An
attack aircraft (also called a
strike aircraft or
attack bomber) is a tactical
military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out
airstrikes with greater precision than
bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level
air defenses while pressing the attack. This class of aircraft is designed mostly for
close air support and naval air-to-surface missions, overlapping the
tactical bomber mission. Designs dedicated to non-naval roles are often known as
ground-attack aircraft.
Fighter aircraft often carry out the attack role although they would not be considered attack aircraft
per se, although
fighter-bomber conversions of those same aircraft would be considered part of the class.
Strike fighters, which have effectively replaced the fighter-bomber and light bomber concepts, also differ little from the broad concept of an attack aircraft.