Naval Aviation. The Navy is Taking Actions to Improve the Combat Capabilities of its Tactical Aircraft.

摘要

The Chairman of the Legislation and National Security Subcommittee of the House Committee on Government Operations and the Chairman of the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs asked the General Accounting Office to determine whether certain aircraft had the capabilities needed to perform their assigned missions during Operation Desert Storm. This report focuses on several Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. Several factors contributed to the Gulf War victory by creating favorable conditions under which to plan and fight the war, and these should be considered when assessing the effectiveness of U.S. weapons in the war. Commanders had nearly 6 months to plan and develop an air campaign that when initiated, quickly gained air superiority and effectively neutralized much of Iraq's air defense system. In addition, Iraq's forces remained in a primarily defensive posture throughout the war. These factors helped enable the Coalition to determine its tactics and decide when and where offensive air and ground actions would occur.