Tactical bombing

Tactical bombing is a type of aerial bombing that focuses on targets that are important for battles happening right now. These targets can include soldiers, military installations, or pieces of military equipment. This is different from strategic bombing, which attacks places like enemy cities and factories to make it harder for the enemy to make more weapons or to convince people to stop supporting the war effort.

Tactical bombing has two main jobs. First, it can give help to soldiers on the ground by attacking enemies very close to them. This is called close air support and works like having extra artillery in the sky. The second job is called air interdiction. This means attacking important enemy targets that are far away from where our soldiers are fighting.

History

Tactical bombing was the first type of aerial bombing mission. It started during the Italo-Turkish War when pilots dropped small bombs from their open cockpits onto enemy troops below. One early example happened at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915, when the Royal Flying Corps dropped bombs on German rail lines. By World War II, special aircraft were made for this job, including different kinds of fighter-bombers. During the Korean War, older piston-powered fighters like the Vought F4U Corsair were sometimes used. In the Vietnam War, missions were often guided by Forward air controllers (FACs) in small propeller-driven planes. These controllers would mark targets with smoke, usually working with infantry on the ground. Then, bombers flying nearby would drop their bombs on the target.

Today, precision-guided munitions, often called "smart bombs," can hit targets with great accuracy. Now, fighter-bombers and strike aircraft are more common for tactical bombing than special bomber planes.