Combat air patrol

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“BARCAP” redirects here. For the investment bank, see Barclays Capital.

Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft, usually in reference to operations by the United States military.

A combat air patrol 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. Combat air patrols apply to both overland and overwater operations, protecting aircraft, fixed and mobile sites on land, and ships at sea.

Known by the acronym CAP, it typically entails fighters flying a tactical pattern around or screening a defended target, while looking for incoming attackers. Effective CAP patterns may include aircraft positioned at both high and low altitudes, so as to shorten response times when the attack is detected. Modern CAPs are either GCI or AWACS-controlled to provide maximum early warning for defensive reaction.

The first CAPs were characteristic of aircraft carrier operations, where CAPs were flown to protect a carrier battle group, but the term has become generic to both Air Force and Navy flight operations. Capping operations differ from fighter escorts in that the CAP force is not tied to the group it is protecting, is not limited in altitudes and speeds it flies, and has tactical flexibility to engage a threat. Fighter escorts typically stay with the asset they are supporting and at the speed of the supported group, as a final reactive force against a close threat. When an escort engages, the supported force is left unprotected.

[edit] CAP types

Numerous types of combat air patrols have been employed by US military forces since World War II, including BARCAP, CAP/Strike, FastCAP, FORCAP, HAVCAP, MIGCAP, RESCAP, SARCAP, Slow CAP, Strike/CAP and TARCAP.

BARCAP: "Barrier Combat Air Patrol", in fleet terms, a mission flown between the battle group and the direction from which it is most likely that enemy attack will come. In general terms, fighter cover between a strike force and an area of expected threat, also known as a "MiG screen".

CAP/Strike: Aircraft with a primary CAP role and a secondary strike role; such aircraft are permitted to jettison strike ordnance and actively pursue any enemy aircraft sighted, and are not restricted to defensive encounters.

FastCAP: Combat air patrol for fighter strike aircraft.

FORCAP: "Force Combat Air Patrol", a patrol of fighters maintained over the strike force, essentially an escort.

HAVCAP: "High Asset Value Combat Air Patrol", flown to protect a high-value asset such as an AWACS or a tanker during its specific time on station.

MiGCAP: Used primarily during the Vietnam war, a MiGCAP is directed specifically against MiG aircraft. MiGCAP during Operation Linebacker became highly organized and three-fold:
- an ingress MiGCAP of 2-3 flights (8-12 fighters) that preceded the first supporting forces such as chaff bombers or SAM suppressors and remained until they departed the hostile zone;
- a target area MiGCAP of at least 2 flights that immediately preceded the actual strikers; and
- an egress MiGCAP of 1 or 2 flights that arrived on station at the projected exit point ten minutes prior to the earliest egress time. All egress MiGCAP flights were fully fueled from tankers and relieved the target area CAP.

RESCAP: "Rescue Combat Air Patrol", a fighter force, often ad hoc in organization, used to protect both persons to be rescued from a ground threat, and aircraft or other rescue forces from both ground and air threats.

SARCAP: "Search and Rescue Combat Air Patrol", an earlier version of RESCAP.

Slow CAP: A combat air patrol for slower aircraft, such as the EB-66, B-52, or EC-121 during the Vietnam War, replaced by HAVCAP.

Strike/CAP: Aircraft with a primary strike role and a secondary air defense role, permitted to jettison strike ordnance and engage enemy aircraft only if directly attacked. Strike/CAP aircraft also have an egress CAP role once strike ordnance has been delivered on target.

TARCAP: "Target Combat Air Patrol" is flown over or near a strike target in order to protect specialised attack aircraft such as the AC-130 from harassment by enemy fighters.

The real-life activity inspired the computer game Combat Air Patrol, a flight simulator published by Psygnosis in 1995.