The course of warfare throughout the 20th century has been dominated by air power. From the early biplanes of the First World War to the massed bomber formations of the Second, air power has been used to scout and attack enemy forces, dominating the theatre of war. This has led to an arms and technology race between air attack, and air defence.

Following the Second World War, and later into the Vietnam War, a new concept of aerial warfare was developed – the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences. SEAD would see the integration of technologically advanced systems to destroy the enemy’s ability to defend itself from the air.

In this video, Robert Rumble takes a look at two pivotal conflicts of the 20th Century, and how they were key in the development and evolution of SEAD.

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