14 Facts About Ground-attack aircraft

An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pressing the attack.

The need for a separate attack Ground-attack aircraft category was greatly diminished by the introduction of precision-guided munitions which allowed almost any Ground-attack aircraft to carry out this role while remaining safe at high altitude.

Variety of light attack Ground-attack aircraft has been introduced in the post-World War II era, usually based on adapted trainers or other light fixed-wing Ground-attack aircraft.

US attack Ground-attack aircraft are currently identified by the prefix A-, as in "A-6 Intruder" and "A-10 Thunderbolt II".

Imperial Japanese Navy designation use "B" to designate carrier attack bomber such as the Nakajima B5N Type-97 bomber although these Ground-attack aircraft are mostly used for torpedo attack and level bombing.

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Such missions required flying where light anti-Ground-attack aircraft fire was expected and operating at low altitudes to precisely identify targets.

Nevertheless, during the 1920s, the US military, in particular, procured specialized "Attack" Ground-attack aircraft and formed dedicated units, that were trained primarily for that role.

Nevertheless, such Ground-attack aircraft, including the A-2's replacement, the Curtiss A-12 Shrike, were unarmored and highly vulnerable to AA fire.

However, like most air arms of the period it did operate attack Ground-attack aircraft, named Army Cooperation in RAF parlance, which included the Hawker Hector, Westland Lysander and others.

British concept of a light Ground-attack aircraft mixing all the roles that required extensive communication with land forces: reconnaissance, liaison, artillery spotting, aerial supply, and, last but not least, occasional strikes on the battlefield.

The concept was similar to front-line Ground-attack aircraft used in the World War I, which was called the CL class in the German Empire.

Bristol Beaufighter, based on an obsolescent RAF bomber, became a versatile twin-engine attack Ground-attack aircraft and served in almost every theatre of the war, in the maritime strike and ground attack roles as well as that of night fighter.

Ultimate development of the cannon-armed light attack Ground-attack aircraft was the small production run in 1944 of the Henschel Hs 129B-3, armed with a modified PAK 40 75 mm anti-tank gun.

Jet attack aircraft were designed and employed during the Cold War era, such as the carrier-based nuclear strike Douglas A-3 Skywarrior and North American A-5 Vigilante, while the Grumman A-6 Intruder, F-105 Thunderchief, F-111, F-117 Nighthawk, LTV A-7 Corsair II, Sukhoi Su-25, A-10 Thunderbolt, Panavia Tornado, AMX, Dassault Etendard, Super Etendard and others were designed specifically for ground-attack, strike, close support and anti-armor work, with little or no air-to-air capability.