Weapons Delivery Principles And Procedures
Weapons
ALTIMETER LAG
The HUD electronic altimeter readout should not lag, so if your release altitude is 3,000 ft AGL, hit
your pickle when the barometric altitude readout on the HUD is 3,000 ft MSL, plus or minus target
elevation. However, ordinary barometric altimeters do not react as fast as your aircraft descends, so
to preclude misses because of a failed transducer and consequent use of head-down instruments,
figure your altimeter lag for the release airspeed. You should know what your standby altimeter will
read at the correct release. Use this table for 450 KTAS and add the correction:
Dive Angle
Altitude Correction
10 degrees
60 ft
20 degrees
130 ft
30 degrees
190 ft
ERROR CORRECTION TECHNIQUES
This section shows how to use the correction factors given in Figure 29 on the opposite page.
Corrections for Dive Angle
You can read your dive angle directly from the pitch scale on your HUD. Depending on tracking
technique, your dive may steepen or shallow slightly during the run and should indicate the proper
dive angle at release. In a 30-degree run, for example, your HUD or ADI should indicate 30 degrees
at release. If you find that your dive angle is too steep, to avoid losing valuable tracking time,
maintain your dive angle and adjust your release altitude accordingly. If you know your error
sensitivities, this is a simple correction to make. For example, if in a 30-degree bomb run, your HUD
indicates 32 degrees as you approach release altitude, you can compensate by pickling 200 feet
high. To correct for a shallow dive angle, add power to increase your airspeed. For example, if in a
30-degree bomb run you find that your HUD is indicating 28 degrees as you approach release
altitude, you can compensate by increasing power by about 4% rpm, allowing the aircraft to acceler-
ate to 470 kts and pickling at the planned altitude.
You must also be careful not to release with excessive g, because, as has already been explained,
this can cause a false sight picture. Never press the run below normal release altitude to correct for
a dive parameter or for any other reason.
Corrections for Airspeed
Experience will help you to anticipate large errors early in the run and to make appropriate power
corrections. Maintain awareness of airspeed during the final portion of the run to be sure you are at
release airspeed when you reach release altitude. Last-minute corrections for airspeed errors are
similar to those for dive angle errors. For example, if in a 30-degree bomb run you find that you will
be 20 knots fast at release, you can compensate either by pickling 200 feet high or by pickling at
normal altitude with the pipper 100 feet short of the target. If you are 20 knots slow, you can allow
the pipper to drift 100 feet past the target by release altitude. Never release below normal release
altitude to correct for a dive parameter or for any other reason.
Correction for Pipper Position
The position of your pipper at release is probably the most important single factor in determining
where your weapon will hit. If you release with the correct altitude, airspeed, dive angle, etc. (no
wind), the weapon will impact where the pipper was positioned at release. If the pipper was 300 feet
past the target, that is where your hit will be, even though you did everything else right. Experience
will help you recognize early in the run that the pipper is not going to arrive at the final aimpoint by
Page 39
(4-03) Original
Previous Page
