Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of warfare.

 

The development of the helicopter revolutionized the entire battlefield by the improvement of the "Third Dimension" of "Vertical Envelopment" that had been introduced shortly before World War II with the development of airborne units (pioneered by the USSR). This included the aerial support of ground forces, and expansion of the "Cannae Maneuver" from two dimensions (Encirclement) to one of Three Dimensions (Encirclement and Vertical Envelopment). In addition, the introduction of the helicopter removed most barriers to troop movement on the battlefield, and provided the sort of mobility that the artillery had been dreaming of since its inception. A helicopter could deliver troops and weapons quickly to areas inaccessible to fixed-wing aircraft - and, unlike paratroops, they could be recovered again. Likewise, ground units could call for aerial fire support that could save them from capture or destruction. This led to an entirely new class of airmobile troops, and the introduction of "Air Cavalry" in the U.S., able to land unexpectedly, strike, and leave again. Such tactics played a major part in the Vietnam War, and is today an integral element of US tactical thinking for all forms of warfare.