Curious on real world procedure for radio comms.

[Ryno1217]

So recently I was play the F/A 18C Red Flag Iron Hand and noticed that there was different freqs for different aspects of the flight, ie AWACS, Strike, flight, etc....giving that there is 2 radios in the Hornet, I was wondering what a real pilot does as far as technique/procedures for monitoring/switching between all the different freqs? What freq is priority, AWACS, strike freq, flight etc? How often does the pilot switch between the less important freqs so one does not missed an important call on a giving freq?

 

Im sure priority comms can vary from mission to mission, but one can argue that AWACS and flight are the priority comms for SA, as wingmen could call out missile launches and direction. But then there would be a risk of missing a call on the strike freq that could be mission critical -- for example, having to wait for a SAM site to be destroyed before you can continue your mission. But if your constantly monitoring the strike comms, you could miss AWACS or wingman calls and so on.

 

So with the risk of possibly missing some form of vital info, how would the real world fighter/attack pilot handle the different freqs for a giving mission?

 

Not saying there is a right or wrong way to handle this, I'm genuinely curious on how its done..

 

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer.

[Emmy]

Generally speaking, you’re going to have one radio for intra-flight comms and one for keeping in touch with the relevant agency at that point in the mission (AWACS, JTAC, Package, etc.) And you’ll push from freq to freq as needed. The only time you’d dial up a different freq on your intra-flight radio is when you’re all going to be in contact with the same facility like an airfield or carrier.

 

Personally, I think it’s a blast to have to manage the three radios in the A-10C. When the Hornet gets MIDS, there will basically be FOUR means of communicating!