This is the point at which you actually achieve the job you were sent out to accomplish so called Time Over Target (TOT). In some ways, the computer cues for dropped guided and unguided weapons are so extensive, and the smart bombs so smart, that it may seem like getting the whole package to the target is the hardest part of a mission. Still, your altitude, airspeed and flight attitude at the time of an air-to-ground drop affect the weapon's trajectory, and coordinating these while dodging AAA, SAMs and perhaps a few defensive aircraft is no mean feat.

As a strike Fighter, the F/A-18E is often tasked whit Air to Ground missions. While not always as glamorous as air to air combat, it is no less important. Indeed, the Marine on the ground doesn't care how many aircraft kills you have to your credit. He joust wants you to cover him when things get hairy. Close Air Support isn't the only type of air to ground mission you might be tasked whit. Your aircraft carries a bewildering array of weapons, and to be effective in your assigned missions, you must learn the ins and outs of each one.

Unguided weapons are the simplest and cheapest weapons at your disposal, but that doesn't make them any less effective. They do take more raw flying skill to successful employ, however, since their accuracy is drastically a result of how smoothly you can get to proper release point. The type of weapons you can load on your F/A-18E include Iron bomb, Cluster bombs and Rocket pods. Your internal 20 mm cannon is also used in an A/G role and is considered an unguided weapon.

The Mk82/83/84 iron bombs are general purpose (GP) weapons that are 500/1000/2000 lbs. each, respectively. They are useful against a wide range of targets such as buildings, tank farms, emplacements and airfields. In general, the larger the target, the heavier the bomb you want to use against it. The retarded versions of these bombs are excellent for high-speed low level attacks.

The Mk20 cluster bomb is designed as an anti-armour and anti-personal bomb. The weapon breaks open at the HOB altitude and many small bomblets are released in a roughly circular pattern. A lower HOB setting concentrates more of bomblets in smaller area, increasing the chance of hitting closely grouped objects, while the higher HOB settings covers more area. The CBU-59 is an anti-personal weapon useful mainly against soft targets. The CBU-72 Fuel Air Explosive is potentially devastating against troops caught in the open area, but it is less effective against even lightly armored vehicles.

Unlike air-to-air weapons, which are fired according to a predetermined launch sequence, you must set up the type and quantity of and intervals at which ground ordnance is released. You will need to take into consideration the size and number of your targets, how close together they are, how durable they are and what types of weapons you are using when determining the quantity and intervals for release. For each run you will:

- Ripple single weapon (SINGLE release option + release Quantity). With each pickle, the total quantity of weapons you have specified will be dropped one at a time at the interval you've set. If two stations are selected, two bombs drop. If three stations are selected, three bombs drop.

- Ripple multiple weapons (MULTI release option + station selection). With one pickle, weapons are dropped from each selected station at the same time whit no interval between the weapons you've specified. In other words, if you have 2 stations (containing 4 weapons each) selected, and then once you press the pickle key, all selected weapons will be released at a time.

Cluster Bomb Units (CBUs) have different radii of effect, depending on the size and type and the height above the ground at which they explode. You determine the size and type when you choose which CBUs to release. You can set the height of burst on the A/G Arm page. Set height of burst (HOB) — cycle through 300, 600, 1000, 1500 and 2000 ft above ground level. The higher the CBU explodes, the larger the area It will damage, but the less intense the damage.

-Continuously Computed Impact Point (CCIP) mode is perhaps most effective when combined with a dive or pop-up delivery. The point where the weapon will impact on the ground is continually recalculated and projected onto the HUD. and a dive delivery (in which your aircraft is nose-down) or pop-up delivery (in which your aircraft is inverted) helps ensure that this impact point is visible on the HUD until the weapon is released, (In a level or loft delivery, the impact point can drop below the HUD FOV.)

-Auto mode can be used with any type of delivery or weapon. The HUD provides you with azimuth steering information to help you align with the target, calculates when the weapon should be released and gives you a countdown. If you are pickling (i.e., pressing and holding the WEAPON PICKLE key or button before the countdown reaches zero, the weapon(s) are automatically released.

Automatic (AUTO) mode is your most accurate unguiding bombing mode. Steering cues are provided for you to fly at, and the weapons computer automatically releases the bombs at the proper time. However, for AUTO mode to work , you must have an A/G target designated. When AUTO mode is selected and a designated A/G target does exist azimuth steering line (ASL) provides a steering reference to the target. Fly the aircraft until the velocity vector is lined up whit ASL, and remain level. The Release (REL) timer on the HUD counts down as you approach the target. As REL approaches zero, you'll see the release cue bar start traveling down the ASL from the top of HUD towards velocity vector. At this time you should press the Pickle button and hold it until all of the weapons have been released, as this is how you give the weapons computer "consent" to actually release when TTG is zero.

Continuously Computed Impact Point (CCIP) is as accurate as Auto mode in certain circumstances, but it does take more skill on your part. the CCIP represents the impact point of your bombs if you were press the weapon pickle button at that instant. However, CCIP calculations assume that the height of terrain at the impact point is the same as the height of terrain directly underneath your aircraft. This can lead bombs missing long or short in hilly or mountainous areas.

The MK-20 Rockeye is a free-fall, unguided cluster weapon designed to kill tanks and armored vehicles. The system consists of a clamshell dispenser, a mechanical MK-339 timed fuze, and 247 dual-purpose armor-piercing shaped-charge bomblets.

The bomblet weighs 1.32 pounds and has a 0.4-pound shaped-charge warhead of high explosives, which produces up to 250,000 psi at the point of impact, allowing penetration of approximately 7.5 inches of armor. Rockeye is most efficiently used against area targets requiring penetration to kill.

-Large Truck park…Use 1000ft of HOB (if you use higher HOB than 1000ft you will get lower kill ratio) and you will get 100% hit and 98-100% of kill ratio that is if you released the bomb In the center of the target area.

-Moving convoy of 1-20 trucks (trail formation)…. Use 800-1000ft of HOB whit a proper deflection release and you will get 100% hit and 98-100% of kill ratio that is if you released the bomb whit proper deflection right In the center of the convoy.

-Moving convoy of 20-30 trucks (trail formation)…. Use 1000-1500ft of HOB whit a proper deflection release and you will get 90% hit and 80-90% of kill ratio that is if you released the bomb whit proper deflection right In the center of the convoy.

-Moving convoy of 1-8 armored vehicles (i.e. T-72, APC…) …Use 400-600ft of HOB whit a proper deflection release and you will get 100% hit and 100% of kill ratio that is if you released the bomb whit proper deflection right In the center of the convoy.

-Moving convoy of 8-16 armored vehicles (i.e. T-72, APC…) …Use 700-900ft of HOB whit a proper deflection release and you will get 95% hit and 85-95% of kill ratio that is if you released the bomb whit proper deflection right In the center of the convoy.

Typical separation between tanks varies from 600ft to 1500ft and the Kill area (armored vehicles) for MK-20 at 1000ft of HOB is around 400-500ft (if you set higher HOB than 1000ft, you will get bigger hit area but the kill area will degrade)…do you see the problem? Whit a single bomb releases you won’t do much of a damage.

You must set up the type and quantity of and intervals at which ground ordnance is to be released. You will need to take into consideration the size and number of your targets, how close together they are, how durable they are and what types of weapons you are using when determining the quantity and intervals for release. For each run you will:

To get best results against Stationed tank platoon / battalion it is recommended to use 900-1000ft of HOB and a release interval of 400-600ft. Also recommended is to use “salvo” release (multiple release) that is at each interval 2 or more (more than 2 are not recommended) bombs are released at one time. If you do use “salvo” release of 2 bombs per pickle you may increase HOB to 1100-1200ft. However, remember if you use multiple release you won’t be able to cover as much of a distance as whit single release per interval. For example: if you have 10 MK-20’s on your jet and you have programmed a single release at an interval of 500ft you will cover a distance of 5000ft (10 bombs x 500 ft) that is almost 1NM.

A hit and kill % is greatly dependent on your proper alignment whit general direction of a target area the size and number of your targets, how close together they are, how durable they are and may be form 0-100% hit ratio and 0-95% kill ratio.

So-called "smart" weapons have become the darlings of the media and in many cases the weapons of first choice for the military. Despite their high cost, guide weapons, due to their grate accuracy, tend to minimize the amount of collateral damage. Some advanced guided weapons such as SLAM-ER offer tremendous stand off range as well. Here we will look more closely to four guided weapons that are mostly used.

The AGM-65 was originally designed as an infrared or TV guided fire and forget anti-tank missile. Over the years, it has evolved in to three main versions that you can employ from your Super Hornet. The AGM-65E uses laser guidance to find its target. As such, it requires a target designated by a laser, and therefore no longer a fire and forget weapon. The AGM-65F is the updated IR guided anti-tank version, while AGM-65G is similar to 65F but has much larger warhead.

The Maverick E and F are superb anti-tank weapons. their stand-off range also makes them useful against SAM launch vehicles and mobile AAA guns. The larger warhead of G version gives it about the same punch as a Mk-82 GP bomb, making it useful against fast moving patrol boats and similar targets. Here we will look more closely at AGM-65F/G versions of Maverick.

The AGM-65F/G has an imaging IR seeker head capable of automatically attempting to lock on to your currently designated target. You can also aim it manually before launch via a video display in the Weapon Video page. Needless to say, having the seeker cue automatically is much less of a hassle for you. Occasionally, however, the seeker for some reason won't be able gain a lock or you might decide to fire Maverick without designating a target. The Maverick is an air-to-ground missile once you have a lock, you simply fire the missile.

2. Maverick In Range Cue: When the designated A/G target is whit in the maximum range of the Maverick, "IN RNG" displays. If the designated A/G target is outside of the max. range of the Maverick, the TTMR counter displays instead. If you don't have target designated you don't get either indication.

The AGM-84 is your primary anti-ship weapon. It is a big, heavy weapon whit a large warhead, sophisticated guidance system, and long range. It has two primary release modes. Range/Bearing Launch (R/BL) mode and Bearing Only Launch (BOL). R/BL is the most accurate of the two, but requires you to know the bearing and range to the target before firing. BOL is less accurate, but you only need to know the approximate bearing to target.

The AGM-84 has an onboard active radar capable of automatically attempting to lock on to your currently designated target. Once you have a lock, you simply fire the missile if it's in the missiles max. range. You can fire the Harpoon whit out of designating a target (BOL launch mode) and the missiles radar will lock on the first target that comes in to its FOV. Needless to say, having the designated target is much less of a hassle for missile and the hit probability is much grater than if you did not have a designated target. Occasionally, however, you might decide to fire Harpoon without designating a target.

The Harpoon is a ship killer. Don't waste it against other targets, since it was not designed (it lacks terrain following radar) to attack land-based targets and the chance of success is very low. However you can use the Harpoon for stationary targets in plain where there are no hills or mountains if you set the missiles flight profile to High and terminal mode to POP for pop-up delivery, but since the missile warhead is designed for destroying ships it may not destroy the target. Ships that are in port are a poor target as well, because ground clutter likely confuses the weapon's radar seeker. The choice of launch mode is based on your tactical situation. Against well-defended enemy fleet, you may not be able to get close enough to find your enemy whit radar, in this case BOL is your only option. otherwise, press in and find the ships using the SEA mode radar. The Harpoon is much more accurate, and the closer u get the lower you can set the flight profile of the AGM-84. Sea skimming missiles are very hard for enemy ships to detect and defend against.

In order to fire an AGM-84 Harpoon, an AGM-84 Harpoon must be the next weapon In sequence. Here is the procedure for R/BL launch mode. The difference between the R/BL and BOL is only in target designation (when in BOL there is no target designated):

-You can set the flight profile to Low , and the harpoon will fly a low profile (sea-skimming) flight pattern. Because of low profile the missile will have maximum range reduced , however the enemy reaction time is also greatly reduced since the missile is much harder to detect, track and defend against.

4. Set the Terminal Mode (TRM) to either SKIM or POP. When the missile is programed in SKIM mode and is in Terminal (final stage of flight, joust prior the engaging and hitting the target)the onboard system will command the Harpoon to fly sea skimming (very low altitude) flight profile, and so giving the target harder times when trying to defend against it. If the missile is programed to execute POP maneuver in the final stage of flight it will commence a pop-op attack on target. This will give the enemy little more reaction time since the missile is easier to detect and defend but it also gives the missile little more stand-off range and potentially more devastating power.

5. Wait for the "IN ZONE" cue to display on the HUD. When it does that will indicate that the criteria for successful launch are met. For the R/BL mode this indicates that the designated target is in maximum range. When the target is outside of max. range the TTMR (time to maximum range) cue displays.

The AGM-84H is a big, heavy weapon whit a large warhead, sophisticated guidance system, and long range, which is based on the original Standoff Land Attack Missile, which itself was based on AGM-84 Harpoon anti- ship missile. The "ER" stands for Expanded Response, which in this case means much grater range and accuracy over original SLAM missile. Unlike harpoon, SLAM-ER has a radar altimeter and terrain following capability. It should avoid most intervening terrain even if the terrain is higher then its current altitude.

It has two primary release modes. Pre-brifed (PB) and Target of opportunity (TOO). The PB is used to attack specific targets that have been previously designated prior to flight. PB targets can not be designated or modified while in flight. In this mode, the missile flies to the coordinates of the selected target using the selected flight path. The TOO launch mode enables u to employ the weapon against your designated A/G target. The AGM-84H has an onboard active radar capable of automatically attempting to lock on to your currently designated target. Once you have a lock, you simply fire the missile if it's in the missiles max. range.

The SLAM-ER is the longest ranged weapon your Super Hornet can carry. But because its so large and expensive, the numbers available during campaign is small. It has 1000 lbs. GP (like Mk83) warhead, so multiple missiles are needed to destroy larger targets, and it has no capability against hardened targets. Don't waste it against movable targets, since it was not designed to attack them and it's far to expensive for them. However you can use the SLAM-ER against ships. The choice of launch mode is based on your tactical situation. Against well-defended enemy, you may not be able to get close enough to find your enemy whit radar, in this case use PB mode if you have a Pre-brifed designated target, otherwise, press in and find the target using the MAP mode radar. The SLAM-ER is much more accurate, and the closer u get the lower you can set the flight profile of the AGM-84H. Skimming missiles are very hard for enemy to detect and defend against.

-You can set the flight profile to Low , and the SLAM-ER will fly a low profile (Skimming) flight pattern. Because of low profile the missile will have maximum range reduced , however the enemy reaction time is also greatly reduced since the missile is much harder to detect, track and defend against.

4. Set the Terminal Mode (TRM) to either SKIM or POP. When the missile is programed in SKIM mode and is in Terminal (final stage of flight, joust prior the engaging and hitting the target) the onboard system will command the SLAM-ER to fly skimming (very low altitude) flight profile, and so giving the target harder times when trying to defend against it. If the missile is programed to execute POP maneuver in the final stage of flight it will commence a pop-op attack on target. This will give the enemy little more reaction time since the missile is easier to detect and defend but it also gives the missile little more stand-off range and potentially more devastating power.

5. Wait for the "IN ZONE" cue to display on the HUD. When it does that will indicate that the criteria for successful launch are met. This indicates that the designated target is in maximum range. When the target is outside of max. range the TTMR (time to maximum range) cue displays.

The AGM-88 High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) is designed to seek and destroy enemy land and sea based radar systems. Even if the radar stops the transmitting before the HARM reaches it, the missile still has a fair chance of hitting within the lethal distance of the radar. It is a vital weapon when you have been assigned the mission of SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses). The HARM is only effective against radar emitting targets.

The HARM is a complex weapon whit three different launch modes. They are Target of Opportunity (TOO), Self-protect (SP) and Pre-brifed (PB). The TOO is primary launch mode you should use during SEAD missions unless the mission briefing specifically instructs you to attack a known target using PB launch mode. For all other mission types, if you have HARM's loaded you should have SP launch mode selected, to give you a quick reaction means to deal whit threat ground or sea based radars. When you are in final stage of bombing run or about to fire an Air to Air missile, you might consider selecting HRM OR (HARM override) option to keep the HARM from pulling back and spoiling your shoot. Effective range of a HARM missile varies whit launched altitude, higher the launching altitude longer the range the AGM-88 is capable to cover. It's safe to say that at an altitude of 30.000+ ft the effective range is more than 35nm. At around 20k-25k ft of altitude the effective range is around 25-30nm and if the AGM-88 is launched bellow 15k ft of altitude the range will be less then 25nm.

4. Switch to TOO weapon mode on the MDI and chose what cind of emitters you want to be displayed on the HARM MDI. You have three options, LAND, SEA and LAND/SEA (L/S). This limits the threats displayed on the page to the selected type. If ther is lots of radar emitters around your target area and you find the HARM MDI overcrowded whit potential radar-emitting targets, you can chose to limit the targets shown on the MDI to only 5 targets that presents the biggest threat to you instead of 15 targets that are shown by default.

6. Here comes the tricky part, when do you decide that the launch parameters are all in place (i.e. is the emitter in missiles range) to fire the AGM-88. The HARM's guidance working on the same Principe as your EW (you don't get the range to the air emitter only the bearing from where the emitter is emitting) that means guidance is provided through reception of signals emitted from a ground-based threat radar. It has the capability of discriminating a single target from a number of emitters in the environment. That means that the guidance system homes in on enemy radar emissions. The HARM Missile uses these parameters and relevant attitude data to process incoming RF energy to acquire and guide the HARM Missile to the desired target. Because of this you can't get any range to target like the "IN ZONE" cues on your HUD. You must decide by your experience when to fire the AGM-88. However, there's a good news, the HARM's maximum range is around 20-30 nautical miles and that will put most of the emitters you are picking on your HARM MDI in missiles range.

Since this missile uses passive emission radar detection guidance it's not capable of finding a target on it s own. To do that the targeted SAM must continue whit "spiking" for the AGM-88 to be able to find it. Here comes the problem while it's true that AGM-88 is capable of memorizing the location of the targeted SAM for a "blind" attack, even a slight deviation of curse can resoult of missing a SAM completely especially if targeted SAM is far away and stooped transmitting short after you had launch a AGM-88 at it.

Cockpit	Basic Flight	BFM	Formation	M-Tactics	Building Campaings
HUD	Character	Basic ACM	Combat	W-Tactics	Building Missions
MDI/UFC	Disruption	Off-BFM	DO-BFM	SAMS
AA-Radar	Takeoff/Land	Def-BFM	DD-BFM	M-Builder
AA-Combat	Refueling	HO-BFM	Hi Aspect BFM	B-Areobatics
AG-Radar	Navigation	BVR	Prin-BFM	A-Areobatics
AG-Combat	Miscellaneous	ACM	Co-ACM	Weapons