TACF-07 Solo Strike

1. TACF-07 SoloStrike PRACTICE TACTICAL FORMATION FLYING

2. ORM • Operational Requirements / Limitations • Crew Rest / Crew Day / Work Week • R&I • IP Currency (SOP) • Warm Up Eligibility • Previous Flight Incomplete? Determine Graded Items. • Human Factors • Life Stressors / External Factors / Personal Problems • Medical Status (Rest / Nourishment / Hydration) • Hazards and Controls • Routine • What is different today? • Weather • Current Observations and Forecasts • Crosswinds • Fuel Considerations • Mission Specific

3. TTO • Who will call a TTO? • What situations will the TTO be called? • Safety • Confusion / Misunderstanding • IP Responsibilities • Recognize need for TTO • Explanation / Instruction as necessary • Documentation on ATF • When and how will training resume? Skip to Flight Brief

4. Admin (Mission Card) • A/C - ATC C/S - Tactical C/S - Crew • Brief / Walk / Marshal / Takeoff / Land Times • ATC Clearance / IFF • Range Info / Restrictions • Line / T/O / Abort / RPM • Comm Plan - Tac • Nav Plan • LCLS • Joker / Bingo

5. ADMIN • Launch • Weather / NOTAMS / TFR / BASH • Preflight / Start / Marshal / Taxi • T/O / RDZV • Formation • Transit • RadAlt Usage • RTB • Formation • Recovery • Diverts

6. Tac Admin(Reference TW-2 TAC SOP) • Push to Spread • G-Warm • FENCE Checks • Fuel and G • PADS • Knock It Offs • Final Rendezvous • Battle Damage Checks

7. Conduct • Check Turns • Shackle Turns • Off-Heading Shackle Turns • Tac Turns • In-Place Turns • Random tac form maneuvering • Comm-out tac form maneuvering • Offensive Combat Spread • Gunsight Tracking (fuel permitting) • Lead (if flown) • LEAD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DO ANY TURN AT ANY TIME FOR AREA MANAGEMENT!

8. Emergencies Abort Radio/ICS Failure Loss of Navaids Lost Plane / Lost Sight System Failures Disorientation Bird-strike/ Midair SAR Procedures Ejection Aircrew Coordination Underrun/Overrun Contingencies Fallouts Weather BASH Training Rules 10K’ Hard Deck No guns inside 1000’ CNATRA Weapons Envelopes Apply 500’ Bubble around all aircraft Contingencies

9. Recap • Overall Flow • Questions

10. STANDARD DEBRIEFING FORMAT • The Flight Lead or Pilot-in-Command is responsible for ensuring all flight or crewmembers are thoroughly debriefed on the conduct of the mission utilizing the “S-P-B-E-MS-LL” format outlined below. (Refer to the CTW-1/CTW-2 Expanding Debriefing Guide for specific objectives). • Safety • Planning • Brief • Execution • Mission Success • Lessons Learned

11. Flight Brief • Brief • a. QOD (NATOPS / EP / SOP) • b. Wingman deconfliction responsibilities • c. Pattern stall / recovery • Practice • a. Combat checks • b. Voice communications • c. Formation • d. Defensive Combat spread • e. Check turns • f. Shackle turns • g. Tactical turns • h. In-Place turns • i. Random tactical formation maneuvering • j. Comm-out tactical formation maneuvering • k. Gunsight tracking exercise • l. Offensive combat spread • m. Unknown airspeed rendezvous • n. Combat spread responsibilities • o. Situational awareness • p. Lead (if flown) • q. Landings (not graded)

12. Flight Brief • COMBAT SPREAD • How to get there • Check your heading, generate an airspeed advantage, and take a 10-15 degree cut away from lead using 10 kts excess for each 10 degrees of heading.

13. Flight Brief (cont) • Check Turns • Into • Turn will make you acute. • Multiple techniques to fix position. • Big Picture: Slow your down range travel compared to lead, then fix your altitude and abeam distance. • Away • Turn will make you sucked. • Big Picture: Increase your down range travel compared to the lead (ie. lower your nose and increase your airspeed), then fix your altitude and abeam distance.

14. Flight Brief (cont) • Shackle Turns • 14 unit level turn into lead, putting the original heading on the 45 degree benchmark (or as appropriate to help fix your position). • Maintain 300 kts keeping altitude separation from lead. • Wait approx 2 sec then pull 14 units back to the original heading. (Vary the pull as appropriate to arrive back in position.) • Corrections for sucked / acute. • Off Heading Shackle Turns • Turn a lot = Time a little, etc

15. Flight Brief (cont) • Tactical Turns • Into • Wait until looking down lead’s intakes. • Start a level 14 unit pull to the new heading while maintaining 300 kts. • Adjust timing of turn, amount of pull, and airspeed as necessary to come out of turn in position. • Away • Start a level 14 unit pull to the new heading while maintaining 300 kts. • Make adjustments to fix positioning.

16. Flight Brief (cont) • In-Place Turns • Into • Make a level 14 unit turn for 180 deg, maintain 300 kts. • Corrections for sucked / acute start. • Away • Make a level 14 unit turn for 180 deg, maintain 300 kts. • Corrections for sucked / acute start. • Do NOT float the turn when belly up to lead! • With SA to Lead, can descend in turn.

17. Flight Brief (cont) • Cross Turns • 17 unit pull at MRT as you key the mic to say “Hammer”. • 500’ Bubble. • Use altitude to gain an airspeed advantage and fix your position. • Must have sight to turn past 180 deg. • Corrections for sucked / acute start.

18. Random TACF maneuvering • In place turns to 150 or 210 degrees • In place turns away from Wing <180 = well sucked out with no corrections in turn. Need to turn early, let the nose down and use more pull and more power. Anticipate a sucked correction still. • In place turns into Wing <180 = well acute out with no corrections in turn. Need to turn later and anticipate acute correction out of turn. • Tac turns to 60 or 120 degrees • Tac turns into Wing <90 = well acute out with no corrections in turn. Need to turn later and adjust coming out of turn. • Tac turns into Wing >90 = well sucked out with no corrections in turn. Need to turn later and adjust coming out of turn.

19. Comm-out maneuvering • Lead shows plan form of direction of turn • Wait to roll until Lead is wings level • Uncalled turns away from Wing • In place or Tac turns • Assume a Tac turn away, if Lead rolls with Wing it is an In-place turn • Uncalled turns into Wing • Tac turns • If unsure of direction • Assume a Tac turn away from Wing, will see Lead begin a Tac turn into Wing if incorrect • Otherwise, stand a chance of loosing sight

20. Offensive Combat Spread • Transition to OCS • “H12 take OCS High/Low block” or “H12, out of the cross turn take OCS High/Low block” • Called turns to standard multiples of headings • Check turns, Tac turns, In-place turns, Shackle turns, Cross turns • Seen from Low and High fighter positions • Environmental factors • Transition back to DCS • “H12 take DCS” or “H12, out of the cross turn take DCS”

21. Flight Brief (cont) • GST • “Hammer, setting up for GST”(16k/300KIAS/1.5NM abeam), “Hammer set 350”, speed and angels, “check left/right 50”(into Lead), “reverse”, “H12 in from X.X ”, countdown DME, “fox-2”(at 1.0), “chaff / flare” • MRT at “Fox 2”, AWE, tracking shots / snap shots • KIO

22. Flight Brief (cont) • Unkown A/S Rendezvous (Tactical Rejoin) • Continue flying good Tacform and resume DCS until Fence Out (Master Arm- Safe , Combat checks) • When joining, make the rendezvous look like one that you have practiced before. Keep an altitude sanctuary until it is suit-cased. • Lead will be setting the power (~80%) and turning to put the RTB heading on the nose. Take your time joining and make it look good.

23. 2 Circle Fight

24. HIGH AND LOW YO-YO

25. CNATRA WEAPONS ENVELOPE

26. ± 10° at 2000 ft ± 20° at 4000 ft Control Zone The goal of the fighter is to arrive in the control zone with range, angles, and closure under control. From there, he can maneuver to shoot the bandit. Must have controlled entry into CZ with relative fuselage alignment. (No more than 20 degrees of misalignment in the front of the CZ and no more than 40 degrees of misalignment in the aft end)

27. CZ relation to Guns WEZ Note that the CZ and the Guns Envelope do not overlap.You cannot employ the gun from the CZ!! Work Tracking Guns Shots Watch Closure. Lead required for snapshot (pipper 1-2 plane lengths in front). Allows for quick shot and a lag back to safety of the CZ to maintain offensive position. Control Zone Snapshot Envelope Tracking Envelope

28. The Gunsight • Lead Angle Computing (LAC) • Used for tracking non-maneuvering targets at 1000’ range. Must keep in reticle for >1 second. We don’t use it. • Real Time Gun Sight (RTGS) • - Used for tracking a maneuvering target by aiming and keeping the reticle pipperaheadof the target(snapshot). • - Software positioned on the point that a shell would reach in the time it takes the shell to travel1000ft. If range > 1000’, you must shoot with enoughlead for bullets to travel required distance. 1000ft(using 31’ wingspan)

29. Estimating Range 1000 ft Closest shot range (Training Rules). If wings overlap reticle, you’re too close! 1500 ft Heart of Gun Envelope ¾ of reticle 2000 ft ½ of reticle

30. 35 00 10500 300 R 14.0 RTGS GUN 0.5 G 2.5 6.0 Gunsight Tracking Truth: If outside gun envelope (> .5nm or 3000ft), pull pure (w/ fuselages aligned within 45 deg) to decrease range to arrive inside snapshot envelope. 01 M 0.7

31. 35 00 10200 300 R 14.0 RTGS GUN 0.5 G 2.5 6.0 Solve for Plane of Motion 01 M 0.4

32. Squeeze Trigger With Lead Established and lag to Control Zone 35 00 10200 300 R 14.0 RTGS GUN 0.5 G 2.5 6.0 01 M 0.4 “Trigger Down……… “ “ SNAP ! ”