Airstrike

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Result of an airstrike during the Kosovo War.

An airstrike is a military strike by air forces on either a suspected or a confirmed enemy ground position, which depending on the selected tactics may or may not be followed up by artillery, armor, or infantry units. An airstrike can also be called upon by infantry or other ground forces to soften up or possibly destroy an enemy position; this tactic is commonly used when ground strikes are ineffective, and can also be used in conjunction with Close Air Support. Airstrikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as bombers, ground attack aircraft, or strike fighters. Weapons used in an airstrike can range from machine gun bullets, to missiles, and to various types of bombs such as nuclear bombs. They are often used in strategic bombing.

1 History
2 "Broken Arrow"
3 Collateral damage
4 Peacetime use
5 See also
6 References

History

On November 1, 1911, Italian aviator Second Lieutenant Giolio Gavotti dropped four bombs on two Turkish-held oasis' in Libya, carrying out the world's first airstrikes as part of the Italo-Turkish War.[1]

A-26 airstrike on warehouses in Wonsan during the Korean War.

"Broken Arrow"

The United States code for calling in all available aircraft for an airstrike was "Broken Arrow", and was used during the movie We Were Soldiers, depicting the battle at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley during the Vietnam War.

Collateral damage

Main article: Collateral damage

In an airstrike, there is a high risk of injuring, killing, or destroying non-combatants, allies or non-military buildings. This is called collateral damage.[2]
Collateral damage can be advantageous by damaging nearby enemy troops and installations. It can also be negative by inflicting damage to civilian facilities or by injuring friendly troops near the target (see friendly fire).
The amount of civilian collateral damage caused by airstrikes has decreased dramatically since its peak during the World War Two, when airstrikes were carried out with 'dumb' bombs - bombs without any guidance systems. The strategy was to use large numbers of bombers and bombs in the hope that some of the bombs dropped struck the intended target. The increased availability and precision of guided missiles and smart bombs of advanced militaries in modern wars such as Operation Desert Storm and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq have decreased civilian collateral damage as compared to previous wars.