The subject of this paper is the interaction between airborne and ground attack missions by aircraft, and the defence systems now available to deny or counter such attacks. I should like to make it clear from the start that I am restricting myself to air operations in a non-nuclear land battle scenario and I speak not as an expert in attack missions, but rather in a historical and speculative fashion, as one who has been concerned with some of the techniques concerned with air defence.

You may, from me, expect a highly biased approach to the subject of the paper and probably you are right, but I should warn that if you expect me to conclude that the aircraft is doomed then I must reassure you that I believe that the aircraft remains a most flexible instrument of warfare and will for the foreseeable future exercise an extremely important position in the land and air battle.