BAI

[Ski]

What are BAI missions?

Ski

[Eddie]

(Battlefield) Air Inderdiction. The A-10s primary design role, and what the vast majority of mission people fly are

From an internal thread....

Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI)

The US Department of Defence definition of air interdiction is:

Air operations conducted to divert, disrupt, delay, or destroy the enemy's military potential before it can be brought to bear effectively against friendly forces, or to otherwise achieve objectives. Air interdiction is conducted at such distance from friendly forces that detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of friendly forces is not required.

BAI is a subset of Air Interdiction which is any air operation to disrupt enemy supply lines such as rail and road convoys or attacking enemy ground forces before friendly ground forces begin operations in a given area. Essentially, AI is any mission tasked with disrupting or destroying enemy ground forces and/or infrastructure in order to inhibit their ability to attack friendly ground forces. This can be accomplished both by directly attacking enemy ground forces or indirectly by denying those forces the ability to enter the fight by destroying bridges and logistics assets such as fuel supplies.

The specific term BAI is not currently used in US joint doctrine, being covered by the broader term air interdiction. BAI specifically denotes interdiction missions against units that will have a short term effect on friendly ground forces, such as advancing reinforcements. Typical BAI tasks include destroying enemy troops/vehicles before they move to the front lines.

The A-10C would typically be tasked with the more direct (tactical) AI missions involving the destruction of enemy ground forces. While other aircraft such as F-16s and F/A-18s would perform the indirect (strategic) missions as well as direct missions. Although there is nothing to say the A-10C could not be tasked with the latter.

Real world examples of (B)AI missions include:

• Allied attacks on rail and road convoys in Europe during WW2.
• Allied bombing raids on Normandy defences prior to D-Day.
• US bombing raids on the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam war.
• Coalition air attacks on Iraqi ground forces prior to the start of ground operations during the Gulf War (Desert Storm)
• Air operations in Libya in 2011.

[Ski]

Fantastic description Eddie. Thanks for your help.