Aerial Superiority in the US Military

ABSTRACT: How can military superiority, once lost, be restored? During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force lost its military superiority because it mistakenly judged that the era of aerial combat was over. This paper shows how USAF sought to restore its superiority through a combination of changes that were made to platforms, weaponry and to the professional skills of its pilots. Although the challenges to American aerial superiority in the 1970s are dissimilar to those which challenge aerial superiority today, the paper provides a case study of a successful learning process from which the IDF can draw important lessons.

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