The Future of Air Superiority. Command of the Air in High Intensity Warfare
Air superiority, understood as control of the air, is a cornerstone of the Western art of warfare. It is a decisive condition, albeit not sufficient by itself, to achieve military victory, as it enables the concentration of air power toward the achievement of wider strategic objectives and protects other components from unbearable attrition levels. It is best achieved through the offensive use of air power in a joint effort to neutralize the enemy’s air power.
The recent developments of Russian and Chinese air power challenge the West’s ability to acquire air superiority, particularly in the field of integrated air defense systems. The proliferation of ballistic and hypersonic technologies, drones, access to advanced electronic warfare technology, and the emerging exploitation of very high altitudes are potential game changers that might bypass or undermine the traditional Western paradigm of air dominance.
Radar stealth and the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) are likely to remain the dominant factors of tactical superiority in air combat over the next decade. In addition, any force structure that will have switched from a platform-centric mindset to saturation and distribution strategies, while mastering a certain number of associated technologies, will gain a decisive edge in the battlespace.
The French air power is built around two main missions: nuclear deterrence and the air defense of mainland France. It is reaching the limits of its ability to weigh decisively within large coalitions fighting in high-intensity conflicts, due mostly to the absence of stealth platforms and SEAD capabilities, as well as to its undersized fleet of combat aircraft, lack of mission systems, and insufficient ammunition stockpiles.
This study lists several recommendations, broadly aiming at:
- maintaining the short- and medium-term relevance of the current fleet of combat aircraft by modernizing their mission systems and increasing weapons stockpiles;
- moving from a platform-centric approach to a network of distributed sensors and weapons working together to regain a form of mass;
- in the medium term, freeing fighter aviation from the Augustinian cost spiral, by ensuring the cost-effectiveness of its exquisite capabilities and employing them only where they are needed, while building a high-low mix of differentiated stand-in and standoff platforms.
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The Future of Air Superiority. Command of the Air in High Intensity Warfare
Adrien GORREMANS
Former Military Fellow, Defense Research Unit of Security Studies Center, Ifri
Jean-Christophe NOËL
Associate Research Fellow, Security Studies Center, Ifri
Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
Defense Research Unit
The Defense Research Unit is a program that aims at stimulating the strategic debate by dealing with subjects at the junction of the “technico-operational” and the “political-strategic”. A unique structure in France, it brings together civilian researchers and “military fellows” from each of the three armies to produce work on defense policies, the capability and strategic adaptation of armies, and foresight on tomorrow's conflicts.
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