Strafing

Etymology

The word is an adaptation of

Guns used in strafing range in

The term "strafing" can cover either fixed guns, or aimable (flexible) guns. Fixed guns firing directly ahead tend to be more predominant on fixed wing aircraft, while helicopters tend to use gimballed weapons which can be fired in many different directions independent of the direction the aircraft is pointing in (in most cases, flexible guns on a fixed wing aircraft are for defense purposes only, although they can sometimes be used to fire on ground targets to limited effect).

Some fixed wing aircraft, like fighter-bombers, are capable of flying either air-combat missions or ground attack missions (P-47 Thunderbolt), while others are dedicated ground-attack types (Il-2 Sturmovik). In cases where an aircraft is capable of both types of combat, when it is assigned to a ground attack role, and thus expected to be using the guns mostly for strafing, the fixed weapons are often mounted so that the convergence point is lower and at a greater range than would be used for air combat. This is helpful because it allows the pilot to aim at a target without having to dive towards the ground as steeply, decreasing the risk of collision with the ground and increasing the amount of firing time available before having to pull up, and it also increases the range from the target, helping avoid anti-aircraft fire and potential damage from exploding targets. Consequently, several types of aircraft-mounted gun pods like the Soviet SPPU-22 allowed for a mechanical depression of their barrels.

Because of the low altitude and relatively low airspeed required for accurate strafing, it is very risky for the pilot, who is exposed not only to the risk of

While the earliest use of military aircraft was for observation and directing of artillery, strafing was frequently practised in World War I. Trenches and supply columns were routinely attacked from the air in the second half of the war. Strafing with machine guns was used when precision was needed (facing small targets), but non-strafing attack methods (primarily small bombs) were preferred for larger targets, area targets, or when low-altitude flying was too risky.

The German army was the first to introduce a class of aircraft specially designed for strafing, the

These developments continued through World War II with dedicated aircraft including the concept of the heavily protected cockpit or "bathtub" to permit the pilot to survive counterfire from anti-aircraft batteries.

The Luftwaffe's best strafing plane was the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. The Ju 87 G variant had two Rheinmetall-Borsig 37 mm (1.5 in) Flak 18 guns each mounted under the wing.

For the RAF, the best ground attack plane was the Hawker Hurricane II. It was armed with four 20 mm (0.79 in) wing-mounted cannon.^[6] The Hawker Typhoon and its derivative Hawker Tempest were used in the later stages of the war. They also had four 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons, while also being able to carry up to 8 "60 lb" RP-3 rockets. ^[7]

For the US, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the key ground attack planes. It was armed with eight .50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine guns. Another aircraft that was important in that role was the North American B-25 Mitchell. It was used for low-altitude strafing runs in the Pacific War.

The Russian Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik was one of the key Russian ground attack planes. It had heavy armour around the engine, underside and canopy. It was armed with 20, 23, or 37 mm (0.79, 0.91, or 1.46 in) cannon, depending on the model.^[8]

An

The A-10 was designed around the GAU-8 Avenger, a 30 mm (1.2 in) rotary cannon, which is the airplane's primary armament and the heaviest such automatic cannon mounted on an aircraft. The A-10's airframe was designed for survivability, with measures such as 1,200 pounds (540 kg) of armor for protection of the cockpit and aircraft systems that enables the aircraft to continue flying after taking significant damage. The A-10's official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II, a fighter that was particularly effective at close air support. The A-10 is the main US plane designed to do strafing runs.

Since 2001, Coalition pilots in

In 2004, the United States Air Force accidentally strafed one of its own country's middle schools while training in the strafing of the Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School incident.

See also

• Ground-attack aircraft
• Military aviation

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Strafing.

Look up strafe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• AROUND THE WORLD; Manila Acknowledges Strafing Japanese Ship, January 19, 1982, The New York Times.
• Major Andrew Duncan DFC, SAAF no. 103023V, Biplane fighter aces : The Commonwealth 16 May 1920 – 31 May 1942, surfcity.kund.dalnet.se
• Slaughterhouse Five, November 18, 2009, lettersofnote.com