Air superiority sounds simple: control the skies and the enemy can’t stop you. Modern warfare is proving that it’s a lot more complicated. The U.S. can dominate the air over an adversary while missiles, drones, mobile air defenses and other threats continue to put aircraft, bases and even ships at risk. The war with Iran offers a real-world example of what air superiority actually means, and why those lessons become even more important when considering a potential conflict with China. We spoke with airpower experts about how the concept of air superiority is changing, why low-altitude threats remain so difficult to eliminate, how vulnerable air bases and support aircraft can limit even the world’s most powerful air force, and whether autonomous aircraft and cheaper weapons could help solve the problem. 00:00 – Intro 01:18 – Ad 02:58 – What even is air superiority? 07:04 – What makes air superiority so difficult to achieve today 11:08 – How can the US military adapt? 19:04 – Channel updates
