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{{short description|Aircraft ground attack using guns}}
{{Redirect|Strafe}}
{{about||gaming movement|Strafing (video games)}}

[[File:A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron executes a strafing run over a bombing range near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 10, 2013 131210-F-OC707-003.jpg|thumb|[[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Thunderbolt II]] in a dive, conducting a strafing run]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-497-3515A-29A, Im Westen, zerstörte Fahrzeugkolonne.jpg|thumb|A German vehicle column destroyed by [[ground-attack aircraft]] close to [[Arnhem]], 23 September 1944]]

'''Strafing''' is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted [[automatic weapon]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms 8 November|url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of Defense|access-date=19 January 2011|work=Joint Publication 1-02|year=2010|quote=strafing — The delivery of automatic weapons fire by aircraft on ground targets.|archive-date=28 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228162512/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such as fast boats, using smaller-caliber weapons and targeting stationary or slowly-moving targets.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}

== Etymology ==
The word is an adaptation of [[German language|German]] ''strafen'', to [[punish]], specifically from the humorous adaptation of the German [[anti-British sentiment|anti-British]] slogan ''[[Gott strafe England]]'' (May God punish England), dating back to [[World War I]].<ref name="askoxford">{{cite web|url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/strafe?view=uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312211442/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/strafe?view=uk |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 12, 2007 |title=Oxford Dictionaries – Dictionary, Thesaurus, & Grammar – "Gott strafe England" as origin of "to strafe" |publisher=askoxford.com|access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref><ref>Richard B.H. Lewis, [http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2007/July%202007/0707strafing.aspx The Art of Strafing], July 2007, airforce-magazine.com</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Me 109E strafing in North Africa 1941.jpg|thumb|left|[[Messerschmitt Bf 109]]E strafing Australian positions in North Africa, 1941]]
Guns used in strafing range in [[caliber]] from {{cvt|7.62|-|14.5|mm|in}} [[machine gun]]s, to {{cvt|20|-|40|mm|in}} [[autocannon]] or [[rotary cannon]]. Although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with [[bombing]] or [[Rocket (weapon)|rocket]] fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the last two.<ref>{{cite book|title=Allied Strafing in World War II: A Cockpit View of Air to Ground Battle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuuOyzdx1UAC&q=aircraft+strafing+attack+seconds&pg=PA30|author=William B. Colgan|date = 10 January 2014|isbn = 9780786458356|access-date=19 January 2011}}</ref>

The term "strafing" can cover either fixed guns, or aimable (flexible) guns. Fixed guns firing directly ahead tend to be more predominant on [[Fixed-wing aircraft|fixed wing aircraft]], while [[helicopter]]s tend to use gimballed weapons which can be fired in many different directions independent of the direction the aircraft is pointing in (in most cases, flexible guns on a fixed wing aircraft are for defense purposes only, although they can sometimes be used to fire on ground targets to limited effect).

[[File:Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command C4944.jpg|thumb|[[Beaufighter]]s strafing a [[Vorpostenboot]], 1944]]
Some fixed wing aircraft, like [[fighter-bomber]]s, are capable of flying either [[Aerial warfare|air-combat]] missions or ground attack missions ([[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt|P-47 Thunderbolt]]), while others are dedicated ground-attack types ([[Ilyushin Il-2|Il-2 Sturmovik]]). In cases where an aircraft is capable of both types of combat, when it is assigned to a ground attack role, and thus expected to be using the guns mostly for strafing, the fixed weapons are often mounted so that the [[Gun harmonisation|convergence point]] is lower and at a greater range than would be used for air combat. This is helpful because it allows the pilot to aim at a target without having to dive towards the ground as steeply, decreasing the risk of collision with the ground and increasing the amount of firing time available before having to pull up, and it also increases the range from the target, helping avoid [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] fire and potential damage from exploding targets. Consequently, several types of aircraft-mounted [[gun pod]]s like the Soviet SPPU-22 allowed for a mechanical depression of their barrels.

Because of the low altitude and relatively low airspeed required for accurate strafing, it is very risky for the pilot, who is exposed not only to the risk of [[Controlled flight into terrain|flight-into-terrain]] and obstacles such as power lines, but also to anti-aircraft weapons, including [[surface-to-air missile]]s (both vehicle mounted and [[Man-portable air-defense system|hand-held]]), anti-aircraft artillery and small caliber weapons fire (such as [[machine gun]]s and [[small arms]]). Planes purposely designed for ground attack may include additional [[Vehicle armour|armour]] around and underneath the cockpit and other vulnerable areas such as engines to protect the pilot and key flight components, while aircraft designed mostly for air combat tend to have most of their armor placed to protect directly ahead or to the rear, where fire from other aircraft is most likely, leaving them more vulnerable to fire from directly below or to the sides, where much ground fire often comes from.

== History ==

===World War I===
[[File:The Strafing, Christopher Nevinson, 1916, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2009-A.jpg|thumb|The Strafing, [[Christopher R. W. Nevinson]], 1916, collection [[Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent]]]]
While the earliest use of military aircraft was for observation and directing of artillery, strafing was frequently practised in [[World War I]]. Trenches and supply columns were routinely attacked from the air in the second half of the war. Strafing with [[machine gun]]s was used when precision was needed (facing small targets), but non-strafing attack methods (primarily small bombs) were preferred for larger targets, area targets, or when low-altitude flying was too risky.

The German army was the first to introduce a class of aircraft specially designed for strafing, the [[ground-attack aircraft]]. Planes built specifically for strafing include the German World War I [[Junkers J.I]], which was armored to protect it from ground-based gunfire. The Junkers J.I. had two downward-facing machine guns that were used for strafing.

===World War II===
These developments continued through [[World War II]] with dedicated aircraft including the concept of the heavily protected cockpit or "bathtub" to permit the pilot to survive counterfire from anti-aircraft batteries.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-646-5184-26, Russland, Flugzeug Junkers Ju 87 edit 1.jpg|thumb|left|Ju 87 G]]
The Luftwaffe's best strafing plane was the [[Junkers Ju 87|Junkers Ju 87 Stuka]]. The Ju 87 G variant had two Rheinmetall-Borsig {{cvt|37|mm|in}} Flak 18 guns each mounted under the wing.

For the RAF, the best ground attack plane was the [[Hawker Hurricane|Hawker Hurricane II]]. It was armed with four {{cvt|20|mm|in}} wing-mounted cannon.<ref name="quarryhs">{{cite web|url=http://www.quarryhs.co.uk/sgun.jpg|title=Image: sgun.jpg, (400 × 315 px)|publisher=quarryhs.co.uk|access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref> The [[Hawker Typhoon]] and its derivative [[Hawker Tempest]] were used in the later stages of the war. They also had four {{cvt|20|mm|in}} cannons, while also being able to carry up to 8 "60 lb" [[RP-3]] rockets.
<ref name="historyofwar">{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/typhoon_IB_rockets_loading2.jpg|title=Image: typhoon_IB_rockets_loading2.jpg, (750 × 459 px)|publisher=historyofwar.org|access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref>

For the US, the [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] was one of the key ground attack planes. It was armed with eight .50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine guns. Another aircraft that was important in that role was the [[North American B-25 Mitchell]]. It was used for low-altitude strafing runs in the Pacific War.

The Russian [[Ilyushin Il-2|Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik]] was one of the key Russian ground attack planes. It had heavy armour around the engine, underside and canopy. It was armed with {{cvt|20|,|23|, or |37|mm|in}} cannon, depending on the model.<ref name="allworldwars">{{cite web|url=http://www.allworldwars.com/image/077/IL-2Bg.jpg|title=Image: IL-2Bg.jpg, (750 × 345 px)|publisher=allworldwars.com|access-date=4 September 2015}}</ref>

An [[RCAF]] [[Spitfire]] of [[412 Squadron]] piloted by [[Charley Fox]] strafed the command car of [[Erwin Rommel]] on 17 July 1944 near [[Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery]], affecting his possible participation in the 20 July 1944 [[Operation Valkyrie]] coup.

===Postwar===
In the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953), [[US Air Force]] planes strafed targets deep behind the front line and had a perceptible impact on the progress of the ground war, but the concept of strafing was already in decline.

In the 1960s, when [[precision-guided weapon]]s became widespread, strafing temporarily fell out of favor as unnecessarily risky and some American [[fighter aircraft]] or [[attack aircraft]] (such as the [[F-4 Phantom]] and [[A-6 Intruder]]) then did not have built-in cannon or machine guns. In the [[Vietnam War]], that was found to be a deficiency, and improvised "[[gunship]]s" had to be used in strafing missions. Gunships like the AC-47 Spooky, AC-119 Specter, and early models of the [[AC-130 Spooky]] gunship proved to be devastating defenders of besieged US Special Forces camps.

The [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10 Thunderbolt II]] is an American twin-engine, straight-wing [[jet aircraft]] developed by [[Fairchild Aircraft|Fairchild-Republic]] in the early 1970s which is the only United States Air Force aircraft designed solely for [[close air support]] of ground forces. The A-10 was built to attack [[tank]]s, [[armoured fighting vehicle|armored vehicles]], and other ground targets with limited [[air defense]]s, often through strafing.
[[File:A10gun3.jpg|thumb|A-10's 30 mm [[GAU-8 Avenger]] cannon is used for strafing tanks, armored vehicles and other ground targets.]]
The A-10 was designed around the [[GAU-8 Avenger]], a {{cvt|30|mm|in}} [[rotary cannon]], which is the airplane's primary armament and the heaviest such automatic cannon mounted on an aircraft. The A-10's [[airframe]] was designed for survivability, with measures such as {{convert|1200|lb|kg|sigfig=2}} of [[armour|armor]] for protection of the cockpit and aircraft systems that enables the aircraft to continue flying after taking significant damage. The A-10's official name comes from the [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] of [[World War II]], a fighter that was particularly effective at close air support. The A-10 is the main US plane designed to do strafing runs.

Since 2001, Coalition pilots in [[Iraq War|Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]] have used strafing runs to support ground forces in areas where explosive ordnance could cause unacceptable civilian casualties. Strafing runs done by [[F-16]]s are very risky for the pilot. The cities of [[Damascus]] and [[Aleppo]] were strafed by helicopter gunships in the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c9cd8bd6-c45e-11e1-a98c-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c9cd8bd6-c45e-11e1-a98c-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Attack helicopters strafe Damascus suburb|publisher=Reuters/Financial Times|date=July 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19190985|title=Syria conflict: Aleppo districts 'under fresh assault'|work=BBC News|date=9 August 2012}}</ref>

In 2004, the United States Air Force accidentally strafed one of its own country's middle schools while training in the [[strafing of the Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School]] incident.

== See also ==
*[[Ground-attack aircraft]]
*[[Military aviation]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
{{Wiktionary|strafe}}
*[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/19/world/around-the-world-manila-acknowledges-strafing-japanese-ship.html AROUND THE WORLD; Manila Acknowledges Strafing Japanese Ship], January 19, 1982, The New York Times.
*[http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_duncan.htm Major Andrew Duncan DFC, SAAF no. 103023V], Biplane fighter aces : The Commonwealth 16 May 1920 – 31 May 1942, surfcity.kund.dalnet.se
*[http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/11/slaughterhouse-five.html Slaughterhouse Five], November 18, 2009, lettersofnote.com

[[Category:Aerial warfare tactics]]
[[Category:Targeting (warfare)]]

Strafing - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article