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U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack controllers watching an A-10 Thunderbolt II provide close air support during a live fire exercise. In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces.
The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support. The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads as runways.
In late 2017, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana signed the contract to purchase six for the Close Air Support Aircraft acquisition project as included in the AFP Modernization Program's Horizon 1 phase. [102] On 13 October 2020, six A-29Bs were turned over to the PAF. [103] They were inducted with the 16th Attack Squadron, 15th Strike Wing. [103]
The 2024 NDAA is expected to retire an additional 42 aircraft, with Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown expecting all A-10s to be retired by 2028 or 2029. [159] However, Congress would pause further cuts unless the Air Force demonstrates how other aircraft can fulfill the Close Air Support missions currently undertaken by the A-10. [160]
PCAS-Air's modular design allows it to work with almost any aircraft. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] The first tests conducted with U.S. Air Force A-10s took place from April through June 2015. Flying 50 sorties, 10 involved live-fire engagements that were carried out within six minutes, where JTACs commanded airstrikes with as few as three clicks on a ...
Cut loose from the nuclear mission, the bomber has languished—even used as a fast, if very expensive, close air support aircraft in Afghanistan. The average age of a B-1 bomber is 34.5 years, ...
The use of the term attack aircraft is primarily an American term, as other countries have described identical aircraft variously as light bombers, army cooperation aircraft and close support aircraft. In the US Air Force the naming convention for ground attack aircraft is a prefix "A-", followed by a number, e.g.
While the A-10 is a well-versed CAS platform, it is also an older and more costly aircraft.. The 2009 Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance program was born out of the need for a new close air support aircraft that was suited to the type of combat the United States was facing in post 2003-invasion Iraq and Afghanistan.