MigBuster 2,884 Posted February 4, 2016 With the drama surrounding the potential retirement of the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II and the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s viability as a replacement, Close Air Support (CAS) has become a hotly debated topic in military aviation. A mission that was relatively unknown to the general public prior to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, CAS has been around for over a hundred years. But what is it? What aircraft can do CAS? What does it look like from the aviator’s perspective? How about from the ground force’s perspective? .... https://fightersweep.com/3855/what-close-air-support-is-and-isnt-part-one/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Trotski 936 Posted February 5, 2016 To my mind, the true birth of CAS was, even though started in the 14-18 War, didn't really come into fruition until the Germans wrote the book on it starting during the Spanish Civil War, but perfecting it with the use of the Stuka as a close support aircraft, as they perfected the art of all arms integration, this was swiftly taken up by the VVS on the Eastern Front, and then adopted by the RAF and USAAF, particularly in the desert campaigns. then further developed in Korea and Vietnam. from what I understand, the Stuka could dive bomb accurately in support of ground forces at very close ranges, as little as 50 -100 m away from the troops in need of support. The Americans perfected this then in Vietnam in particular, the Skyraider being the perfect tool for the job, the rest as they say is history, enter the A-10 and the Russian Frogfoot, both very superb and capable CAS platforms. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
