Integral Air Support to Land Operations: A Futuristic Perspective

Offensive use of air power is an important element of modern warfare and is seen as a precursor to the conduct of successful land operations. One of the basic tenets of military operations in contemporary times is the attempt to achieve air supremacy or air superiority, at the very least, to allow the successful conduct of land operations. This means, in a broader sense the land offensive cannot be undertaken until and unless control of the command of air has been achieved. The lessons from Russia–Ukraine war have driven home the fact that air superiority may not be achieved at all, with both sides attempting air denial strategies. In this case, the land offensive needs integral air support of its own, in the form of utilising technologies and tools like drone swarms, autonomous drones and surfaceto- surface missiles.