Attack aircraft

Attack aircraft (also strike aircraft, attack bombers) are tactical military aircraft that have a primary role of attacking targets on the ground or sea, with greater precision than bombers, and which are prepared to face stronger low-level air defenses. This class of aircraft is designed mostly for close air support and naval air-to-surface missions, but they are also employed in other missions, for example air interdiction or offensive counter air. In contrast to fighter aircraft, attack aircraft are not necessarily intended for air-to-air combat. However, they are often equipped with air-to-air missiles for self-defense.

Until the precision-guided munitions became standard in 1960s, the term "attack aircraft" implied a heavily armored aircraft armed with both bombs and with forward-firing automatic weapon—the former were more powerful, but the latter enabled strafing attacks of a much higher precision. In particular, the Russian Shturmovik (Cyrillic: Штурмовик) and German Schlachtflugzeug terms may be seen in the literature. Also many fighter-bombers of the era fell into this category naturally, if sufficiently armored.

One subclass of attack aircraft is ground-attack aircraft intended for air-to-ground use, and not for naval use. Currently, attack helicopters dominate the field of aircraft types built specifically for a ground-attack role. Few fixed-wing designs are currently employed, as air forces tend to assign the task to the ubiquitous multirole combat aircraft (sometimes described also as strike fighters). Notable exceptions include the American A-10 Thunderbolt II and the Russian Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot.

A variety of light attack aircraft exist, usually based on adapted trainers or other light fixed-wing aircraft.