Mission planning Flashcards
The joint terminal attack controller must…
Must know the enemy situation and location of friendly units
Must know the support, commanders, target, priority, side effects, and timing of fires
Must know the commanders, intent, and applicable rules of engagement
Validate opportunity
Advise the commander on proper employment of air assets
Submit immediate request for close support
Provide terminal attack control, which supported command approval
De conflict aircraft and fires from close air support sorties
Provide bomb damage assessment
What are the duties of a joint terminal attack controller?
Rules of engagement
Weapons
Damage assessment
Risk management
Integration
Fratricide prevention
Targeting
Show of force
What are the fratricide prevention considerations?
Coordination between the joint terminal attack controller, and the joint forward observers and forward observers
Awareness, coordination, and communication
Standard procedures
Realistic training
Use of blue force, tracking and tagging devices
Detailed mission planning
Effective staff
Basic OP workflow
OP
Target
Final attack heading
IP
Egress
Friendlies
Planning considerations medium level attacks
Ingress
Observation and holding areas
Final attack heading
- Safety of aircraft
- Time and angle to acquire the target
- Type of ordnance
- Gun target line
- Lead in features
Egress
Planning consideration, low level attacks
Plan ingress to avoid enemy air defenses
- IP
- Terrain masking
Final attack heading
- Safety of aircraft
- Own troops in close proximity
- Time and angle to acquire the target
- Hazards and terrain obstacles
- Type of ordnance
- The position of the sun
- Gun target line
- Lead in features
Communications line of sight
Egress
What is BDA?
Bomb damage assessment
What should at least a BDA contain?
Successful, unsuccessful or unknown
Low-level close air support definitions?
Low - below 8000 feet above ground level
Very low - below 500 feet above ground level
Low level close air support advantages?
Decreases enemy acquisition system, ability to detect the attack force at long range and time available to prepare its air defence
May be used when local air superiority has not been achieved
May be used with low weather ceilings and poor visibility
Degraded enemy, ground control, intercept radar coverage, denying information of the attack force being related to enemy aircraft
May improve target acquisition and accuracy, weapons delivery due to shorter slant range at low altitude
May allow easier assessment of aircraft geometry relative to the target/friendly forces during terminal attack control
Low level close air support disadvantages?
Navigation is demanding and requires a high-level of air crew skill
Terrain, avoidance and information control become a primary tasks decreasing time to concentrate on mission tasks
Less time for observation of target area, the marks and hits from other aircraft
Higher fuel consumption and decreased time on
Terrain may reduce communications
Attack timing and geometry, more critical than higher altitude tactics
Exposes aircraft and air crew to small arms, man, portable air, defense systems and AAA
Medium level close air support definitions?
Medium/high-level - above 8000 feet above ground level
This is the most commonly used close air support tactics
Employed when:
- The air defense threat situation allows
- Local air superiority
- Airspace situation allows
Medium level close, air support advantages?
All flight members can continuously observed target area, marks and hits from other aircraft
Lower fuel consumption and increased time on station
Reduced navigation difficulties
Improved formation control
Improved mutual support
Allows maneuver, airspace, and allows air crew to concentrate on task instead of terrain avoidance
Communications control agencies
Reduces exposure to air defense and man portable systems
Easier time on target
Improved performance of guided weapons using steeper impact triangle
Improved self lacing option, and targeting pod capture capability
Increased ability to conflict air crew with altitude
Medium level close, air support disadvantages?
Enemy acquisition system can detect the attack force at long range, allowing the enemy to prepare its defenses
Requires local air superiority
May require high weather ceilings and good visibility, laser guided weapons and weapons that require visual target acquisition by air crew
May make it difficult for JTAC to visually acquired aircraft
Visual acquisition can be difficult from higher altitude, and slant ranges
Greater potential for reduced accuracy of non-guided weapons
