page_title: Air interdiction
hierarchical_section_title: Air interdiction
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Navy LTV A-7E Corsair II (BuNo 157526, pilot Mike A. "Baby" Ruth) of Attack Squadron VA-195 Dambusters bombs the Hai Duong railway and highway bridge in North Vietnam. VA-195 was assigned to Attack Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) for a deployment to Vietnam from 17 February to 28 November 1972. On 10 May 1972, "Operation Linebacker I" commenced, the U.S. Navy's contribution to the air offensive against North Vietnam consisted of 176 attack sorties, 60% of them flown by A-7 aircraft.
context_page_description: Air interdiction, also known as deep air support, is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, in order to delay, disrupt, or hinder later enemy engagement of friendly forces. It is a core capability of virtually all military air forces, and has been conducted in conflicts since World War I.
  A distinction is often made between tactical and strategic air interdiction, depending on the objectives of the operation. Typical objectives in tactical interdiction are meant to affect events rapidly and locally, for example through direct destruction of forces or supplies en route to the active battle area. By contrast, strategic objectives are often broader and more long-term, with fewer direct attacks on enemy fighting capabilities, instead focusing on infrastructure, logistics and other supportive assets.
  The term deep air support relates to close air support and denotes the difference between their respective objectives.
context_section_description: Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, in order to delay, disrupt, or hinder later enemy engagement of friendly forces. It is a core capability of virtually all military air forces, and has been conducted in conflicts since World War I.
  A distinction is often made between tactical and strategic air interdiction, depending on the objectives of the operation. Typical objectives in tactical interdiction are meant to affect events rapidly and locally, for example through direct destruction of forces or supplies en route to the active battle area. By contrast, strategic objectives are often broader and more long-term, with fewer direct attacks on enemy fighting capabilities, instead focusing on infrastructure, logistics and other supportive assets.
  The term deep air support relates to close air support and denotes the difference between their respective objectives. Close air support, as the name suggests, is directed towards targets close to friendly ground units, as closely coordinated air-strikes, in direct support of active engagement with the enemy. Deep air support or air interdiction is carried out further from the active fighting, based more on strategic planning and less directly coordinated with ground units. Despite being more strategic than close air support, air interdiction should not be confused with strategic bombing, which is unrelated to ground operations.
caption: A U.S. Navy A-7E bombs the Hai Duong bridge in North Vietnam in 1972.
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