On Sat, 11 Feb 2006 12:34:47 GMT, Fred J. McCall
wrote:

Ed Rasimus wrote:
:
:Strange is it might seem, doing CAS from 30,000 feet today is the
:better choice.

Yeah, you lot were just ahead of your time, trying it 40 years ago.

You might want to do an update on what was possible and common forty
years ago. My experience was in the interdiction and defense
suppression mission primarily, not in CAS. We didn't (and usually
couldn't) make it that high. Delivery was high angle dive and PGMs
were in very short supply and with very few qualified systems/crews to
deliver them.

CAS flown in the in-country war in SEA was very much low angle laydown
delivery, "Snake and Nape".

:With modern technology it isn't necessary to go
:nose-to-nose with the bad guys at low altitude.

Depends on the mission profile. If you're self-lasing you can't be
clear the hell up in "God's Country".

JDAM. There is very little application for self-lasing. Most units
have organic lasing capability if such weapons are used.

:The bombs are more
:accurate, the delivery more timely and the response is available to a
:much larger area.

Variable. I'd still rather the guy up in the air had some good idea
of where things are on the ground before he just takes the hand-off
targeting and bombs the Chinese Embassy or some baby milk factory.

The baby milk factory was IIRC hit by a Tomahawk. And, the "baby milk"
aspects were very questionable. Neither that strike nor the Chinese
Embassy were CAS situations. But don't let that get in the way of a
snappy retort.

:We operate a lot more jointly today than we ever have in the past.
:That means USAF, USN, USMC, Army Aviation, and Allied nations get
:integrated into the battle plan. Nobody does it alone, Sport.

Now try telling me something I don't know, Sport.

Oh, and USN and USMC assets are still pretty likely to 'push back'
because they think your plan is sloppy, Sport.

What "plan" is that? I've not proposed anything here, but have simply
pointed out that there is no longer a tactical necessity for "up
close" CAS.

CAS is always under the primary control of the ground commander. That
hasn't changed. Targeting is always coordinated with the ground
commander. The FAC/ALO/FSCO/S-3?ANGLICO or whatever is working for and
with the ground commander.

What is new is the ability to accurately provide target location with
GPS and lasing. That means "hit my smoke" or "100 meters N. of my
flash" isn't necessary and was never very accurate.

Oh, and there *is* still a serious aspect to that when you go back to
SE Asia days. Why do you think they took Marine Air away from just
supporting Marines (and why were Marines upset about this and Army
guys real happy)?

???? "They"??? You seem to be oblivious to command/control in a combat
zone. Joint operations means that if you have a ground unit calling
for air and you have airplanes available but they just happen to be
from another service you use them anyway.

No one "took Marine Air away" from anybody. Marine Air gets used when
their number come up, just like Navy air and USAF.

I never heard a ground commander express a request for a particular
flavor of airplane to service his immediate request. Or, maybe you've
made the call? "Oh, they're Air Force? I'll hold out a bit longer here
until you get some of those red-blooded Marines to come to me aid..."
Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com