The Quest for Relevant Air Power

POST–COLD WAR CHALLENGES │ 59
ticularly designed for Cold War scenarios obsolete, as was the case
with the British JP233 airfield attack system. Originally optimised
for the specific role of low-level counterair missions against Warsaw
Pact airfields in Central Europe, JP233 provided, according to
a high-ranking RAF officer, less than satisfactory outcomes during
Operation Desert Storm, and eventually fell victim to the
worldwide ban against anti-personnel mines. 286 On the other hand,
precision air-to-ground weapons had a major impact upon aerial
warfare. Though PGMs accounted for less than 10 per cent of the
total air munitions tonnage dropped during Desert Storm, it was
the first conflict to be fought with an extensive use of guided
weapons. At the end of the 1990s, Operation Allied Force was
planned to be fought almost exclusively with PGMs. However, the
expansion of the air campaign made reserve stocks dwindle fast,
which led to an increased use of unguided air-to-ground munitions.
These campaigns clearly revealed the need for cheap all-weather
munitions such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), a
GPS-directed bomb. 287 Besides precision-guided bombs, various
standoff cruise missiles are being added to the arsenals. European
designs include the Franco-British-Italian Storm Shadow/Scalp or
the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles. 288
The SEAD mission poses a particular challenge to Western air
forces, as dedicated SEAD aircraft are scarce assets. Moreover,
specific anti-radiation missiles such as the American high-speed
anti-radiation missile (HARM) or the British air-launched antiradiation
missile (ALARM) are required. 289
Air Mobility. Military airlift has basically been split into two
categories—tactical airlift (intratheatre) and strategic airlift (intertheatre).
290 The former was typically covered by medium-sized aircraft,
such as the C-130 Hercules or the C-160 Transall, capable of
very good takeoff performance from austere airfields. These aircraft
are capable of delivering maximum loads of 15 to 20 tons,
including armoured vehicles. Significant limitations regarding
width and height of the cargo bay, however, restrict carrying bulky
items such as medium-sized helicopters.
Heavy strategic airlift, on the other hand, was the domain of the
USAF and, to a lesser extent, of the former Soviet Air Force during
the Cold War. It required the development of large aircraft such as
the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy or the Antonov An-124 Condor, capable