Originally Posted by
ORAC
All text
From SNAFU!:
Russian SU-35s to do combat air patrols 24 hours a day over Khmeimim Syrian Air Force Base. Are they prepping for conventional combat?
If the term "combat air patrols" being used doctrinally or journalistically?
CAP has a particular meaning. If they launch as a defensive cap to protect the airbase, that's one thing. If they launch armed air to ground for "on call CAS' that's another matter. If they are up near the border waiting for Turkish aircraft to cross into Syria ....
From American Joint Doctrine (Joint Pub 3-01.2 (I recall NATO doctrine on this as being very similar, but it's been a decade or so ... )
Combat Air Patrol. A CAP is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile aircraft before they reach their target or weapons release point. CAPs are used to provide temporary air superiority to protect friendly air or surface forces from air attack during the conduct of their operations. Although a CAP flight can patrol a general area or defend a localized area, it could also be positioned between the expected threat and the friendly forces to act as a fighter screen or barrier. CAP flights also contribute directly to DCA operations when they intercept and destroy enemy offensive aircraft before they can pose a threat to friendly forces.
In what sense is that term being used, I wonder?