Operational Navigation Flight Training Instruction
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
As a student Naval pilot, you are training for a wide variety of tactical and strategic missions. Specific
tactics have been developed for each type of mission and are frequently updated and improved to keep
pace with new technology and enemy defenses. With all the differing technology, however, some of the
goals and requirements of flying these missions remain the same. You must be able to navigate to a
target, successfully perform your assigned task, and egress to friendly territory. In order to perform the
mission and return safely, you must avoid detection, potentially hazardous locations, and enemy defenses.
Enemy defenses improve with technology and vary in intensity and employment. Despite intelligence
reports, pilots face an unknown element over enemy territory and tactics must be flexible. You must be
able to plan your mission around the best intelligence available, taking advantage of terrain, weather,
tactics, and weaknesses in enemy defenses.
Sophisticated navigation equipment has extended operational capabilities beyond the restrictions of night
or adverse weather. However, no enemy nation will provide you with a convenient TACAN/DME fix or a
VOR to help you get to your target. In addition, battle damage may deny you the use of your inertial
navigation system. You must, therefore, be prepared to carry out your mission using dead reckoning
.echniques (time, distance, and heading) to update position with reference to geographic checkpoints.
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The operational navigation flight procedures are thus an important segment of training for strike pilots.
The purpose of this training stage is twofold: (1) to introduce mission planning and chart interpretation for
correct pilotage methods, and (2) to introduce basic ACCU reconnaissance techniques.
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