Top 5 Military Aircraft For Close Air Support (2024)

During wars and major conflicts, close air support becomes essential for the ground stations and forces. Combat aircraft are specifically designed to provide close air support to friendly forces on the ground while protecting them from enemy attacks. Whether it is active defense, surveillance, or only standby aircraft, highly survivable combat aircraft play a significant role during such missions.

1 A-10 Thunderbolt II

Primary Function: Close air support, airborne forward air control, combat search and rescue

• Power Plant: Two General Electric TF34-GE-100 turbofans
• Thrust: 9,065 pounds each engine
• Range: 800 miles (695 nautical miles)
• Armament: One 30mm GAU-8/A seven-barrel Gatling gun; up to 16,000 pounds (7,200 kilograms) of mixed ordnance on eight under-wing and three under-fuselage pylon stations, including Mk-82, Mk-84 drag bombs, incendiary cluster bombs, combined effects munitions, mine dispensing munitions, AGM-65 Maverick missiles, laser-/GPS-guided bombs, unguided and laser-guided rockets; infrared countermeasure flares; electronic countermeasure chaff; jammer pods; illumination flares and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

The A-10C Thunderbolt II is the first US Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of friendly forces on the ground. Capable of engaging with light maritime attack aircraft as well as a wide range of ground targets, the twin-engine A-10 is a highly survivable aircraft.

Photo: US Air Force

One of the key performance characteristics of the A-10 is its low-altitude agility. According to the Air Force,

“The A-10C offers excellent maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude while maintaining a highly accurate weapons-delivery platform. They can loiter near battle areas for extended periods of time, are capable of austere landings and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings (303.3 meters) with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility.”

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The A-10 can carry a variety of precision-guided and unguided munitions, enabling operational flexibility near front lines.

2 AC-130

Primary function: close air support, air interdiction, and force protection

• Power plant: four Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines
• Thrust: 4,300 shaft horsepower each engine
• Armament: 40mm, 105mm cannons and 25mm Gatling gun.
• Crew: AC-130U - pilot, co-pilot, navigator, fire control officer, electronic warfare officer (five officers) and flight engineer, TV operator, infrared detection set operator, loadmaster, and four aerial gunners (eight enlisted)

The AC-130 is designed to primarily perform close air support missions, air interdiction, and armed reconnaissance. The AC-130 is capable of providing point air defense and escort convoys in and around the battlefield. The aircraft is utilized to conduct interdiction missions against various types of targets, including reconnaissance and armed overwatch missions sets.

Photo: Simple Flying

It is one of the most heavily armed aircraft, showcasing mission readiness and versatility. According to the Air Force,

“These heavily armed aircraft incorporate side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation and fire control systems to provide surgical firepower or area saturation during extended loiter periods, day or night and in adverse weather. The sensor suite consists of multispectral television sensors, high definition infrared sensors and radar. These sensors allow the gunship to visually or electronically identify friendly ground forces and targets anytime, anywhere.”

Primary function: Close air support for Soviet Ground Forces

• Crew: 1
• Powerplant: 2 × Soyuz/Tumansky R-195 turbojets engine, 44.18 kN (9,930 lbf) thrust each
• Maximum speed: 975 km/h (606 mph, 526 kn)
• Combat range: 750 km (470 mi, 400 nmi) at sea level with 4,400 kg (9,700 lb) of ordnance and two external fuel tanks
• Gunn: 1 × 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 autocannon with 250 rounds
• SPPU-22 gun pods for 2 × 23 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 autocannons with 260 rounds
• Hardpoints: 11 hardpoints with a capacity of up to 4,400 kg (9,700 lb) of stores, with provisions to carry combinations of bombs, rockets, missiles, and other decoy dispensers.

The Su-25, NATO reporting name “Frogfoot” is a twin-engine jet aircraft designed and developed by Sukhoi in the Soviet Union. The single-seat, twin-engine aircraft was designed to provide ground air support to the Soviet forces. The aircraft has flown a wide range of counter-insurgency missions, including the Soviet-Afghan War and the Iran-Iraq War.

Photo: Robert Sullivan | Flickr

Some African countries have utilized the type in local insurgencies and civil wars of sorts. The Su-25 is extensively used in Russian intervention in the Syrian Civil War, the 2022 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and, most recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

4 McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II

Primary function: Ground attack aircraft

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Pegasus F402-RR-408 (Mk 107) vectored-thrust turbofan, 23,500 lbf (105 kN) thrust
• Maximum speed: 585 kn (673 mph, 1,083 km/h)
• Combat range: 300 NM (350 mi, 556 km)
• Guns: 1× General Dynamics GAU-12 Equalizer 25 mm (0.984 in) 5-barreled Rotary cannon mounted under-fuselage in the left pod, with 300 rounds of ammunition in the right pod
• Hardpoints: 6× under-wing pylon and 1x under-fuselage stations holding up to 9,200 lb (4,200 kg) of bombs, rockets, missiles, and others.

The AV-8B Harrier II is the second generation aircraft of the Harrier family, capable of vertical and short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). Primarily deployed to carry out light attacks, including close air support of ground troops. The aircraft is equipped with a wide range of armaments, providing multirole flexibility at varying altitudes and speeds.

Photo: Matt Hintsa | Flickr

The Harrier II was designed to overcome the operational inadequacies of the first-generation Hawker Siddeley Harrier. Typically operated from small aircraft carriers, the Harrier II has served in critical roles in the Gulf War, the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya.

5 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon

Primary function: Air superiority day fighter and close air support

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon needs no introduction, particularly when it comes to multirole combat capabilities, including air superiority and close air support. Designed to perform a variety of combat roles, the F-16 has extraordinary close-air support capabilities thanks to its low-altitude maneuverability, combat radius, and speed.

Photo:玄史生 | Wikimedia Commons

According to the Air Force,

“In an air combat role, the F-16's maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) exceed that of all potential threat fighter aircraft. It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter. In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point.”

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