Anti-aircraft warfare

Anti-aircraft warfare

Anti-aircraft warfare, also called air defence, is about stopping enemies from attacking from the sky. It uses many tools and methods to protect ships, land bases, and airplanes. These tools can be on the ground, underwater, or in the air, and they work together to keep enemy planes and missiles away.

In the past, countries used big guns to shoot down planes. Later, they started using smart missiles that can guide themselves to their targets. Today, most anti-aircraft systems protect places that are far away, close by, or somewhere in the middle. They are often used in layers, so an enemy has to get through many different kinds of defences to reach its goal.

During big wars like the Second World War, countries such as Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union worked hard to protect their own land from air attacks. Even today, military forces everywhere make sure they have their own air defences to stay safe from threats in the sky.

Terminology

Anti-aircraft warfare has many names, such as counter-air, anti-air, AA, flak, or layered air defence. The word air defence was first used in the UK when they created Air Defence of Great Britain in 1925. After the First World War, people sometimes added "light" or "heavy" (LAA or HAA) to describe different types of guns.

Some fun nicknames for anti-aircraft guns include:

• AA: short for anti-aircraft
• AAA or triple-A: short for anti-aircraft artillery
• flak: from the German word for plane-defence-cannon
• ack-ack: from the British spelling alphabet for "AA"
• archie: a World War I British term

NATO calls anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) the measures taken to protect ships and other forces from attacks by aircraft, ships, submarines, and land-based weapons. There are many types of anti-aircraft weapons, like surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Some examples are the RIM-66 Standard, Raytheon Standard Missile 6, and the MBDA Aster missile.

Different countries have their own words for air defence. In German, it is called Flak, and in Russian, it is called Protivovozdushnaya oborona. In French, it is called Défense contre les aéronefs (DCA).

General description

Air defence means finding enemy airplanes and stopping them. This is hard because airplanes move in three directions, and you need to hit them at just the right spot. You can do this by guiding weapons to follow the plane or by aiming where you think the plane will be.

During the 1900s, air defence changed quickly with new airplanes and technologies like radar and guided missiles. At first, people used simple eyes and ears to detect planes, but radar became the main tool. Rules are important so that air defence does not attack friendly planes. These rules can change depending on the situation.

For a long time, guns were the main way to defend against airplanes, but later missiles became more common. Air defence can be set up in different ways, like protecting a single important place or creating a wide area where airplanes cannot safely fly. Other older methods included balloons tied to the ground and bright lights to help spot planes at night.

Organisation

Different countries organise their air defence in many ways. Some, like the Soviet Union in the past, had a special service just for air defence, with its own fighter planes and ground systems. Others, like the United States Army, have a special part of the army to handle air defence on the ground.

In places such as Japan or Israel, air defence is part of the air force. In Britain, air defence was shared between the army and navy at different times. During World War II, the RAF Regiment was created to protect airfields. Today, air defence units are often small groups with a few guns or missile launchers, grouped into larger teams for safety.

History

Earliest use

During the American Civil War, the U.S. Army used balloons, so the Confederates tried to stop them. They used artillery and small guns but were not successful. They also tested using balloons.

The first anti-airplane operation happened during the Italo-Turkish War when Turks shot down an airplane with rifle fire. The first airplane to crash in a war was one flown by Lieutenant Piero Manzini on August 25, 1912.

The first weapons made just to fight against aircraft were used in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. After a big loss at Sedan, French troops used balloons to send messages while under siege in Paris. Gustav Krupp made a special gun called the Ballonabwehrkanone to shoot down these balloons.

By the early 1900s, countries were making guns for balloons and airships for use on land and at sea. They tested different kinds of bullets, including ones that could explode or catch fire. They also learned the importance of bullets that left smoke trails. Several European countries were testing these guns, but only a few companies shared information by 1910.

First World War

On September 30, 1915, soldiers of the Serbian Army saw enemy airplanes coming to Kragujevac. They fired at them with guns but could not stop them from dropping bombs on the city. During the attack, a soldier named Radoje Ljutovac shot down one airplane with a cannon not meant for anti-aircraft use. This was the first time an airplane was shot down by ground-to-air guns.

The British started getting ready for anti-aircraft defense before World War I began. By December 1914, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve had guns and lights at several ports. The Royal Garrison Artillery was in charge of anti-aircraft defense, using guns pulled by motors. They used guns called QF 1-pounder "pom-pom"s at first.

All armies used anti-aircraft guns, often changing smaller field guns to point upward. The British Army used a gun called the 13-pounder all through the war. But these early guns were not very good because there was no experience or tools to measure targets.

The British made special shells that could catch fire for use against balloons filled with hydrogen. They also added smoke trails to shells for use at night and for training.

German air attacks on Britain increased in 1915, and anti-aircraft efforts were not working well, so a Royal Navy expert, Admiral Sir Percy Scott, was brought in to help improve them, especially for London. More guns were added, and new ways to detect airplanes were developed.

Interwar years

World War I showed that airplanes could be important in battles, but some nations were most worried about attacks from the air. The attacks on London by balloons and Gotha G.V bombers influenced the British and helped lead to the creation of an independent air force. As airplanes got better, they were expected to be even more important in future wars.

After World War I, there was little money for military activities in Europe. But there were lessons to learn. The British, who had used anti-aircraft guns in many places and against night attacks, formed an Anti-Aircraft Experimental Section during the war and collected a lot of information. They published a book called Textbook of Anti-Aircraft Gunnery in 1924–1925, which had ideas for better equipment.

In 1925, the British started using a new mechanical device called the Predictor AA No 1, made by Vickers. It helped figure out the right aim for guns. Other countries also started using similar devices.

By the mid-1930s, several countries developed radar, which replaced older ways of finding airplanes. Britain also created a volunteer group in 1925 to report enemy airplanes.

Second World War

Poland's anti-aircraft defenses were not strong enough to stop the German attack, and other European countries had similar problems. Serious anti-aircraft warfare began with the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. The main ground-based anti-aircraft guns were QF 3.7-inch guns and Bofors 40 mm guns. The Army's anti-aircraft command, under RAF Fighter Command, grew to 12 divisions. The RAF regiment was created in 1941 to protect airfields, mostly using Bofors 40 mm guns.

Germany needed a better gun for high altitudes, so they made a new 88 mm design, the FlaK 36. First used in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, this gun was very good at shooting down airplanes and also worked well against tanks.

After a raid in 1943, a new system was made to shoot down low-flying airplanes with one hit. This system used radar to find the airplanes and send commands to the guns, which could aim very quickly.

The British made the Bofors 40 mm gun and it became very important for them. The gun was small, easy to move, and strong enough to shoot down any size airplane.

Cold War

After World War II, it was found that even the best anti-aircraft systems could not stop most bombers from reaching their targets. But the creation of the nuclear bomb meant that even one bomber getting through was too many.

Developments from World War II continued after the war. The US Army made a big air defense network around its cities using guns guided by radar. The US kept using a system called Skysweeper into the 1950s, which worked almost completely by itself. By 1955, the US military thought the 40 mm Bofors was old and started focusing on missiles like the Nike Ajax.

In Europe, NATO made an air defense system called the NATO Air Defence Ground Environment, which later became the NATO Integrated Air Defence System.

The arrival of guided missiles changed anti-aircraft strategy. Big guns were replaced by missile systems, and then by smaller missiles that could be put on vehicles. By the 1990s, these had taken the place of most gun-based systems in modern armies.

Post-Cold War

During the 2008 South Ossetia war, airplanes faced strong missile systems like the Buk-M1.

In February 2018, an Israeli F-16 airplane was shot down in the Golan Heights after attacking a target in Syria. In 2006, Israel also lost a helicopter over Lebanon, shot down by a rocket from Hezbollah.

AA warfare systems

Anti-aircraft warfare, also called air defence, is about stopping or weakening enemy planes from attacking. It uses weapons on the ground, water, and in the air, plus sensors and control systems.

Early anti-aircraft weapons were guns, like machine guns and larger artillery pieces. These guns fired special shells that could explode near enemy planes. Smaller guns were used because they could fire quickly. Over time, these guns were replaced by surface-to-air missiles, which started in Nazi Germany during World War II. These missiles can be launched from vehicles, trucks, or fixed places.

Interceptors are special fighter planes made to quickly stop enemy bombers. They fly very fast and high. Radars help find and track enemy planes.

Anti-UAV defences

See also: Unmanned aerial vehicle § Counter unmanned air system

Defences against unmanned aircraft, called UAVs, include lasers, nets, and signal jamming. These defences have been used against drones in battles.

Future developments

Railguns

The US Navy started a railgun project to launch very fast projectiles. Although the project stopped, work continued. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force tested a railgun.

Counter-stealth

See also: Stealth aircraft § Countermeasures

As stealth planes are harder to detect, new technologies are being developed to find and track them. These include special radars and cameras.

Laser

Lasers are being tested as weapons to stop aircraft and missiles. Some modern laser systems have shown promise in experiments.

Force structures

Main article: Air defence forces

Many armies, navies, and air forces work together to keep their areas safe from attacks from the air. In some countries, like the British Army, air defence is part of the artillery. In others, like the Pakistan Army, it is a separate group. Some countries, like the old USSR, have special groups just for protecting their land from air attacks.

Navy

Smaller ships often use machine guns or fast cannons to defend against low-flying planes, especially when linked to radar. Bigger ships, like destroyers and cruisers, can be as dangerous to aircraft as land defences. Aircraft carriers are very safe because they have many ships around them and can send up fighter planes to guard against attacks. Countries like Japan and the United States use special ships to create defensive zones around their important areas.

Some modern submarines also have systems to shoot down aircraft, which helps protect them from threats.

Layered air defence

Naval forces often use layers of defence to protect their ships. The first layer is provided by aircraft overhead. If that fails, missiles from nearby ships take over. Finally, ships have quick-firing guns as a last line of defence.

Army

Armies use different systems to defend against air attacks, from small portable launchers to large missile systems. These systems force planes to fly lower, where guns can bring them down. The United States Army once played a big role in defending the country with missile systems.

Air force

Air forces mainly use fighter jets with missiles to defend against attackers. They also use ground-based missile systems to protect their bases. Some countries put all air defence duties under their air forces.

Area air defence

Area air defence protects large regions instead of just one point. Both armies and air forces have handled this in the past. For example, during the Gulf War, missile systems helped protect places like Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Tactics

Many modern systems that fight airplanes can move around easily. Bigger systems are often placed on trailers and can be quickly taken apart or set up again. In the past, this was not always true. Early missile systems were heavy and needed a lot of support; many could not be moved at all. Today, there is more focus on making these systems mobile. Most modern systems are moved by trucks or tracked vehicles, or pulled behind vehicles. Having many parts, like launchers, radars, and command posts, all on vehicles helps. A system that does not move can be found and destroyed, but a moving system can appear where it is not expected. Soviet systems focused on mobility, learning from battles in the Vietnam War.

Many countries have developed ways to stop air defence systems. They use special weapons like anti-radiation missiles and advanced electronic tools to reduce the effect of an enemy’s air defence. This creates a back-and-forth race; as better tools to block or attack are made, so are better missile systems that can avoid these attacks.

Insurgents have used weapons like Stinger missiles supplied by the United States against airplanes during battles. Rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) are often used against helicopters. In some cases, RPGs have been used against helicopters in Afghanistan. One strong point of RPGs is that they can explode in the air, sending out pieces that can hit a helicopter. Insurgents also try to destroy airplanes when they are on the ground, either by entering airbase areas or by using indirect fire like mortars. In recent battles, ATGM weapons have been used against helicopters as they land.