Calling in Close Air Support Currently, soldiers requesting air support have to call in and request it from higher-ups, setting off a time-intensive process of permissions and clearances. DARPA wants to reduce that process to a two-party communication: the soldier on the ground requests an air strike, and a robotic A-10 Warthog above obliges. DARPA Wants Instant, On-Demand Airstrikes, Removing Middlemen From The Bomb-Dropping Process -- Popular Science
Like renewing your driver's license at the DMV or getting someone from the cable company out to your place, calling in close air support can be a real process for troops on the ground. A request for an air strike from a commander on the ground goes through various higher-ups, analysts, lawyers, and other commanders, slowing the response time to a crawl. That's why DARPA is launching the Persistent Close Air Support Program (PCAS), under which the scheme is simplified: ground troops ask for a strike, and a robotic warplane brings the ruckus, no middlemen necessary.
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My Comment: I am skeptical that they can be successful. The many levels of permission needed to approve a bombing were installed to minimize civilian casualties and legal consequences.
But it is also true that this is Darpa .... and their job is to conceive ideas to circumvent the impossible .... including developing instant, on-demand airstrikes that will accommodate and satisfy the rules of engagement.