Tactical Air Power and the Vietnam War - Explaining Effectiveness in Modern Air Warfare

This book introduces a much-needed theory of tactical air power to explain air power effectiveness in modern warfare with a particular focus on the Vietnam War as the first and largest modern air war. Phil Haun shows how in the Rolling Thunder, Commando Hunt, and Linebacker air campaigns, independently air power repeatedly failed to achieve US military and political objectives. In contrast, air forces in combined arms operations succeeded more often than not. In addition to predicting how armies will react to a lethal air threat, he identifies operational factors of air superiority, air-to-ground capabilities, and friendly ground force capabilities, along with environmental factors of weather, lighting, geography and terrain, and cover and concealment in order to explain air power effectiveness. The book concludes with analysis of modern air warfare since Vietnam along with an assessment of tactical air power relevance now and for the future.

Product details

• Authors: Phil Haun, Phil (Us Naval War College) Haun, Haun Phil
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 18.01.2024
• EAN: 9781009364195
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0936419-5
• No. of pages: 312
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 230 mm x 20 mm
• Series: Cambridge Military Histories; Print on demand
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Security (National & International), Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, HISTORY / Military / General, military history, HISTORY / Military / Strategy, Defence strategy, planning & research, Air forces & warfare, c 1960 to c 1970, Air forces and warfare, Military and defence strategy, Modern warfare, Military history: post-WW2 conflicts, c 1955 to c 1975 (Vietnam War period), Vietnam War, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War, HISTORY / Military / Aviation & Space