Difference Between Army and Air Force

Army vs Air Force
 

The difference between army and air force is very clear as they have two different tasks to achieve. Though both the army and the air force work towards the same goal, that is safeguarding and defending the territory of their nation, their roles and responsibilities differ. In fact, there are some who think that the air force is superior to the army, though there is no reason to support this fallacy. They both are important parts of the armed forces. This article is meant to differentiate between the two important units of armed forces, the army and air force, both of which are indispensable.

What is Army?

There are many who think that army is the sum total of all armed forces available to the leadership of a country for the purpose of defending the territory of the nation. But the truth is that army refers to that unit of armed forces that is comprised of armed soldiers and is always in a state of readiness to attack the enemy for the purpose of defending the patch of land called motherland. These soldiers take the land route to attack enemies. They proceed on the ground. Though an army gets the help of air force, at the end, the army becomes very important because it is the soldier on foot who can get to every place in the battlefield. Sometimes, enemies can be hiding underground, which is too deep for an air strike to cause damage. Then, the army has to go in. Also, if the target is in a very populated area and attacking using airplanes can cause more innocent lives, then the army has to go in.

What is Air Force?

Air force, on the other hand, refers to a special unit of armed forces that consists of fighter jets and other airplanes that are capable of providing a cover to the army in case of war, and also to move forward to enemy bases and destroy them with their fire power. Air force has not been a part of armed forces historically, and it was only after the invention of airplanes that air forces became an integral part of militaries around the world. With that addition, the military power of countries has increased in a very notable amount.

The importance of air force grew steadily and today their role in modern warfare is considered to be crucial as, without air superiority, it is hard to win a battle on the basis of the army alone. A country may have very strong army on paper, but its might is of no use if it does not enjoy the support of an air force equipped with latest firepower to pave the way for the army. When it comes to penetration, air force is superior to the army. There are terrains where it is difficult for armed soldiers to move ahead, and it is only the deadly firepower of the air force that works in such situations. However, despite all such notions of superiority, it is the handiwork of an army alone in the end that seals the victory for armed forces.

There is a misconception among common people that only air force has its airplanes. These days it is common for modern armies to have airplanes to transport armed men from one place to another. However, as far as fighter jets are concerned, only air forces have them. Air forces also help armies to clear the ground ahead by dropping missiles and killing enemies ahead.

What is the difference between Army and Air Force?

Both army and air force are two important units of armed forces, though performing different functions.

• Tasks:

• Army consists of infantry and armed soldiers that travel on ground to attack enemies.

• Air force is a unit that operates in air and softens enemy bases through its deadly firepower from the sky.

• Collaboration:

• Air force operates to clear the targets ahead to pave the way for the army. A superior army is of no use if it is not backed by a modern air force.

• Ranks:

• In an army, there are different ranks for the officers such as Lieutenant General, Major General, Brigadier General, Colonel, Major, etc.

• In an air force, there are different ranks for the officers such as Air Chief Marshal, Air Marshal, Major General, Air Commander, Wing Commander, etc.

• Missions:

• Army focuses on ground missions.

• Air force focuses on missions that are difficult to achieve by the army. Also, air force goes into war to assist the army.

• Uniform:

• Army uniform is mostly green or brown colored so that the soldiers can blend in with the environments.

• Air force uniform usually comes as a blue color pattern of the same army uniform.

 

Images Courtesy: US Army and US Air Force via Wikicommons (Public Domain)