Airpower Over Water

摘要

Once upon a time, airpower earned its spurs over water. Maritime interdiction-attack of ships-was a major mission for decades. From Billy Mitchell's sinking of Ostfriesland to the Battle of Midway in 1942, the use of airpower over water made for some dramatic turning points.rnDuring the Cold War, USAF bombers trained to seek and sink warships of the Soviet fleet. Then the Cold War ended and so did open-ocean exercises. The US Navy switched its focus to littoral operations where threats were no greater in size than Iranian coastal patrol boats.