combat aircraft

A

S AIR POWER’S role

in strategic warfare

developed during the late

1930s and early 1940s,

defending key targets

from aerial attack became

a high priority for nations around the

world. This continued post-WW2 and

through the Cold War, when ever more

sophisticated systems and defensive

shields were developed on both sides of

the ‘iron curtain’.

Moscow placed considerable emphasis

on the Soviet Union’s defenses, building

an impressive  ghter interceptor force

and a state-of-the-art anti-aircraft

artillery screen. Later came the surface-

to-air missiles (SAMs) that proved so

e ective in North Vietnamese hands in

the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Countering these defenses became

a top priority for NATO forces. The

answer was to send a capable group of

specialized electronic warfare aircraft

The US Air Force’s EF-111A

Ravens made a signifi cant,

yet unsung, contribution to

Operation ‘Desert Storm’ in

1991. Combat Aircraft gets an
      incredible insight into the fi rst
      nights over Iraq.

REPORT Warren E. Thompson

66 July 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net

66-72 EF-111 Desert Storm C.indd 66 20/05/2018 11:23