Research & Analysis

Breaking the Firepower versus Protection Paradox

While the U.S. Air Force has been investing in increasing its firepower and enhancing the lethality of its fighter force, establishing air superiority will not be possible without high-value airborne assets (HVAA), such as specialized airborne early warning and aerial refueling aircraft. These assets, being relatively easy to track with no organic defenses, are vulnerable to attack and rely solely on fighter aircraft for protection. The U.S. Air Force must then address the paradox of protecting its HVAA without diverting too much of its offensive assets from combat operations.

CSBA Experts Greg Malandrino and Dao Tran rethink the Air Force’s traditional HVAA protection tactics and consider firepower and protection tradeoffs in the context of a potential conflict with China. They propose utilizing Increment Two of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), which aims to fly uncrewed systems alongside crewed aircraft. CCAs capable of defending HVAA aircraft would break the current firepower-versus-protection paradox, enhance the Air Force’s capability to inflict aerial attrition on the PRC, and establish air superiority.