sortie

Sortie is a military term referring to the deployment of a single unit, aircraft, vessel, or group for a defined mission, with the intent of returning to its base or starting point after completing the task. In air warfare, a sortie typically denotes one aircraft and its crew performing a mission such as interception, bombing, reconnaissance, or air support. The concept also applies to naval and ground operations, where a sortie can be a patrol, raid, or offensive movement by ships or troops.

The word originates from the French sortie, meaning “departure” or “going out,” derived from sortir, “to go out.” In English usage, the term has been employed since at least the 19th century and became common in both historical and modern military contexts, particularly in describing air and amphibious or siege operations.

In siege warfare, a sortie is a calculated counterattack by defenders against besieging forces, undertaken to disrupt, destroy, or relieve a besieged position. In contemporary armed forces, sorties are counted and tracked as a measure of activity and capability, with factors such as duration, altitude, mission type, and aircraft or unit readiness influencing planning and assessment.

Outside strictly military contexts, the term can also appear in aviation and naval histories to summarize mission activity, or in laxer uses to describe any brief, purposeful outward movement by a unit. The civilian sense of sortie, meaning an exit or departure, is related but distinct from the tactical sense used in military operations.