Systems for close air support
Close air support puts firepower on targets near friendly troops in contact, so the specs that matter are loiter time (endurance), low-speed weapons accuracy, and survivability against ground fire, not top speed. An aircraft that can stay overhead for hours and take small-arms hits is more valuable here than one built purely for speed.
18 matching systems in our database.
What matters for close air support
- ●Endurance: time on station directly above troops in contact, which is often more valuable than raw speed.
- ●Main armament and weapons payload: mixed gun, rocket and precision-guided munition loadouts for close-range engagement.
- ●Armor and countermeasures: survivability against small arms and man-portable air defense at low altitude.
- ●Sensor suite: EO/IR turrets and laser designators for positive target identification near friendly forces.
Close Air Support systems in our database
D Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
Dassault Aviation
Rafale F4
Max speed 1,912 km/h
Range 3,700 km
Payload 9,500 kg
E Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
Eurofighter GmbH
Eurofighter Typhoon
Max speed 2,495 km/h
Range 2,900 km
Payload 9,000 kg
L Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
Lockheed Martin
F-16C Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon
Max speed 2,120 km/h
Range 4,220 km
Payload 7,700 kg
B Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
Boeing
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
Max speed 1,915 km/h
Range 2,346 km
Payload 8,050 kg
K Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
KF-21 Boramae
Max speed 2,200 km/h
Range 2,900 km
Payload 7,700 kg
S Fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
Saab AB
JAS 39E Gripen
Max speed 2,124 km/h
Range 4,000 km
Payload 5,300 kg
B Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
Boeing
AH-64E Apache Guardian
Max speed 293 km/h
Range 480 km
Payload 771 kg
B Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
Bell
AH-1Z Viper
Max speed 411 km/h
Range 685 km
Payload 2,500 kg
R Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
Russian Helicopters
Ka-52 Alligator
Max speed 300 km/h
Range 460 km
Payload 2,000 kg
R Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
Russian Helicopters
Mi-28NM
Max speed 320 km/h
Range 450 km
Payload 2,300 kg
A Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
Airbus Helicopters
Tiger HAD
Max speed 315 km/h
Range 800 km
Payload 1,500 kg
T Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
Turkish Aerospace Industries
T129 ATAK
Max speed 281 km/h
Range 561 km
Payload 1,200 kg
A Attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China)
Z-10
Max speed 300 km/h
Range 800 km
Payload 1,500 kg
G UAV / drone
UAV / drone
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
MQ-9A Reaper
Max speed 480 km/h
Range 1,850 km
Payload 1,700 kg
T UAV / drone
UAV / drone
Turkish Aerospace Industries
ANKA-S
Max speed 217 km/h
Range 200 km
Payload 200 kg
B UAV / drone
UAV / drone
Baykar
Bayraktar Akinci
Max speed 361 km/h
Range 300 km
Payload 1,350 kg
A UAV / drone
UAV / drone
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China)
Wing Loong II
Max speed 370 km/h
Range 4,000 km
Payload 480 kg
B UAV / drone
UAV / drone
Baykar
Bayraktar TB2
Max speed 222 km/h
Range 150 km
Payload 150 kg
Frequently asked questions
- Why does endurance matter more than speed for close air support?
- Ground troops in contact need an aircraft on station, ready to engage on short notice, for as long as the engagement lasts. Hours of loiter time nearby is a better predictor of usefulness than how fast the platform can fly in.
- What protection features matter for CAS platforms?
- Armor against small-arms fire plus countermeasures against man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), since CAS aircraft operate at low altitude directly over contested ground.