text: Close Air Support and Close Combat Attack
  Aircraft Mission Armaments Capabilities Limitations
  F-14 Primary: fleet defense Air-to-air 20-mm Two sets of eyes Pilots: Not all
  Tomcat and air superiority. cannons, air-to-air (the pilot and the have CAS
  Secondary: missiles (AIM-7, -9, RIO). proficiency.
  reconnaissance, 120), and 13,000 lbs. of
  Aircraft: age
  AI, FAC(A), and CAS. ground ordnance.
  and carrier
  operations.
  F-18 Air superiority, escort, Air-to-air 20-mm Highly proficient in Diverse
  fleet defense, AI, SEAD, cannons, air-to-air CAS. missions have
  reconnaissance, and missiles (AIM-7, -9, lower
  CAS. -120), and 14,000 to proficiency
  17,000 lbs of ground levels.
  ordnance.
  AV-8B Primary: CAS. 25-mm cannons and CAS proficient and Short range,
  Harrier Secondary: AI, antiair the AIM-9, and up to highly flexible very small
  warfare, helicopter 9,000 lbs of ground deploy and employ payload, short
  escort, and ordnance. options. loiter time, and
  reconnaissance. slow speed
  make it
  vulnerable to
  air defenses.
  AH-64 Tank attack and CAS. 2.75 rockets, hellfire Detect and classify Not all-weather.
  Apache missiles, and 30-mm 128 targets,
  cannon. prioritizing the 16
  most dangerous.
  OH-58 CAS, recon, and 2.75 rockets, Hellfire Limited AI, recon, Not all-weather.
  limited AI. missiles, .50 cal MG, and CAS.
  Vulnerable to
  and air-to-air Stinger.
  air defenses.
  MH-6 Little CAS for special 2.75 rockets, Hellfire Highly Not all-weather.
  Bird operations units. missiles, .50 cal MG, maneuverable.
  Vulnerable to
  and MK-19.
  air defenses.
  MH-60K CAS for special 2x M134 6-barrel 7.62 CAS and Not all-weather.
  Blackhawk operation units. miniguns and 2.75 transportation of Vulnerable to
  rockets. internal loads. air defenses.
  Table A-1. CAS theater aircraft (continued).
  TARGET TYPES
  A-12. Target types include—
  y Point (tank, radar antenna).
  y Soft (vehicle, personnel).
  y Hard (armor, bunker).
  y Area (column of armor, troops in the open).
  WEAPONS EFFECTS
  A-13. The method by which a particular weapon alters a target is called a damage mechanism. The five
  most commonly encountered damage mechanisms for conventional weapons are as follows: