basic doctrine of the indian air force Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD / DEAD). The early seventies proved to be a critical watershed in the history of air warfare. During the opening stages of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Syria and Egypt so dominated the skies over the Golan heights and Sinai respectively with an integrated network of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and anti-aircraft-artillery (AAA) that they succeeded in imposing – at least temporarily – “air denial” on the Israel Air Force. In the first three days of war, the Israelis experienced attrition of over 4 per cent. So grave were the losses that Israel had to temporarily suspend operations over the Golan Heights till the SAMs and AAA had been neutralised by ECM and/ or physical attacks. The importance of electronic warfare and the need for specialist aircraft and munitions to suppress, degrade or destroy enemy ground-based air defences was brought into sharp focus during this war. SEAD/DEAD can be defined as activity which neutralises, destroys or temporarily degrades enemy air defence systems in a specific area by physical attack (hard kill) and/or electronic warfare (soft kill). SEAD can significantly reduce attrition and help sustain offensive air action against an enemy who has a strong air defence network. Specialised weapons, tactics and training play a particularly important part in SEAD. Targets to be attacked would include radars and other types of sensors, SAMs and AAA sites, and communication systems/ nodes. The inherent weaknesses of each component of the AD system would have to be identified and targeted to produce results, which is where Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Communications Intelligence (COMINT) and other means of intelligence gathering would play a vital role. The major role in SEAD will invariably be played by the air forces, but the contribution of surface forces should not be overlooked. Special forces, artillery and naval support have been employed successfully in past conflicts to help suppress enemy air defences. Airfield Attacks. Airbases have traditionally been crucial targets for offensive counter air attacks. Though the importance of airfields as 44