Suppression of enemy air defense

Suppression of enemy air defense, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, is an activity that neutralizes, destroys, or temporarily degrades surface-based enemy air defenses by destructive and/or disruptive means." It is a subset of offensive counter-air (OCA) operations.

In practice, SEAD involves multiple levels of deception with drones or electronic warfare, electronic countermeasures against the air defense electronics, long-range anti-radiation (ARM) missiles that home on radars, and bombing or other physical attacks on land- and sea-based air defense facilities. Deception may have the purpose of tricking the enemy into turning on radars so they can be targeted.

SEAD is usually considered restricted to air defense command and control, radars, surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), but not enemy fighters. Complementary OCA activities include fighter sweeps intended to lure enemy fighters into air-to-air combat on unfavorable terms, as well as attacks on fighters and associated resources ont the ground.