Close air support t ightening budgets have reignited longsimmering debates on the roles and missions of airpower. Raytheon says its persistent close air support pcas system helps enhance the jtac role. Persistent close air support pcas is a darpa program that seeks to demonstrate dramatic improvements in close air support cas capabilities by developing a system to allow continuous cas availability and lethality to joint terminal attack controllers jtacs. An air power perspective unique case study in application of force, lessons on joint warfare in afghanistan, planning for operations, persistent close air support cas. Darpa strengthens lines of communication with digital close. The air force remains persistent in its recommendation to retire the a10 aircraft sometimes called the warthog. Demonstration of persistent close air support capabilities sec. Report documentation page united states department of. This article is an attempt to elevate the debate, to weigh the evidence, and offer a way forward for the future of close air support and the joint force.
Shared realtime situational awareness for rapid, precise close air support combining ground and air support aerial reconfigurable embedded system ares. Pcas prototype completes successful tests on a10 thunderbolt. Darpas persistent close air support pcas program is. The persistent close air support pcas program is ostensibly aimed at speeding up the. Explained when lines of the close air support cas brief can be. Raytheon has successfully completed the flight test phase of the defense advanced research projects agencys persistent close air support program. Joint close air support ndu press national defense university. Apr 07, 2015 darpas persistent close air support pcas program focuses on technologies to enable sharing of realtime situational awareness and weapons systems data through approaches designed to work with.
Mod a persistent close air support pcas proposers day. Unfortunately, airground fire coordinationreferred to as close air support or cashas changed little since its emergence in world war i. Jul 17, 2017 the rise of close air support after world war ii did the us army and us air force interservice rivalry benefit close air support. Pcas abbreviation stands for persistent close air support.
Raytheon completes darpa persistent close air support flight. Pcas is a package of technologies designed to speed close air support to soldiers on the battlefield, enabling ground troops, joint terminal attack controllers and combat aircrews to share realtime situational awareness and weapons systems. The us military defines close air support cas as air action by fixedwing and rotarywing aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces, and it requires detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces. This new initiative is called the persistent close air support program, or pcas for short, and is described by darpa as such. Apr 10, 2015 persistent close air support pcas enables ground forces and combat aircrews to jointly select and employ precisionguided weapons from a diverse set of airborne platforms image. Watkins maxwell air force base, alabama april 1998. Since the first dive bombing attempts in world war i and subsequent. Fundamentals introduction 11 fratricide battlefield utility 14 close air support integration 15 close air support employment 15 threat levels 17 conditions for effective close air support 18 chapter 2. At the same time, targets engaged in combat are dispersed and concealed, reducing the effectiveness of air attacks. Forward air controller uses android tablet to rapidly.
Persistent close air support contract gets modified signal. They saw close air support as both the most difficult and most inefficient use of aerial assets. Darpa created the persistent close air support pcas program in july 2010 to help address these challenges. Though there are developmental issues with the a10s notional replacement, lockheedmartins. Close air support cas provides firepower in offensive and defensive operations to destroy, disrupt, suppress, fix, or delay enemy forces in close proximity to friendly forces. Close air support cas is a marine corps innovation. From close air support to fire suppression persistent systems. In conventional close air support, pilots and ground forces focus on one target at a time through voice directions and a shared map. Close air support cas is air action by fixedwing and rotarywing aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces, and requires detailed. Watch how darpas new close air support system works on an a. Nov 14, 2014 the defense advanced research projects agency darpa had planned to begin flight tests and livefire demonstrations of its persistent close air support pcas system earlier this year. Raytheon improves life for attack controllers defense. Successful demonstration of darpas persistent close air.
Pdf digitallyaided close air support dacas is an increasingly important operational capability for many nations and services. On the air force side, there is a persistent perception that cas. Close air support table of contents page chapter 1. Raytheon completes darpa persistent close air support. Recommendations for improving this publication are invited from commands as well as directly from individuals.
What is the abbreviation for persistent close air support. Jcas manual does it state that cas is tied to a specific fire. The persistent close air support pcas program will significantly increase close air support cas capabilities by developing a system to allow continuous cas availability and lethality to the supported ground commander. Flight tests begin on system to speed up air strikes. Air force considers close air support a highrisk, lowpayoff mission, and the army needs to take over this mission with its own organic fixedwing aircraft. Successful demonstration of darpas persistent close air support pcas system 7 april 2015 the pcas system includes two main components. Sep 28, 2015 air ground coordination lets soldiers call in air strikes from tablets. A pneumothorax during mechanical ventilation is considered a serious complication of ventilator therapy. Added discussion on post launch abort considerations. Advanced research projects agency darpa s persistent close air support pcas program. Examining close air support cas in conjunction with other overlapping missions that occur in the.
Darpas persistent close air support pcas program envisions more precise, prompt and easy airground coordination for close air supportdelivery of airborne munitions to support ground forces. Successful demonstration of darpas persistent close air support pcas system 7 april 2015 the pcas system includes two main components, pcas air and pcasground, which connect aircraft with. Nov 08, 2015 raytheon improves life for attack controllers. The persistent close air support pcas program will demonstrate dramatic capability improvements in the close air support cas mission.
Although airmen have been providing close air support cas to friendly ground forces. Darpa demos persistent close air support system defencetalk. How technological innovations will affect future defence systems is an issue more topical than ever, especially in the military industry. It can lead to poor lung expansion, ventilationperfusion mismatch, direct extension of airway infection to the pleural space, and an inability to maintain positive endexpiratory pressure. Darpa calls the project persistent close air support, or pcas. Deconfliction and coordination of this fire support proved. Jul 12, 2010 the defense advanced research projects agency darpa will host an unclassified proposers day workshop in support of a planned broad agency announcement baa for the persistent close air support pcas program. Multidomain operations and close air support marchapril. Rtn has successfully completed the flight test phase of the defense advanced research projects agency darpas persistent close air support pcas program. Autonomous weapons and international humanitarian law or killer. Sep 21, 2015 darpas persistent close air support pcas program envisions more precise, prompt and easy airground coordination for close air supportdelivery of airborne munitions to support ground. Darpas persistent close air support pcas program focuses on technologies to enable sharing of realtime situational awareness and weapons systems data through approaches designed to work with almost any aircraft.
It has now been installed and tested on the a10c thunderbolt ii, the beloved but. Pcas is a package of technologies designed to speed close air support to soldiers on the battlefield, enabling ground troops, joint terminal attack controllers jtacs and combat aircrews to share realtime situational awareness and weapons systems data. Command, control, and communications amphibious tactical air control system 21. Sep 19, 2015 watch how darpas new close air support system works on an a10 attack jet. Pdf persistent organic pollutants general considerations. Close air support is an artful yet extremely dangerous endeavor in which personnel on the ground call for and direct air strikes in support of combat operations.
Persistent close air support 99 hourbyhour airstrike analysis 104 chapter 7. May 27, 2015 amidst this often emotional discussion, it can be difficult to distinguish fact from opinion. Sep 18, 2015 darpas persistent close air support pcas program envisions more precise, prompt and easy airground coordination for close air supportdelivery of airborne munitions to support ground forces. Forward air controller uses android tablet to rapidly order air.
Persistent close air support pcas proposers day workshop. Multidomain operations and close air support marchapril 2017. Bolton offers a different point of view on close air support in precedent and rationale for an army fixedwing ground attack aircraft. A persistent close air support pcas proposers day workshop announcement industry day slides notice date 7302010 notice type modificationamendment naics 541712 research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences except biotechnology contracting office. The a10, the f35, and the future of close air support war. A program called persistent close air support, or pcas, connects pilots in real time with the groundbased joint terminal attack controllers, or. Pcas seeks to fundamentally increase cas effectiveness by enabling dismounted ground agentsjoint terminal attack controllers jtacsand combat aircrews to share realtime situational awareness and weapons systems data. The rise of close air support after world war ii joint air. Sep 17, 2015 pcas prototype completes successful tests on a10 thunderbolt ii fighter as program approaches completion, results suggest that digital air ground coordination technology has the potential to provide an unprecedented synchronized understanding of the active battlefield. Close air support was the most difficult mission, requiring identifying and distinguishing between friendly and hostile units. Pdf digitallyaided close air support capabilities in simulation. Raytheon improves life for attack controllers defense news. Apr 11, 2016 that approach allowed raytheon to port its persistent close air support pcas software from an air force jet to a marine tiltrotor, an army helicopter, and ultimately an unmanned aerial vehicle.
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