Airpower and Technology

Smart and Unmanned Weapons

David R. Mets

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN: 9780275993146
• eBook ISBN: 9780313087387
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

Is there a reason for the busy citizen-leader to read about air and space history, theory, and doctrine? Yes, asserts David Mets, because without some vision of what the future is likely to bring, we enter new conflicts unarmed with any ideas and highly vulnerable to confusion and paralysis. He wrote this book to help the aspirant American leader build a theory of war and air and space power, including an understanding of what doctrine is, and what its utility and limitations are. Since its earliest days, airpower has been one of the dominant forces used by the American military. American airmen, both Navy and Air Force, have been continually striving to achieve precision strikes in high altitude, at long range, or in darkness. The search for precision attack from standoff distances or altitudes has been imperative to national objectives with expenditure of American lives, treasure, and time. This work covers the whole history of American aviation with special attention to the development of smart weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles and the influence they have had on the effectiveness of airpower. In a chronological treatment, emphasizing theory and doctrine, technology, tactics, and strategy. Mets also details both combat experience and intellectual processes, lethal and non-lethal, involved in the preparation of airpower. In addition to the narrative discussion, the work offers sidebars and feature sections that facilitate the understanding of key weapons systems and operational challenges. It also offers A Dozen-Book Sampler for Your Reading on Air and Space Theory and Doctrine. The work concludes with a brief look at information warfare and with some speculations about the future. Through this thorough consideration of the evolution of American airpower and technology, Mets provides, not only a map of the past, but a guide to future generations of airpower and its potential for keeping the United States strong and safe.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Airpower Thinking and Technology before Hiroshima
• 3. The Foundations of American Airpower
• 4. The Battle of Britain/America Prepares
• 5. American Airpower in World War II: Genesis of Precision-guided Weapons
• 6. The Coming of the Balance of Terror: Heyday of the SAC Bombers
• 7. Vietnam and the Coming of the Smart Weapon Age
• 8. Reaction to Vietnam: Air and Space Theory and Doctrine, Technology, and Organization
• 9. Reorganization for the Era of Smart Weapons and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• 10. Intelligence, Technology, and Information Warfare
• 11. The Second Gulf War: Air and Space Combat at the Dawn of a New Century
• 12. The Future of Air and Space War: Speculations
• Notes
• Index