<text id=00wf180a><title>War Fighting Roles: Battlefield Air Interdiction/Close Air Support</title>
<history>US Air Force: Briefing</history>
<article><hdr>War Fighting Roles—Battlefield Air Interdiction/Close Air Support</hdr><body>
<p>With the opposing land forces suitably weakened, a ground offensive can begin. Here the Air Force is committed to maintaining the successes it has already achieved, i.e. keeping air defense and strategic targets from being repaired, but also supporting the land forces in the field. Traditional close air support is available from A-10s and F-16s, but may also involve AC-130 gunships, B-52s and the deep-strike aircraft. In a land war the role of the forward air controller becomes important so that targets can be identified and attacked by an on-scene controller with intimate knowledge of the battle at that particular point in time. Individual kill-boxes are assigned to formations of attack aircraft, so that they can work the area with their own FAC for maximum effectiveness.
