tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post2976561993556995186..comments2024-03-27T20:37:08.065+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: Close air supportUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-84943973659163154812010-10-31T00:52:43.431+02:002010-10-31T00:52:43.431+02:00And that is related to the topic ... how!?And that is related to the topic ... how!?S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-30023284464742686752010-10-30T23:22:55.925+02:002010-10-30T23:22:55.925+02:00Fighting dirty is fighting smart. You gotta do wha...Fighting dirty is fighting smart. You gotta do what you gotta do in order to win. And if it works, it works. The United States has NEVER lost a conventional war. Especially against other countries such as Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, or Iraq. We did perfectly fine against them. The thing is, we are having problems with unconventional warfighters such as the Taliban.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-7597336104511436792009-05-13T00:48:00.000+02:002009-05-13T00:48:00.000+02:00It's a matter of relations.
Much of the air suppo...It's a matter of relations.<br /><br />Much of the air support in conventional warfare would focus on the main effort(s) of the corps, not on sectors held by infantry (which is more defensive than armour and thus mostly not in the main effort).<br /><br />A combat aircraft can fly about three sorties a day on average, with let's say one hour in the battle zone each (if they survive).<br /><br />That means only about 1 in 8 aircraft assigned to CAS would be available for a mission somewhere at the 'front' on average.<br /><br />Now count one CAS aircraft on station per company in combat - that sums up to hundreds of CAS aircraft in major conventional war.<br />Keep in mind; it's for secondary purposes only, not to assist the army's main effort.<br /><br />Air forces don't fly CAS only, though. Even the strike packages themselves often have often less than 50% real ground attack aircraft, all others being support aircraft (air combat, SEAD).<br /><br />Then add interdiction and air superiority-related strike packages.<br /><br />There are simply not enough resources to supply a 10-20 division front in major conventional war with CAS for everyone, no matter how good logistics are.<br /><br />CAS is a great main effort and crisis firefighter force. Air power can shift its effects by hundreds of kilometers faster than anything else (effectively in about an hour).<br />CAS will happen to support spearheads and to hammer on enemy spearheads (or their columns).<br /><br />It's similar with artillery, which can move its fires by about 50 or more kilometer in minutes.<br /><br />Only mortars are a really reliable fire support for infantry (if they survive) because of their limited effective radius. They cannot be ordered to help 10-1000 km away, so they will be available in their few km wide sector (again; if they survive).<br /><br /><br />I also mentioned plenty other reasons for why CAS won't always work as in Afghanistan in the article.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-79551739878737064852009-05-13T00:30:00.000+02:002009-05-13T00:30:00.000+02:00Why not train with swords, since ammo will be in s...Why not train with swords, since ammo will be in short supply?<br /><br />I think that instead of taking the lesson of the need to fight without good logistics, they should of taken the lesson of the importance of good logistics.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02891026012522167083noreply@blogger.com