Stress free TPOD designation? Does it exist?

[Brainfreeze]

I noticed that the TPOD easily gets blocked by the wings or ordinance when trying to find and lase a target with the AV8B.

 

What is your recipe to put your plane on an autopilot circle so you have time to scan the area / enter coordinates / try out sensors with the tpod?

 

How far, what bank angle, how high?

 

I usually try to go in circles @15-20k feet about 5-10nm away from the target zone... aim is to have enough runway towards the target once it is spotted and not lose time having to fly away first... must be doing it wrong as tpod is spending too much time looking at my wings...

[Fri13]

The  Harrier TAC NATOPS has the answer for that. You should have a two separate zones for various ordinance loadouts types (fuel tank and large bombs like GBU-16 etc, and then for some other smaller ones).

 

The NATOPS is about Litening II 1st gen (1996), and we have now 4th gen (2009, the 5th gen is from 2015) in our harrier.

 

The NATOPS talks about capability to have a visible masking line for the targeting pod so that you should be able avoid the masking by keeping the "crescent" away the outer side of it.

 

And there are other features as well example automatic laser shut off if laser is firing 5 degree from the masking line.

 

There are graphics for the TPOD masking degrees horizontally (left and right) and vertically (forward and aft) that where they happen.

 

I have not read that the TPOD has it for the center station, but it talks only about station 5 position (center right wing) IIRC. But I think I am wrong about that (please correct) and belly station is mentioned.

 

But if you have a belly station mount, then you should basically have a about 120-140 degree downward angle (+/- 60-70) to anywhere except 40° from the aft axis as the TPOD body blocks the view.

 

If you have it as wing mounted, you got much smaller depending do you have a fuel tank or equivalent or not. 

 

But basically you should be able fly circles easily on the target at 10 nmi range as long you don't let target get 135-225° cone area behind you or you roll too much like 30° or something.