Argument for the Keyhole Template for Close Air Support on the Urban Battlefield

摘要

The current doctrine for close air support (CAS) does not delineate between the open battlefield and that of the cluttered and confusing canyons of the urban environment. Current CAS doctrine calls for Pre-spun Initial Points (IP), or a point from which an attack aircraft begins its attack, in all CAS environments. IPs may not always be feasible in an environment where the target area is small and the supporting aircraft are many. The keyhole CAS template is the key to successful execution of targets in urban terrain using air delivered fires. The keyhole CAS template should be doctrine for all urban close air support requirements.