Precision weapons call for a mind-set that relies on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, said retired Maj. Gen. Khaled Abdullah Al Bu-Ainnain, speaking Nov. 10 at the 3rd Biennial Defense News Middle East Air Chiefs Conference, just before the Dubai air show.

A former commander of the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defense, Khaled said technological evolution since the first aerial bomb was dropped in 1911 has given air forces increasing abilities to destroy targets with fewer sorties and at lower cost. In recent campaigns, smart weapons have been used more and more, making up 9 percent of munitions dropped in the first Gulf War, but 68 percent in the Iraq war in 2003.

Maj. Gen. Khaled Abdullah Al Bu-Ainnain’s remarks

But precision weapons are not a “silver bullet” solution. Guided weapons have limitations in asymmetric warfare because of a lack of precise intelligence, very high accuracy and very high confidence kill probability, Khaled said. Reliance on operational intelligence was crucial to avoid civilian casualties, he said.

Since 75 percent of targets were mobile assets, such as missile launchers, requiring engagement within 45 minutes of detection, “you need ISR to support precision weapons,” Khaled said. So precision weapons must be viewed as part of “a complex system of systems,” highlighting the importance of command-and-control networks, he said.

To be fully effective, precision weapons should be integrated into a network-centric approach, aiming for information superiority, he said. Another important element is a battlefield damage assessment, to judge the accuracy of such weapons. And success in war always requires qualified staff and leadership.

Use of smart munitions also affects the choice of delivery platforms, Khaled said. A transport aircraft such as a C-130 can deliver highly capable missiles, while combat aircraft could drop low-cost weapons in close support missions.

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