Evolution of the Aerial Defence of Air Bases : Concepts and Lessons Learned

The lessons learned during wars and armed conflicts indicate that the main factor influencing the aerial defence of air bases were directly related to the rapid development of the combat capabilities of aerial threats. Air bases have been lucrative targets for enemy air strikes since the first documented attack by a British aircraft on a German airfield in 1914 and have remained so for contemporary military air operations. The article discusses the evolution of concepts and lessons learned in the field of aerial defence of air bases that resulted from armed conflicts and local wars. The analysis includes armed conflicts, which, according to the author, have reflected the changes in the organisation of the aerial defence of air bases, including the repulsion of air strikes against aviation on the ground. Attention was paid to the conditions related to the aerial defence of aviation on the ground during the First World War. A more thorough analysis was made of the Second World War period, focused on the Western Front and the defence of Poland. Particular attention was paid to the Battle of Britain, noting the importance of the organisation of the radar air surveillance system in the context of the effectiveness of air defence. The focus of the analysis then shifts to the aerial defence of air bases during armed conflicts after the Second World War: the Vietnam War (1965-1973), the Yom Kippur War (1973), the defence of air bases in the Yom Kippur War (1973), and NATO operations from the air against air bases during the Deny Flight / Deliberate Force (1992-1995) and Allied Force (1999) operations. The article also makes a preliminary assessment of the aerial defence of air bases during the ongoing conflict in Syria.