Suppressive fire is fire where the primary intention is not to hit an enemy target, but to fix them in place and prevent them from returning effective fire, by placing them in the position where if they were to try, they would likely be wounded. If enemy combatants are wounded, this is simply a benefit. Suppressing the enemy can be used for many reasons but the main reasons are; preventing a superior enemy from returning fire, providing the opportunity to get into cover, or keeping the enemy in place whilst friendly units flank them.
Examples:
- A fireteam suppresses an enemy behind a wall, preventing them from moving without being hit, whilst another fireteam moves to the wall to finish the enemy
- A pilot, seeing an enemy fixed wing making an attack run, suppresses the enemy by firing towards them as much as possible, causing them to have to disengage.