Air supremacy

Some groups work to rule the sky.

This is called air supremacy. It means one side has control.

Having control helps a group. They can move food and tools. They can also help people on the ground.

Rules of the sky can change. One side can gain control. Then the other side loses it.

Groups can also attack planes on the ground. This is one way to win. It can stop planes from flying.

Some people even used planes to sink big ships. This showed how strong planes could be.

It was a new way to fight.

Air supremacy means one side has total control of the sky.

When a group has this power, they can do many things. They can drop supplies to soldiers on the ground. They can also use planes to move food and tools.

Control of the air is like a game. If one side gains more control, the other side loses it. There are different levels of control. Air superiority means one side is in a strong position. Air parity means both sides have similar power.

Groups can win by attacking planes on the ground. They might destroy fuel or damage runways. This stops planes from flying. In the past, some groups used special raids to hit airfields.

In 1921, planes even sank a large ship named the SMS Ostfriesland. This showed how much power aircraft could have.

Even with great power, things can go wrong. A side might lose a plane to weapons on the ground. In the Iraq War, people used mortars to hit planes on the ground. This shows that having control of the sky is not always easy.

Air supremacy is the highest level of control over the sky. It means one side has such strong air power that the other side cannot interfere with their missions. This is very different from air superiority, which just means one side has a better position. Military planners often see having this control as a necessity for winning. It allows for many important tasks like dropping supplies or paratroop assaults. It also helps move cargo and support soldiers on the ground.

Control of the air is often seen as a zero-sum game. This means if one side gains more control, the other side must lose it.

There are several ways to gain this level of control. Many people think only of fighting other planes in the sky. However, destroying enemy aircraft on the ground is often more effective. Forces might destroy fuel supplies or use bombs to ruin runways. This makes it very hard for the opponent to fly their planes. Some groups even use special raids to hit airfields directly.

In the past, the British Special Air Service was formed for this job. They conducted raids on German aircraft and airfields during the war. During operations in the Western Desert, they destroyed more than 400 enemy aircraft.

History shows us how much the importance of air power has changed. In 1921, an American named Billy Mitchell showed that planes were very powerful. He arranged exercises where bombers sank a large battleship named the SMS Ostfriesland. This proved that aircraft could defeat even the strongest ships. Later, an Italian thinker named Giulio Douhet wrote a famous book. He argued that future wars would be decided in the skies. He believed air power could be used to end wars quickly.

During the First World War, air combat was still very new. Pilots used new tools like machine guns to fight. One major event was the Fokker Scourge from late 1915 to early 1916. This was a time when German aircraft had great control. Later, in October 1918, the Italian military gained control at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. They used about 600 aircraft to win this final offensive. This victory helped cause the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Even with great power, air supremacy does not mean everything is safe. Hostile forces can still find ways to win using unexpected tactics. For example, NATO forces held air superiority over Kosovo but still lost a stealth aircraft. This happened because of a Serbian ground-based defense system. In the Iraq War, insurgents used mortars to hit planes on the ground. They even used photos from the internet to find their targets. This shows that even the strongest air forces must always stay careful.

Air supremacy is the highest level of control a military force holds over the skies during a conflict. It is often described as the aerial equivalent of command of the sea. When a side achieves air supremacy, the opposing air force is unable to interfere effectively with their missions. This level of control is vital for many military operations. It allows for increased bombing efforts and tactical support for troops on the ground. It also makes it possible to perform paratroop assaults, airdrops, and the transfer of cargo and supplies.

Control of the air is considered a zero-sum game. This means that as one side increases its control, the other side's control must decrease. There are several distinct levels of control used to describe this situation. Air supremacy is the top level of dominance. Below that is air superiority, where one side is in a more favorable position to conduct operations. Then there is air parity, where both sides have roughly equal control. If a side cannot compete for these levels, they may strive for air denial. Air denial means they allow the other side to have superiority but prevent them from reaching total supremacy.

Achieving control involves more than just fighting other aircraft in the sky. While air-to-air combat is common, destroying enemy aircraft on the ground is often more effective. Military forces may target infrastructure to prevent an opponent from launching planes. This includes destroying fuel supplies or using bombs to create craters in runways. Some groups use area denial weapons to make airfields unusable. Historical examples show the power of these methods. In the Six-Day War, the Israeli Air Force achieved air supremacy by dealing a crippling blow to the airfields of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.

Specialized units have often been used to disrupt an enemy's ability to fly. During the Second World War, the British Special Air Service (SAS) was formed to conduct raids on German aircraft and airfields. While operating in the Western Desert, the SAS is credited with destroying more than 400 enemy aircraft. Other groups have used unconventional methods to level the playing field. During the Iraq War, insurgents used mortars to destroy four Apache helicopters on the ground in 2007. They even used geotagged photographs from the internet to help find their targets.

Modern history shows that even great technology does not guarantee safety. Air supremacy does not mean that a side will suffer low losses of aircraft. Hostile forces often use unconventional tactics to find weaknesses. For instance, NATO forces held air superiority over Kosovo, yet they still lost a stealth strike aircraft. This loss was caused by a Serbian ground-based air defense system, even though the system was considered obsolete. This demonstrates that even highly advanced aircraft can be vulnerable to ground-based threats.

The history of aerial warfare began with many new developments during the First World War. Early on, pilots used aircraft armed with machine guns. A major breakthrough was the synchronization gear, which allowed guns to fire through spinning propellers. The German company Fokker developed this gear for the Fokker Eindecker series. This led to a period of German dominance known as the Fokker Scourge between late 1915 and early 1916. Later, in October 1918, the Italian military used about 600 aircraft to gain air superiority at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. This victory helped lead to the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In the years between the world wars, theorists began to predict the future of combat. In 1921, American general Billy Mitchell proved that aircraft could sink large warships. He arranged an exercise where bombers sank the German battleship SMS Ostfriesland in just 22 minutes.

Around the same time, Italian theorist Giulio Douhet published "The Command of the Air." He argued that future wars would be decided in the skies rather than on land. He believed that gaining air supremacy could allow a nation to win a war quickly. These ideas changed how military planners viewed the importance of controlling the air.