Attack Profiles

"In the brief they told us not to hit the shrine and we said, ‘Okay, we won’t.’ That was it. It wasn’t a concern. The airplane is accurate." - Capt. Mark "Bones" Wetzel

Although it's easy to see that in the F-15E you have a lot of tools at your disposal to put ordnance accurately on target, proper planning for attack setup is still required. In our first F-15 Tips and Tactics article, we explored the overview process on missions planning. This article will delve into the ways you should set up for the attack. Selection and execution of your attack profile will allow you to put your bombs on-target even when the SAMs and AAA start flying, enemy planes are in the air, and target identification becomes and issue.

Ground Attack Patterns

Part of the mission planning process involves how you will approach, attack, and leave your target. When planning your method of attack the flight commander should take into consideration the following factors:

• Target – location, size, composition, coordinates, and photos
• Threats – location, type, numbers, status, and capability
• Force composition – flight size and support assets
• Weapons – guided/dumb and numbers
• Delivery – target designation, weapons accuracy/effectiveness radar/visual

The final attack profile will take into consideration all these factors and will provide the best compromise between target destruction and crew safety. Let's take a look at several available attack profiles and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Level – Also called a Laydown or Low Altitude Release Bomb (LARB), this profile is usually conducted from low altitude (< 5,000 AGL) and should be conducted (depending on the size of the ordnance) below 1000 ft. Level delivery involves tracking the target along your approach heading in a strait and level flight path. Altitude and speed are constant as you near the target. Once the ordnance is dropped, you may egress from the target along any chosen flight path. Because the target can be difficult to see when approaching strait and level (low altitude approaches do not give you a lot of sighting distance), the preferred launch profile is usually AUTO. Because of the use of AUTO mode, this attack profile is sometimes called a Systems Delivery.

Click the illustration for a full size drawing.

Advantages include less maneuvering for ease of control, capability to attack under a low cloud cover, reduced exposure to air and ground threats, and lower overall crew workload. Disadvantages include visual acquisition difficulty and frag de-confliction (separation) between formation members. Due to the disadvantages of the level attack profile and the accuracy of the F-15E using other profiles, it is usually the last choice, forced by weather, degraded systems, or weapon tactics restrictions.

High Altitude Release Bomb (HARB) – Also called High Altitude Systems Delivery (HASD), this attack profile is similar in nature to the Level profile, but differs in its bomb release height. Heights can vary from 5000 ft. AGL to upwards of 25,000 ft. AGL, but is dependent on weapon release and ballistic characteristics. This profile relies on the AUTO release mode, and is better suited to LGBs. CDIP release mode can be used, but is affected by possible trajectory/release point (pilot) errors as well as system management/ranging (computer) errors.

Like the Level profile, the HARB has the advantages of less maneuvering and lower crew workload and adds the advantages of reduced exposure to AAA, potential energy in dealing with SAM threats, and frag de-confliction. Disadvantages include increased exposure to air threats and ground-based high-altitude SAMS, poor target visibility, and increased exposure to variations in atmospheric conditions that may affect bomb performance.

Loft – This profile combines the standoff from the fragmentation envelope and threat advantages of a medium altitude level delivery with the low exposure profile of a low altitude level attack. Although visual acquisition is not a viable back up for this delivery, with a good target designation and use of the AUTO LOFT release mode, the loft delivery can be as accurate as a level delivery with F-15E avionics. Munitions such as CBUs can be delivered from low altitude using the loft maneuver, something not possible in a low altitude level attack. Due to the standoff aspect of this delivery, fragmentation clearance is not a factor for the attacking flight, but maneuvering during a loft attack and the subsequent egress can be complex. Other disadvantages include increased exposure to threat envelopes, but this is partially mitigated by the three dimensional maneuvering of the profile and the standoff range from the target. Another disadvantage is the level of aircrew workload required to accomplish this profile, especially at night.

Given all other profiles, I would tend to look at this one first. The loft profile is simpler that other profiles (though not as simple as the Level delivery), it gives good protection from ground-based and airborne detection, and provides a means to rapidly remove you from any ground threats that are protecting the target area. Because of the higher crew workload than the Level profile, it method requires practice, practice, practice!

Offset Pop – This low altitude profile is used to get the aircraft into a position to delivery low or high drag weapons using CDIP release with minimal exposure. High drag munitions can be delivered from a shallow (10º) dive with low release altitudes, while low drag munitions require a 20º-30º dive and corresponding higher release to satisfy all weapons effects, dive recovery, and frag clearance requirements.

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Because the pilot uses a CDIP designation and minimum release range, this profile is very accurate. The aggressive maneuvering in the pull-up, pull-down, and escape maneuvers make the aircraft difficult to track, and exposure is planned to be the minimum required. Formation support is enhanced, as the flight members in the pop are easily visible to those at low altitude. With a high enough release altitude, frag de-confliction is simplified, and several aircraft can attack the target in just a few seconds.

This profile is not very flexible, however. It requires precise planning and execution, and is task saturating, especially in multi-ship formations. A minor navigation error can plan the aircraft either well inside or outside planned attack parameters. During the tacking period, the aircraft must be flown in a strait and level attitude to ensure accurate CDIP pipper placement.

Direct Pop – This delivery adapts the pop-up attack to night LANTIRN operations. By using a straight-ahead pull-up and pull-down (zero off angle), no offset to the pull-up point is required – just a range to the target. Using the N-F HUD display, the pilot can confirm the target area visually at night, re-designate (if required) and attack the target with AUTO or CDIP. The direct pop is planned as a primary attack or as a back up to a LOFT.

In most cases, however, the disadvantages make this a delivery adapted to very few situations. For range to the target to accomplish the maneuver, the pilot still requires an accurate designation. The maneuver can be very disorienting, and there is a potential for the pilot to misinterpret the HUD/ADI displays. First-look target identification in the N-F is feasible only for large targets, such as buildings, industrial complexes, or airfields. There may be situations, however, where the direct pop gives the best combination of threat avoidance and target detection and destruction.

Dive Toss – This delivery is a low altitude attack profile which combines standoff capability with visual acquisition/designation benefits. Initially, the profile is like an Offset Pop, but with a pull-up 2-3nm further away from the target. This results in a shallow dive to enable finding and designating the target with the HUD pipper or TD diamond, followed by an AUTO or CDIP release and recovery outside threat ranges.

Advantages in addition to standoff from threats and frag include liberal tracking parameters, positive visual ID of the target, and the ability to designate the target and then select a different attack axis. Disadvantages are similar to those for the loft delivery, including task saturation, exposure to threats, difficulty in visual acquisition from longer ranges, and less accuracy than a CDIP delivery.

HRM/Patch Map process – IP setup

After your basic attack profile and approach angle have been selected, it will be important to select several aim points by which you can make radar system updates and target designations. To obtain usable HRM presentations without excessive maneuvering or exposure to threats, several factors must be considered during the approach to target.

• Plan your HRM designation leg 15-25 nm from target - this is of course dependent on attack profile, but 15-25 nm should be a good starting point for most approaches
• The HRM mapping leg should have you offset from the target - a good rule-of-thumb is to take the map between 30º and 50º off the nose – your approach angle should reflect this offset to target
• Based on how you set up your waypoints, you may have to turn off autopilot (or use ALT HOLD A/P only) to offset the aircraft to the proper angle for HRM map generation
• During your HRM mapping leg make sure that your line of sight to the target falls within the parameters of good HRM illumination - intervening terrain, distance, and offset angle can all affect the proper map generation
• If conditions permit, take as many maps as necessary to properly designate the target – continue to step down in resolution to get the most accurate picture of the target
• Do not allow the aircraft to be exposed longer than is necessary during the HRM mapping process
• Using your briefing data, identify significant features such as large bridges, buildings, or airfields during map generation – this will help you get a solid bearing on your DMPI
• Remember that the briefing intel is always aligned to the north and your angle of approach may not be with this heading - try to visualize your approach and remember than the view of the target may look a little different than it did in the target briefing.

Within F-15 you have the option during the initial briefing to assign waypoints that reflect a proper flight path that gives you enough time to create a good HRM. Plan your route accordingly and make sure you are familiar with the assigned WPs for target illumination and designation.

Target ID and designation

Target identification and designation is probably one of the most difficult aspects of mud moving. This is complicated when the target(s) are located in a object-rich environment such as a city or airbase. ID'ing a fixed SCUD launcher in the middle of AAA, SAM, vehicle and building objects is problematic. Suffice to say that only careful planning will achieve success.

Step 1 - Study the TARGETING map carefully in the mission briefing. Take note (and I do mean take note - write/draw if necessary) of major landmarks near the target such as a bridge, runway, large building, etc. Memorize their relative distance/direction from the target area. Zoom in and out to get a good perspective of the situation. Make note of your approach angle and relative heading during your target run and egress.

Step 2 - Look for each Direct Mean Point of Impact (DMPI, or dimpy) in the TARGETING view.

Continued in Part II