Air Defence Artillery In Combat 1972 To The Present

“It covers, chapter by chapter the anti-air battle in wars from Yom Kippur (1973) onwards . . . a readable, well researched and well-presented book.” —Army Rumour Service (ARRSE) Anti-aircraft artillery truly came into prominence during the Second World War, shooting down more aircraft than any other weapon and seriously affecting the conduct of air operations. Development continued into the Cold War, resulting in the extensive introduction of surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs. Though the first combat success of such weapons was during the Vietnam War, when a Soviet-designed S-75 Dvina missile shot down a USAF F-4C Phantom on 24 July 1965, it was the Yom Kippur War of 1973 which brought surface-to-air missiles to the center stage. During this short but bitter conflict, Egyptian and Syrian air defenses shot down nearly fifty Israeli aircraft in the first three days alone—almost a fourth of Israel’s entire combat aircraft fleet. In all, Israel lost 104 aircraft during the war and, for the first time, more aircraft were lost to SAMs than any other cause. The age of surface-to-air missiles had dawned. In this unique examination, the author details the development of not just surface-to-air missiles, but all anti-aircraft artillery, since 1972. The part that such equipment played in all of the major conflicts since then is explored, including the Soviet Afghan War, the Falklands War, in which Rapier was deployed, the conflict in Lebanon, Kosovo and Bosnia, the Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 1993. The investigation is brought right up to date by a study of the weapons, tactics and engagements seen in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

An in-depth look at the combat performance of ground-based air defenses during the Korean War, Vietnam War, Middle East conflicts, and other campaigns. Though anti-aircraft artillery was extensively used in combat in the First World War, it wasn’t until World War II that it came into prominence, shooting down more aircraft than any other weapon and seriously degrading the conduct of air operations. In the battle between the attackers and anti-aircraft artillery, the latter had the upper hand when the war ended. The post-war years saw a decline in anti-aircraft artillery as peace prevailed, and the advent of the jet aircraft seemed to tilt the balance in favor of the aircraft as they flew faster and higher, seemingly beyond the reach of anti-aircraft artillery. It would take all the hi-tech equipment and the guile and cunning that anti-aircraft artillery could muster to try and reclaim pole position. It is that story, of the tug of war between the aircraft and artillery, that forms the narrative of this book—as it traces the history of combat employment of anti-aircraft artillery from the Korean War, in effect the first Jet Age war, to the War of Attrition between Arab states and Israel when the missiles came of age, sending the aircraft scurrying for cover. Mandeep Singh’s book is the first attempt to look at the performance of anti-aircraft artillery, incorporating the views, analyses and experiences of Soviet, Arab and South Asian Armies through the major wars between 1950 and 1972.

Anti-aircraft artillery was extensively used in combat in the First World War, though such weapons had made their debut in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, when the besieged French used balloons for observation and communication and the Prussians used the first custom built 1-pounder gun to try and shoot them down.It was, however, not until the Second World War that anti-aircraft artillery came into prominence, shooting down more aircraft than any other weapon and seriously degrading the conduct of air operations. In the battle between the attackers and anti-aircraft artillery, the latter had the upper hand when the war ended.The post-war years saw a decline in anti-aircraft artillery as peace prevailed, and the advent of the jet aircraft seemed to tilt the balance in favour of the aircraft as they flew faster and higher, seemingly beyond the reach of anti-aircraft artillery. It would take all the hi-tech equipment and the guile and cunning that anti-aircraft artillery could muster to try and reclaim pole position. It is that story, of the tug of war between the aircraft and artillery, that forms the narrative of this book - as it traces the history of combat employment of anti-aircraft artillery from the Korean War, in effect the first Jet Age war, to the War of Attrition between Arab states and Israel when the missiles came of age, sending the aircraft scurrying for cover.Anti-Aircraft Artillery in Combat, 1950-1972 is the first attempt to look at the combat performance of ground-based air defences, incorporating the views, analyses and experiences of Soviet, Arab and South Asian Armies. The book looks at the major wars between 1950 and 1972, including the Korean War, Vietnam War, the wars in South Asia in 1965 and 1971, and conflicts in the Middle East, such as the Six Day War.

IN THIS VOLUME: India’s Extended Neighbourhood in Turmoil: Afghanistan - A Vacuum or a Vortex? - Lt Gen (Dr) JS Bajwa INDIAN DEFENCE REVIEW COMMENT Directed-Energy Weapons: Mirage or Reality?: Light at the end of the Tunnel - Gp Capt Joseph Noronha ----------------------------------------------- The Sead Challenge: Trends in Threats to Surface-Based Air Defences - Col Mandeep Singh China’s Growing Defence Exports in Asia: Challenge for “Make in India” - Air Marshal Anil Chopra Who were the Mysterious ‘Tibetan 419 Troops’ in 1962? - Claude Arpi India’s National Security Options in a Penta-Polar World - Scenario 2030 - Navneet Bhushan The Concept of Theatre Command in the Indian Context - Gp Capt AK Sachdev Proxy War: should India Actively Enter into this Realm to Achieve its National Interests? - Col Mridul Kamal Gaind In Pursuit of the FRCV Pipedream - Lt Gen (Dr) NB Singh Hindustan Aeronautics Limited: The Need for Privatisation - Gp Capt AK Sachdev Forum Army 2021: Some Salient Points and Takeaways - Lt Gen (Dr) VK Saxena India’s Wait and Watch in Afghanistan: The Strategic Space - Danvir Singh Aerospace and Defence News - Priya Tyagi The Great Afghan Betrayal: A Palace Coup? - VK Shashikumar INDIAN DEFENCE REVIEW ARCHIEVE Studies in Low-Intensity Conflict: The Tibetan Rebellion - IDR Research Team

Noted authority Steven J. Zaloga charts the development, combat use, and influence of man-portable air defense systems, from the late 1960s to the present day. The first attempts at developing a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) based around a guided missile began in the mid-1950s, as a response to the increased speed and maneuverability of jet aircraft. This book charts the technological evolution of the MANPADS and explores their combat usage and the lessons from these encounters. Besides detailing the missiles, it also surveys the various methods developed as countermeasures to the MANPADS threat. The first generation of MANPADS, such as the US Army's Redeye and the Soviet Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail), saw combat use in the Vietnam War in 1972 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973. The next generation of infrared-guided MANPADS, such as the US Stinger and Soviet Igla, came to prominence following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Since the 1970s, MANPADS have been used in innumerable wars, border conflicts, civil wars and insurrections. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and carefully chosen photographs, this study tells the story of these lethally effective weapons, from their origins to their use today.

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The Routledge Handbook of Air Power offers a comprehensive overview of the political purposes and military importance of air power. Despite its increasing significance in international relations, statecraft and war, the phenomenon of air power remains controversial and little understood beyond its tactical and technological prominence. This volume provides a comprehensive survey designed to contribute to a deep and sophisticated understanding of air power. Containing contributions from academics and service personnel, the book comprises five sections: - Part I Foundation: the essence of air power - Part II Roles and functions: delivering air power - Part III Cross-domain integration: applying air power - Part IV Political–social–economic environment: air power in its strategic context - Part V Case studies: air power in its national context Examining a series of themes and factors that contribute to an understanding of the utility and applicability of air power, this Handbook focuses on the essence of air power, identifies its roles and functions, and places air power in its wider strategic and national contexts. The Routledge Handbook of Air Power will be of great interest to students of air power, strategic studies, defence studies, security studies and IR, as well as to military professionals and policy-makers.

Includes over 90 illustrations ‘Dr Kenneth Werrell’s history of ground-based air defense performs an important service both to scholarship and, more important, to the defense of our nation’s freedom. It is perhaps human nature that we tend over time to lose sight of the lessons of the past, especially when they do not conform to certain cherished preconceptions of ours. That such myopia can be dangerous, if not downright disastrous, Doctor Werrell’s study richly illustrates. Without sentimentalism, he chronicles a pattern of lessons learned and too quickly forgotten, as the marvel of air power was reminded again and again of its limitations and vulnerability. In Korea and in Vietnam, the American people were stripped of their illusions of national and technical omnipotence. The unhappy outcome of those two conflicts were doubly lamentable because the lessons of World War II were—or should have been—fresh in our minds. In that world war, as Doctor Werrell shows, relatively cheap ground-based air defense did make a difference: at Ploesti, at Antwerp, and at the Rhine bridges.