Air Assault Operations CPT Jaron Wharton

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Air Assault OperationsCPT Jaron Wharton
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Purpose

• The purpose of this brief is to
  teach/re-familiarize leaders with Air Assault
  planning TTPs and fundamentals.
• BNs are the lowest level that can resource an
  AASLT, but the contemporary operating environment
  may require a squad to conduct an operation as
  part of a QRF, TCP establishment, etc.

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References

• FM 90-4, AASLT Operations
• Gold Book, 101st ABN Division (AASLT)
• 101st Airborne (AASLT) Leaders Training Program

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Agenda

• Definitions
• Five Stages of an Air Assault
• Ground Tactical Plan
• Landing Plan
• Air Movement Plan
• Loading Plan
• Staging Plan
• Summary
• Questions

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Air Assault Tenets

• Integration of assault forces and helicopter
  assets
• Maneuver under the control of the ground or air
  commander
• Engage and destroy enemy forces
• To seize and hold key terrain
• Deliberate, precisely planned, vigorously
  executed
• Allow friendly forces to strike over extended
  distances
• Attack the enemy when and where he is most
  vulnerable

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Air Movement Tenets

• Operations other than AASLTS many of the same
  facets, but not an ASLT
• Move troops and equipment
• Emplace artillery pieces and ADA systems
• Transport ammo, fuel, and supplies
• Large scale operations still require detailed
  planning
• Aviation is not task-organized but are released
  to return to their parent units upon mission
  completion

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Definitions

• AATFC AASLT TF commander (guy overall in charge
  of the operation)
• AMC air mission commander, usually an aviation
  commander (ATK or LIFT Battalion CDR)
• GTC ground tactical commander (guy on the
  ground)
• AMCM air mission coordination meeting, initial
  AASLT COA
• AMB air mission brief, OPORD for AASLT, PZ to
  LZ
• FARP forward rearming and refueling point,
  aircraft CSS location
• DART downed aircraft recovery team
• SEAD suppression of enemy air defense
• Tadpole Diagram describes lift compositions
• ALNO aviation officer, aviation officer at BDE
  to plan

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Lift/Serial/Load
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Five Stages of an AASLT

• Ground Tactical Plan (GTP) Drives the AASLT
  all other considerations are subordinate to
  placing forces where they need to be to fight the
  way they need to fight.
• Landing Plan
• Air Movement Plan
• Loading Plan
• Staging Plan

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AIR ASSAULT PLANNING METHODOLOGY
STAGING PLAN
LOADING PLAN
AIR MOVEMENT PLAN
LANDING PLAN
GROUND TACTICAL PLAN
PLANNING
LP1
PZ
LZ
CAA
LP2
ASSY AREA
LP3
PZ
CAA
LZ
LP4
EXECUTION
RECON SECURITY GUIDES C2 SEQUENCE
PZ SELECTION PZ CONTROL PZ C2 MVMT TABLE BUMP
PLAN SEQUENCING PZ POSTURE
FLIGHT PLANNING IAW LNO AMC ROUTES, AXIS
SP/RP LOCATIONS C2 CONTROL MEASURES MVMT TABLE
SEAD TIMINGS REFUEL/REARM FLIGHT MODES
LZ CONSIDERATIONS SINGLE MULTIPLE
SELECTION SECURITY SPTING FIRES ORIENTATION C2
FORMATION CSS RESUPPLY CASEVAC
WHAT HAS CHANGED?
ESTIMATE BACKWARDS PLAN REHEARSALS (W/WO ACF)
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Five Stages of an AASLT

• Five stages/plans tie together in this way
• -GTP drives LZ selection
• -LZ selection drives the landing plan and air
  movement plan
• -Flight routes and current friendly locations
  dictate the loading plan and PZ locations
• -Loading plan defines the requirements that
  become the staging plan
• -Good GTP takes into account the limitations of
  LZs, aircraft available, routes, etc. to mass
  combat power at the decisive point

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The Ground Tactical Plan

• Foundation of the AASLT and developed by the GTC
  IAW doctrine, TTPs, and METT-T.
• GTP drives LZ selection (false LZs).
• GTP Components
• Mission objectives
• Primary/alternate LZs
• Task Organization
• D-day/H-hour times
• Forces required/available
• Special equipment required (kick-off bundles)
• Fire Support Plan (including prep fires)
• ATK aviation missions (CAS or CCA)
• Means of identifying LZs
• Landing formations
• Offloading Procedures (right/left door exit,
  assemble en route?)
• CASEVAC and CSS issues

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The Landing Plan

• Generally one primary LZ and one alternate LZ per
  maneuver BN (each serial must be ready to execute
  at either)
• Forces must land ready to fight
• Organize on the PZ, not the LZ
• Fly and land in the order of march/assault
• Each serial is able to fight as a team/tactical
  integrity
• Provide inbound guidance to a/c both radio and
  visual
• Ground forces exit one or both doors (METT-T)
• Vehicles and ground forces clear LZ quickly
• Rehearse off-load during cold load training,
  which is mandated. Not all of your soldiers have
  been on a UH-60 or CH-47.

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The Landing Plan

• The landing is a critical component of the AASLT
  because it is here that forces are most
  vulnerable so the conditions must be set.
• Two types of landings driven by METT-T
• -Away from the OBJ (MTC)
• -On the OBJ (raid, FLS seizure, cordon)
• There are many considerations for where you
  land, usually time/enemy sensitive.

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The Landing Plan

• Condition Setting
• -Higher level activity, usually BDE level
  activity
• -Purpose Attrition of enemy combat power that
  can affect the AASLT force
• Targeting Teams use of theater assets and
  organic assets that will assist in the arrival of
  the AASLT force with risk mitigated (COLTs, AVN
  assets, SCOUTs)
• Understand that higher tries to make your
  landing conditions favorable but it wont always
  happen.

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The Landing Plan

• Grid GL 12345678
• Land Heading 0 degrees
• Marking IR Strobe
• Left Door Exit
• AVN Call sign Hardcore 6
• Door Gunner instructions
• Distance/Direction to OBJ
• NFA locations
• Ranking man on a/c or chalk leader should be on
  the dog bone and listen for a cherry or ice
  call.
• Who gets off firstLTC Hal Moores efforts were
  motivational but were they necessarily smart?

OBJ
Wharton LZ
N
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Situational Awareness

• Hot LZ procedures battle drills
• Critical from PZ to LZ
• Where are we during flight?
• When will we land?
• Whats waiting for me at the LZ?
• Ground element/chalk leader has responsibility
  from PZ to LZ
• Required Items to have or know
• Marked air route map
• Compass
• PLUGR or Garmin
• Commo card
• Air Movement table, tadpole diagram, PZ/LZ
  sketch
• FM radio
• Location of friendly forces in OBJ area
• Where Murphy pops up - the helicopter wont
  always drop you in the correct location, GPS
  cant track on board, too much metal to verify
  helicopters land heading on your compass.

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The Air Movement Plan

• Flight operation from PZ to LZ and return
• Air Mission Commander (AMC) receives all Army
  aviation forces and enroute fires to include
  initiation of LZ preparatory fires.
• One-way flight routes and air corridors are
  utilized.
• Air Movement Table is the base document for the
  plan
• A/C locations
• and type of a/c in each serial
• Departure point, route to and from loading area
  and, lift-off and landing times

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Flight Route Example
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Air Movement Table Example
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The Loading Plan

• Based on the Air Movement Plan
• Ensures that troops, equipment and supplies are
  loaded on the correct aircraft
• Aircraft loads are placed in priority to
  establish a bump plan
• Planning must cover
• Organization and operation of the PZ
• Load positions
• Day and night markings
• Communications
• Loading plan knowledge critical when mixing
  internal and external loads or when mixing
  aircraft types.
• Additionally, the leader must identify who will
  fly on which aircraft, i.e. you dont want to
  have all of your mortar tubes, MGs, key leaders
  on one a/cmust sync with GTP.

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Situational Awareness

• Chalk Leader Responsibilities
• -Usually an E-5/E-6
• -Provides copies of manifest (1 x himself, 1SG,
  crew chief/pilot, PZ check-in)
• -Rehearses cold load training and instructs
  personnel on how to correctly load/unload
  aircraft (UH-60s, 90 degrees from the
  side/CH-47s, 45 degrees from the rear)
• -Monitors radio during flight
• -Tracks all aerial checkpoints IOT verify
  location upon landing
• -Ensures personnel prepared to dismount the
  helicopter NLT five minutes out
• -Echoes execute command to exit aircraft

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The Loading Plan
Chalk Card 3 x 5 card

• Front
• PZ Name
• LZ Grid w/same datum as used by a/c
• ALT LZ grid
• Lift
• Serial
• Chalk
• OBJ Name

• Back
• Full Name No Bump
• 1. Chalk LDR
• 2.
• 3. 3rd PL
• 4.
• 5.
• 6.
• 7. Breach Kit
• 8.

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Bump Plan

• Ensures critical men and equipment are loaded on
  aircraft should mechanical or other problems
  limit planned air resources.
• Each aircraft in a serial must have a bump
  priority and each soldier on a chalk must have
  bump priority.
• If an aircraft on the PZ can not lift off and key
  personnel are on board, they will offload and
  reload another aircraft that has priority.

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Staging Plan

• Based on the Loading Plan and prescribes the
  arrival time of ground units (troops, equipment
  and supplies) at the PZ in the proper order of
  movement
• Loads must be ready before aircraft arrive at the
  PZ
• Ground units usually expected in PZ posture 15
  minutes before aircraft arrives
• Restates PZ organization, defines flight routes
  to the PZ and provides instructions for air
  link-up.
• Staging Plan may also follow the Ground
  Tactical Plan as part of a planned withdrawal.

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Sub-unit Responsibilities

• Send chalk leaders to PZ orientation if
  applicable
• PAX/vehicle must know lift ,serial , chalk ,
  LZ
• Vehicles rigged by air assault qualified
  personnel
• Use internal communications on the PZs
• Identify chalk leaders and signalmen early in
  planning process

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Summary

• Five Stages to AASLT Ground Tactical Plan,
  Landing Plan, Air Movement Plan, Loading Plan,
  Staging Plan
• Leaders must incorporate time to rehearse loading
  and landing aircraft introduce contingencies
  into these rehearsals
• Quickly move off of LZs and maintain security in
  PZ posture at all times
• Principles for air movement operations are
  similar to air assault operations

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Questions?