Abstract
When we have a cursory look at the contemporary conflicts like India’s Operation Sindoor, the Russo-Ukraine War and the War in Israel, drones and missiles seem to emerge as the new paradigm in the application of airpower, requiring changes in its basic tenets. However, this hypothesis requires a deeper investigation! This article aims to examine the rapid proliferation of drones and precision missiles in modern warfare and analyse their effects on the basic tenets of airpower, especially the requirement of Control of Air. The paper argues that although drones and missiles have transformed the tactical battlefield by enabling accelerated kill chains through persistent ISR and precision strikes, they have not replaced the decisive role of conventional air forces. Through historical and contemporary case studies, the paper shows that drones and missiles, in spite of their significant advantages, cannot independently achieve strategic breakthroughs or enable decisive manoeuvres without control of the air.
The article also brings out the dynamics of achieving dominance in a limited conflict, where militaries are increasingly relying on the use of standoff weapons and expendable drones to balance political restraint with military effect. Even in suchscenarios, superiority in conventional airpower becomes essential for escalation control and strategic messaging. The article reemphasises that only integrated and tailored application of airpower by an air-minded practitioner, grounded in its basic tenets, can secure strategic outcomes. The study emphasises that for India, building up a comprehensive capability for conventional offensive air dominance (the highest degree of control of air) is necessary to preserve freedom of action in future conflicts against a multitude of threats emerging from its adversaries.
Keywords:
Freedom of action, Manoeuvre, Airpower, Drones, Missiles, Control of the Air, Close Air Support (CAS), Conventional airpower, Reusable airpower, Integration, Escalation dominance and control, Strategic signalling, Operation Sindoor, Cruise Missiles, Hypersonic Missiles.
