SA-3 Continuously Computing Bombing Systems
Objectives
1. Identify the components of the HUD, UFCP, and MFD that support CCIP and CCRP bombing.
2. Identify how to use the avionics to perform a CCIP/CCRP bomb or a strafe pattern and delivery.
3. Determine why errors occurred and how to correct those errors.
Assignment
1. Review Lesson SA–3, Continuously Computing Bombing Systems, in the Surface Attack student guide,
B/F-V5A-K-SA-SG.
2. Review T.O. 1T-38C-1, T-38C Flight Manual, Section V for aircraft limitations.
3. Review T.O. 1T-38C-34-1-1CL-1, T-38C Flight Crew Weapon Delivery Checklist, for familiarity.
4. Review and bring T.O. 1T-38C-34-1-1, T-38C Weapon Delivery Manual to class.
5. Review and bring to class local In–Flight Guide, Surface Attack pages.
6. Complete SA–3 review exercise.
Information
1. Overview of the past.
a. Accurate weapons delivery is nothing more than achieving exact release conditions for the type weapon
involved; i.e., a release at the planned point, with perfect parameters, produces a direct hit. It really starts with the
base leg position which places the aircraft a measured distance from the target with a specific altitude and airspeed.
b. There are numerous parts to the bombing pattern; some are measured with a micrometer; others are marked
with a grease pencil; and most are cut with an axe. The base leg combines all three. Through the use of geometry,
USAF weapons school graduates computed the proper base leg altitude for all events performed at IFF in the
AT-38B, based on visual ground references, 13,000’ distance out from the target (micrometer). You needed to
adjust the distance in/out, based on head/tail wind component (grease pencil). Then you tried to fly, more or less,
over this adjusted ground track, plus or minus a couple hundred feet in altitude, plus or minus a few knots of
airspeed, and lead your turn to the adjusted AOP with the correct G and bank (dull axe).
c. The reason for this “precise” base leg position was to put the aircraft in a position so it could arrive at the
release point with the wings level and planned parameters (airspeed, altitude, pipper placement, G, and dive angle).
The trick was getting it there! The base leg must be consistent to get you on the correct “wire” relative to the
target. There are always some deviations from planned parameters. You need to attempt to reduce these
deviations, and compensate for those remaining, to achieve increased accuracy.
d. Having said all that, it is a wonder anyone could get a shack more than once in a row. Not to say that you
cannot get shacks that way but there had to be a better way to bomb. That better way is the continuously
computing bombing systems. We’ll be covering the two types in the T–38C: Continuously Computing Impact
Point (CCIP) and Continuously Computing Release Point (CCRP).
CCIP/CCRP Mechanization
Objective 1 — Identify the components of the HUD, UFCP, and MFD that support CCIP and CCRP bombing.
1. Precision bombing begins on the ground prior to flight. It does not matter if you are manually bombing or using
the CCIP or CCRP you still have to plan what you are going to do.
a. The planning for the T–38C can begin with either the Dash–34 or the Combat Weapons Delivery Software.
b. Once you know what you want to do, you have to get this information into the “computer”. The Mission
Planning Center (MPC) or Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) program allows you to make three bombing
profiles and a gun profile to take to the aircraft and load into the MDP.
c. While you are preparing the weapons programs, don’t forget to determine the declutter options you want to
use on this sortie. There is a separate MPC/JMPS page to control declutter for the HUD and MFD.
d. Once you are at the aircraft and have loaded the data to the MDP, be sure to check all of the entries and
programs on the UFCP or MFD. Remember you can only change weapon parameters on the MFD, not the UFCP.
The UFCP only allows bombsight (CCIP/CCRP/MAN) selection and which program to use.
2. Now that everyone knows the plan, including the aircraft, “How do I put it all together?” First let’s look at what is
available to us in the cockpit to help get the job done. Most of this is just a review from the A/G Master Mode lesson.
a. What is on the HUD for CCIP?
(1) Master Arm switch position: SAFE or ARM
(2) Weapons program selected: A, B, C, D, E, F and GUN
(a) Associated weapon for each selected program (BDU–33, CBU-87, MK-82H or L, or MK-
81/83/84/117)
(b) Or, if GUN is selected, A-10 or T-38
(3) Shells remaining: 450 – 20mm rounds
(4) Chaff and Flares remaining: 60 and 30
(5) Boresight Cross or aircraft waterline
(6) Flight Path Marker (FPM)
(7) Bomb Fall Line (BFL) and if release delayed, a Command Steering Line.
(8) TD Box (Target)
(9) Delay Cue if sight depression is over 170 MILs
(10) Pipper
(11) Slant range to target (100’s of ft)
(12) Time to release if the release is delayed
(13) Distance to steer point
b. What is on the MFD for CCIP/CCRP?
(1) Wind indication: both speed and direction
3. What is on the HUD for CCRP?
a. Master Arm Switch, Rounds/Chaff/Flares remaining, Boresight Cross, Flight Path Marker and TD Box are the
same as found on the CCIP HUD.
b. CCRP weapons program (A, B, C, D, E, F)
(1) Associated weapon for each selected program (BDU–33, CBU-87, MK-82H or L, or MK-81/83/84/117)
c. Azimuth Steering Line (ASL)
d. Pull–Up Cue (staple)
e. Solution Cue (bomb release)
f. Maximum Toss Anticipation Cue (circle)
g. “LOW” Cue (when applicable for CBU 87 release)
h. EGI Slant Range (NM in tenths)
i. Time–to–Pull (TPUL) or Time–to–Release (TREL) (sec)
j. Bearing/Ground Track Range to target (NM)
4. All of these items are used as we attempt to get the bomb on target. Most of these things are just like the manual
counterparts that were used in the AT–38B when all that was available was a fixed iron sight and a grease pencil. Now
that we know what we have to use, how are we going to do it?
CCIP/CCRP Employment
Objective 2 — Identify how to use the avionics to perform a CCIP/CCRP bomb or a strafe pattern.
CCIP Bombing
1. Once the spacer and designation passes are complete, the bombing can begin. Both CCIP bomb and strafe passes
are discussed in the Patterns, Procedures, and Parameters lesson.
2. Get prepared for the bombing pass on the downwind and base legs. In fact, if you need to change any switches do
it on the downwind leg. Make sure you are in the A/G master mode and have the correct weapons program selected.
3. Smoothly roll–in and roll–out on final compensating for any known winds. That is where the wind indicator on
the MFD will come in handy.
4. As you are turning to final, track the HUD boresight cross toward the Aim–Off Distance (AOD) that you
determined in your preflight planning. As you roll–out the FPM should be on your Aim–Off Point (AOP).
5. AOD is about 40% of the BFL length. So you will see a little less than half the BFL above the target.
6. With a crosswind you will need to roll–out with a drift correction. You can tell a crosswind is present by the pitch
ladder being displaced downwind and the angle of the BFL. Just a word of caution; be sure you are flying in the Drift
Free (DRF) mode of HUD operation.
7. Hold the FPM on the AOP and trim. The tendency is to let the nose come up as you accelerate down the chute.
8. Bank the aircraft as required to fly the BFL to the target. As you move forward toward the target the pipper will
appear to move up to the target. In reality the BFL is getting shorter as the distance to the target decreases. Try to
avoid the tendency to pull the pipper to the target early.
9. When the pipper gets to the target, press and hold the pickle button. Up to this point we were concentrating on the
dive, our airspeed, and getting the BFL and pipper to the target. There is one more very important thing we must
monitor and that is altitude.
10. Bomb release must be made at or above the minimum release altitude. If you cannot do this, you must abort the
pass.
11. As mentioned earlier, there is often a display on the HUD called a delay cue. If the sight depression is more than
170 MILs you will have one. Having a sight depression over 170 MILs means that the target will go under the nose
before the bomb needs to be released. You will normally see a delay cue on passes with a headwind and on the 20, 30
and 45 degree dive patterns. You will still press the pickle button when the pipper gets to the target. But in this
delayed release mode you will get a command steer line presentation that will guide the aircraft across the target while
the target is below the nose.
12. Keep the pickle button pressed and when the computer determines it is time to release the bomb it will. You can
begin your safe escape maneuver as soon as you press the pickle button and the computer will still handle it all.
Normally the command steer line is displayed for less than one second before the computer releases the bomb.
13. Keeping the pickle button depressed until you are well into the safe escape maneuver will get you in a habit pattern
that will be required for ripple releases.
14. Congratulations! If all went well, you have your first shack.
CCRP Bombing
1. Bombing with CCRP (toss or loft delivery/indirect attack) — usually for terminally guided weapons or area
munitions.
2. Get prepared on downwind and base. Make sure you are in the A/G master mode and have CCRP and the correct
weapons program selected.
3. Smooth roll–in and roll–out on final maintain your planned altitude and airspeed.
4. Pre–plan for any known crosswinds. Use wind indicator on the MFD to plan for a “crab” direction for the planned
run–in heading.
5. Disregard the azimuth steering line (ASL) and the other cues during roll out to the run-in heading.
6. Maneuver the TD Box to the centerline of the HUD as you roll out.
7. Get wings level on roll out, then concentrate on flying the FPM to the Azimuth Steering Line (ASL). The ASL
compensates for wind much like the command steering line for delayed CCIP release after pickle button depression.
8. Maintain planned altitude (level) and airspeed.
9. Optimum Toss Range Delivery
a. At about 10 seconds prior to the estimated computed pull–up for optimum toss range (weapon release at about
30° climb), the Pull–Up Cue (staple) appears 10° below the FPM and begins to move up the ASL (at about 1° per
second).
b. At about 5 seconds before the computed release point the Solution Cue appears about 5° above the FPM and
begins to move down the ASL
c. When the Pull–Up Cue reaches the FPM, the TPUL read out changes to TREL time remaining (seconds).
d. When the optimum Pull–Up Cue (staple) reaches the FPM, begin the planned climb maneuver holding the
FPM on the Pull–Up Cue and ASL. The Pull–Up Cue commands a 4 G pull to 30° angle of climb until weapon
release.
e. The Solution Cue (horizontal line on the ASL) will move down the ASL as slant range decreases (at about 1°
per second). Weapon release occurs when the cue reaches the FPM (if the pickle button is depressed).
f. The Pull–Up Cue and Solution Cue disappear when the weapon is released.
10. Maximum Toss Range Delivery
a. At about 2 seconds before the estimated pull-up for maximum toss range (weapon release at about 40° climb
angle), the Maximum Toss Anticipation Cue (circle) will appear. At the pull-up range for maximum toss range,
the max toss anticipation cue flashes and then disappears.
b. The pull up is initiated when the Maximum Toss Anticipation Cue (circle) first disappears as it starts to flash.
A 4 G pull maneuver to a 40° angle of climb will result in a maximum toss range. Minimum afterburner may be
required to achieve maximum toss range.
11. Depress and hold the pickle button (bomb release consent switch) down as the climb is initiated. For this type of
indirect or toss weapon delivery, the computer is calculating the optimum or maximum bomb range release point and
holding the pickle button down acts as a weapon release consent switch.
12. The FPM flashes after weapon release until the pickle button released.
Note: If the miss distance exceeds 1500 feet, weapons release is inhibited.
13. Recover from the climb to the range pattern for the next delivery.
14. If you have flown the pattern correctly, the computer will have put the munition in the terminal guidance “basket”
or the area coverage bomblets are overlaid on the target coordinates.
CCIP Strafe
1. Now let’s look at strafe or the art of putting bullets on target.
2. There are two HUD gunsights available in the T–38C for simulated A/G strafe.
a. The T–38C gunsight simulates an F–16 M61A1 20mm 6 barrel Gatling gun.
b. The A–10 gunsight simulates the GAU-8 30mm 7 barrel Gatling gun.
c. Clicking the Master Mode Switch on the stick aft selects the A/G Master Mode. With CCRP or CCIP selected
on UFCP WPN page, the weapons mode switch on the throttle is pressed to cycle from CCIP to CCRP to CCIP
GUN.
3. You will notice that a new display for strafing is used when you select the CCIP GUN program. The T–38C and
A–10 gunsights use different symbology displays, and use slightly different projectile ballistics.
4. T–38C gunsight:
a. The pipper is the aiming device for employment
b. The solution cue will move down from above the pipper and attach itself to the top of the pipper when you are
within effective gun range (4000 ft., nominally).
5. A–10 gunsight:
a. A gun cross with a dot in the center is the aiming device for the simulated 30 mm gun. When the slant range to
bullet impact is less than 5nm, the slant range (in tenths of a nautical mile) is displayed under the cross. This is the
“in–solution” or in–range cue.
b. When beyond 5 nautical miles or when the gun cross is at edge of the HUD, an “X” is displayed superimposed
on top of the gun cross (no–solution).
6. Getting ready to strafe is very much like a 10° Low Altitude High Drag bomb pass. Get ready on the downwind
and be sure you have selected the CCIP GUN program. As with the bombs, all weapons are simulated and you can
have an unlimited supply. To reload the gun rounds cycle the master arm switch to SAFE and back to ARM.
7. Rolling in and rolling out on final should be done smoothly so as to compensate for any known wind. Roll out
with the boresight cross just above the strafe target. Nose down trim is required to keep the boresight cross in this
position.
8. Track inbound to the target to get to the effective range of the gun. The pipper/gun cross will smoothly move up
toward the target as slant range decreases.
a. For the T–38C gunsight, your slant range to target is displayed on the lower right hand side of the HUD in
hundreds of feet. When the solution cue attaches to the pipper, ease the pipper up to the target and pull the trigger.
Use one single burst.
b. For the A–10 gunsight, your in–solution cue is when the slant range to target in NM (less than 5 NM in tenths)
is displayed under the gun cross. Use one single burst.
9. The sequence of events during this later part of the pass is track, fire, track and then escape.
10. As with the bomb pass, you must be aware of your minimum altitudes. A break-X will be displayed at minimum
altitude just like for CCIP bombs. When you reach your minimum altitude execute a safe recovery for the next pass.
Malfunctions
As you may have already realized, if the computer system fails (MDP) you will not be able to use CCIP/CCRP to drop
bombs or strafe. Without the computer you will not be able to manually accomplish these events either. The EGI must
be working to get you to the target and to determine how well you did. If the HUD or the UFCP/MFD are not
functional you don’t have the displays or systems to get the bomb on target.
No Drop Bomb Scoring
1. The computer that directed you to the target will also score your efforts. The No Drop Bomb Scoring system
presents the Auto Score Page on the MFD 10 seconds after the weapon is released.
2. The display shows what you did versus what you planned to do. The VTR and MDP record this page and it is
downloaded to the DTC.
3. There is another scoring display that can be accessed and that is the Summary Page. Press MR-6 (SUM) on the
MFD to bring up this page. This page shows a summary of each pass (up to 20 total) with actual release parameters,
however no wind data is displayed. If more than 4 passes were accomplished, then the other pages are accessed
through the BACK and NEXT buttons (MB-5/MB-6). The VTR and MDP record this display when it is brought up on
the MFD.
4. So, if you have the pipper on target when you press the pickle button you should have a shack. But what if you
were off a little bit? That leads us to our next objective.
Weapons Employment Errors
Objective 3 — Determine why errors occurred and how to correct those errors.
1. Numerous things can cause a bomb to go somewhere other than where you intended. In order to determine a
cause, these errors need to be addressed systematically. These errors apply primarily to direct attack bomb deliveries,
but the concepts apply to strafe and to indirect attack toss deliveries. Before blame is placed be sure that YOU did
everything correctly.
a. Did you use the correct altitude for the target destination point?
b. If you designated the target, did you get the correct one?
c. Were you making last minute changes with the aircraft when you pressed the pickle button?
d. Were you tracking across the target when you pickled?
e. Did you pull the pipper/gun cross above the target on the gun pass?
f. Were you consistent with each pass?
2. With a computer doing the bombing and the scoring, the error is probably caused by YOU. The computer can
handle changes in dive angle, airspeed variations, and being off altitude. The CCIP bomb pipper will show you where
the bomb is going to impact. The only thing YOU have to control is not hitting the ground and staying clear of the frag
pattern.
3. With your follow–on aircraft, that may not be the case. There are other types of errors that can cause the bomb not
to be a shack.
a. Installation errors
b. Ranging method used
c. INS errors
d. Canopy coefficients
e. Munitions malfunctions
4. If you cannot accept errors in weapons delivery accuracy then use a bigger weapon. Or employ bombs with
terminal guidance or wide area munitions.
Summary
1. CCIP/CCRP Mechanization
2. CCIP/CCRP Employment
3. Weapon Employment Errors
Review Exercise SA–3
Complete the following review exercise by choosing the correct responses. Answers are in Attachment 1
1. What system allows you to select what is removed (declutter) from the HUD for the A/G Master Mode?
a. Mission Display Processor
b. Mission Planning Center
c. Portable Flight Planning Software
2. When rolling out on final the FPM will be below the intended target?
a. True
b. False
3. You will know that the release is delayed by the _______________ being displayed on the CCIP bomb HUD?
a. Slant Range
b. Bomb Fall Line
c. Pipper
d. Delay Cue
4. Nominal effective range of the T–38C simulated 20mm gun is _________ ft.
a. 1,000
b. 3,000
c. 4,000
d. 6,000
5. Nominal maximum effective range of the simulated A–10 30mm gun in the T–38C is _________ .
a. 4,000 to 6,000 ft.
b. 9,000 to 15,000 ft.
c. Less than 5 NM.
d. More than 5 NM.
6. The No Drop Bomb Scoring Summary Page can only present the last four bomb/gun passes.
a. True
b. False
7. To get the best score fire the gun in short bursts to prevent the barrel from getting to hot and affecting the aiming.
a. True
b. False
8. The CCIP GUN Program will only accept one load of 450 rounds of 20 mm or 350 rounds of 30 mm ammunition
per mission.
a. True
b. False
9. Continuing to hold the pickle button down until the nose is to the horizon in the safe escape maneuver will prepare
you for ___________.
a. Ripple Releases
b. Radar Guided Releases
c. Delayed Releases
d. Both a and c