Introduction1. History witnesses that, science is a process of continuous improvement and technology erodes and becomes obsolete with the passage of time, but a work of genius is always universal. The power of mind is such that a man, who was living in caves a few hundred years ago, is now planning to build colonies on moon and beyond. So one thinks that, is there any parity between the mental capabilities of Stone Age generation and the space generation. Same question arises when we compare the ancient military strategists and modern military strategists. To argue on this question I shall take up the fabulous work of Sun Tzu, the first strategist known in history with written military strategies in the shape of "The Art of War", and see its applicability in the modern day Air warfare.2. The aim of this paper is to highlight salient features of Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' and validate his ideas and strategies in comparison to modern day air warfare.Biography3. Briefly touching upon the biography of Sun Tzu, he was a Chinese general who gave his military strategies around two and a half thousand years ago. He was also known as 'Sun Wu' and 'Sun Zi'. In Chinese language "Sun Tzu" means "Master Sun". Born in fifth century BC, he was a native of the northern state of Ch'i of ancient China. His date of death is not known, however, it is estimated that he died before the year 473 BC. In fact very little is known about his personal life. He belonged to a family with a rich military background; his father and grandfather were also generals. This gave his mind an impetus and he thoroughly studied and researched different aspects of war. His vision and intellect made his name immortal in the field of military, as he is remembered in the history for his magnificent inscriptions on 'The Art of war', which has been accepted as the bible of warfare since centuries. Presently his book is used as a text or reference book in a number of military academies, research institutes, and business enterprises around the world.Sun Tzu's Doctrine4. Sun Tzu's work is universal in nature. He said, "Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting". Sun Tzu also said, "The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life or death, a road to survival or to ruin. Hence it is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied". This speaks volumes about his foresight and vision about the art of warfare. Unlike other ancient doctrines, his work does not focus on specific tactics, techniques or weapon systems; on the other hand it can be updated in all ages, with changing technology. Some of the basic tenants of the "The Art of War" are:-- To prepare adequate defenses to repel any attack,- To seek ways to defeat the enemy without engaging him in battle,- Follow the enemy situation in order to decide on battle.5. Sun Tzu's saying that 'art of war is of vital importance to the state' is true even today, as the nations still engage in war to...
