Civil and Military Aviation: Sharing the Same Sky

Abstract

Civil and military aviation, which share the same airspace, have learned to live in a symbiotic relationship, each responding to its own rules. The close links between civil and military aviation were well understood when governments were the principal actors in the early days of commercial aviation. These links have been severely strained in what has been called an era of interdependence.1 At issue are questions about the control of the airspace, security needs, the misuse of civil aircraft and the application of military technology by civil aviation.