Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The organized, integrated use of aircraft and missiles for foreign policy, strategy, operations, and tactics.
  • noun The tactical and strategic strength of a country's air force.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Airborne military power; an air force

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

air +‎ power

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Examples

  • We have had ships in the Persian gulf for 20+ years now, so our ability to project airpower is always there.

    Think Progress » Joe Klein Embraces Defeat 2006

  • Nor does the existence of the atomic bomb alter the fact that airpower is still the first line of defence.

    The Development of Air Power In Canada 1946

  • These 12-to-19-person training teams serve as a vital link between forward-deployed Afghan army and police units and ISAF support such as airpower, medical evacuation, and resupply.

    GovExec.com Top News 2008

  • "airpower" we mean the tactical and strategic employment of conventional aviation ordnance, including air-dropped mines.

    On Yankee Station Nichols, Tillman 1988

  • Some Libyan diplomats have bravely called for a no-fly zone to stop the Qaddafi regime's use of airpower to attack Libyan civilians.

    Unrest in Libya: Congressional reactions 2011

  • The Air Force fears that the dominance of U.S. airpower has been so complete for so long that it is taken for granted.

    The Last Ace 2009

  • "The no-fly zone was mounted because Gadhafi was using airpower and artillery and armor," Ries said.

    Allies' war options may be limited in Libya 2011

  • In World War II, the German combination of mechanization, tactical airpower, and radio communication with sound doctrine, campaign plans, and training created the military system that journalists would erroneously dub "Blitzkrieg."

    Adam Elkus: Beyond Twitter Revolutions and False Choices Adam Elkus 2010

  • I was a British journalist with the mujahideen at the siege of Jalalabad in March 1989, when they were indeed decimated by the government's airpower when they concentrated to attack the city.

    What next in Afghanistan? 2011

  • The Air Force fears that the dominance of U.S. airpower has been so complete for so long that it is taken for granted.

    The Last Ace 2009

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