Greetings, pilots. I am Major MechPilot524, and I will brief you in the usage of Close Air Support aircraft.

Since you're still learning to fly these planes, I won't worry you with big-picture strategy just yet. We'll save that for another training session. For now, I will help instill you with a mindset which has helped me in my combat experience when flying in Close Air Support.

In this training briefing, I will first describe the characteristics of the two planes available to our NATO pilots and their aggressor counterparts. Of particular importance are the planes' flight characteristics and weaponry. They are similar aircraft as their mission is largely the same, but some differences give them unique capabilities.

After explaining how the aircraft operate, I will explain standard tactics for the simple tasks a Close Air Support aircraft will execute when ground pounding. This includes engaging enemy Infantry Fighting Vehicles, suppressing enemy air defense, and assaulting enemy Forward Operating Bases - the latter of which is our primary objective in each mission.
In the last portion of this section, we will show you classified imagery captured at a recent joint exercise, and explain the highlights of the pilot's attack execution in a simulated combat environment.

Again, no high-level doctrine will be discussed quite yet. I want you pilots to understand the basic ground-attack concepts before you try playing a balancing act with them.

Before I start on this section, I should mention that one of my additional duties is to maintain the Sky Knights Wiki. Here are links to wiki pages, which should help you organize the important stats:

A-10A: https://skyknights.gamepedia.com/A-10A
Su-25: https://skyknights.gamepedia.com/Su-25


I'm also integrating screenshots of the stats as displayed on the Wiki into the briefing.

When it comes to the airframes, the Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft are the slowest, the least agile, and the toughest.



As you hopefully know, these planes lack afturburners. On top of this, they have the slowest "cruising" speeds of all aircraft in the game. Every other plane has at least 300kts cruising, and will reach at least 400kts with afterburner.

On the bright side, an A-10 with Tuned Engine can still stay ahead of an Su-27 who has depleted afterburner, and who has not also purchased Tuned Engine.



If you were expecting agility, you won't find it here. These craft also have the worst turning powers in the game by a significant margin. With only 60%, the next least-agile craft is the MiG-21 at 65%. Even a multirole fighter will handily outmaneuver a CAS plane.

An important fact when it comes to maneuvers: Mostly due to slow speed, these craft will lose more stamina from a single maneuver than fighters will. This adds to a CAS plane's vulnerability.



There's not much to say here. These planes are the toughest in the game, edging out air superiority fighters for the top spot. They usually can't be one-shotted by missiles, unless the missile has Heavy Warheads and the CAS lacks the Hull Plating.






The Su-25 and A-10 are identical in all weapons except for gunnery, which will be covered last. For now, we will discuss AGMs. You should have learned about bombs earlier in your Undegraduate Pilot Training, and they work the same on CAS planes as they do on multirole fighters, so we won't go over them.



CAS planes start with four Air-to-Ground Missiles (sometimes referred to as anti-tank missiles), and cannot acquire any more. AGMs are weak compared to bombs, but they provide the CAS with a useful standoff ability, one that you will be briefed on exploiting later in this session. They deal enough damage to one-shot Recon vehicles and IFVs, though not AAA.



Here's what really makes the Close Air Support a sweet class to play. The Su-25 and A-10 have nicer guns than the other classes, even those exotic Light Fighters.

Starting with the A-10, we have the mighty GAU-8A Avenger, firing 30mm depleted uranium shells. Its reputation should be no mystery to you pilots. And it lives up to its name: it deals a whopping 40 damage to ground targets only. This gives the A-10 amazing capabilities at shredding Pact BMPs and Recons; it can safely single out and neutralize AAA; and with time, can make noticeable casualties in an enemy FOB.
Of course, it's a weapon that's optimized for ground use, and as a result, the A-10 deals 20 damage to aircraft, the same as Multirole and Air Superiority fighters.

The Su-25 is armed with a double-barrel 30mm cannon that can deal 24 damage to all targets. This includes aircraft, unlike the A-10. It's certainly not as effective against the NATO Bradleys as the Warthog is against BMPs, but it still gets the job done, and keeps its damage against aircraft. In fact, this is the best damage possible with a gun in air-to-air combat, and it's not uncommon seeing an Su-25 attack other planes. The gun makes the Su-25 more of an all-around choice, less capable at dealing with tough ground obstacles but better at defending itself.



The CAS planes have the same radar level with each other, but are on the weaker side. They only have 90% range; note that multirole fighters and air sups will out-spot you.

So I can't stress enough how important the planning phase of your attack run actually is. The better a position you put yourself in, the more successful your pass will be. For example, if you set up for a linear attack at an almost-perfect angle, it will go perfectly.

Two other things you need to keep in mind when planning a run are hazards and height.



Let's start with the leading cause of CAS casualties - enemy fighters. Sometimes you just can't see them, because they have longer radar range than you. There are a few things you can do to avoid getting bounced:

• Stay far enough away from them to avoid their radar, or fly in a way to avoid attracting their attention.
  
• Head back towards base and look for a wingman. Two CAS planes could use tactics like a combat spread, a defensive split, or Thach weaves to thwart an attacking fighter.
  
• Target recon vehicles. These vehicles are unarmed, but they will highlight a small area around the vehicles.

Anti-Aircraft Artillery can be annoying as well as deadly. Unless your immediate objective is the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (killing AAA) you should avoid them. Don't attack waves of vehicles or FOBs with their AAA defenses still intact. In fact, it's not a bad idea to stay out of their range until you've used missiles to thin out the guns. More on that tactic later.



Don't forget about the role that height plays in your ability to attack targets that are, well, on the ground. If you're too high up, your plane won't achieve the needed angle of attack to hit targets on the ground. Translation: You're going to be too high up to point your nose far enough down.
Only two things will give you height like that, though: maneuvering and mountains.

When it comes to maneuvering, as long as you are patient and give yourself the space needed, you'll naturally descend to an optimal altitude. It's not a great idea to pull an Immelmann turn into a guns pass. And using Maneuvers as Guns-D [efence] will also prevent you from executing a gun run.

Many of the paths that IFVs travel along are guarded with mountains. Of course, an aircraft will climb over mountains - but if the targets are at the foot of the mountain, you'll overshoot them without getting the nose down. One option is to climb using the maneuver button - holding the button will start a loop-de-loop, but releasing it will cause the descent to stop at any time. The aircraft will naturally descend from initiating such a maneuver, and if you time it right, you will already have a steep angle of attack and your gun is already pointing at the target as you come down the mountain perfectly. The easier option is to come off the mountain diagonally, as shown in the following two pictures.


The A-10 pilot flies off the mountain at a 45-degree flight path....



...and is in the perfect position to quickly swing around and execute a gun run.

Or you can just, you know, go around the mountain. That does take the most time if you won't be in position to immediately engage the targets.

Executing efficient attack runs is more important than one may immediately think.

When you execute a run efficiently, you reduce your time over target. This helps your team gain morale faster, improving the spawn rate. It also reduces the window of time where you might be vulnerable - improving the chances you'll complete your immediate task before you are intercepted.


I like to think of attacks being done by various "moves". We'll go through each one.



First, we have the Uppercut. I call it this because waves of enemy IFVs frequently appear with most vehicles at the bottom of each wave; when this attack run is executed correctly, the plane will travel as if it were a fist delivering an uppercut.




Approach so you are coming from directly behind the wave of vehicles, traveling almost exactly as they are but at 30-50% throttle. Line up with the largest cluster of vehicles - this is the key to being able to execute this run correctly.




Engage all vehicles at the bottom, then sweep your fire upwards. Vehicles steadily from the bottom to the top will be destroyed, in a sequence.

Overall, you'll find this move to be a reliable means to destroy a full wave with one pass. However, it might take a little time to set up, as you might need to fly to the other side of the wave, and this increases your Time Over Target (TOT).



The Wingover is actually a dogfighting maneuver, but it is useful for attackers. The Wingover is not itself an attack run, but it is a useful tool to more quickly set up for a proper attack run.

To execute a wingover in Sky Knights, one must combine a 180-degree turn and hold the maneuver button for the right amount of time. If you release the maneuver button soon enough, your left wing will begin to stall and your right wing will quickly swing around. You will then nose down and return to your previous altitude and an acceptable airspeed, except you have switched directions. You are moving slow enough to almost stall at the peak of the wingover, but you are at a higher altitude and somewhat safe from attack.


To demonstrate the Wingover and the Uppercut, here is footage of a pilot making a "failed" attack run on ground targets. He executes a wingover atop the mountain, which allows him to turn perfectly to set up for an Uppercut on the vehicles. Observe:




This attack also works best when you set up from the rear. It's a good alternative to the Uppercut, namely when the vehicles are staggered out. They aren't in a line, and there isn't a cluster for you to start the Uppercut at, so you need to CAS-Zag.

A CAS-Zag sees the plane moving at fairly low speed, 15-30% throttle, and moving back and forth between targets as they come into range on opposite sides of the advancing wave. Observe:



CAS-Zag, part 1



CAS-Zag, part 2



CAS-Zag, part 3


Don't get it? Basically, you zig-zag to make sure you can cover each target. Adjust your speed and turn timing based on your damage.



Boy, isn't he getting creative with these names...

But this is very simple. If all the targets are in a straight line, it's like knocking over a chain of dominos. Just put yourself so that you will fly straight over each of them - I mean it when I say straight - so your gun will cause the domino chain.

It's quick if you are near the right direction. And it's not hard to set up. In an earlier section, you might notice the pilot exited the mountain at an angle and then quickly swooped around for a linear CAS attack.

Other than attacking vehicles for pleasure and profit (or rather, morale and pathfinding), a CAS plane is also best employed in attacking a FOB. Due to their speed, they're not always the first choice for this, but I've found the CAS plane is more than capable of stripping a FOB of its defenses and then using their powerful guns and greater overall air-to-ground ordnance to deal more damage than the average multirole fighter, let alone light fighter.



Enemy AAA is not to be ignored. It can cause serious damage to any planes nearby, hindering their ability to operate. In short, it's an effective form of area denial.

A CAS can safely eliminate AAA by a few means. First, there's the safe method: using two AGMs from outside the AAA's range. This is a tactic that no other class can imitate without the SEAD Loadout, but you can only use this technique twice.

Then there's the quick method. You use one AGM combined with a burst from the gun. You can destroy four AAAs with minimal damage sustained in this way, provided you approach correctly with as few of them shooting at you at a time.

Finally, there's the cheap method, and it honestly works best for the A-10. You use only the gun. It's the most time-consuming, and if you're not on target the whole time or if you're distracted by something like getting bounced by a fighter, you won't succeed, especially in the Su-25. The only real limit is how much health you have.



Attacking the base itself is simple. Fly to the FOB and target it with your missiles. Make sure you're not going to hit a passing IFV. Start shooting your gun and hold the trigger while switching to bombs and dropping them, preferably on the base. Congrats, you've probably taken 30-50% of its health away. It's not hard; the challenge attacking FOBs with CAS arises from their lack of speed and inability to counter intercepting fighters, but a CAS who gets through can be worth it.

Hopefully you read my ominous warnings earlier about how vulnerable. If not:

• Your cruising speed is the slowest in the game.
  
• You don't have any afterburner either.
  
• You're the worst at turning.
  
• You can't achieve as many maneuvers as other classes; stamina drains at the same rate, but your speed is lower.

I can't iterate this enough, and I won't stop complaining about it until I see more pilots doing it: You have to pay close attention to your minimap. Without it, you'll be oblivious to the battle at large, you'll have a lower chance of identifying threats before they materialize, and you'll also have less time on average to react to incoming threats.

The instant you see an enemy plane on your radar, you need to figure out what he's doing. If he doesn't lock onto you or change course to fly closer to you, he probably has better things to do. But if he does, he's probably a threat. Is he:

• An Su-25? I'd say try and take him out; he deals more gun damage, but you can realistically outmaneuver him as you both are flying the same plane.
  
• A multirole fighter? He's fragile, go for the head-on pass.
  
• A light fighter? Which one?
  
  • F-5E? If he's not on a great path to intercept you, ignore him. He's kinda slow and might not use precious afterburner. A head-on pass is not a bad idea either.
    
  • MiG-21? This is your only real chance to kill him, go for the head-on pass. If you fail, he will attack you only when he has the perfect position.
• An air superiority fighter? Rest in pieces, unless you have a wingman, in which case use defensive maneuvers like the Thach weave or the Sandwich for the best chances of survival.
  
• An A-10? He might be bluffing or ignorant, but be careful. While his gun is weaker than that of the Su-25, he might have plenty of health, and if he's a better shot than you, the Su-25's gun won't make enough of a difference.

Sometimes it's even best to continue with your objective, albeit with greater urgency and the spectre of death looming on your mind. You're probably going to die unless you get lucky, so focus on completing your immediate objective - clearing room for your ground units or assaulting a FOB. At least your death will have been productive, and unfortunately, there's not always a way out when every other plane has an inherent advantage in speed and agility, not to mention some form of air-to-air missile.

When it's possible, avoid detection. Stealth isn't a bad modification in a map where you can avoid being spotted by some form of radar - right now, I'm talking about Woodlands. Stay far enough from enemies so their radar won't light you, and either avoid or snipe recons. It's possible to quickly eliminate them with AGMs, while minimizing the time you spend in their vision radius. And enemy fighters don't usually notice blue dots subtly disappearing from their minimaps after their recons have fallen.



It's pretty much impossible to prevent it entirely; it's going to happen. You got intercepted by a fighter you weren't able to kill in a head-on pass, or maybe you were ambushed by someone you didn't see. Use turns to buy yourself as much time as you can. If you're a skilled dogfighter, you can use maneuvers to get shots at your opponents. For example, a well-timed wingover might get you a big enough window of opportunity to shoot down an attacker.

There we go: the CAS plane. It's a forgiving class until you're intercepted, but one that can do much to bolster team morale. It's also how ground games are won, and when the ground game is won, the match is won.

Efficiency is the name of the game. Use patience, timing, and precision to stay in one piece and be a very productive member of your team. Clear a path for your ground vehicles to attack the FOB, clear AAA so your teammates can fly free, and press your advantage as the ground-pounding sledgehammer CAS planes are meant to be to hit the FOBs hard. Don't forget that you are slow and vulnerable, though, and only the bold few fly their Su-25s as dogfighters.

But all in all, if you're looking to play a lot of close air support, or if the US Air Force saved your skin in the Middle East, this class will be your best friend.