Question about Air Space

[chris.p]

Hi,

I am curious about foreign air space during military conflicts.

Say there is country A to the north, country B in the middle, and country C to the south.

So basically:

[A]

[C]

Country B is friendly to country C and does not support an attack.

Can country A fly over country B to attack country C?

Assuming country B is not a powerful nation, but does oppose any fly over, would there be any consequences for country A? Or is air space "free-for-all" regardless if a country supports you or not?

 

[Supostat]

So basically:

[A]

[C]

Country B is friendly to country C and does not support an attack.

Can country A fly over country B to attack country C?

Imho, it is illegal if country A uses air space of country B for military attacks to country C without agreement of country B.

 

[Lunatik]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forums.

It's not free for all. A country's airspace belongs to that nation unless we're talking about orbital altitutes which is governed by another international agreement called Outer Space Treaty. By the books, it is technically illegal for country A to fly over country B to attack country C without country B's consent. Also, if country B agrees to let country A use its airspace, then it automatically becomes an aggressor too and country C will have the right to defend itself against both country A and B. B can't say "oh, but they're just passing by" because international law allows a country to deter or respond to an attack beyond its own borders.

In real life, though, when national/corporate interests are at stake, international law means squat, it comes down to how strong and authoritative country B is. If it has the economic, political and military means of defending itself, A will think twice before entering B's airspace. If B is a weak nation, they'll be manipulated by both A and C anyway and a war will probably take place mostly on B's land.