Combat Air Patrol (CAP) is a type of defensive mission undertaken by Vipers protecting the fleet.
The patrols tend to use two or more Vipers flying a designated pattern in and around the fleet in order to provide an immediate spaceborne response to incoming threats. It is possible that more than one CAP may be flown at a time, with Vipers positioned at different distances from the fleet, and occupying different "orbits" around the fleet.
CAP flights may sometimes be accompanied by a Raptor, particularly if trouble is anticipated ([[33]).
CAP flights are generally backed-up by the Alert Fighters on the Battlestar Galactica.
Note[edit]
On Earth, Combat Air Patrol is most frequently applied to fight aircraft patrols guarding a Carrier Battle Group, however it may equally apply to flights guarding a fixed land target, other vessels at sea and (leastly commonly) slower, more vulnerable aircraft.
Effective Earth-based CAP patterns can include aircraft positioned at both high and low altitudes, so as to shorten response times when an attack is detected.
It should be noted that there are two other, less common, recognised air patrols which may have parallels in Reimagined:
- BARCAP: or BARrier Combat Air Patrol: a patrol flown between the vessel being guarded and the direction from which an attack will most likely originate.
- TARCAP or TARget Combat Air Patrol: a patrol flown over or near a strike target in order to protect the attack attack aircraft from harassment by enemy fighters.