Weapons Delivery Principles and Procedures
Weapons
ALTIMETER LAG
Always cross-check to make sure that your HUD altimeter readouts are the same as your heads-down
baro and radar altimeters. Because of lag, you will have to do this in level flight. The HUD's electronic
altimeter readout should not lag, so if your release altitude is 3,000 AGL, hit your pickle when the baro-
metric altitude readout on the HUD is 3,000, plus or minus target elevation. However, ordinary baromet-
ric 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 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 20 above.
Corrections for Dive Angle
You can read your dive angle directly from the pitch scale on your HUD. Depending on tracking tech-
nique, 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 correc-
tion 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 ft 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 accelerate 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 minimum 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 correc-
tions. 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 kts fast
at release, you can compensate either by pickling 200 ft high or by pickling at normal altitude with the
pipper 100 ft short of the target. If you are 20 kts slow, you can allow the pipper to drift 100 ft past the
target by release altitude. Never release below minimum release altitude to correct for a dive parameter
or for any other reason.
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