4.0 SEAD Execution

Fundamentally there are two forms of SEAD.

• Preplanned or deliberate SEAD
• Reactive SEAD.

Preplanned / Deliberate SEAD

Preplanned/deliberate SEAD is probably the simplest to understand. In this mode of SEAD, aircraft take preemptive shots against known or suspected enemy positions. Typically, this form of SEAD is done in conjunction with other aircraft under close coordination, in order to provide a window of opportunity for attacking aircraft to strike targets protected under the umbrellas of IAD weapon engagement zones.

Preemptive Targeting (PET) simplifies the mission execution phase of SEAD by shifting some of the burden of planning and decision making to pre sortie activities. In this mode of SEAD, a SEAD Pk commander considers the following:

1.       Striker TOT/TOT (Time on Target and Time Over Target).

2.       Known or suspected threats protecting the target location.

3.       Number of HARMs required to suppress the threat, and for what duration.

4.       Dispositions and Shot Timings of Suppressing Aircraft

5.       Allocation of HARMs for reactive popup threats.

An additional advantage of PET SEAD is that it can greatly reduce the comms flow and latency associated with intra- flight communication.  With a coordinated TOT, Ingress and Egress routing, and preplanned deconfliction of various avenues of fire, the SEAD flights can focus on flying the sortie as briefed without undergoing significant coordination effects while airborne.

Reactive SEAD

Reactive SEAD is broad spectrum of tactics and strategies which possess unique and dynamic challenges.  A SEAD element conducting a PET gameplan which is forced react to a popup threat which is engaging friendly strikers over the target area has a unique set of problems.  In this scenario, the most expeditious employment of the best available weapon to suppress the threat and protect the friendly aircraft would likely be the desired solution.  Conversely, a SEAD element tasked detection and destruction of SAM threats inside of a kill box would likely negatively affect mission success by immediately suppressing threat without first generating targetable coordinates.

What is Required of Reactive Destructive SEAD?

While there are various mnemonics which accurately identify the various tasks associated with SEAD I am particularly fond of using the acronym SD-LSD. SD-LSD stands for Stimulation, Detection, Location, Suppression, Destruction.

Stimulation

This is the act of causing the enemy IADS to turn on their emitters so that they can be located and targeted.  Typically, this is done through deceptive means in order to make the IADS believe it is under attack.  Stimulation can include the following:

                Decoys – TALD

                Standoff Weapons– JSOW

                SEAD Aircraft Trespass MEZ (Wild Weasel)

                Electromagnetic Attack (Limited applications Currently in DCS)

Detection

This is the act of recognizing a threat emitter, or SAM system is active. Detection is necessary for timely, and correct threat reactions. Detection is typically the first step of the location process and may be accomplished through a variety of means.

1.       Radar Warning Receiver (+ Missile Warning Receiver* Select Platforms)

2.       HTS

3.       Rivet Joint Assets / Lowdown

4.       Visual Confirmations (Tally SAM, etc.)

Location

This is the process of generating targeting coordinates for weapon employment. Depending on the desired effect, available weapons, ROE, and theater geography the location criteria may be extremely variable.  For example, the likely location criteria to target and destroy an SA-8 within urban terrain may require 10–100-meter accuracies whereas the location criteria to target and suppress an SA-6 site north of a target area maybe acceptable with nm level accuracy. 

While the HTS will predominantly be the preferred method of accurately and timely locating threat sites, visual acquisitions and terrain orientation in conjunction with markpoints can be another reliable method.  Moreover, in environments where visual acquisition is not possible synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mapping can be another acquisition technique.

Suppression 

Suppression is typically the act of employing ARM against threat locations with the intent of neutralizing, degrading, or destroying enemy threat systems.  Used in conjunction with destructive tactics this is often a vital first step in enabling follow on actions to decisively destroy threat systems.

Counter HARM capable threats may require saturation attacks where more than one ARM is allocated per time window/frame to account for threat counter HARM engagement. Moreover, some threats may require numerous separate off access attacks in order to ensure HARM TOF survivability.

Destruction

Destruction involves the act of committing weapons and aircraft towards the destruction of an emitter positions.  While valid HARM shots may based on weapon pk and target type, yield kinetic kills on radar emitters this is not always a reliable method. Stand off weapons such as the JSOW and PGMs such as JDAM and LGB can be employed simultaneously with the HARMs in order to better effect the target.  (More on this later)

Effective SEAD – Appling TOF Analysis

One way to evaluate the effectiveness of a SEAD plan is to conduct a time analysis. To better understand the desired effects we are trying to achieve, we need to define some terms.

• SAM Acquisition Time- This is the amount of time it takes for a SAM to detect, target, and employ on a contact inside of the MEZ. (Timing depends on the System)
• SAM Time of Flight (TOF) – This is the amount of time it takes for a SAM to intercept a target inside the MEZ. (TOF is a function of how far inside the MEZ a contact is.)
• Sam Intercept Time (SIT) – This is a sum of SAM Acquisition Time and SAM TOF.
• HARM TOF (HTOF) – This is the amount of time it takes for a HARM to leave the launching aircraft and travel to its target. Obviously, this number is affected by a wide variety of factors such as launch speed, loft, and altitude, angle off from target, distance from target, and launch profile / HARM submode.
• HARM Employment Frame (HEF) – This is the time required to detect, target, and employ and HARM onto a threat in addition to the HARM TOF.  Typically, in PET this number is reduced as the reaction time required to detect and target is removed so long as pilots employ on timeline.  In reactive SEAD the time required to detect, target, employ the HARM as well as the HARM TOF are pitted against SIT.
• HARM Employment Timing (HET) – This is the interval between HARM shots (PET SEAD).

In figure above we can see the difference between effective and ineffective SEAD.  With ineffective SEAD the SAM operator can engage a target before the HARM has time to interdict. With effective SEAD even if the SAM operator attempts to engage the target the HARM can interdict the tracking radar prior SAM TOF timeout. This timing analysis has applications for both PET and Reactive SEAD. 

With PET SEAD the HARM employment timing (HET) should attempt to be less the SIT. Similarity, for anchored reactive SEAD care should be taken in selecting a anchor/track which minimizes the HEF so as to ensure the timing is less than SIT.