Using AGM-65D Maverick without TGP - Boresighting needed?

[Istari6]

(Apologies if this has been answered, I missed it in looking back through all forum posts to April 2021.  Haven't looked further since I know much has changed with the F-16 over time, not sure much older is helpful)

My group is trying to learn the F-16 in stages, by starting with a 1986 scenario in Liberation.  We're learning all F-16 weapons and sensors to that time (AIM-9L/M, CBU-87, etc), but we'll save the more advanced features like AIM-9X, JHMCS and Link-16 for the future.  

Question about using the AGM-65D in an era before the LITENING targeting pod became available:

1. If we load AGM-65D to our aircraft after mission start (swapping out another ordnance load), do we need to boresight the AGM-65D to have accurate correlation between the HUD SPI (VIS mode) and the actual AGM-65D crosshair?  

2. If so, how do we do boresighting of AGM-65D when we can't start the IR cooling on the ground (due to Weight on Wheels cutout)?  Are we supposed to do the boresighting of AGM-65D to HUD SPI once we're in the air?  

 

 

[Furiz]

1 hour ago, Istari6 said:

1. If we load AGM-65D to our aircraft after mission start (swapping out another ordnance load), do we need to boresight the AGM-65D to have accurate correlation between the HUD SPI (VIS mode) and the actual AGM-65D crosshair?  

No you don't have to boresight since it is only use for aligning TGP seeker with Maverick seeker. In VIS mode you are only bringing you HUD TD BOX to an area of where the target might be then you fine tune maverick seeker to acquire target lock. You won't be doing target acquire with HUD TD BOX, it is only used to place the SPI in the approximate target area.

1 hour ago, Istari6 said:

2. If so, how do we do boresighting of AGM-65D when we can't start the IR cooling on the ground (due to Weight on Wheels cutout)?  Are we supposed to do the boresighting of AGM-65D to HUD SPI once we're in the air?  

It is much more accurate if you do the boresight in air at approximately 5 to 7nm distance from target. I usually do it on my way to target area on some small building I find on the way or a car etc.

[Istari6]

OK thanks.  When I was first starting out, I was finding that D models' thermal seeker head was sometimes quite a bit off from the HUD SPI, and was having a hard time finding the target when I looked down to WPN view.  That has been less of a problem in my last few training flights.  So I'll go ahead without trying to Boresight the D against the HUD SPI.

Good tip on the 5-7nm distance for getting the TGP and Mav aligned, looking forward to doing that next.