Close air support
Concept
CAS is a kind of air strike conducted by fixed or rotary aircrafts against the hostile targets that are close to the friendly forces. The determining factor of CAS mission is the integration with the fire and movement of ground forces. If Successful, the firepower from the CAS aircraft can bring the decisive conclusion to the fight with the destruction of the enemy.
Where and when?
CAS is called- in to hit the enemy when friendly ground forces with their organic weapons and their ability to manoeuvre don't bring a decisive success. Also if enemy has advantage of position (hilltops) or its numbers are overwhelming then close air support will nullify that advantage.
CAS perspective for Pakistan
History of Pakistan Army Aviation - YouTube
Pakistan army Aviation Corps
It was split from the air force and became part of army in 1958. From its COIN operations in the 70s in quelling the Baloch insurgency to the current War on Terror. The Pakistan Army Aviation forms the essential part of army operations.
Its combat wing consists mainly of the cobra gunships. That have provided close air support against the insurgents in the war against terror. Cobras have been called in on various occasions whenever army conveys came under attack from Taliban ambush and they also formed the part of the ground assault on Swat, Waziristan & Orakai during Operation Rah e Nijat & Rah e Rast.
But the helicopter gunships have their limitation in terms of their payload capacity, endurance and ferry range which can only be filled by a ground attack aircraft. This is what the Pakistan Army aviation lacks in case it is needed specially against a conventional enemy. In case of a massive ground assault by India based on its new cold doctrine, the Pakistan army aviation can find itself overwhelmed with the task at hand to destroy large Indian armour columns and will have to call in PAF support due to all the advantages that an aircraft offers over a helicopter gunship.
14 Dec-71
F-86s from No 19 Squadron strike a battalion of Indian Army in the Thar desert. The napalm and strafing attacks were led by Flight Lieutenant
Pakistan Air force
The air strike capability of PAF’s dedicated and multimode aircrafts fills in this gap to assist in defending the friendly ground forces or in case of a counter attack, provide necessary CAS to suppress the enemy through a coordinated fire and movement by the friendly forces.
The Need for a Dedicated CAS Aircraft
PAF has provided CAS on request to the Pakistan army in Punjab and deserts of Sind delivering a devastating blow to advancing Indian armor during both the 65 and 71 war. But that support was not readily available. Precious time can be saved due to reduced numbers of channels to call in the strikes if the pilots are under the same command structure.
Until recently A-5s were its dedicated airstrike role aircrafts but as they have been phased out, now this role is going to be filled by JF-17s. But like any other air force, the ground support role is not seen with high esteem in the aviation circles. So this role will always take a secondary importance for PAF. In extreme cases, the air force pilots actually hate this role (Amiercians in their own account) and find it far more challenging due to enemy and friendly identification and their proximity in the battlefield which is constantly changing. Also the supersonic speed of these aircrafts means that they can’t loiter the battle field long enough for the benefit of the ground forces and to have the desired psychological effect on friendly forces as a moral booster. A slower aircraft with equal payload is more desirable because it will remain in the area and continue to provide the fire support in case of an intense fighting.
Defensive Role of Air Force has following main responsibilities
* Defence of its Air Space
* Coordinated deep strike missions to hamstring the adversary
* Air support for the ground forces
The above are the main responsibilities of PAF as well.
The new weapons and avionics like laser guided bombs and targeting pods mean that their air strikes will be more effective and precise but these sorts of aircrafts are more suited to strategic bombing and interdiction.
This brings in the need for dedicated ground attack aircraft that is able to sustain the ground fire while flying low, below the enemy radar and it has firepower and weapon systems primarily setup for ground attack. It has to be slow enough to be able to loiter the battlefield and stay over the heads of the enemy forces until their destruction.
It means that Army aviation should seek to raise squadrons of dedicated ground attack aircrafts that can fill up the role that is beyond the means of the helicopter gunships.
Point to note here is that the type of aircraft needed here is one that is resilient, can take punishment and has weaponry primarily focused on ground support.
The ability to persist in the battlefield for both the psychological impact on the foe as a physical enemy and its devastating firepower and its survivability against the ground fire like an American A-10 is desirable feature that not many airforces enjoy..
A5s were known to have the reinforced fuselage but it’s not known if the Black Spider squadron of JF-17s will have that added padding to protect their bellies against small arms fire.
Although the concept of UCAV is in its infancy and has been used extensively in WoT by the Americans. But fore sure it will see its role in CAS in the future as its more able and rugged models will emerge. For Pakistan, the combat UAV’s can be another possibility in the coming future as Pakistan on its own or in collaboration with China develops next generation of combat UAVs that would provide CAS to its ground troops.
During a major assault in the Shakargarh area on 14 December 1971, PAF fighters were called in for air support. The painting shows one of the supporting F-6s bearing down on enemy armor, while another one has just pulled off. The aircraft belonged to No 23 Squadron. Apart from being effective in the air defense role, the F-6s (introduced into the PAF in 1966) provided valuable air support to Pak Army in the 1971 War.
The more ambitious program can be developing something on the lines of A-10 or SU-25. But that’s only possible if the military planners see the importance of CAS in the future conflicts. They can always take hints from the past history and the current conflicts where CAS has been a deciding factor in achieving dominance over the enemy. CAS is a must for survival and effective CAS is a must for victory in the modern conflict. With JF-17 and J-10 programs already in action it might be very hard to spare resources or focus at this time. But there is always room for converting a variant of JF-17 to a much more rugged and suitable for ground attack role without having to re-invent the wheel.
To convince the decision markers to go for a dedicated ground attacker instead of a jack of all trades is that multi role aircrafts differ from dedicated Airstrike aircrafts (CAS) in many ways,. A multirole aircraft fulfills roles such as strategic bombing, deep strike missions, SEAD, CAP and interdiction etc, CAS adds yet another role to a already over burdened aircraft and its pilot. To incorporate CAS specific systems (armor, dedicated ammo and avionics etc.) would result in tradeoffs that would result in lesser aircraft for interception / A2A role.
End Notes
The training and infrastructure is already available in the form of PAF Academy Risalpur. The Army aviation pilots can share the same training and facilities and after passing out and completing their training can join their Corps. Sharing the same training will mean that pilots from both forces will have same protocols and communication levels and will be readily able to support each other and the ground forces. To at this point no major investment is needed in additional infrastructure. The JF-17 are there, the training facilities are there and if there is a will and realisation of increasing the capabilities of Pakistan army Aviation through the induction of fixed wing air strike aircrafts then 2 squadrons will be a good starting point.
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