Publisher's Synopsis
The mission of close air support (CAS) currently exists in every service doctrine and will continue to be required in 2025. Advances in technology will reduce the many shortfalls currently causing concern regarding the CAS mission. In 2025, time-critical applications of airpower and space power in support of troops on the ground will be vastly simplified from the perspective of both the tasker and the attacker. This paper describes the requisite systems and technology needed for aircraft to perform the mission. It does not discuss organizational issues. Advances in ground-based firepower are expected to proceed at a pace commensurate with technical advances in airpower --perhaps reducing the dependency of ground forces on air support, depending on the coalition elements' technical base. The ability for ground forces to overwhelmingly engage an opponent will always be a goal of the ground commander, and commanders will always plan engagements to optimize usage of their available power.
