|
 Over the past decade,
modern air forces are transforming their operational concepts
from platform and weapons dependent to effects oriented planning.
In other words, shifting from focusing on the number of airplanes
it takes to destroy a single target, to the number of targets
which can be destroyed with a single aircraft and the aggregated
effect such attacks could yield.
Investment in precision guided munitions following
the lessons from the Kosovo campaign was fully vindicated during
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Around 66% of US munitions and up to 85% of RAF
munitions used during OIF were precision guided, either by
Global
Positioning Systems (GPS) or by
laser or both. This demonstrates a
huge leap forward in capability since the 1991 conflict, when the
proportion of precision guided munitions was around 30% of US and
18% of RAF weapons were guided.
The US Forces flew 37,000 missions during OIF,
dropping 23,000 precision guided weapons (over 66% of the total
ordnance dropped) and launching 750 cruise missiles. During OIF,
new tactics were developed to find, fix, track, engage, and assess
fleeting targets, enabling the coalition to effectively process
156 time sensitive targets, and more than 680 highly mobile
dynamic targets. Coalition forces command and control structures
at the Combined Air Operations Center were also modified to far
better integrate space operations into operational planning and
mission control. |
