JTAC Procedures

[doctapp]

Hi guys,

I've been doing some JTAC work and I have a few questions on the procedures:

- When should you initiate JTAC? Right before your IP?

- When/how should you locate the target?

- Should you do multiple passes following the ingress/egress or hold before entering ingress?

- What's the radio protocol for this (use Contact to validate, wait for JTACT to confirm...)?

- How do you perform multiple passes?

Also, is it me or is the data link broken cause most of the time the 9-line nor a TAD target gets to my aircraft?

Thanks!

[Eddie]

We don't use the AI JTAC at all (why would you when you can have human FAC (A)), so it's hard to comment on how to use it. In my experience it wasn't exactly great.

That said, I'll try and answer your questions, although some aspects may or may not be possible with the AI system.

- When should you initiate JTAC? Right before your IP?

At the Contact Point (CP), this is a point prior to your IP. You should be in contact with the FAC(A)/JTAC well before the IP, after all you can't know what the IP will be until you get passed a 9-line.

- When/how should you locate the target?

However the FAC tells you to. Normally coordinates to cue you into the approximate area followed by at mark of some sort. Ideally you should be tally on the target before attacking (seeing it through the TGP doesn't count), although in some cases a bomb on coordinate attack is desired.

- Should you do multiple passes following the ingress/egress or hold before entering ingress?

You should only do a pass when the FAC clears you in, otherwise you should be in the hold.

- What's the radio protocol for this (use Contact to validate, wait for JTACT to confirm...)?

Can't comment at all as far as the AI goes.

- How do you perform multiple passes?

Not entirely sure what your question is to be honest, can you clarify?

Also, is it me or is the data link broken cause most of the time the 9-line nor a TAD target gets to my aircraft?

Probably broken, but again can't really comment as we don't use it for FAC ops.

[doctapp]

Thanks Eddie, that clarifies a lot. I thought you guys were using AI JTAC, well at least partially

The default DCS missions I was trying out don't model JTAC using a CP, so that's why I was confused on the when part.

Also, my multiple passes question relates to when you don't hit/destroy your target. Should you wait for JTAC instructions, or initiate a new pass directly using the previous ingress/egress directions?

[Eddie]

After one pass you should contact the FAC again and onto reattack if requested/cleared to do so. The only exception to that is type 3 control, but I don't think DCS AI does that, or at least not properly.

In short, unless the FAC clears you (as an individual aircraft) hot on a pass, you don't release a weapon.

[doctapp]

DCS doesn't simulate this, but it's really interesting to know. Thanks!