Alpha strike (United States Navy)
Encyclopedia
Alpha strike is a term used by the United States Navy
to denote a large air attack by an aircraft carrier
air wing, first coined during the Vietnam War
. It is the Navy's version of the more widely used term "strike package
".
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to denote a large air attack by an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
air wing, first coined during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. It is the Navy's version of the more widely used term "strike package
Strike package
A strike package is a group of aircraft with different capabilities that are launched together to perform a single attack mission. The US Navy refers to the same concept as an alpha strike....
".