Time-Critical Targeting. Predictive Versus Reactionary Methods: An Analysis for the Future

摘要

Targeting has long been a primary concern for our air forces; it took a thousand plane raids in World War II to destroy a factory. The revolutionary gains in precision weapons of the last dozen years have eliminated the requirement for the air force armada and highlighted new areas of improvement, particularly a desire to destroy more difficult, fleeting targets of opportunity. As Lt. Col. Gregory S. Marzolf points out in this study of new targeting parameters, the Air Force became aware during Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force of its inability to find and destroy emerging targets before they disappeared. Marzolf sees the Air Force moving towards solutions, particularly with the concept of reactive methods, wherein identified targets are attacked by loitering aircraft. The Air Force is working to improve its persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms to identify the targets, its communications cations network to get the information to a shooter, and its weapons to quickly engage the target.