On Future Air Defence: Emerging Threats, Challenges and Future Trends

Air Defence is a neglected subject. Nobody writes about Air Defence as it is not sexy enough, lamented Dr. Kenneth P Werrell when he wrote Archie, Flak, AAA, and SAM, the operational history of ground-based air defence in 1988. Not much has changed since then. There are not many books on Air Defence Artillery that cover its combat employment, though air power and its application are subject of many a book. Even while discussing the employment of air forces, the offensive operations are generally the favourite rather than the less sexy defensive operations. The duel between air defence and air offence has been an interesting contest ever since the advent of aircraft and what can be discerned from even a cursory reading of the history of air power that it is the defence that has had an upper hand rather than the offence for most of the history of air power.

Air defence is a fascinating subject that holds much importance, especially in these challenging times of hybrid air threats. As aviation technology proliferates, an unprecedented democratization of air threat has occurred that can manifest itself almost anywhere. Only ground-based air defence can effectively counter the emerging air threat in all its forms. This has been amply demonstrated in battlefields ranging from Syria and Israel to Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh. What has also been demonstrated is the ascendancy of air defence over air offence in recent conflicts. As air threats continue to evolve, Future Air Defence looks at the emerging air threat, the interplay between air offence and defence, and the likely future of air defence.

The book is laid out in three sections. The emerging threats is covered first, followed by a look at air defence in select conflicts around the world. The last section deals with the air defence challenges, trends and future air defence including the use of AD systems beyond their defensive role.