Close Air Support

Drawing together original case studies this book explores air support for ground forces from the introduction of the aircraft to the battlefield, through to Close Air Support in contemporary conflicts.

Exploring the opportunities, challenges and realties, this book establishes how Close Air Support became an essential role of air power and a critical feature of modern warfare. Using historical and contemporary perspectives to understand the evolution of Close Air Support doctrine, concepts and capabilities each author’s contribution provides an enriched understanding of an Air Power capability whose application has often been contentious and fractious. The authors provide a range of perspectives on Close Air Support, from Air Power scholars and practitioners to Literature and Defence Studies analyses. In doing so, the book provides an in depth understanding of Close Air Support on the battlefield.

"Close Air Support, by Harry Rafal and John Alexander, specialists in air warfare, introduce 12 thematic chapters spanning from 1917 to 2022. The book is therefore eclectic, covering everything from attempts to provide air support to the Tank Corps in 1918 to the efforts of the Japanese Army Air Force during the Malayan Campaign in 1941 and those of the RAF in the Falklands/Malvinas in 1982. Special mention should be made of Professor Samuel Oyewole and his presentation of the Nigerian Air Force's successes—sometimes uneven—in this area, from the Biafran War in the late 1960s to the current fight against Boko Haram. It is worth noting the lack of consideration for the role of drones and, as one might have guessed from the list of topics, the Anglo-Saxon perspective, which does not detract from the quality of the work". Vae Victus Magazine No183 (translated from French)

“The chapters draw on a rich array of secondary sources and archival records for evidence, and the case studies are interesting, relevant, and thoughtful… Close Air Support should be on the shelf of military historians, airpower practitioners, and other critical thinkers.” Æther: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower