Communications

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Matt
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Communications

Post by Matt »

Communications are paramount to work successfully as a team with minimal crosstalk or unneeded chit chat, therefore i feel the minimal standards are listed below for how we expect to operate as a effective unit.

OCU Communications Lesson

Discipline
Radio comms are a major risk during a tactical engagement or operation. Both enemy and friendly forces have very accurate and sensitive detection and tracking equipment which can pinpoint a transmission and derive speed, heading and (if they can decrypt) they can use the information contained in the broadcast. Many flights from takeoff to landing will have no comms used at all.
This doesn't mean that the radios cannot be used but we have to change the way we use the comms so that using the radio is the exception and not the rule. To be clear, if you want to chat to break the boredom you are in the wrong role!! Flown properly and precisely a low-level attack mission will not leave you with time on your hands, in fact you will be happy to be left alone to concentrate - if you fly 350 miles at 150ft and 420KIAS to bomb a bridge and you miss you'll be kicking yourself if you weren't fully focussed.

Calls
Often radio calls are initiated by the Flight Lead and no-one else unless a problem arises.

During startup pilots will set their radios as directed in the flight brief and await the Lead to call "Enfield check in on (pre-briefed freq)". The response is always in numerical sequence and is simply to respond on freq with: "2" "3" "4" etc at the end of which Lead will call "All loud and clear" once every aircraft has checked in. This may be repeated on a second frequency, after which radio discipline is applied unless Flight Lead makes any further calls.
Often after takeoff it will be necessary for the Flight to change frequency as briefed. Lead will call "Enfield push to (pre-briefed freq), go". At this point all aircraft will change frequency and again respond in numerical order as before. It is not a race, do not break the order of response.
When radio calls are made, they are made using the brevity codes and kept as brief and concise as possible. A good tip is to rehearse the words in your head before hitting transmit. There's nothing worse than hearing "Er...Lead, this is three...er, no, sorry, two....there's something dropping down behind you at your...er.....four ish...no...eight ish..." etc instead of a nice crisp "Lead, three, contact your six, break right, go deffensive".

Signals
To minimise the use of the radio in RL, pilots use a variety of hand-signals and aircraft movements to convey an instruction. DCS does not provide hand-signals but several options are used in lieu.

TrackIR allows other fliers to see head movements for example, so on the OCU this will be briefed as the signal to release brakes on takeoff. The Leader will turn his/her head towards the flight 90 deg's and snap his/her head forward to signal "Brakes Off".
Once airborne and formed up a rudder waggle causing the Lead aircraft to yaw left/right is a signal to "Push out to a wider formation" or perform a pre-briefed action.
A wing-flash (rolling the Lead aircraft left/right in quick succession) signals "Go line abreast" or perform a pre-briefed action.
Comms Lesson plan.pdf
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Air Commodore Matt Purnell - RAF Air UK
CO 1(F) Squadron
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0413 Luis

Re: Communications

Post by 0413 Luis »

Right on target for my research.
Thank you for share.

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