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Why do attack aircraft often fly at low altitude?

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military aircraft Tupolev Tu-22M, a Russian variable-wing supersonic jet bomber first flown in 1969. It was designed for potential use in war against the NATO countries, where it was known by the designation “Backfire.”

Attack aircraft often fly at low altitudes primarily to evade detection by air defense systems.

Ground-based radar systems rely on line-of-sight to detect incoming aircraft, and the curvature of the Earth creates a "radar horizon" that limits how far these systems can see at low levels. By flying at very low altitudes, attack aircraft can exploit these gaps in radar coverage, effectively staying beneath the detection threshold of many long-range surveillance radars. While air defense networks utilize "gap fillers"—small, distributed radars designed specifically to detect low-flying aircraft—and advanced AWACS platforms to mitigate this vulnerability, low-altitude flight remains a fundamental tactic for penetrating defended airspace and increasing the survivability of the aircraft during a mission.1