Nice one, Alan, going to try and make the flight tonight.

I hope to have a Portcullis training sortie running on my Server this evening. I shall be on Teamspeak from 1930.

Is this open to all? I shall try to make it but I have daughters birthday party. She's 17 so I'm assuming I'm not invited.

A-10C Operating Procedures for Portcullis

During our practice for Portcullis on 16 Jul, a number of points came up, which I have made notes about.

Formation. Our formation was pretty much ‘same way – same day’. I suggest that, for Portcullis, we standardise on a spread 4 formation while in transit. No 1 and 2 fly a 30°-45° wedge, with a spacing of 100-200 yds. The No 3 and 4 fly the same formation but spaced about 2-4 nm abeam the first pair. This allows good cross cover for each pairs 6 o’clock by the other pair, and allows easy separation of the 2 pairs once in the ‘target-rich’ environment. There are likely to be few significant turns en-route to and from the target area, and minor turns of less than 30° can be coped with.

In the Area. Once in the thick of it, it will be easier for each pair to operate largely autonomously, each operating in different areas if possible. This will allow one ac from each pair to take it in turn to act as ‘Shooter’ and ‘Watcher’. The shooter concentrates on the identified target, and the watcher stays 1 mile or so behind watching for any incoming ground fire or other hazard. They alternate as the pair lead sees fit, and lead may order simultaneous attacks where he sees fit.

Survival. Avoiding SAMs should be our bread and butter and our primary concern will probably be any incoming Red fighter. Everyone should listen out on AWACs and respond accordingly. The aim should not be to tangle with a fighter or fighters. We have good EW and excellent manoeuvrability- especially going down. In extremis roll-over and pull for the ground – deploying airbrakes, chaff and flares as appropriate – and obviously away from any SAMs – but we will know where they are – won’t we. Remember one A-10c is worth a dozen ground targets (in most cases), but especially if I am in that A-10. If we lose an aircraft, we lose it for the whole of the war. Similarly don’t jettison your weapons at the first sign of trouble – in any case I am not sure that they will be a hindrance if we are heading flat out for the deck.

Triangulation. This was mentioned as a way of locating a critical target without getting too close, for example a Tunguska or a Tor. The simplest, albeit time-consuming, way is to use 2 ac approaching the SAM target together. The ‘shooter’ approaches the RWR trace directly, using his TGP to scan the ground at, say 8 nm ahead, The watcher flies parallel to the shooter, while maintaining the same 8 nm distance abeam him. When the watcher’s RWR trace is at 45° to his track he call ‘Fix’, at which point the shooter makes a Mark (8 nm ahead). This Mark should then be within a mile or two of where the SAM is, thus allowing both ac to scan the area or the target. As I say a bit time consuming. But if this is done on the initial run in to the target area, it could be worthwhile.

Leading. If you are leading always be aware of your formation members. Don’t use more than 92%, or less than 75% unless it is essential. Try and make formation manoeuvres as infrequent and gentle as you can, and fly at sensible speeds. Keep an eye on what they are doing, keep them informed of what you are doing, and give them time to do their ‘housekeeping’ - fuel checks etc. Use SADL and warn anyone who is in danger of going somewhere, or doing something, silly. Depart and rejoin using standard procedures.

The draft of the pre-flt brief for the A-10Cs is attached. It may change slightly, but most of the essential details are there. There will not be time on the night, for all the frequencies, heights, routes, procedures etc to be repeated in detail several times. So do read it now, and if you have any questions or suggestions to improve it, please let me know.

I have also prepared a mission which allows up to 8 A-10s to fly on representative targets in the area. It includes, a suitable weapon load, routes and targets, for practice either as a singleton, or, for better value, as a formation. It will be running tonight (Sunday 19th) between 1900 and 2200, on my server, and again tomorrow, at various times during the day and in the evening.

There's no need to send me your brief guys, I just need a message to say that you've received your part of the FRAG and that you are ready to go once you have your planning done.

Hopefully, by the third mission you will also be planning your own waypoints as well, I'm just trying to phase things in so as to not overload anyone straight off the bat.

Thank you Alan, seem to me a very efective strategy.
Would be great if we could train it, wouln't be?
What you say about thursdays?

Those of you who have already looked at the brief - 3 posts earlier - will have spotted that I put down the wrong frequency for Al Dahfra - it should be 126.5 and not 125.6. Sorry about that.

Guys,

I'm very sorry but I won't make it tonight. Not finished what I am doing at work and can see me being here for couple hours more

I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it either.
Have a good evening.