air cover
noun
: protection by armed military airplanes
They had to land in enemy territory without any air cover.
Examples of air cover in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There is more discussion now about part of the security guarantee coming in the form of air cover for Ukraine, a little like the no-fly zones over Iraq back in the 1990s that were designed to prevent attacks by Saddam Hussein’s forces on minorities.
—
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Later that year, in a stunning rout for Russian forces, Ukraine reclaimed nearly a thousand square miles in the Kharkiv region without the benefit of modern armor or air cover.
—Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
As the late afternoon banter switched between talk of CIA plots to assassinate Castro and President Kennedy’s failure to provide air cover during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, one retiree stood up and quietly stepped away from his friends.
—Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Those plans remain notional, but France and Britain want to have detailed options for European participation, while also insisting that the United States provide key elements like air cover, without troops on the ground.
—Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
But many provide air cover for Trump and everything MAGA — either to support him or bash his enemies.
—Alex Isenstadt, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
The new fighters are expected to improve Ukraine’s ability to provide air cover for troops, attack ground targets, take on enemy planes and intercept missiles.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
In just a few days last week, the loose coalition of resistance fighters ended a cruel tyrannical dynastic rein in Syria as Russia and Iran were too distracted to bring air cover to their ally, the despotic President al-Assad.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
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Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Later that year, in a stunning rout for Russian forces, Ukraine reclaimed nearly a thousand square miles in the Kharkiv region without the benefit of modern armor or air cover.
—Michael Carpenter, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2025
As the late afternoon banter switched between talk of CIA plots to assassinate Castro and President Kennedy’s failure to provide air cover during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, one retiree stood up and quietly stepped away from his friends.
—Joshua Goodman, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Those plans remain notional, but France and Britain want to have detailed options for European participation, while also insisting that the United States provide key elements like air cover, without troops on the ground.
—Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
But many provide air cover for Trump and everything MAGA — either to support him or bash his enemies.
—Alex Isenstadt, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
The new fighters are expected to improve Ukraine’s ability to provide air cover for troops, attack ground targets, take on enemy planes and intercept missiles.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025
In just a few days last week, the loose coalition of resistance fighters ended a cruel tyrannical dynastic rein in Syria as Russia and Iran were too distracted to bring air cover to their ally, the despotic President al-Assad.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Air cover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20cover. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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