FAC SOP

Pre Flight FAC Contact

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-A FAC aircraft has a roughly defined area to patrol to search for targets.
-It's important to know the general AO in order to sucessfully locate the FAC in
flight.
-Knowing the grid square or distance from Bulls the FAC is operating allows the
strike package
to vector to the FAC to make contact quickly and efficiently.
-i.e. "Colt 1 operating vicinity Easy Jig." "FAC operating withing 10 miles of
Bulls."

FAC requests for strikes on Targets of Opportunity

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-A FAC can redirect aircraft for a strike of Targets of Opportunity at the flight
lead's discretion.
-Strike flights enroute to nonessential targets are ideal, but any aircraft can
respond.
-The FAC will put out a call on Guard Frequency and provide a two digit MGRS grid
and a brief target description.
-i.e. "Colt 1 to Coalition Aircraft on Guard, I have a Target of Opportunity
vicinity Easy Jig 99. Break.
Hard target, ordnance required, contact on CASnet channel 2, over."

Strike Flight requests for FAC targets

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-If notified of a FAC in the area before a flight, a strike flight can
contact the FAC enroute to a briefed target to obtain a Target of Opportunity.
-If a strike flight has difficulty locating a briefed target, the breifed target
has already been hit,
or the strike flight has remaining ordnance, they can contact the FAC for further
taskings.
-i.e. "FAC aircraft, Cobra flight, two ship F-86 with rockets, request tasking,
over."

Bringing the Strike Flight in

-----------------------------
-As a FAC, it is essential to bring strike aircraft to your location quickly and
with minimal comms
to ensure the safety of the flight from enemy aircraft, ground fire, and fuel
shortages.
-Getting a flight to your location is as easy as giving the two digit grid of the
Initial Point.
-i.e. "Tiger flight, Colt 3, target vicinity Easy King 52, prepare to copy 9 line
CAS request, over."
-At this point, the strike flight heads for the given grid. When ready, the flight
lead copies the 9 line.
-i.e. "Colt 3, Tiger lead, 20 miles out, standing by to copy 9 line, over."

The 9 Line
----------
-The standard 9 Line CAS Request is a simple way to pass all required information
to the strike flight.
-Given enough loiter time before the strike flight arrives, a FAC can plan the
strike from start to finish
by doing a bit of math and a lot of map work.
-Ideally, a FAC will be able to give accurate numbers tailored to a strike flight's
loadout.
-i.e. A strike flight with bombs requires a steeper dive than one with rockets,
which translates to a shorter distance from the initial point to the target.

9 Line CAS Request

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1) IP Location [MGRS]
2) Heading (IP to Target)[Degrees]
3) Distance (IP to Target) [NM]
4) Target Elevation [Feet MSL]
5) Target Description
6) Target Location [MGRS]
7) Target Mark
8) Friendly Location [Degrees and Distance]
9) Egress Direction [Degrees]
Remarks (Weather, Terrain, AAA)

9 Line CAS Request Example

--------------------------
"Cobra Lead, Colt 2, prepare to copy 9 line CAS request, over."
"Colt 2, Cobra Lead, standing by to copy 9 line, over."
"Cobra Lead, Colt 2, 9 line as follows: Line 1, easy jig niner two niner two, small
town, one-seven thousand, break."
"Line 2, zero three five. Line 3, two point eight miles. Line 4, two thousand,
break."
"Line 5, eight vehicle convoy on a road heading zero three five. Line 6, easy jig
niner five niner five, break."
"Line 7, aircraft smoke as needed. Line 8, none. Line 9, left three zero zero,
break."
"Remarks, moderate triple a threat from convoy and town. How copy, over?"
-Strike flight requests readback of missed lines.
-i.e. "Colt 2, Cobra Lead, say again lines 6 and 9, over."

Creating the 9 Line

-------------------
-Given enough time, a FAC can make a detailed 9 line suited to the individual
aircraft he is controlling.
However, they can be simplified when time is a factor or if the FAC is unsure of
certain factors. Lines
5-8 are requirements for the FAC to give when passing a fast 9 line, other lines
are simply "Pilot's
Discretion."
-Try to plan out the route to take out guesswork and reduce workload on the strike
flight leader.

The 9 Line through the eyes of a FAC

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1) The point at which the strike pilot will roll in on the target. Ideally he will
be 90 degrees to the target at this point. It helps to have a good idea of what
the initial point is, whether it be a town, an river, or a clearing, something
to help the pilot make sure he is positioned properly for the roll in, and for
you
to visually ID the aircraft before the attack. Select a point based first on the

desired attack heading, then distance to the target. Also helpful to the pilot
is a
desired altitude. Take into account target elevation as well! Be sure to take
into
account his dive angle, dependent on ordnance. Plug distance to target and dive
angle into a right triangle to calculate roll in altitude.
2) The heading at which the strike pilot will fly from the IP to the target. If the
target requires a certain attack heading, such as to hit a line of trucks or to
avoid an AAA threat, place desired heading here.
3) Distance from the IP to the target. Make sure the desired IP is neither too far
nor
too close to the target. Dive angles are important to a strike pilot and
dependant
on distance to target, so ensure you know their loadout in order to properly
choose.
4) Height at which the target sits MSL. Don't forget to include this in your
calculations
when giving out a desired roll in altitude.
5) The target description needs to be breif but thorough. Number of targets, their
orientation, nearby landmarks, anything that helps a pilot home in on the target
you are looking at. Start big, and work smaller. For example, start with the
shape
of a town, then which cardinal direction of the town the target is in, then a
building,
and finally the target itself.
6) MGRS coordinate of the target center of mass.
7) Target mark can be acheived in a few different ways. The best way is to have
ground
forces mark the area with smoke. Another way is to, as a FAC, fire one or two HE
rockets at the target from a standoff range and talk the pilots onto the target
from
those impacts. Finally, a FAC can pop wingtip smoke to mark the desired attack
heading
and IP for the strike pilots. When using this technique, it is helpful to have
the
pilots orbiting directly above the IP at altitude and for the FAC to be as low
as
possible to avoid distortion.
8) Friendly force location will be given by a cardinal direction and a distance.
i.e.
east 1.2 miles.
9) Choose an egress direction to help the strike pilots avoid any known or possible
flak
threats. Give the direction as a left or right followed by the desired heading.
Remarks: Use plainspeak to notify the strike pilots of threats, be it weather, AAA,
or terrain.

The 9 Line through the eyes of the Strike Pilot

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1) The IP is the point you want to be over when you roll wings level on the run in.
Approach
the IP at 90 degrees to the desired roll in heading and at the given altitude.
Find the
reference point the FAC used to mark the IP, because the whole rest of the
attack relies
on following the instruction provided by the FAC.
2) The heading to be on when you roll wings level in your attack run.
3) Distance from the IP to the target. The FAC should have made sure your dive
angle checks
out, but you might have to flex a bit on your dive angle.
4) Set your bombing altimeter to the appropriate release height given the target
altitude.
5) Try to ID the target before you even roll in, but if you follow the FAC's
instruction,
you shouldn't even need to.
6) Center of mass of the target, used for reference before the roll in.
7) Target will ideally be marked by ground forces, but in the absence of that, the
FAC can
provide high explosive targets at standoff range and talk the pilots in via the
explosions. If rockets are not an option, FAC can provide a mark in the form of
drawing
the IP and desired attack heading with aircraft smoke on the deck.
8) Do not engage on a heading that puts danger close friendly forces in the splash
of
long or short ordnance.
9) Egress route as determined by the FAC as being the safest way to avoid terrain
and ground fire.
Remarks: Helpful, non essential notes as provided by the FAC to give a more clear
picture
of the situation on the ground.

Comms on the roll in

--------------------
-"Colt, Cobra, contact smoke, tally target."
-"Colt off left."
-"Cobra flight is thunder south."
-"Visual Cobra flight, cleared hot."
-"Cobra flight off left, wheel to IP."
-Comms from when the target is spotted to when the ordnance is released is
important for
a number of reasons, including deconfliction and situational awareness.
-Note the above comms. Cobra calls to say they have visual on the smoke mark, then
visual
of the target itself. Cobra then calls out the direction they are attacking from
with "Thunder".
Colt reports visual tally of the strike aircraft, confirming they are hitting the
correct target,
and at that point clears them hot. Cobra calls off left to wheel back to the IP,
setting up for
another attack as needed. Situational awareness is key, with an emphasis on
knowing strike direction.

Airspace Deconfliction
----------------------
-The airspace above a target can get busy quickly with more than one strike flight
standing by
for the attack. Lateral and vertical seperation can be used to avoid unnecessary
coalition
casualties.
-Lateral seperation refers to the distance between flights as seen on a map.
Prefered lateral
seperation is 2.5 miles.
-Vertical seperation refers to the altitude difference between two flights.
Prefered vertical
seperation between two flights is 5,000 feet.
-Stack aircraft based on type, ordnance, and attack order.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses of ordnance

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-.50 Cals are decent at taking out light targets, such as infantry, watchtowers,
tents, and trucks.
It is possible to destroy APCs with a .50, but anything heavier will only be
tickled.
-The Spit's 20mm Cannons are great at taking out light targets, and their range
allows for
a certain level of standoff despite the aircraft's slow speed.
-Rockets will knock out anything short of a bunker. Soft targets are ideal, and the
natural spread
allows for a shotgun effect, making area targets viable. Hard targets such as
tanks require a direct
hit, but the accuracy that can be achieved with them, it is certainly possible.
Perhaps the greatest
advantage of rockets is the standoff capability, allowing the pilot to stay out of
reach of medium
AAA threats.
-Bombs will take out any problem on the battlefield. Coming in at a steep angle
allows the pilot to
avoid most AAA, and releasing bombs individually in a dive allows for some spread
to help achieve
a hit on target.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses of aircraft

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-The Sabre is a great multirole aircraft given it's long loiter time at altitude,
it's wide selection
of ordnance, and it's high speed. Rockets, bombs, and centerline .50's are a great
combination for
ground attack. However, short loiter times down low, the massive amount of exhaust
produced, and the
need for speeds excess of .80 mach are items to consider when vectoring the
aircraft in.
-The Mustang is a great FAC aircraft and a capable strike aircraft. The same
ordnance options as the
Sabre, with much higher loiter times and lower visability make for a great low-
threat strike aircraft.
Low speeds, lack of options in a dogfight, and susceptibility to ground fire need
to be considered.
-The Spit, while slow, also makes for a capable strike aircraft. Bombs and the 20mm
cannons make it
a threat to any ground target. Low speeds and a short loiter time hamper, but
don't stop, the Spit.

Attacking Again
---------------
-While one pass haul ass is the desired method, sometimes ordnance misses. In this
case it is best
to notify the FAC before rolling back in. Set up an attack based on the initial 9
line's IP, contacting
the FAC to clear the attack. Again, effective comms are incredibly important in
FAC situations.

Battle Damage Assessment

------------------------
-The initial BDA will be done as the flight is setting up for a second attack. FAC
will notify whether
ordnance was long, short, left , or right of the target with approximate distance.
Once the flight has
has expended ordnance, a more detailed BDA will be given to the pilots. Number and
type of targets
destroyed, followed by a "Successful" or "Unsuccessful" should the target be more
or less than 50%
destroyed.
-Leave BDA to the FAC!