Air force infantry and special forces units

Air force infantry and special forces units are infantry and special forces units that are part of a nation's air force. Airmen assigned to such units are trained, armed and equipped for ground combat and special operations.

The main rationale for such units is for force protection. Aircraft are most vulnerable when on the ground, to offensive counter air operations, and most cannot operate without fixed infrastructure, consumables, and trained personnel. An adversary may hope to achieve air supremacy or protect itself from air attack first by attacking airbases, aircraft and other assets on the ground. Such attacks can be made by, for example, aircraft, cruise missiles and short range ballistic missiles. However, an adversary at a numerical, technological or other disadvantage may choose to attempt to disrupt flight operations by aiming to overrun enemy air bases as early as possible, using blitzkrieg like tactics, for example Operation Barbarossa, or through the use of special forces and unconventional attacks, for example the September 2012 Camp Bastion raid.

To protect against attacks against airbases, and from being overrun, some air forces have a force dispersal doctrine that sees aircraft dispersed to secondary and emergency air bases, such as highway strips, and, as was the case with the Royal Air Force's vertical take off Harriers, dispersals in forest clearings. However, when dispersed in such a way, aircraft and personnel are even more vulnerable to surprise ground attacks.

To defend against ground attacks, most air forces train airmen in basic infantry skills and, where necessary, air force infantry units are created.

Other than base and asset defence roles, air force infantry units may have other roles such as Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence, training other air force personnel in weapon skills and basic ground defence tactics, as well as providing leadership to other airmen in base defence roles. In addition to protecting their home bases and dispersals, air force infantry forces will also provide force protection when air expeditionary forces are deployed abroad and of airheads during air bridge operations, usually being the first air force personnel on the ground. Moving towards the special operations spectrum of operations, is assaulting, capturing and securing of airfields for use by one's own aircraft,

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