Editing Attack aircraft (section)

=== United States definition and designations ===

[[File:Douglas A-1 Skyraider (AD-4NA, 126965) (7911148090).jpg|thumb|left|An [[A-1 Skyraider]] of the [[United States Air Force|USAF]]]]

U.S. attack aircraft are currently identified by the prefix '''A-''', as in "[[A-6 Intruder]]" and "[[A-10 Thunderbolt II]]". However, until the end of [[World War II]] the ''A-'' designation was shared between attack planes and [[light bomber]]s<ref name=Johnson>Johnson [https://books.google.com/books?id=GmFhOCYckfQC&pg=PA413 2008, p. 413.]</ref><ref name="Merriman">Merriman [https://books.google.com/books?id=R7GjzzNMpu4C&pg=PA3 2000, p. 3.]</ref> for [[USAAF]] aircraft (as opposed to ''B-'' prefix for medium or heavy bombers). The US Navy used a [[1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system|separate designation system]] and at the time preferred to call similar aircraft scout bombers (SB) or torpedo bombers (TB or BT). For example, [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]] scout bomber was designated A-24 when used by the USAAF. It was not until 1946, when the US Navy and [[United States Marine Corps|US Marine Corps]] started using the "attack" (A) designation, when it renamed [[BT2D Skyraider]] and [[BTM Mauler]] to, respectively, AD Skyraider and AM Mauler.<ref>[http://www.driko.org/usdes.html "1911–2004 'A'.""] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927024336/http://www.driko.org/usdes.html |date=2011-09-27 }} ''U.S. Military Aircraft Designations''. Retrieved: 28 November 2015.</ref>

As with many aircraft classifications, the definition of ''attack aircraft'' is somewhat vague and has tended to change over time. Current U.S. [[military doctrine]] defines it as an aircraft which most likely performs an ''attack mission'', more than any other kind of mission. ''Attack mission'' means, in turn, specifically tactical air-to-ground action—in other words, neither air-to-air action nor [[strategic bombing]] is considered an ''attack mission''.<ref name=Pierrot>Pierrot and Vines [https://books.google.com/books?id=mOAKC6jQdy0C&pg=PA3 1997, pp. 2–4.]</ref> In [[United States Navy]] vocabulary, the alternative designation for the same activity is a ''strike mission''.<ref name=Pierrot /> Attack missions are principally divided into two categories: [[air interdiction]] and [[close air support]].<ref name=Pierrot /> In the last several decades, the rise of the ubiquitous [[multi-role fighter]] has created some confusion about the difference between attack and fighter aircraft. According to the current U.S. designation system, an attack aircraft (''A'') is designed primarily for air-to-surface (Attack: Aircraft designed to find, attack, and destroy land or sea targets)<ref name=16-401-I>[http://www.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI16-401%28I%29.pdf ''Designating and Naming Defense Military Aerospace Vehicles 2005.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302220513/http://www.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI16-401%28I%29.pdf |date=March 2, 2012 }}</ref> missions (also known as "attack missions"), while a fighter category ''F'' incorporates not only aircraft designed primarily for [[Air combat manoeuvring|air-to-air combat]], but additionally multipurpose aircraft designed also for ground-attack missions.[[File:RAF Harrier GR9.JPG|thumb|[[RAF]] [[Harrier GR9]] in flight, 2008]] "F" - Fighter Aircraft were designed to intercept and destroy other aircraft or missiles. This includes multipurpose aircraft also designed for ground support missions such as interdiction and close air support.<ref>''16-401(I)'', p. 17.</ref> Just to mention one example amongst many, the [[General Dynamics F-111|F-111 "Aardvark"]] was designated ''F'' despite having only minimal air-to-air capabilities. Only a single aircraft in the USAF's current inventory bears a simple, unmixed "A" designation: the A-10 Thunderbolt II.