CAS and abandoning ground pounders was Re: [OT] Frog Bashing

On Wed, 29 May 2002 19:47:24 +1000 "Alan and Carmel Brain"
> <aebrain@webone.com.au> writes:
<snip>
> Fortunately, there were no Iraqis out there,

No that's not a cheap shot.  As an ex-zoomie (okay medic ain't pilot)
fro 7 years 3 months 12 days I think we need some CAS 101 here.

Pilot in Air superiority fighter with ability to carry 'boom-lets'
(usually dumb free fall slicks. More on that later.) Unlike the
incredibly efficient killer of all that moves A-10 Warthog these
beautiful race horses move too fast to get a good visual (good enough
anyway) and depend on either 1)identification by ground/air controllers
in Army vehicles or light aircraft [Drones are becoming more effective in
this. Note I said more effective, not the same as effective] or 2) pilot
identified targets (shudder! "Well, it had wheels, the Russian things, what
are they called, BTM's... BARs... something like that... have wheels. Anyway
it had wheels and was facing south and we were advancing north so I bombed
it." debriefer, "It was a USMC LAV withdrawing from
contact with hostile MBT's."  Pilot, "Oh F___ !" debriefer, "Yeah, 'Oh
F___.' ")

Hence anything acting 'hostile' becomes a threat and the pilots (who really
don't want friendlies dying) tend to plaster it given any indication it is
"Red" forces. This makes life a little strenuous to "Blue" forces supported by
USAF CAS (wrong term, there is a new one, probably several generations of
terms from the 1970's...) "You SURE he knows we are the good guys?"

Add on that most CAS deliveries are something akin to area effect weapons or
(most common) Mark 82 Slick (Iron Bomb, "Dumb" bombs, free fall bombs
- not too many generations different from WW2, well in theory, despite
increases in explosives, ballistic computers on the more modern aircraft,
and computer assists in flying attack profiles) equivalents - 500 pounds
of explosive dropped ballistically, which means if you are off a little at the
drop you can't correct it. You miss far (wasted attack) or short (a hit, just
he wrong army.) Or to the side (same principle.) Add on to that that (ground)
target recognition is stressed less then air threat recognition (except
perhaps for ground units designed to 'degrade' (translates as 'try to kill')
air units effectiveness. As, from a pilot's viewpoint, it well should be. "If
it kills me I ain't helping nobody!")

The USAF has not so much abandoned the US Army as much as implicitly
recognizing that (1) Interdiction is more effective long term then CAS (true),
(2) that CAS is hard to do right and mistakes are fatal to 'your' troops, and
(3) that the US Army will never be satisfied with the numbers, kinds of CAS
craft the USAF has. Given the history of the USAF missions and the helicopter
'deal' between the USAF and the US Army this is a practical if not necessarily
ideal practice.

Gracias,