Tactics - Situational Awareness

[bluepilot76]

Hello,

I am curious about how folks deal with the 9 line info about threats. Currently I am enjoying using the offset from IP information to make a waypoint on my target. There is usually added stuff like Zeus 3mile northeast.

How do you all deal with this? do people tend to make a second offset waypoint from the target waypoint and then neutralise the threat, or just make a mental note to avoid that area and stick on the jammer and chaff like crazy? or just slew the TGP a bit towards the NE and hope to find it...?

 

Any tips would be great. Also, if you see on the threat indicator, (eg) 08. You know there is a SAM over in a certain direction. I would like to kill him before he kills me, but dont want to spend 40 minutes slewing around the TGP. Any clues how to find him? maybe assuming the wingman has already bought it so you cant send him in...

 

I dont want to use Icons, or target headlock, if such a thing exists.

[Ptroinks]

It all depends on how close the threats are to my primary target(s) and the weapons I have available. If there's a Tunguska close to the target and I have just a few mavericks (or none) left, I would either look for it or send my wingman to deal with him. If there are several Shilkas and/or SA-13s around, I would climb above their WEZ and then engage my targets. Again, it depends on the weapons I have.

It's pretty hard to find the SAM/AAA threats, though. the JTAC only says something like "SA-13, 3 miles north-east", which isn't very usable information to try to find it.

[Frederf]

I have a yellow pad of paper and a pen. JTAC spits out info too fast to do anything with the info as I'm hearing it. It's realistic to make a record of a CAS tasking.

 

The MGRS coordinates given are super accurate, annoyingly so even. Making a new waypoint or modifying an existing waypoint to those coords will be much more accurate than the offset from IP.

 

A pre-made drawing of the target area helps to jot down quickly where the threats are. I make an X in the center and make some close/medium/far rings around it and as the JTAC is calling it out I might put a "Z" above the X (Zeus 1nm north), a "S" to the right (Igla 2nm east), and another "Z" just to the left of the X (Zeus 0nm west).

 

When you look at this sketch you get a feel for what ingress and egress might work, what your minimum altitude is going to have to be, etc. Depending on the threat level you can fly through it, selectively clear a path, or stay well above. I find usually that there's so much hurt (especially SHORAD) around the target that I have neither the weapons nor the inclination to make a low altitude attack satisfactorily safe.

 

When you see anything on the RWR, Osa, Tor, etc. eliminating it is rarely an option. Radar SAMs are very big boys and the A-10 is not capable toe-to-toe. If these are near your target the best you can do is jam, chaff, and use terrain. If you're closer than the periphery of their WEZ, it's foolish to drive into it.

[Laud]

Also remember, that also RL pilots will never know about each and every manpads' or AAAs' position. There will always remain a certain risk when rolling in low. ;)

[bluepilot76]

Nice tips guys! sounds like I need to do some homework on WEZs, and invest in a pen and paper.

 

I like the offset waypoint method, which I only just discovered, because once you have the first one, you only have to update your previous waypoint with the 5figure offset figure and save the new one, which I find a bit easier than inputting the new WP off the coords.

 

You are right though, it doesnt seem to get quite the same accuracy as the coords method.