Soviet attack aviation played an outstanding role in the Great Patriotic War, becoming an indispensable means of air support for ground forces in offensive and defensive operations. This work shows the process of the emergence of assault aviation in the 1920-1930s, the emergence and first implementation of the idea of assault operations, the difficult path traveled to the creation and mastery of the production of a “flying tank” - an attack aircraft. The book analyzes the features of the organizational structure of attack aircraft within the Air Force in the pre-war period, and shows the evolution of theoretical views on its combat use. Using specific examples of external and internal armed conflicts in which the USSR participated, changes in the organization and tactics of using attack aircraft are analyzed.