No, it wasn't. Did you remember it? Everyone cries on Advanced Warfare and his single T-34 call in (those old times when Soviet didn't do even one tech building), CAS became much much stronger when strafes could be directed on targets, but still it wasn't very popular. After a long time it became very popular and then, was named op doctrine. That's a bit of coh2 history kids 
forgot about targeting getting added. was that added after the CAS comm was out?
my point still stands though. The CAS commander was in the same OP state for at least 7 months.
it wasn't popular because it was one time give away during MWNL i believe. until relic gave it away en masse in another event.
just like werfer.
"well, i don't see it much, it must be ok".
oh how quickly we forget.