Weapons
Weapons Delivery Principles And Procedures
RELEASE
In a bomb or rocket run, the weapon is normally released as the pipper reaches the final aimpoint at
release altitude, as stated. In a strafing run, however, there is no single release altitude. Instead,
there is an open-fire altitude and a cease-fire altitude. In a 10-degree strafing run, these altitudes are
1,100 ft AGL and 800 ft AGL. The pipper should be at the top of the target when open-fire altitude is
reached, and should be eased toward the bottom of the target. This compensates for decreasing
slant range and consequent decrease in effect of gravity on the weapon.
ERROR CORRECTIONS DURING RUN
The previous section described what should happen during an ideal run. In practice, you will find that
it is difficult to achieve an ideal run. Although you must strive to arrive at the release point with
proper airspeed, dive angle, and so on, you will frequently find that at least one of your delivery
parameters is in error. In such a case, if you simply continue the run and release at normal altitude,
you will miss the target. In the Training Command, you have the option of aborting the run and trying
again. In a combat environment, however, you normally get just one chance. Even on a training
flight there is a limit to the number of runs you can abort and still expend all your ordnance within the
allotted target time. Therefore, you must learn to make corrections during your run for each type of
error that can occur.
ERROR SENSITIVITIES
In order to make proper corrections, you must know how much each error will affect your accuracy.
We have already discussed in general terms the effects of deviating from each of the various
parameters such as airspeed, dive angle and altitude. For example, we showed that a dive angle
steeper than planned will cause a long hit, so releasing high can compensate for a steep dive angle.
However, in order to actually make such a correction, you must know how high to release to compen-
sate for each degree you are steep. In other words, for each type of run, you must know exactly how
dive angle, airspeed, and altitude affect accuracy, and how they relate to one another. The table
(Figure 29) summarizes this information and should be memorized.
TABLE OF ERROR SENSITIVITIES
Dive Angle
Airspeed
Release Alt
Error
=
10 bombs
+/-1
=
+/-10 kt
=
-/+70 ft
+80 ft
=
-/+100 ft
+30 ft
+/-1
=
+/-10 kt
=
10 strafe
=
-/+100 ft
+50 ft
20 bombs
+/-1
=
+/-10 kt
=
=
-/+100 ft
+20 ft
20 rockets
+/-1
=
+/-10 kt
=
=
-/+100 ft
+50 ft
30 bombs
+/-1
=
+/-10 kt
=
-/+100 ft
=
+20 ft
30 rockets
+/-1
=
+/-10 kt
=
Figure 29: TABLE OF ERROR SENSITIVITIES
This table shows, for example, that a 1-degree error in dive angle in a 30-degree bomb run will cause
your hit to be 50 feet long or short, and that a 10-knot airspeed error will have the same effect. How
these relationships can be used in a run will be discussed below.
Page 38
(4-03) Original
Previous Page
