COMBAT AIRCRAFT - A Comprehensive Presentation of Today's Air Power

A showcase of state power, the combat aircraft is one of the most formidable tools in the modern military arsenal. An ultra-high-performance weapons system, it presents itself as a flexible, reactive, and autonomous platform capable of sustaining a high operational tempo within joint and combined operations. It is also a remarkable force multiplier by enabling the sharing of tactical situational data across a deployment. Since the first Gulf War in 1990, the combat aircraft has taken part in numerous engagements across theatres such as Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria, and the Sahel.

After the early 2000s, the greatest revolution in the employment of air power was the ability of a single aircraft to strike multiple ground targets in the course of a single sortie. In this regard, the advent of hybrid-guidance precision munitions — combining inertial, GPS, and laser guidance technologies — made this significant advance possible.

As in other military sectors, Asia is experiencing a major rise in power. China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are all banking on the development of their military aeronautical industries. They have embarked on 5th- and 6th-generation combat aircraft programmes.

In this collective work, the authors provide a comprehensive presentation of today's air power and offer a forward-looking vision of this vital component, which will undoubtedly play a decisive role in high-intensity conflict — a scenario that is becoming increasingly likely for many general staffs.