Mission Tactics

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=94 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="5" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="6" WIDTH="361" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#A6CAF0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#C0C0C0" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id29_rrfws.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Training"><U>Hornet Training</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="70"><div> <A HREF="id131_a.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Glossary"><U>Glossary</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id132_a_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RadioCalls"><U>Radio Calls</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id170_onlinedictionary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Online Dictionary"><U>Dictionary</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=386 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="63e00c00egerdp.jpg"> <bR> <div> Mission Tactics</div> <div>  <A NAME="mt"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>MISSION TACTICS</div> <div> <IMG SRC="6bb94880.gif" border=0 width="660" height="392" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  </div> <div> It is an acknowledged fact that during the heat of any mission, there are occasions when you can't do verything in the time available. This requires assigning priorities (task prioritization). At the top of the list are things you have to do—do them first. Lower on the list are things you'd like to do—do them later when they don't interfere with the have-to-do things. Your list of have-to-do tasks should be established long before you get near an airplane. Some basic top priority tasks are:</div> <div> - Maintain aircraft control.</div> <div> - Never hit the ground (or anything attached to it).</div> <div> - Never hit anything in the air (i.e., your lead/wingman).</div> <div> - Never run out of fuel.</div> <div> - Never let anything shot from the ground or air hit your airplane.</div> <bR> <div> Prioritizing Tasks</div> <div> Lower priority tasks range from answering fuel checks on the radio to calling JSTARS for ground target control. There may be some shifts in your high priority items, but they never go away completely. For example, at 20,000 ft in close formation in the weather, avoiding collision with members of your flight is a bigger concern than hitting the ground. Obviously, mission accomplishment has a high priority, but remember, if you don't get yourself and your airplane home, you've failed to accomplish a major part of the mission. In peacetime, there is no mission more important than safe recovery of your airplane. If you let nice-to-do things take priority over have-to-do things, you are guilty of misprioritization and you jeopardize yourself and those around you. If the rare occasion comes up where aircraft malfunction/emergencies make it impossible for you to perform your top priority tasks, it may be time to eject.</div> <bR> <div> Psychological Considerations</div> <div> Fighter missions demand total involvement , whether it be actual combat or continuation training.This requires mental preparation prior to every mission. Mental preparation requires setting aside outside stresses, allowing for total concentration on the mission. Habit patterns cannot be turned on and off at will. The same skills and techniques developed during continuation training will be the ones used in combat. Professionalism and discipline are qualities common to all fighter pilots and the basis for the fighter pilot attitude. This ensures a proper blend of pride, desire, aggressiveness, and knowledge.</div> <bR> <div> We have reached the stage where fighter aircraft can exceed pilot tolerance for sustained high G's. This capability often allows pilots to apply more G's than their body can tolerate; after a "short grace period," oxygen available to the brain is depleted and consciousness is lost. Pilots must anticipate G-onset, control the G-onset rate, and coordinate their G-straining maneuver. This requires mental discipline and practice to master. Failure to do so could spell disaster.</div> <bR> <div> Misprioritization</div> <div> Misprioritization can have disastrous results. By professionally preparing for each mission and defining objectives incorporating the lowest common denominator, we can delay or deny task saturation factors. Each member of the team must mentally fly the mission before he straps on his jet (chair fly). Search for situations that are most critical and mentally address what would happen in your cockpit: instrument cross-check, change switches, check your six, check your mates' six, check gas, or practice a critical emergency. Stress basic situation awareness. Fighter pilots aren't born with it; SA must be developed and kept "current." Mentally engaging a MiG simply isn't enough. "Look" at the fuel gauge and comprehend what it tells you: "joker fuel = snap-shot, separate, expend flares (channelize the MiG driver's attention), run, where's lead?" Get the "big picture"; strive for "no surprises."</div> <bR> <div> Situation Awareness</div> <div> The cornerstone to formation success is situational awareness (SA). SA is your perception and understanding of what is actually occurring in the aerial arena. It is gained through assimilating information obtained through:</div> <div> - On board radar.</div> <div> - RWR.</div> <div> - Flight members.</div> <div> - GCI/AWACS/JSTARS.</div> <div> - Support assets.</div> <div> - Visual acquisition.</div> <div> - Mutual support.</div> <bR> <div> Situational awareness is one of the most vital skills a fighter pilot can learn, some are born with it, some have to work at it, but having an awareness of your surroundings will help you to stay alive longer, it is no good being the best shot in the world if you don't realise that the bandit behind you has got you in his sights.</div> <bR> <div> It is vitally important that you know what is going on around you, and that you don't become completely focused on your target, although is also vital not to lose sight of the bandit, as reacquiring him takes valuable time, time that he can get in on your six and turn you into a smoking hole in the ground.</div> <bR> <div> In a flight sim this is slightly easier than in real life because you have access to padlock views, and glance views, for instance I often use a combination of padlock enemy and glance forward when I am trying to evade a bandit on my 6, I fly with a watch enemy padlock and my glance forward key pressed, however at regular intervals I release the glance key which allows me to check the position of my enemy, this shows me his position, and how he flies, and from that information make a decision on how I am going to continue the fight.</div> <bR> <div> Good SA is not something that can be taught, however is can be learned if the pilot has the desire to learn, use a combination of AWACS, views, radar, threat display and padlock views, and the only way to learn is to practice and practice again, until you instinctively know what your enemies are doing, and can make an accurate guess about what they are going to do. Remember, don't just check six, check everywhere.</div> <bR> <div> Flight Leadership</div> <div> Flight leaders have the general responsibility for planning and organizing the mission, leading the flight, delegating tasks within the flight, and ensuring mission accomplishment. They are in charge of the resources entrusted to them. They must know the capabilities and limitations of each flight member. Once airborne, they have the final responsibility and controlling authority for establishing the formation(s), maximizing the flight's effectiveness, and leading the flight successfully to and from the target.</div> <bR> <div> Wingman Responsibilities</div> <div> Wingmen also have critical responsibilities in the flight. They help the leader plan and organize the mission. They have visual lookout and radar responsibilities, perform back-up navigation tasks, and are essential to target destruction objectives. Wingmen engage as briefed or when directed by the leader and support when the leader engages. It is essential wingmen understand their briefed responsibilities and execute their contract with discipline. Discipline is the most important quality a fighter pilot can posses and leads to success in the aerial arena. Discipline is executing self-control, maturity, and judgment in a high-stress, emotionally charged environment. Teamwork is the foundation of the fighting element. If all flight members know and perform their respective duties, they work together as a team. Experience and realistic training leads to solid and professional air discipline.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Formation</div> <div> Formation discipline is essential for the safety and control of all formation flights. The integrity of a formation can only be maintained when the leader has complete knowledge and control of the actions of each flight member. The flight leader will brief the formations to be flown and formation responsibilities. Wingmen will maintain assigned formation position until change is ordered or approved by the flight lead.</div> <bR> <div> Radio Discipline And Visual Signals</div> <div> Discipline within a formation starts with communications, whether by radio or visual signals. All communications must be clearly understood by every flight member. Radio discipline requires not only clarity and brevity in the message itself, but limiting unnecessary transmissions as well. The first part of any radio call should always be "call sign." This alerts the listener that a message is coming (attention step) and to specify to whom it is directed. The use of tactical or personal call signs or reliance on voice recognition or tone/inflection to identify another aircraft are poor practices, intolerable in combat. For an acknowledgment immediately following a radio call from lead, flight number (i.e., 2, 3, 4) with the appropriate response will be used. For all initiated calls or a response that is delayed, full call sign must be used. In exercise or actual comba with many aircraft and many people on the radio, proper use of assigned call signs and brevity words enhance situational awareness between and within flights; poor radio discipline will quickly degrade situational awareness with invariably disastrous results. In the event that a tasking agency gives you a cumbersome mission number to use as your call.</div> <div>  </div> <div> Four basic rules before you scramble:</div> <div> 1. Take a realistic look at the situation before you scramble. This gives you a professional view over the theater at the moment. Check the intention of bandits in the strike area and remember the FLOT.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> 2. Coordinate your flight with your wingmen before the takeoff online. Discuss the targets priorities and how to achieve the mission goal (e.g. with a shooter/cover attack).</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> 3. Before Takeoff decide precisely who is in command for this mission. Most often that's the flight leader himself, yet not necessarily.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> 4. If you are the Wing leader (WL) be assured you will be the most wanted target for bandit raids. The foe knows pretty well what happens if the head is off once. So stay tuned and keep in mind your playmates positions.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF</div> <bR> <div> What is your primary objective?</div> <div> It's very important to match the durability of your target to the strength of the warhead. It would be impossible to destroy hardened C&C bunkers with small anti-personnel CBUs, for example. There's NO sense fighting your way to a target if you're not very likely to be able to take it out when you get there. If the objective is to do a great deal of damage somewhat indiscriminately at a target area, you'll want to think in terms of large numbers of weapons and CBUs. On the other hand, if you're assigned a very precise strike on a very particular target, say one building in a certain compound you'll need a few precision-guided munitions to do the job.</div> <bR> <div> When in the campaign, you'll also want to consider how dificult the mission is likely to be and how important the target is to the campaign overall. Your stores of guided munitions will be more limited than your stores of unguided ones.</div> <bR> <div> What type of ground resistance is expected? What type of profile do you intend to fly? What type of weapon release profile do you intend to use?</div> <div> Deciding a flight profile Is perhaps the most important factor in determining the type and quantity of air-to-ground weapons to carry. A flight profile describes the relative altitude you take during ingress, at the target and on egress:</div> <bR> <div> 1. Hi-lo-hi. Used if the target is far away and enemy SAM/aircraft defense Is minimal. You fly at high altitudes to and from your target to conserve fuel, but drop lower at the target area for more precise delivery. If you drop to a significantly lower altitude for delivery, you will want to use retarded bombs, such as the MK-83R and MK-84R, which are slowed down after release by small parachutes, enabling you to get out of the way before the weapon impacts the target. Likewise, if you are using CBUs, you want to be sure you release them from a altitude greater than their height of hurst (HOB, set via the A/G Arm page). If you release them below their height-of-burst they will explode almost immediately. Note that a low-level delivery may also prevent you from getting the LOS to target required to aim guided munitions, especially over rough terrain.</div> <bR> <div> 2. Lo-hi-lo. Used when SAM and air defense is heavy. You fly very low to avoid detection, but climb to a higher altitude when on target to deploy your weapons. If you have to climb quickly, you may not be able to get high enough soon enough for guided, standoff weapons, such as the GBU-16 These weapons require you to maintain LOS to target while the entire time you are guiding them, and you will need to be at a fairly high altiude to do this.</div> <bR> <div> 3. Hi-hi-hi. Used in deep strikes. High-altitude flight conserves fuel so you can carry a heavier ordnance load. A high-altitude delivery can minimize ground threats, not only are you above AAA ranges, but since the ground range of most weapons increases the higher the altitude from which they are dropped, you can conceivably drop your ordnance, bank hard and get out without ever flying directly over your target and its attendant defenses. (Your weapons will continue flying along your original flight path due to inertia.) However, higher altitudes also make it harder to hit a precise target with unguided weapons you run the risk of collateral damage to nearby non-military structures.</div> <bR> <div> 4. Lo-lo-lo. A low-altitude delivery can get you in below minimum altitude for most SAMs and undetected by aircraft, but requires more fuel and can thus only be used when the target is nearby. Guidelines for weapon choice in a lo-lo-lo delivery are similar to those described above under hi-lo-hi. In addition, plan on making a high-speed delivery you'll have to get in and out quickly to minimize your exposure to AAA. In addition to flight profile, your weapon reitase profile, or the actual attitude of your aircraft when releasing weapons, also affects which weapons you use and vice versa. All weapons guided, unguided, stand-off, retarded, etc. can be released from level flight. Level and loft deliveries are the best choices for guided munitions. (In a loft delivery, you release weapons with a nose-up attitude. This gives the weapon an extra push upward for a greater glide distance particularly effective with GBUs, which have fins designed to increase glide range. This also helps keep your aircraft from masking the laser-designator.) Pop-up and dive deliveries are best used in conjunction with CCIP bombing mode and unguided weapons. Pop-up deliveries consist of flying at very low levels, then popping up and rolling inverted to acquire the target, then diving to engage It. These are incredibly difficult to execute correctly, and they may mask the targeting pod. Dive deliveries may not maintain lock long enough for guided weapons.</div> <bR> <div> How much fuel do you need?</div> <div> If it's a deep strike, and there's no chance of refueling, you may need three tanks to get through the mission. However, when considering fuel requirements, you have to balance the increase in endurance time with the increase in weight and decrease In performance. The greater your weight, the more sluggish your aircraft, and the more fuel it requires to climb and maneuver. In addition, endurance varies greatly with altitude. The higher you fly, the less quickly you burn fuel and the greater your endurance. Depending on the situation, fuel conservation ,flying slower than full military power, flying at high altitudes, and minimizing the use of your afterburners Is often better than adding fuel weight to your plane.</div> <bR> <div> How much air opposition do you expect, and whan?</div> <div> If air opposition is heavy on ingress and egress, you may have to sacrifice some ground ordnance to take along a few extra air-to-air missiles. To make up for the loss in numbers, it may be worth it to take precision-guided weapons you're got to make every shot count. Less ordnance means less weight, and added maneuverabilily.</div> <bR> <div> How large is your flight?</div> <div> Keep in mind you can set separate loadouts for yourself and the other aircraft in your flight. If you are on a strike mission and expecting heavy air opposition, you may need an "eight-ship" flight. You can give aircraft 5, 6, 7 and 8 air-to-air ordnance, and give the other four air-tn-ground ordnance. While enroute, you can assign the division (which is comprised of aircraft 5, 6, 7 and 8) to cover you and take on air ob]ectives, while you (aircraft 1), your wingman (aircraft 2) and aircraft 3 and 4 concentrate on your primary ground objectives. Keep in mind that the aircraft in your flight will work in pairs 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8. It's a good idea to give a pair the same (or at least similar) ordnance.</div> <bR> <div> Are you Flying at night?</div> <div> IR-guided weapons have a better chance of finding their targets at night. The FLIR video images of the AGM-65 is enhanced. On the other hand, unaided vision is hampered. The conventional TV video of the AGM-62 walleye would be too dark to be useful and visual references for dropping unguided weapons in CCIP mode are less reliable.</div> <bR> <div> Do you have the Guidance system you need?</div> <div> Before you leave the loadout screen, make sure you have all of the systems you'll need in order to use the weapons you've loaded. For example, the AGM-62 requires an AN/AXQ-13 datalink pod if you want to steer the weapon after release. All of the Paveways require the AN/AAQ-13 targeting pod. If you're flying at night or nap-of-the-earth (NOE) you'll want the navigation pod with NAVFLIR .</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> AWACS - your "Eye in the sky" </div> <div> Decide who will keep the communication with AWACS (e.g. "picture" calls for the flight). Nothing is more frustrating than your wingmen blocking AWACS with unnecessary requests.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Learn to use the Bullseye which is much more accurate than any the simple heading. Decide who will keep the communication with AWACS (e.g. "picture" calls for the flight).</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Remember: Your Radar is blind to MIGs hanging around between the mountains.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> GETTING GUT</div> <div> The principle of gelding out is the same as getting In — keep your aircraft intact. Now, however, you are not loaded down with air-to-ground ordnance and don't need to be so eager to avoid an air skirmish, This is a good thing, because those bombs you dropped gave everybody a really good idea where you are. The only factors that might limit your desire to dogfight on egress are:</div> <div> - You're out of A/A ordnance</div> <div> - You're low on fuel</div> <div> - You've taken significant damage already</div> <bR> <div> In any of these cases, get strategic — check the systems status and air ordnance for the aircraft in your flight. Use your strongest and best-armed aircraft judiciously. If you are low on fuel, remember that flying at high altitudes conserves fuel, especially when flying at higher speeds. Flying at cruising speed at any altitude (Mach 0.8 or so) conserves fuel at any speed.</div> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Engaging SAM </div> <div> Pretty much as soon as some clown got the idea to fly his aircraft over a battlefield, the troops on the ground started trying to shoot him down. Over the years, advances in air defense systems have grown hand-in-hand with advances in aircraft. Today, the combination of AAA (anti aircraft artillery) and SAM(surface-to-air missiles) are so deadly that the opening days of combat are spent dealing with air defenses before air forces can engage ground targets. Both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Allied Force dedicated many sorties during the opening days to destroying enemy air defenses.</div> <div> In Jane's F/A-18 you'll find two types of SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) missions, the SEAD Strike and SEAD Escort. The first mission type usually involves a flight of four aircraft engaging a specific set of air defense sites. The second usually consists of a pair of F/A-18s ordered to escort other aircraft, engaging enemy air defenses as necessary. In either event, the F/A-18s are flying some of the most difficult missions available.</div> <div> Successfully completing such missions can be tricky, and I like to categorize it into two parts: destroying the target and safely returning home afterwards. How do you accomplish both of these tasks? Well, details on real-life tactics are closely guarded secrets. Clever schemes for defeating enemy SAM isn't exactly something one posts to the Internet when real lives are on the line. Fortunately, with no lives at stake, we're free to develop our own tactics for use in Jane's F/A-18.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> So, what weapons should you carry on a SEAD strike? I find the default mixture of AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles and cluster or iron bombs to work extremely well against both SAM and AAA. Consistent with my earlier comments, I like to set the ripple value high, often dropping the entire load of cluster bombs on one SAM site. This may be overkill, but usually guarantees that you wipe out the specific site.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Once airborne and heading into hostile territory, most players (including myself) face the temptation to launch the AGM-88 HARM at long range, then close and drop the cluster bombs on the survivors. This tactic usually isn't very successful. First, HARM are more weapons of "suppression" than weapons of "destruction." HARM usage usually results in the radar being shut down temporarily rather than being destroyed outright. To begin with, the enemy will almost certainly detect the missile separating from the launcher and shut down. Now, we've all heard that the HARM remembers the position of its target and continues to home in even if the radar shuts down.</div> <div> While this is certainly true, it in no way  guarantees a hit. Consider a HARM fired at an emitter 20 nm away, which shuts down almost immediately after the AGM-88 is launched. Although the missile continues on its merry way to the memorized location, a steering error of just 0.1 degrees early in the flight will cause the missile to miss the target by about 200 feet. While the accuracy of the AGM-88 is undoubtedly highly classified, we can see that even the slightest steering error can cause the missile to miss by a substantial distance when fired at long range.</div> <div> Furthermore, even if the missile does hit the radar, the actual launchers will likely go unharmed. The actual missile launchers are usually distributed in a circular pattern with a diameter as much as 100 yards or more. If you only destroy the radar, the enemy will bring in a new radar unit (while supplies last) and have the site operational in no time. Thus, we see that an attack consisting of only HARM missiles doesn't take a SAM site out of operation completely, but rather shuts it down temporarily (possibly for just a few minutes if the HARM (misses the radar van).</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> For Jane's F/A-18 I've come up with a SEAD approach that seems to work reasonably well. The effectiveness of the tactic is somewhat limited by the artificial intelligence of the wingmen and would, no doubt, work much better if flown with human wingmen in a multiplayer game. The tactic works best on SEAD strikes since you have a total of four aircraft, but can be used in two-ship SEAD escort missions as well. Simply substitute "wingman" for all references to the second element. The key to this method is staggering the attack of the two elements, with the first element using HARM to shut down enemy radar while the second element closes and destroys the launchers.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Stage 1:</div> <bR> <div> First, I begin by appropriately arming the aircraft. I intend to fly as flight lead and arm my aircraft with the usual mixture of AGM-88 HARM and Mk-20 cluster or Mk-83R iron bombs. I arm my wingmen with only AGM-88s and air-to-air missiles. I arm the second flight only with the cluster or iron bombs. As we'll see later, this forces the computer-controlled wingman to engage specific targets exactly as I intend. Human wingmen in multiplayer situations may find it more effective to carry a  mixture of bombs and HARM on every aircraft.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> After takeoff, I call for all aircraft to rejoin formation, bring them in close and keep them at low altitude. I fly the entire ingress at low level, keeping below 500 feet at all times, further dropping below 200 as we approach the target. Assuming the air-to-air threat is reasonably clear, I switch the radar to air-to-ground mode and bring up the HARM missiles. The corresponding HARM page on the MDI provides a good picture of the emitters in the area and subsequently becomes the "control panel" through which I conduct the strike.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Now comes the heart of the matter. Through careful orchestration and timing, I use the second element to engage the SAM launchers while the HARM from the first flight shut down the radar's--at least temporarily. Keeping the flight together and very low, I close to within 20 nm of the desired SAM targets. Designating and acquiring a suitable SAM site on the HARM page, I order the second element (who is carrying only cluster bombs) to "Attack air defense." I then execute a series of S-turns to let the second element advance several miles ahead my element.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Stage 2:</div> <bR> <div> By this time, the second element is usually about 10 nm from the target. I still have the SAM site that the second element is attacking designated on the HARM screen, and I order my wingman to "Attack my target." Once he fires an AGM-88, I select another nearby SAM and repeat the order to "Attack my target." I then send my pair of AGM-88s on their merry way to another set of targets. If all works as planned (including wingmen correctly deploying the various types of ordnance, which may not always happen), as many as four radar sites will either shut down or destroyed. In either event, this creates a "safe zone" for the second element to close and destroy the SAM launchers. Meanwhile, depending on the threat environment, I either close and drop my own bombs (if there are no enemy fighters nearby) or I jettison the bombs and transition the first element to air-to-air mode (to counter any nearby airborne threats).</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Obviously, timing is critical to carry out this plan. Any distraction that seriously disrupts the timing of the flight (such as a missile launch or an intervening enemy fighter) is sufficient cause for aborting the mission. As mentioned earlier, this plan works much more smoothly when flown by human pilots in a multiplayer scenario; computer-controlled wingmen must be kept on a very short leash and watched very closely to make this plan work. </div> <div> If all goes well, though, we're able to take out a grouping of SAM launchers under the cover of "darkness" (that is, while the enemy radar's are shut down). The HARM may well miss their targets when the radar units stop transmitting but does keep them from shooting missiles long enough for us to take out the launchers. Afterwards, even if the radar survives the attack, it won't do them much good without any launchers</div> <bR> <div> How did this work in reality ?</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div> Going Air to Ground</div> <div>  </div> <div> Jane's F/A-18 features all the air-to-ground missions flown by the F/A-18E Super Hornet, including Interdiction, Close Air Support, Strike, Deep Strike, OCA Strike, SEAD Strike, SEAD Escort, BDA and Recon.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> INTERDICTION</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Interdiction missions are flown to disrupt reinforcements to enemy ground forces near the front lines. The missions do not come with specific targets to bomb. On an Interdiction mission, you can attack any enemy targets that you find near the target steer point. Interdiction missions are very challenging because they are almost always flown into areas of intense fighting where the outcome of a major battle is in doubt. For this reason, they are very dangerous and difficult to survive. Another factor that makes interdiction difficult is that you usually make multiple weapons delivery passes on multiple targets. This, of course, keeps you in the target area longer and increases your risk.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> You must follow some important tactical considerations in order to succeed in an Interdiction mission. First, be very careful to fly all the way to your target before searching for targets. It is easy to see a lucrative target on the way to your target steer point and attack a friendly. Next, once you attack a target do not re-cross the FLOT (Forward Line of Troops) until you are ready to RTB (Return to Base). It is very dangerous to keep crossing the battlefield. If you do not see enemy vehicles or fighting, however, then it is OK to fly back across the FLOT to friendly lines and start your attack again.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Weapon selection is easy when flying air-to-air missions. It is much harder to pick your weapons, however, when flying air-to-ground missions. The ATO (Air Tasking Order) or frag will select a weapon load for you, but when flying Interdiction missions, it is best that you get involved in this process. The very best weapon for most Interdiction missions is the AGM-65 Maverick. This weapon provides a launch-and-leave capability and, once you get proficient, you will be able to fire multiple missiles on each pass. The next best weapons are Mk-20 and Mk-83R . This bombs have a very wide and lethal pattern that will destroy or disable almost all armor targets. Since Interdiction missions are flown primarily against vehicles, Mavericks and CBUs or Mks are excellent weapons. Most other weapons can be used but are not optimal. GBUs, for example, are not very good weapons for Interdiction missions because they are difficult to use on moving targets. To fly a successful Interdiction mission, you must destroy enemy targets in the Interdiction area.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div> CAS (CLOSE AIR SUPPORT)</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Close Air Support missions are ground attack missions flown in direct support of the army. These missions are virtually identical to Interdiction missions with one important difference. While Interdiction missions are flown well into enemy territory beyond the FLOT, CAS missions are flown near friendly forces. During a CAS mission, you still fly to your target steer point just as in an Interdiction mission. You have to even more careful, however, about fratricide since the friendly and enemy forces can be very close. The procedures and techniques are the same for both missions. In a CAS mission, you should attack targets that are around your target steer point that can definitely be identified as enemies. Without Labels turned on, this is devilishly hard to do. The best technique for avoiding a fratricide is to attack from the friendly side of the FLOT with your flight path heading toward the enemy. This will keep you from getting mixed up as you roll in.</div> <bR> <div> In addition, keep in mind one fundamental tenet of CAS: If in doubt, go through dry! Don't drop or fire any weapons unless you are sure of the target.</div> <bR> <div> To fly a successful CAS mission, you must destroy enemy targets that are in close proximity to friendly troops. In other words, you must destroy targets close to your target steer point without any fratricide.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> STRIKE (DEEP STRIKE, OCA STRIKE AND SEAD STRIKE)</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Strike missions are air-to-ground missions flown against a variety of mostly fixed targets, such as enemy infrastructure and installations. Deep Strike mission are the exact same thing but are flown further into enemy territory. OCA Strike missions are flown against an airfield complex, whereas SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) are flown against enemy air defense units such as SAM and AAA. On a SEAD Strike mission, you will normally be armed with AGM-88 HARM and GBUs (laser-guided bombs) or other types of hard-kill ordnance. To succeed in a SEAD Strike mission, you must destroy the specific assigned target. </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> You will normally be part of a package of aircraft when flying a Strike mission, but the Strike flight is the primary player. Strike missions are very straightforward: fly a route to a target and bomb it. There is not much to understand and not a lot you can mess up. There is one thing, however, that you have to do in order to consistently succeed in a Strike mission. You must carefully plan the mission for the flight. Since any target worth bombing is worth defending, you need to plan your attack to minimize your exposure to the threat. To fly a successful Strike mission, you must destroy the target.</div> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div> SEAD ESCORT</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> A SEAD Escort mission differs from a SEAD Strike mission in that you do not have to actually destroy a particular target. The objective in a SEAD Escort mission is for you to protect the aircraft that you are escorting. You can do this by shooting AGM-88 HARM. The success of the mission does not directly depend on you actually hitting the target with your HARM. The goal here is survival or suppression of the threat. An effective way to fly SEAD Escort is to place your flight between the threat and the aircraft you are trying to protect. If the threat is in front of the package, for example, simply fly out in front of the package.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> What if you have threats on both sides of the package? When this happens (notice I said "when" and not "if"), you will have to split up your flight. Start out in Spread formation and then target your wingman into one threat while you take the other. For now, just remember to try to keep yourself between the aircraft you are protecting and your flight.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> One last word on air-to-ground missions: keep in mind that on all Jane's F/A-18 missions you have to think air-to-air. To get a successful mission, you have to contribute to the war effort and accomplish your assigned mission -- but you also need to survive. At times, you will have to just duke it out with enemy fighters and you will not be able to accomplish your primary mission. The rule of thumb on all missions is to fight the most immediate threat first and destroy enemy ground targets second. In other words, survival is an important goal when it's your own posterior on the line. You have to take some risks, but when faced with a known threat, you must react and defend yourself.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Focus on AIR TO AIR missions</div> <div>  </div> <div> Jane's F/A-18 has four specific air-to-air missions: OCA Sweep, Defensive Counter Air (DCA), BARCAP (barrier combat air patrol), and Escort. All these missions can be flown with a flight of 2, 3 or 4 aircraft. In all air-to-air missions your Super Hornet should be armed with only air-to-air missiles. Fuel tanks can be carried if necessary.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div> OCA SWEEP </div> <div>  </div> <div> The first air-to-air mission we will discuss is OCA Sweep. OCA stands for Offensive Counter Air. OCA missions are missions flown against enemy aircraft and can be both air-to-air like OCA Sweep or bombing missions against airfields. An OCA mission to bomb an enemy airfield is called an OCA Strike. We will cover OCA Strike missions in the next section.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> The sole intent of OCA Sweep missions is to shoot down enemy fighters. You are not tied to protecting a specific area or a specific asset such as the AWACS so you are free to engage any enemy fighters at a time and place of your choosing. You will be given a route of flight on an OCA Sweep mission but you are not tied to the route. For example, as you are flying to a steer point, you detect a flight of enemy aircraft 30 degrees left and 30 miles. You can choose to engage the enemy and fly away from your route. Let's say that you shoot down these enemy aircraft and you detect another flight of enemy aircraft even farther away from your route. In an OCA mission it is acceptable to pursue these enemy aircraft even though you may never get anywhere near your route again. One more point on flying your route. The ATO or Frag (mission schedule) has you flying the route for a reason. As a rule-of-thumb I would stay on the route until I detected enemy aircraft. That way you have the best chance of shooting down enemy aircraft. If you just fly off you may not see any aircraft for the entire mission.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> OCA Sweep missions are the most flexible mission in the campaign because you can choose the time and place of your air-to-air fights. The other side of the coin is that you can also choose not to engage. In fact, while flying OCA Sweep missions you should ONLY engage when you have an advantage. Using launch and leave AIM-120 AMRAAM attacks is an excellent way to fly these missions because in both Jane's F/A-18 and the real world there is a high premium placed on preserving your force when flying OCA missions. How do you know if you have an advantage, you may ask.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> These are my rules of thumb for determining if I have an advantage over the enemy: </div> <div>  </div> <div> -you have an equal number of jets to the enemy's and are carrying AMRAMs</div> <div>  </div> <div> -you have an equal number of jets and are fighting any enemy aircraft except MiG-29s or SU-27s;</div> <div>  </div> <div> -you have a numerical advantage of at least 2 to 1</div> <div>  </div> <div> -the enemy does not detect your presence. You can tell when an enemy aircraft detects your presence because they will try to close on you and rip your lips off</div> <div>  </div> <div> -you have AIM-120 AMRAAMs and can execute a launch and leave attack. You can always take on any number of enemy fighters if you just shoot AMRAAMs and run</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Once you have some experience in Jane's F/A-18 air combat you can make up your own list. It is important to have an idea of when and where to engage because you are expected to survive OCA Sweep missions. You have complete tactical flexibility so you should be able to pick the right engagement. Here is what you need to fly a successful Sweep mission. To get a successful mission on an OCA Sweep mission you must shoot down enemy aircraft and survive the mission. Anything short of that will result in a partial mission success or worse.</div> <div>  </div> <div> DCA (Defensive Counter Air)</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> In a Defensive Counter Air mission you job is to protect the Carrier or some other HVA (High Value Asset) from air attack. You do not have the same flexibility flying DCA as you do on a Sweep mission because mission success is tied to the survival of the asset. A DCA mission will have a route and steer points that you should use to set up your CAP (combat air patrol). A CAP is how you set up to wait for enemy action. You stay in this CAP until you detect the enemy. At that time you come out of the CAP and engage the enemy. If you shoot down enemy aircraft you must return to the CAP and continuing orbiting until you have completed your Vul time (vulnerability time). When you fly DCA you are responsible for defending the asset(s) during your assigned Vul time. A typical Vul time is 15 minutes. Remember, you're tasked to protect something. This involves shooting down enemy aircraft but it also involves staying on station for your Vul time.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Here a few of my CAP rules of thumb for both DCA and BARCAP missions:</div> <div>  </div> <div> -CAP Commit range (distance from enemy aircraft before coming out of the CAP to engage): 25 nautical miles on the radar scope</div> <div>  </div> <div> -CAP Airspeed: 350-400 knots until commit  450-550 knots during commit</div> <div>  </div> <div> -CAP Altitude: 18,000-22,000</div> <div>  </div> <div> -CAP Formations: Spread formation</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div>  </div> <div> BARCAP (Barrier Combat Air Patrol)</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> In a BARCAP your job is to protect a geographical area from attack by enemy aircraft. It is virtually identical to a DCA mission. DCA missions are tied more to a specific asset while BARCAP are used to protect a lane or avenue of enemy approach. There is only one real difference between a DCA and BARCAP mission from a pilot's perspective. On a DCA mission you are usually defending an airborne asset so you do not have to worry about helicopters. All you have to shoot down in a DCA mission are enemy fighters capable of harming your HVA.</div> <bR> <div> In a BARCAP mission, however, you must shoot down all enemy aircraft of all types that enter your CAP area. When flying a BARCAP you are protecting everything in your area from attack by enemy forces. This does not include attacks by ground forces, but if the threat comes from the skies it is your job to stop it when flying a BARCAP mission.</div> <div>  </div> <div> ESCORT (Air-to-Air)</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Escort missions are very easy to understand but very hard to fly. On this mission you are tied to a strike package with a role of protecting the package from air attack. That's simple enough. But getting it done is not. The biggest challenge when flying Escort is to know when to "strip" and go after inbound enemy fighters and when to stay with the package. When you fly an Escort mission you will be flying the same route as the package. It is important to arrive at the push point (usually Steer point 2) at the proper time so the package does not leave without you. Once are with the package you are not tied to flying in a specific formation over a set route. Generally, it is best to position yourself in an "Echelon" formation with the leading edge of the package and just match altitudes and airspeeds.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> Now that you are established in formation with the package, when to you strip to go after the bad guys. Here are some escort techniques to use. First, you should always strive to stay with the package as long as possible. One good way to do this is to use your radar to get the enemy fighter to react without you ever leaving the package. By locking up an enemy fighter with your radar you will usually cause them to react to your "spike." They will normally turn to beam the spike and by so doing, will no longer be threatening the package.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> When you break lock with your radar, however, the enemy fighters may resume their attack. When this occurs, it is time to do one of two things. If you have a wingman or another element in your flight, send them after the enemy fighters. To do this you should place your radar cursor on the threat aircraft then select wingman and give him "attack my target" command. This will strip your wingman off and send him to engage the enemy.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> When another enemy fighter appears on the radar, you should go through the same process all over again. If they keep coming at the package and you do not have a wingman or any flight members to engage the threat, launch an Aim-120 toward the enemy. When it goes "active" you can turn and get back in formation with the package. Do not, however, turn your six o'clock to the threat. If the enemy does not blow up, you must follow through and engage the enemy fighters in a visual fight. Once you are in a turning fight with enemy fighters the escort portion of the mission is over.</div> <div> It is very difficult to catch up to a package after you have started a visual fight with enemy fighters. If, however, you shoot down the enemy and you still have gas and missiles, you should follow along behind the package so that you can cover their egress. Most of the time you will have neither gas nor missiles and will end up having to RTB (return to base). </div> <div> One other important point should be mentioned about Escort missions. It is very important not to get decoyed away from the package you are trying to protect.</div> <div>  </div> <div> If you find that you are in a tail chase with enemy fighters, turn around and return to the package. If you are inside of 15 miles of the enemy fighters, you can send your element or wingman after them but you should definitely return to protect the package. If you are outside 15 miles your entire flight should return to the package. To fly a successful Escort mission, the package must sustain no major losses to enemy aircraft.</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="10" CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="3" WIDTH="656" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFFFFF" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id73_cpt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="cockpit"><U>Cockpit</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="82"><div> <A HREF="id80_bf.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic Flight"><U>Basic Flight</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80"><div> <A HREF="id88_bfm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BMF"><U>BFM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78"><div> <A HREF="id94_form.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Formation"><U>Formation</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="#mt" TITLE="Mission Tactics"><U>M-Tactics</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id171_campaigns.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Campaigns"><U>Building Campaings</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id74_hud.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HUD"><U>HUD</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="82"><div> <A HREF="id81_fc.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flight Characteristics"><U>Character</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80"><div> <A HREF="id89_bacm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic ACM"><U>Basic ACM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78"><div> <A HREF="id95_ata.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Air Combat"><U>Combat</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id101_wing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wingmen Tactics"><U>W-Tactics</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="153"><div> <A HREF="id172_tacops.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tacops"><U>Building Missions</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id75_mdi.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MDI/UFC"><U>MDI/UFC</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="82"><div> <A HREF="id82_fd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flight Disruption"><U>Disruption</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80"><div> <A HREF="id87_obfm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Offensive BFM"><U>Off-BFM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78"><div> <A HREF="id96_dobfm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Detailed OBFM"><U>DO-BFM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id102_sam.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SAMS"><U>SAMS</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="153"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="153" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id76_radar.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="AA Radar"><U>AA-Radar</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id85_tol.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Takeoff and Landing"><U>Takeoff/Land</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80"><div> <A HREF="id130_obfm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Defensive BFM"><U>Def-BFM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78"><div> <A 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Engagement"><U>AG-Combat</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id84_mis.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Miscellaneous"><U>Miscellaneous</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80"><div> <A HREF="id93_acm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ACM"><U>ACM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="78"><div> <A HREF="id100_cacm.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Coordinated ACM"><U>Co-ACM</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="75"><div> <A HREF="id169_weapons.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="weapons"><U>Weapons</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="153"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="153" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="75"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="75" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="82"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="82" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" 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