Page 7 - David Coles Australian Military Aircraft Book Interior Sample

While the above points define what air power does, the physical capabilities/limitations, or characteristics of aircraft (and their supporting systems), are what the commanders must work with to provide the desired outcomes of a campaign (whether in peace time or in war). The following is a list from the RAAF Air Power Manual, and these characteristics will give the reader a good indication of what must be considered when purchasing and operating a capability.
a. Perspective – the higher you go up, the greater your horizon and the more you can see
b. Payload – the total load (passengers, cargo, sensors and/or weaponry) an aircraft can carry
c. Precision – achieving effects accurately with discrimination and proportionality
d. Flexibility – the ability to create an effect (either lethal or non-lethal) over a range of contingencies
e. Fragility – the vulnerabilities of sophisti- cated and technologically advanced systems
f. Dependency – the reliance on support mech- anisms to generate and sustain operations
g. Impermanence – the temporary nature of an aerial platform to maintain influence through its presence
h. Speed – the ability to make an effect rapidly i. Reach – the ability to get to locations without
being constrained by physical barriers.
Each and every component of air power will have its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to air power characteristics. It is up to the nations capability plan- ners to mix and match aircraft and support mechanisms to create a completely balanced air power capability. An air arm with 100 fighter aircraft an no transports may look good on paper, but it would not be very capable in reality. A look at the modern Australian Defence Force reveals the lengths to which Australia has gone, and the lessons which it has had to lean to arrive at today’s
modern and well-balanced aerial capability.
Reading through this book, you will often see terms such as ‘fighter’, ‘bomber’, ‘transport’, ‘reconnaissance’ or ‘patrol’, and ‘trainer’. With the above information regarding air power, it will be much easier to define the roles to which the vast list of aircraft contained in this book were put to and give an idea as to why they were
operated by the Australian Military/Defence Forces.
WHAT IS AIR POWER?
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