1. Air Power
“The ability to use platforms operating in or passing through the air for military purposes”

2. Strengths of Air Power Height
Aircraft can operate over a wide range of heights
and so have the ability to observe and control
activities on the ground.
Speed
The enormous speed of modern aircraft means:
Deployable to any part of the world very quickly.
Missions can be completed in shorter times.
Aircraft spend less time over the target which
reduces their exposure to hostile fire.

3. Strengths of Air Power Reach
Air power has a much greater reach than either
land or sea forces and is unaffected by terrain.
Air-To-Air Refuelling enhances reach.
All-encompassing
Air power can counter or pose simultaneous
threats across a far wider geographical area
than either land or sea forces.

4. Strengths of Air Power Flexibility
Modern aircraft can perform a wide variety of tasks
and change from one task to another with
comparative ease.
Typhoon – From Air Defence
to Ground Attack

5. Strengths of Air Power
Voyager – From Transport
to Air-To-Air Refuel

6. Strengths of Air Power Response
Aircraft can be scrambled and be deployed to
distant places in a very short period of time.

7. Strengths of Air Power Concentration
To have the ability to focus massive fire power
against crucial targets, may well achieve
operational success very quickly.
Iraq War an armoured column fleeing from the
US Army, finds as it turns West the British Army
waiting for it.
It turns North, so the Allies divert some B52
Bombers and the column is annihilated.

8. Limitations of Air Power
Airborne Time
Aircraft can not stay airborne for ever, Even
with air-to-air refuelling
Aircraft need to land to re-arm, re-crew or service
the aircraft.
Limited Payloads
Payloads that can be carried by aircraft are smaller
than those carried by ships or land vehicles.

9. Limitations of Air Power
Fragility
Even low levels of battle damage could bring the
aircraft down - a fact which limits the time they can
be exposed to hostile fire.
Aircraft can however take advantage of their height
and speed to make them difficult targets to hit.

10. Other considerations with Air Power
Cost
High-technology equipment inevitably costs more
than simple equipment,
Dependency On Bases
Aircraft need a high level of base support if they are
to operate effectively, and if this base support is
vulnerable to attack, this could fundamentally
weaken the effectiveness of the air power.

11. Other considerations with Air Power
Sensitivity To Light
And Weather
Bad weather can make it difficult for aircraft to
take-off and land.
But with modern technological developments
aircraft can use bad weather and night to prevent
detection and so improve success.

12. Other considerations with Air Power
Sensitivity To Technology
Air power is extremely sensitive to technological
change.
For example, small advances in surface-to-air
defence technology can have a major impact
on the offensive operations of aircraft.