Weapons
Weapons Delivery Principles And Procedures
release altitude, and to make early corrections. Sometimes it is an improper roll-in that leads to
improper pipper position. For example, if you start a straight-path tracking run with the proper dive
angle, but you find that you have to shallow your run to make the pipper reach the target by release
altitude, then the problem could be that you have rolled in too far from the target, or that you have
allowed your nose to drop during the initial part of the roll-in. Sometimes, however, even though you
may have the proper dive angle and airspeed, you will find that the pipper is not where you want it to
be as you approach your release point. The pipper may be reaching the aimpoint too early or too
late, or it may be deflected to one side or the other.
Corrections for Early Sight Picture
If your pipper arrives at the aimpoint before you reach the normal release altitude, then you have an
“early sight picture.” In such a case, assuming all parameters correct and no wind, if you were to
pickle with the early sight picture, your hit would be short because of your altitude error. On the other
hand, if you were to pickle at normal release altitude, your hit would be long because the pipper
would be past the target. If you were to try to hold the pipper on the target until release altitude, your
dive angle would increase and you would release with insufficient g. The proper correction is to
notice the altitude at which you get the early sight picture and to split the difference between that
altitude and release altitude. For example, suppose that in a 30-degree bomb run, your pipper
arrived at the aimpoint at 3,400 ft AGL. With proper airspeed, dive angle, etc., you could compen-
sate by continuing to hold your 30-degree dive and pickling at 3200 ft AGL. However, improper
pipper position can often be traced to an improper roll-in. If you find that you are consistently getting
an early sight picture, and your dive angles are correct at release, then the problem may be that you
are rolling in too close to the target or have too much noseup trim. In contrast to an early sight
picture, a late sight picture cannot be corrected at release.
Corrections for Late Sight Picture
If you reach release altitude and the pipper has not reached the aimpoint (late sight picture), you
must either release at normal altitude and take the short hit, or you must abort the run. Never
release below normal release altitude to correct for a late sight picture or for any other reason. If you
recognize during the run that you are going to have a late sight picture, you can correct by using very
slight back pressure on the stick to make the pipper track faster, or you can use slight back pressure
to change pipper placement and then resume proper g. You should be aware, however, that this
technique will shallow your dive angle and may necessitate another correction. In any case, you
should try to analyze the reason for the late sight picture. It could have occurred because you rolled
in too far from the target, or because you did not maintain altitude during the initial part of the roll-in,
or because you pulled your nose down too far during the final part of the roll-in.
Corrections for Deflection
If your pipper is offset to one side of the desired initial aimpoint, the correction you can make for this
deflection error depends on the type of ordnance being used. With bombs, there is no last-minute
correction for deflection. Kicking in rudder to move the pipper to the desired aimpoint will not
appreciably affect the trajectory of the bomb, and your hit will not be improved. Rolling into an angle
of bank at the last moment will not be effective either, because the pendulum effect will cause a false
sight picture. You must recognize the problem early in the run, make a correction using small
amounts of bank, and be sure that your wings are level at release.
Conversely, with forward-firing ordnance, it is possible to use your rudder to make a last-minute
correction for pipper deflection. Unlike bombs, forward-firing ordnance will initially travel in the
direction it is fired, even in unbalanced flight where the firing direction is not the same as the aircraft
direction of flight. The ordnance will then curve as it aligns itself with the relative wind. Because of
this realigning tendency, you cannot simply move the pipper over to the desired aimpoint. You must
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