AMR-June-July-2013

A I R P O W E R
C O U N T E R
I N S U R G E N C Y
North American Rockwell’s OV-10
Bronco was an early post-Second
World War attempt to produce a
dedicated counter-insurgency aircraft.
Recent proposals to place the aircraft
back into production have so far come
to naught © US DoD
had been forgotten by the USAF
as unarmoured supersonic fighters
with vulnerable fuel tanks and
hydraulic control systems were knocked
down or damaged by North Vietnamese
peasants armed with automatic small arms
with simple sights. About 43% of all the F-
105 Thunderchiefs ever built were shot
down over Vietnam because this tactical
nuclear bomber was unmanoeuverable
and vulnerable to antiaircraft fire.
The military helicopter came of age in
Vietnam but whether fixed wing or
rotary, rugged and simpler aircraft
proved their worth for nations who had
no need or use for Major League aircraft.
The era of dedicated counter-insurgency
(COIN) warfare had truly arrived and the
ultimate COIN aircraft
today is the
Spectre AC-130
Gunship. In the Maysan province of Iraq,
Brigadier Richard Holmes noted that “the
AC-130 effect on morale was palpable…some
of the British soldiers undoubtedly
owe their lives to the ability of the
Spectre crews to understand the ground
battle and weigh in with super-accurate
fire at midnight in a burning town.” But
only a super-power can afford this aweinspiring
capability.
James S Corum has reviewed dozens of
major insurgencies since 1945 from which
he identified good strategy and good intelligence
as the two keys to effective counter-insurgency.
While there is no air power
solution to counter-insurgency, there is
certainly a large role for air power: it can
bring firepower, transport, reconnaissance
and constant presence to the COIN fight.
US counter-insurgency doctrine recommends
the use of inexpensive, low-tech
aircraft and technology for less developed
allies facing insurgency. Simply put, US
doctrine recognises that effective counterinsurgency
requires more than just the use
of US forces; it is also about helping allied
nations win their own conflicts.
For a re-emerging nation like Iraq,
light, armed aircraft with sensors and
weapons that are affordable, nimble and
flexible have great appeal. The same will
prove true in Afghanistan which needs to
support indigenous ground forces without
breaking the budget. More importantly,
because of the simplicity of the aircraft,
coalition forces can train airmen to fly and
service them once their combat troops
have withdrawn. However, as we stand
on the threshold of dramatic technological
changes, is the ‘cheap’ COIN aircraft of
yesteryear achievable or viable?
Déjà vu
There are plenty of nations for whom COIN
aircraft are the ideal solution. Last August
Embraer handed over an initial batch of
four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to the
Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU). Twelve
more are to follow and these sixteen light
attack and tactical training aircraft are part
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