Training Tuesday – Contested Airfield Procedures

Background

Master Arms have found themselves operating out of Kutaisi Airbase with hostile guerillas hiding in the mountainous woodlands north and south of the Kutaisi flatlands. These entities are in possession of improvised AAA platforms and believed to have been supplied with Igla MANPAD systems. Local security forces can only do so much – they patrol and secure a 5 NM radius around Kutaisi Airbase but not more. We must therefore adopt Contested Airfield Procedures to avoid and mitigate these threats when departing and approaching Kutaisi.

Contested Airfield Procedures

Contested Airfield Procedures, according to Danish self-proclaimed defense expert Mags Magsen, have three primary objectives:
1. Deny as many enemy engagement opportunities as possible.
2. Minimize duration of enemy engagement opportunities.
3. Minimize chance of success of enemy engagements.

…while maintaining acceptable safety-of-flight. There are three procedures currently applied to achieve these objectives:

1. Low-altitude high-speed departure Tacview
   Fly runway heading, trailing echelon formation, gear up, continue acceleration, descend to 200-300 ft AGL, maintain 500+ kts and continue departure on radial provided by ATC. Once 15-20 NM from airfield, perform a military-power zoom climb to minimum 15 000 ft, while employing a countermeasures program.
2. Low-altitude high-speed approach, with tactical pop-up break Tacview
   15-20 NM from airfield, make a 500+ kts transition to 200-300 ft AGL and maintain 500+ kts. Approach approximately in runway heading in trailing echelon formation. Random deviations in approach radial is tactically beneficial. Once over or close to the runway 200-300 ft AGL, perform a 5 G break procedure similar to an overhead break, but during the break turn climb to 1500 ft AGL, exit turn downwind and land using standard procedure while employing a countermeasures program.
3. High altitude steep tactical spiral approach Tacview
   Approach airfield 15 000 ft AGL or above in approximately runway heading, 300-350 kts. Once directly above the airfield extend airbrake, initiate a 60 degree bank with 15-20 degree descent angle. When passing 12 000 ft AGL, activate a countermeasures program, if available. Exit the descending spiral in reciprocal runway heading ~1500 ft and land using standard procedure while employing a countermeasures program. The procedure can be considered an overhead break using a spiral turn from 15 000 ft. 2-ship flights can either maintain loose echelon formation during the spiral, or can perform separation prior to descending.

To further increase safety, ATC will give out randomized departure radials using MANPRS (Man-Portable Randomization Systems, known among civilians as dice).

If you find yourself taking enemy fire, employ countermeasures and maneuver erratically – DO NOT maintain straight and level flight.

Advanced pilots may further increase low-altitude safety by avoiding straight-and-level flight pre-emptively.

It is recommended but not required to prepare low-intensity countermeasures programming that runs for 30-40 seconds.

Slow aircraft/helicopters

Slow aircraft and helicopters use same/similar procedures and maintain as high speed as practically possible and employ countermeasures liberally.

Training instructions

Sign up, then organize yourselves into 2-ship flights or singletons and practice the 3 outlined procedures in described order. Feel free to add a quick bomb run to your flight plan, but focus on the Contested Airfield Procedures training.

Low altitude high speed departure

Low altitude high speed approach with popup break

High altitude tactical descent approach