ABSTRACT

This chapter assesses public perceptions of air power, considering how media representations have evolved over the century and how air power has been depicted in the news, books and films. He argues that the enduring characteristic of the broad media image of air power is a focus on ‘human traumas’ and that understanding the drama of death and suffering is key to winning the ‘media war’. In the First and Second World Wars, media focused on individual aircrew daring and heroism on one hand and the public fear of massive destruction on the other. With city bombing came the ‘rise of guilt’, and the increased asymmetry between Western forces and their opponents in ‘wars of choice’ was followed a ‘decline of air heroes’. The radical technological improvements of standoff bombing, precision-guided missiles, and unmanned systems from the 1990s on have led to a ‘revolution in expectations’ with diminishing tolerance of friendly or civilian casualties. However, this work concludes that this ‘post-heroic’ climate may already have passed its apogee, with aircrews now facing increasing risks and with ‘collateral damage’ no longer attracting as much media opprobrium as security challenges continue to evolve.