Attack aircraft

An attack aircraft is a special kind of military aircraft made for very important jobs. Its main job is to carry out airstrikes with great care and exactness. It is built to work close to the ground where it might face strong air defenses, but it keeps going to finish its mission. This kind of plane is mostly used for helping soldiers on the ground and for missions over the sea.

Fighter aircraft sometimes do attack jobs too, but they are not exactly the same as attack aircraft. Over time, other planes like strike fighters have taken on many of these duties. The idea of a special attack aircraft became common mostly during and after World War II. Different countries built these planes in their own ways. For example, in the United States and Britain, they used light or medium bombers that could carry strong weapons. In Germany and the USSR, they made planes just for this job, like the Henschel Hs 129 and Ilyushin Il-2.

Later, other kinds of planes such as fighter-bombers started doing many attack jobs. With new technology like precision-guided munitions, almost any plane could do these missions from a safe height. Today, only a few special attack planes are used, like the American Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II and the Russian Sukhoi Su-25. Small attack planes are also used, often made from simple training planes, for jobs like counter-insurgency.

Definition and designations

United States definition and designations

In the United States, attack aircraft are identified by the prefix A-, such as the A-6 Intruder and A-10 Thunderbolt II. Before the end of World War II, the A- designation was used for both attack planes and light bombers. The US Navy had its own system and called similar planes scout bombers (SB) or torpedo bombers (TB or BT). For example, the Douglas SBD Dauntless was called a scout bomber but was named A-24 when used by the USAAF. It wasn’t until 1946 that the US Navy and US Marine Corps began using the “attack” (A) name, renaming planes like the BT2D Skyraider to AD Skyraider.

The idea of an attack aircraft can be fuzzy and has changed over time. Today, U.S. military doctrine says it’s an aircraft that mainly does attack missions, which means flying close to the ground to attack targets, not fighting other planes or bombing faraway places. In the United States Navy, this is called a strike mission. Attack missions are mainly split into two types: air interdiction and close air support. With many planes now doing many jobs, it can be hard to tell the difference between attack planes and fighter planes. In the U.S. system, an attack aircraft (A) is made mainly to attack targets on the ground or sea. A fighter plane (F) is made to fight other planes but can also attack ground targets.

Other designations

British designations have used FB for fighter-bombers and more recently “G” for “Ground-attack,” like the Harrier GR1.

The Imperial Japanese Navy used "B" for carrier attack bombers, such as the Nakajima B5N Type-97 bomber, and "D" for carrier dive bombers like the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei. By the end of World War II, they introduced the Aichi B7A Ryusei, which could do both, making the "D" name less needed.

The NATO reporting names for Soviet/Russian ground-attack planes first used "B" for bombers, like the Il-10 'Beast'. Later, they were often called fighters ("F"), maybe because they looked like Soviet fighters or were based on them, starting with the Sukhoi Su-7.

In the PLAAF, ground-attack planes are given the name "Q", like the Nanchang Q-5.

History

World War I

Attack aircraft began during World War I to support soldiers on the battlefield. These planes flew close to the ground to attack enemy targets, often facing dangers from anti-aircraft fire. Different types of planes, like light bombers and fighters, also helped in these attacks. Germany made the first special attack planes, like the Junkers J.I, which had armor to protect the crew.

1919–1939

After World War I, many thought attack planes were not very useful except to lower enemy spirits. However, some countries, like the United States, made special attack planes. The British focused more on bombing from high altitudes. In the 1930s, Germany started making new attack planes, learning from their experiences in the Spanish Civil War.

World War II

During World War II, attack planes became very important. The German Junkers Ju 87, known as the Stuka, was famous for attacking from low altitudes. The Soviet Union used many Ilyushin Il-2 planes, which were made in large numbers. As tanks became harder to attack, new weapons like rockets were added to these planes.

Post–World War II

After World War II, attack planes continued to be useful even though new jet planes were developed. Some older planes, like the Vought F4U Corsair, were still used in wars like the Korean War and Vietnam War. Many air forces preferred using versatile planes for attack missions instead of special attack planes. Trainers were also used for light attack roles, especially in conflicts where more expensive planes were not needed.

Recent history

In recent times, attack helicopters like the AH-64 Apache were used for missions, but they faced challenges. The United States developed the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II for close support, which is known for its strong armor and weapons. This plane has been used in many conflicts, and there is interest in finding a replacement for it. Other countries have also used similar planes for ground attacks.