86 // AUGUST 2018 #365 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comColumn Commander’s Update Briefing
ir power is an inherently
joint endeavour, where
missions are almost always
in support of operations in the
land or maritime environments. At
sea, maritime patrol is arguably
the single most prominent and
important role of air power.
The sea poses a number of
challenges that the air domain can
mitigate, as the range, speed and
altitude of air platforms provide
a very efficient search function,
allowing thousands of miles of
ocean to be reconnoitred quickly
and efficiently. This is true both
above and below water, although
the latter clearly poses the greatest
challenge and possibly the mostAir Power Association
President, Air
Marshal (ret’d)
Greg Bagwell CB
CBE turns his eye to
maritime patrol. It’s
a mission that can be
compared to finding a
needle in a haystack- and one that might
have to be flown in
gale-force winds over
raging seas.
Maritime patrol
missions are almost always
AAbove: Since the Second World War, warships and submarines have been at the
mercy of maritime patrol aircraft. Here, Mosquito FBVIs of No 248 Squadron
attack a German ‘M’-class minesweeper and two trawler-type auxiliaries in the
mouth of the Gironde River, off Royan, France, in August 1944. Crown Copyright