TAR 054 Intro to CAS Flashcards
Six Functions of Marine Aviation
- Anti-air Warfare
- Offensive Air Support
- Assault Support
- Air Reconnaissance
- Electronic Warfare
- Control of Aircraft and Missiles
OAS Defined
Offensive Air Support
Air operations conducted against enemy installations, facilities, and personnel to directly assist the attainment of MAGTF objectives by destruction of resources or isolation of military forces
OAS Categories
- Close Air Support
- Deep Air Support
Purpose of CAS
To provide fire to destroy, disrupt, suppress, fix, harass, neutralize, or delay enemy force
Basic Requirements for CAS C2
- Ability to process CAS requests
- Assignment of assets
- Communication of tasking
- Deconfliction of fires and routing
- Coordination of support
- Airspace control measures
- Updates on enemy threats
Limitations of Artillery as Fire Support for Reconnaissance TM’s
- Ability to have artillery support during advanced force ops
- Limited range
- Danger of fratricide
- Collateral damage
AH-1W Specs
Flown by: USMC
Guns:
- 20mm (750 rds)
Ordnance:
- Rockets, flares, TOW, HELLFIRE, AIM-9’s
Laser: Track and Designate (NTS)
NVG
NTS
Night Targeting System
F/A-18
Flown By: USMC, USN, US allies
Guns:
- 20mm (580 rds)
Ordnance:
- All
Laser:
- Track and designate (Pod)
NVG
F-15 Specs
Flown By: USAF, Japan , Saudi Arabia, Israel
Guns: 20mm (512 rds)
Ordnance: All
Laser:
- Designate (Pod)
Performance: max speed Mach 2+
Range: 2,762 miles
F-16 Specs
Flown By: USAF, NATO and other allies
Guns: 20mm (515 rds)
Laser:
- Designate (LANTIRN Pod)
NVG
Performance:
- Max speed Mach 2
- 852 mile radius of action with (2) 2,000lb bombs, (2) AIM-9’s and external fuel
A-10 Specs
Flown By: USAF
Guns: 30mm (1100 rds)
Ordnance: All
Laser: Track
NVG
Performance:
- Max speed 420mph
- Range with 9,500lbs of weapons and 1.7 hour loiter + 20 minutes reserve: 288 miles
AC-130H/U Specs
Flown By: USAF
Weapons:
- 105mm howitzer
- 40mm cannon
Systems:
- FLIR
- LLLTV
- Radar
- GPS
Anti-Armor Ordnances
- BGM-71A TOW missile
- AGM-114B Hellfire missile
Killing Mechanisms
- Heat
- Blast
- Fragmentation
MK80 Family of Bombs
- MK81
- MK82
- MK83
- MK84
Maker: General Dynamics
MK82 Specs
- 500lbs
Types:
- Low Drag (LD) Contact
- LD Air Burst
- High Drag (HD) Airburst
Lethal Area:
- 80m wide x 30m long
- Frag height 2600’
- 10% PI 135m-175m
MK83 Specs
- 1,000lbs
Types:
- LD contact
Lethal Area:
- 10% PI 175m-195m
- Frag height 2,800m
MK84 Specs
- 2,000lbs
Types:
- LD contact
Lethal Area:
- 10% PI 175m-190m
- Frag height 3,600’
Types of HE
- Proximity
- Variable Time
- Deep Penetrating
- Delay
- Quick (contact)
PCM
Precision Guided Munitions
GBU
Guided Bomb Unit
GBU Components
- Laser Illum Detector
- Guidance Fins
- GP Bomb Body
- Wing Assembly
Common GBUs
- GBU-12 LGB (500lb)
- GBU-16 LGB (1,000lb)
- GBU-10/24 LGB (2,000lb)
- GBU-38 JDAM (500lb)
- GBU-32 JDAM (1,000lb)
- GBU-31 JDAM (2,000lb)
LGB
Laser Guided Bomb
JDAM
Joint Direct Action Munition
JDAM Components
- MK80 series warhead
- Strakes
- 14 inch lugs
- 1760 interface
- GPS/INS guidance kit
INS
Internal Navigation System
Requirements for Effective CAS
- Air superiority
- Suppression of enemy air defenses
- Target marking
- Favorable weather
- Flexible control
- Prompt response
- Air crew FAC skill
FAC
Forward Air Controller
Target Marking Principles
- Must be provided by the controller
- Within 300 meters of reference point
- Must be provided 30-45 seconds before TOT/TTT
- Any mark is better than no mark
- Always plan for a backup mark
TOT
Time on Target
- Common moment when munitions scheduled for delivery
TTT
Time to Target
- The time it takes for ordnance to impact the target
Daylight Marking Methods
- White Phosphorus (WP)
- Illum on the deck
- Laser
- IR Strobe
- Air panels
- Mirror
- Smoke
Night Marking Methods
- WP under illumination
- Illum on the deck
- Laser designator
- Laser IR pointer
- IR strobe
- Tracers
- GLINT tape (AC-130)
FARP
Forward Arming and Refueling Point
Strip Alert
Ground alert, aircraft ready to fly within specific amounts of time
TACC
Tactical Air Command Center
- Senior MACCS agency
- Tactical operations center for the ACE commander
MACCS
Marine Air Command and Control System
DASC
Direct Air Support Center
- Coordinates execution of preplanned and immediate CAS
- Coordinates with senior FSCC to integrate CAS missions with supporting arms
- Provides aircraft position information to the TAOC and LAAD battalion
Types of CAS
- Preplanned
- Scheduled
- On-call - Immediate
TAOC
Tactical Air Operations Center
LAAD
Low Altitude Air Defense
What do I need to know to request CAS?
- Availability of supporting arms
- Capability of supporting arms
- Ability to concentrate fires
Who do you make CAS request to?
DASC
- Tactical Air Request Net (HF)
- Tied to FSCC
- Tied to FAC
Control Measures
- Contact Point (15-30 NM)
- Holding Area (Rotary Wing)
- Initial Point (5-15 NM)
- Battle Position (Rotary Wing)
- Attack Route
- Egress Control Point
Mission Number
- Assigned to a flight by the TACC
- Will sometimes be used as the flight call sign
Ordnance Code
Denotes what weapon and fusing is carried in the flight
Route
- The routing assigned to the flight for the mission
- Will be defined via coded control points
En Route Frequency
- The contact frequencies for agencies contacted en route
- May be color coded
MSN Codes
Mission Codes
- Used by various air control agencies to advise attack aircraft on the status of their mission
- Four plain language words
Four Plain Language Words of Mission Codes
- “Continue”
- “Change”
- “Cancel”
- “Abort, Abort, Abort”
CAS 9-Line
- IP/BP
- Heading
- Distance from IP/BP to target
- Target Elevation
- Target Description
- Target Location
- Marking
- Friendly Location
- Egress
CAS Line 1
IP / BP
- IP for fixed wing, BP for rotary wing
CAS Line 2
Heading
- Degrees magnetic
CAS Line 3
Distance
- From IP to target in NM for fixed wing
- BP to target in meters for rotary wing
For attack helicopters, distance from center of BP to target
CAS Line 4
Target Elevation
- Feet from MSL
MSL
Mean Sea Level
- True altitude or elevation
AGL
Above Ground Level
CAS Line 5
Target Description
- Be brief, but give visual cues
CAS Line 6
Target Location
- UTM Grid or Lat/Long
- Always include 100,000m grid identification
CAS Line 7
Mark Type
- If laser used give PRF code in remarks
CAS Line 8
Friendly Location
- Cardinal direction and distance from the target
CAS Line 9
Egress
- Should be a route that avoids any threats to the aircraft
- Can use IP/BPs or cardinal direction
CAS Check-In Brief
Aircraft to Controller
- You this is me
1. Mission Number
2. Number and type of aircraft
3. Position and altitude
4. Ordnance
5. Time on station
6. Capabilities
7. Abort code
TOT/TTT
Time on Target / Time to Target
- TOT preferred in USMC
- Sync watches with senior FSCC, then time back the running clock prior to passing the brief
Terms from Attacking Aircraft
“IP inbound”
“In the pop”
“Tally Mark”
“In hot/cold”
“Wing level”
BDA
Bomb Damage Assessment
- Target Location
- Time On and Off Target
- % Bombs on Target / % Target Destroyed
- Results
- Unit Supported
Holding Area
Four grids that form a box for fixed wing aircraft to stay within
CP
Checkpoint
BP
Four grid box for rotary wing aircraft to stay within
