives. The direct support approach was based on fundamental beliefs by the Army that attack aviation was an auxiliary combat arm, to be used directly on the battlefield against ground forces and to further the ground campaign plan. The indirect support approach, or air interdiction, was derived from the fundamental beliefs by the Air Corps that attack aviation was best used beyond the battle line and artillery range, against targets more vulnerable and less heavily defended, to further both the Air Force mission and the ground support mission. The Air Corps Tactical School advocated the indirect support approach and the subsequent evolution and logic in attack doctrine flowed from this approach. Air Corps theory and doctrine called for attack aviation to be used beyond the battle line. Aircraft were less vulnerable to ground fire and could be used to delay and disrupt enemy ground forces. Less cooperation was required with the ground forces while more cooperation was needed with other aviation branches, especially pursuit aviation. As attack doctrine evolved, range and hardened targets became problematic for the single-engine attack plane. The indirect support approach, supporting both the Air Force and Army missions, required an aircraft with increased range and payload. Subsequently, the attack-bomber, or light bomber.

Command Of The Air

Command Of The Air PDF Author: General Giulio Douhet
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1782898522
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 620

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Book Description
In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.

Air Force Combat Units of World War II

Air Force Combat Units of World War II PDF Author: Maurer Maurer
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428915850
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 520

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