Elements of Air Power in the Romanian Military Art Evolution

Abstract

The emergence of the aircraft as a means of combat has changed both the strategies and the tactics of waging wars, determining in a relatively short time major changes at the level of the forces doctrines, organization and training, their management, as well as command and control arrangements. At the same time, the aircraft has proved to be an important vector of progress and human civilization in the technical, economic, social and cultural fields, playing an important role in both war and peace. The ability of the air force to fulfil its role in a war or in military operations depends on the science and skill in harnessing the components of air power. The evolution of these components over time is reflected by the history of military art, which highlights both continuity and tradition as well as innovation. Moreover, it points out the similarities and differences, draws the necessary conclusions, which, filtered by military thinking, give the opportunity to formulate new rules and principles to be inserted in military doctrines and regulations, in training and education plans, as well as in economic development strategies and policies, including the defence and aeronautical industries, both civilian and military. The Romanian aviation has adapted, since the first use of the aircraft as a weapon, to the new reality of the battlefield, and this article is aimed at presenting the evolution of the concepts of its use in the first half of the 20th century, the principles of the use of aviation in battle, as well as the lessons learned following the participation of the Romanian military aviation in the campaigns of the two world conflagrations. To meet this purpose, the method of studying historical documents is employed.