FLIGHT TRAINING INSTRUCTION T-45 WEAPONS/STRIKE - Cnatra

CHAPTER EIGHT T-45 WEAPONS/STRIKE
At Release:
1. Note airspeed, altitude and pipper placement.
Figure 8-30 At Release
Now let’s take a detailed look at what we reference for line-up corrections.
Line-Up Corrections
In the old iron sight days of the TA-4J and T-45A, we were taught to roll-in with the manual
pipper lined up on the aimpoint (offset or bull). During the run, it was necessary to make
constant lateral corrections into the wind to keep the pipper over the aimpoint to correct for the
aircraft’s lateral drift. We were taught to use the pipper for our line-up control. We still could
do that today with the T-45C, but it wouldn’t make much sense to teach a method that is no
longer in use or even practiced EVER in a fleet airframe. The older-style fleet aircraft, the
MANUAL delivery mode was the back-up mode in case your system went down in-flight and
you still needed to get ordnance on-target when Marines were dying on the ground. In today’s
fleet aircraft, CCIP is that back-up mode, “manual” mode is not addressed in training. In the
T-45C, we teach you the proper procedures of computed deliveries in both our delivery modes
(MAN or CCIP) by referencing the Velocity Vector and pitch ladders.
The T-45C has the advantage of having an uncaged HUD and Velocity Vector (VV). In the
uncaged mode, the Velocity Vector and Pitch Ladders are tied together in that the VV will
always be in the center of the pitch ladders. Together, the pitch ladders and VV show where the
aircraft is going. When we command weapon release, the bomb continues on that same path of
the VV (one of those Newton Laws of motion) essentially imparting the VV to the front of the
bomb. We will use this to help us solving for our 3 – 9 line correction. Lateral corrections will
8-30 DELIVERY PROCEDURES AND TRACKING TECHNIQUES