The Achilles Heel of American Airpower
Abstract
The need to overcome an enemy's anti-access strategy and rapidly project lethal firepower anywhere in the world raises many policy issues about U.S. combat air search and rescue forces, not the least of which relate to the suitability of their aircraft fleet. This study asks whether the United States Air Force (USAF) should be satisfied with its helicopter-based combat search and rescue (CSAR) force for the indefinite future, or if it should make definite plans to replace these helicopters with aircraft that have greater speed, range, and survivability characteristics. The first part of this paper analyzes the foundation of the need to overcome an adversary's anti-access strategy. It looks at the National Security Strategy and the Quadrennial Defense Review to identify the goals that the services must build military forces and capabilities to support. It then looks at how the USAF has restructured itself to meet these goals in all but one critical area: CSAR. The analysis concludes that the U.S. requirement for airpower to react quickly over greater distances will impact the structure of tomorrow's CSAR forces. The second part of the paper analyzes the impact of speed, range, and survivability on the failure of the Iranian hostage rescue mission. This case study shows that the effects of speed, range, and survivability influence both the planning and probability of success of rescue missions. From a strict operational viewpoint, an aircraft that has increased speed, range, and survivability would be more flexible and capable in a CSAR mission. The final part of the paper asserts that the speed, range, and survivability characteristics of helicopters limit their ability to support an anti-access strategy. Therefore, other aircraft options should be looked at to fill this role. Ultimately, the most capable solution might require a mix of different aircraft, with different capabilities, to cover the entire spectrum of CSAR missions. (98 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 19, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA424395
Entities
People
- Timothy J. Leahy
Organizations
- United States Army War College