Fighter Combat

FIGHTER MISSIONS 329bombers' defensive fire and to deal effectively with the often heavy force ofescorting fighters. CAPs are better suited to defending against penetrationraids, which are generally composed of small attacking elements that arenot accompanied by fighters.The C 3 network for a CAP defense system can be very complex. Itsduties normally include long-range target detection, target identificationassistance, assignment of individual CAPs to each raid, long-range interceptcontrol, obtaining from higher authority the clearance to fire on agiven target (if clearance is required), and keeping all participants apprisedof the current overall defensive situation. When CAPs are committed tovarious targets, the C 3 system has the responsibility of shifting CAPs fromone place to another, committing GAIs, etc., to maintain the integrity ofthe system and to ensure coverage of the most critical CAP stations. Moremundane C 3 tasks include tracking fighter fuel states, allocating airbornetanker assets, and even assisting CAPs in maintaining their assignedstations. When stations are over open ocean or large expanses of tracklessdesert, etc., the fighters may not have the navigational capability to maintainthe prescribed stations, as electronic aids to navigation may be beyonduseful range, or they may be jammed, destroyed, or silenced to deny theiruse to the enemy. A self-contained, jam-resistant navigation capability foreach fighter, such as that provided by inertial navigation systems (INS), isinvaluable under these circumstances for reduction of C 3 workload. Datalinkcapability between fighters and controllers provides further workloadreduction and increased resistance to enemy jamming. Multiple fighterradios can also aid in reducing frequency congestion.The best control techniques vary greatly with the defensive situation,but quite often a combination of broadcast and close control provides goodresults. Broadcast control can be issued on a continuous basis to keep allCAPs updated on the big picture. This information aids the pilots inobtaining their own target contacts, maintaining their defensive posture,and planning for necessary gaps in coverage, such as for refueling. Controllersusually have a better picture of the overall defensive situation than doindividual pilots; therefore, under ideal circumstances, pilots should notinitiate their own intercepts on contacts which will cause them to leavetheir assigned station unguarded. When the defense coordinator decides toassign a CAP to a particular target, he should, when it is practical, pass theCAP to another controller and control frequency for close control. It is thecoordinator's responsibility to allocate his defensive assets (i.e., CAP, GAI,SAMs, etc.) most efficiently to counter each target track. Individual initiativeon the part of the pilots can make this task much more difficult orimpossible. Pilots should, however, retain the authority to attack anyhostile aircraft penetrating their assigned airspace and to report any sightingsor contacts which are apparently unknown to the C 3 system, asdetermined from monitoring the broadcast-control transmissions.Contingency plans are necessary for situations in which the C 3 networkbecomes saturated or communications are jammed. Quite often underjamming conditions the defending pilots can communicate with nearbyCAPs, but not with central control. Under these conditions the pilots may