Which squadron runs the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) and provides procedural control of aircraft, including mission routing and altitude guidance?

Which squadron runs the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) and provides procedural control of aircraft, including mission routing and altitude guidance?

• A. They manage weather forecasting for air operations.
• B. They execute air-to-air combat training for pilots.
• C. They provide long-range navigation support.
• D. They run the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) and provide procedural control of aircraft, telling missions/routes and altitudes; no radar control.

Answer: (D)

Procedural control of air support assets in the field is handled by the Air Support Operations Squadron, which runs the Direct Air Support Center. The DASC serves as the on-scene link between ground forces requesting close air support and aircraft delivering it. It coordinates mission routing, altitude guidance, and deconfliction at the procedural level—telling aircraft where to fly and what to do within the mission plan—while not controlling aircraft with radar. Radar control is the domain of air traffic control and radar-equipped centers, not the DASC. So, the squadron underlying this function is the one that operates the Air Support Operations elements and runs the DASC, providing the procedural control needed to execute air support missions. The other options describe different roles (weather forecasting, air-to-air training, long-range navigation) that are handled by other units and do not pertain to directing CAS missions from the DASC.

Procedural control of air support assets in the field is handled by the Air Support Operations Squadron, which runs the Direct Air Support Center. The DASC serves as the on-scene link between ground forces requesting close air support and aircraft delivering it. It coordinates mission routing, altitude guidance, and deconfliction at the procedural level—telling aircraft where to fly and what to do within the mission plan—while not controlling aircraft with radar. Radar control is the domain of air traffic control and radar-equipped centers, not the DASC.

So, the squadron underlying this function is the one that operates the Air Support Operations elements and runs the DASC, providing the procedural control needed to execute air support missions. The other options describe different roles (weather forecasting, air-to-air training, long-range navigation) that are handled by other units and do not pertain to directing CAS missions from the DASC.