You Have 120 Seconds to Stay Alive — Come join me in the cockpit

You Have 120 Seconds to Stay Alive

The terminology and sequence below are simplified for illustration. Exact procedures vary by aircraft, weapons system, doctrine, ROE and tactical situation.

Alright, are you ready? Congratulations you made it through years of hardwork, sweat and tears (a bit of blood too) and you are finally here, cruising at 30 thousand feet having the time of your life, life is good, look at the clouds below and the beautiful earth peeping out between them. This is what you worked for — or is it? This is when you get a call over the radio from an air defense controller. He’s trying to keep his voice calm but you can sense the panic in it. A number of high speed bogeys are advancing towards your border and you have to respond.What is the first thing you do?

Take a deep breath, take control of yourself. This is what you prepared for all those years. The tears and sweat were for this very moment. This is your moment so calm down.

The controller will shout out the numbers, the vector, the altitudes, the distance, the aircraft types, the formation shape (the shouting is not helping buddy, we are trying to keep our composure here, why is he even shouting sitting in an air conditioned room sipping his coffee!). Judging by the distance and speed from the bullseye, you estimate its 2 minutes before they reach a point where they will be in range to release their weapons and you have to stop them. First thing to do after calm down ? Well, commit and punch your stopwatch while you are here reading with me. 2 minutes , 120 seconds tik tok.

Commit

Commit is when you turn towards the approaching threat and climb to combat parameters (mostly maximum height and speed you can achieve).

Tik Tok you turned towards the threat and lost some time tik tok 100 seconds. Next thing to do is adjust your Radar scan. The area to scan in horizontally and vertically is pre decided between formation members on ground. Tik tok 90 seconds.

Select your switches. What switches to select ? Depends on what you are going in for to shoot? To threaten ? get your armament switches and settings ready accordingly. Tik tok 80 seconds. Take a glance at your flight parameters but wait have you even given your RWR (Radar warning Receiver) a glance? Quick take a glance are your being threatened ? if so by who and from what direction ? Are you naked?

Naked

Naked is the condition when there are no threats on your RWR. No one is searching or tracking you (not the other kind of naked).

Tik tok 75 seconds.Wait, didn't you just set your desired Radar scan to search the area ? Quick look at the Radar. There they are , you start seeing the Bandits. Wait they were bogeys before but bandits now?

Bogey

An unknown contact (visual or on Radar) whose identity and intentions have not been identified yet.

Bandit

An aircraft that has been clearly identified as an enemy but its intentions are not clear yet. It could attack or could just be an intimidation act.

Tik tok the controller and your formation members are constantly shouting while you are doing all this attaining combat parameters trying to manage your energy making trade offs between height and speed while assessing how much fuel you have left to manage your throttle, searching your assigned area, looking at the RWR, scanning the Data link to get a better picture of the battle area and your brain is fusing all of this information. Too much ? That is what the decades of sweat and tears were for so man up. Tik tok 65 seconds. You have approached MELD.

Wait you are climbing indefinitely. Stop, if you keep climbing will you end up in a a long range SAMs envelope ? Tik Tok 60 seconds. Back to MELD

MELD

MELD is the range you have now moved from sanitizing the target area and narrowed your radar beam to a smaller AOR (Area of Responsibility) that was assigned to you. Now, go ahead and sort.

Tik tok 55 seconds

Sort

Sort is the range where each member assumes targeting responsibilities. These are assigned by formation leader over Data link or Radio.

Tik tok 40 seconds.

Look at your Radar screen now and remember the formation shape that the controller shouted in your ear 60 seconds back (seems a long time ago? Well that's what the training is for. So just remember what he said). Now make sense of the picture on your radar screen. Which one do you want to go for first? Pick one, also look at your RWR please. Change your radar mode but wait first positively identify what your are targeting is the right one ask your controller, look at the Data Link. The controller replies in the affirmative. Tik tok 30 seconds. Put your Master armament on. Ready ? Shoot then. Tik tok 30 seconds. Don't just watch the missiles, look at your RWR and also turn away come on Crank.

Crank
Crank is a maneuver where you turn away from the threat to conserve range. So that you don't keep heading towards the enemy while your missile has not gone active.

Tik tok 20 seconds. Wait for your missile to go Pitbull.

Pitbull

The point at which an active radar-guided missile has gone active and is using its own onboard radar to guide toward the target.

Your screen shows the missile time-to-go till it intercepts the target. You are cranking, its time to decide this is the Decision Range.

Decision Range

This is the distance where you must take a decision to Re commit into the fight or go out and come back later.

Make a decision. 15 seconds. How to make a decision? It depends on the current situation. Do the rules of engagement allow you to go further? Take more risk? Is someone in your formation in need of help? Are you being fired at in return too? Do you need to go defensive and go cold (out)?

Tik tok. 10 seconds.

Wait.

Why is your RWR screaming?

You look down.

SINGER

Missile launch.

GO OUT. OUT. OUT

SINGER

When your Radar warning receiver indicates a missile launch.

Go out. Now reassess, let that breath go that you have been holding for the last 120 seconds. Listen to your formation, listen to the controller, look at the Data Link. Take a deep breath and Recommit because this is what the decades of blood, sweat and tears were for Tik Tok.