What is Close Air Support?

What is Close Air Support?

• A. Air Interdiction: Air Ops conducted to destroy, neutralize, or delay enemy potential. Conducted at such distance from friendly forces that detailed integration of each air mission with the ground force is not required.
• B. Close Air Support: Air action against hostile targets that are in CLOSE PROXIMITY to friendly forces and require DETAILED INTEGRATION of each air mission with those ground forces
• C. Terminal Guidance Operations: Actions that provide communications through a number of mediums that provide approaching A/C additional information regarding a specific target location. Also provide terminal guidance to weapons or aircraft to facilitate target engagement.
• D. Fire Support Coordination Line: Facilitate the expeditious attack of surface targets of opportunity beyond the coordinating measure. Usually follows well-defined terrain features.

Answer: (B)

Close Air Support means delivering air action against enemy targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces and require detailed integration between the air mission and the ground forces. This tight coordination ensures the air crew and ground troops share situational awareness, confirm target location, timing, and effects, and control the engagement to protect troops and avoid friendly fire. A joint terminal attack controller or a joint fires observer typically coordinates these aspects, designates targets, and communicates with the aircraft throughout the mission. This is what sets CAS apart from other air missions. Air interdiction targets enemies at a distance where such intimate ground integration isn’t required. Terminal guidance operations describe how certain weapons or aircraft are guided to a target, which is a tool used in various missions but doesn’t define the close, integrated nature of CAS. The Fire Support Coordination Line is a boundary used to synchronize fires, not the description of the air action itself.

Close Air Support means delivering air action against enemy targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces and require detailed integration between the air mission and the ground forces. This tight coordination ensures the air crew and ground troops share situational awareness, confirm target location, timing, and effects, and control the engagement to protect troops and avoid friendly fire. A joint terminal attack controller or a joint fires observer typically coordinates these aspects, designates targets, and communicates with the aircraft throughout the mission.

This is what sets CAS apart from other air missions. Air interdiction targets enemies at a distance where such intimate ground integration isn’t required. Terminal guidance operations describe how certain weapons or aircraft are guided to a target, which is a tool used in various missions but doesn’t define the close, integrated nature of CAS. The Fire Support Coordination Line is a boundary used to synchronize fires, not the description of the air action itself.