ASTAC

ASW/ASUW Tactical Air

Controller
OSC(SW/AW) Charter
“Cartmen”
Classification
• Unclassified
What We are going to cover
• Prowords
• SonoBuoys
• Traffic Calls
• Comms
• Aircraft Squadron Basics
Prowords
Prowords
• Cherubs – Hundreds of Feet in the air
• Angels – Thousands of Feet in the air
• Devils- tens of feet below the surface
• Demons- hundreds of feet below the surface
• Goblin- Unknown subsurface contact
• Pointer – DIFAR buoys
• Cadillac- DICASS Buoys
• Bloodhound- Circle search pattern torpedo
• Cobra- Run out pattern torpedo
• Dogbox- Hot torpedo area(STAY OUT)
• RAMROD- numbers coded by a 10 letter word that can’t repeat letters. Ie “RAINBOWSKY”
Prowords
• Hot – Contact gained
• Cold- No contact gained
• Sweet- Mode is correct
• Sour- Mode is invalid
Sonobuoys
Sonobuoys
• Directional Command Activated Sonobuoy System (DICASS)
• SSQ-62
• Proword: Cadillac
• Active buoy (makes noise)
• Gives bearing and range information immediately
• Target solution with one buoy
Sonobuoys
• Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording (DIFAR)
• AN/SSQ-53
• Proword: Pointer
• Passive Buoy (does not make noise)
• Gives bearing ONLY. NO RANGE
• Need two buoys to get an exact location and target solution
Traffic Calls
Traffic Calls
• You are Antietam Control
• Your squadron is HSM-77
• C/S Saberhawk
Traffic Calls
• BRA • DDHA
• Bearing • Distance
• Range • Direction
• Altitude • Heading
• Altitude
Bearing Range Altitude (BRA)

7,000 ft 15nm
Wave Rider 81

1,500 ft
SaberHawk 710

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Traffic, BRA 300, 15
nm, Angels 7, Wave Rider
81
710: Rgr, looking
Bearing Range Altitude (BRA)
5nm
7,000 ft
Wave Rider81

1,500 ft
SaberHawk 710

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Traffic, BRA 330, 5
nm, Angels 7, Wave Rider
81
710: Tally, no factor
Bearing Range Altitude (BRA)
19nm

1,200 ft

900 ft
SaberHawk 710

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Traffic, BRA 030, 19
nm, 1200 ft
710: Rgr, looking
Bearing Range Altitude (BRA)

15nm

1,200 ft

900 ft
SaberHawk 710

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Traffic, BRA 070, 15
nm, 1200 ft, tracking
Southwest
710: Rgr, looking
Bearing Range Altitude (BRA)

500 ft
SaberHawk 710 9nm

1,200 ft

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Traffic, BRA 120, 9
nm, 1200 ft, tracking
Southwest
710: Talley, no factor
Distance, Direction, Heading, Altitude
(DDHA)

7,000 ft 15nm
Wave Rider 81

1,500 ft
SaberHawk 710

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Wave Rider 81,
15nm, 10 o’clock, tracking
East, Angels 7
710: Rgr, looking
Distance, Direction, Heading, Altitude
(DDHA)

7,000 ft
Wave Rider 81

10nm

1,500 ft
SaberHawk 710

You: SaberHawk 710 de

Control, Wave Rider 81,
10nm, 12 o’clock, tracking
East, Angels 7
710: Talley No factor
Distance, Direction, Heading, Altitude
(DDHA)
500 ft 1,200 ft
SaberHawk 710

20nm

You: SaberHawk 710,

Control, Stranger 20nm, 2
o’clock, tracking Southwest,
1200ft
710: Rgr looking
Distance, Direction, Heading, Altitude
(DDHA)
500 ft
SaberHawk 710

15nm
1,200 ft

You: SaberHawk 710,

Control, Stranger 15nm, 3
o’clock, tracking Southwest,
1200ft
710: Rgr looking
Distance, Direction, Heading, Altitude
(DDHA)
500 ft
SaberHawk 710

12nm

1,100 ft

You: SaberHawk 710,

Control, Stranger 15nm, 3
o’clock, tracking WEST,
1100ft
710: Rgr looking
Distance, Direction, Heading, Altitude
(DDHA)
500 ft
SaberHawk 710

9nm

900 ft

You: SaberHawk 710,

Control, Stranger 9nm, 3
o’clock, tracking west, 900ft
710: Rgr talley, altering
course North
Communications
Comms

Land Launch Hawklink

• Known as L/L (lima/lima)
• UHF
• Shared with Tower(TWR)
• NEVER USE IT FOR TACTICAL
CONTROL!
• SHF
• 1 Aircraft Only
• Buoy information
• Encrypted
• FLIR VIDEO
• ISAR
• Secured comms 2 way comms
• C Band (Old busted joint)
• KU Band (New hotness)
Comms

SCC Air Coord Redcrown

• Owned by the SCC
• Secured and Unsecured
• UHF
• Multiple Aircraft tactical control
• UHF
• Secured and Unsecured
• Owned by AMDC
• Controls the FADIZ
• Checks in and out aircraft
• Compare Mode 2s & Mode 4s
Aircraft/Squadron Basics
Aircraft/Squadron Basics
• Side numbers
• 100-400 are F/A-18s
• 500s are E/A-18s
• 600, 60x are E-2D
• 610-619 are MH-60s
• 700s are MH-60R
• Brief cards
• Work with squadron and find out what suits you and you’re a/c team
• Pilots and AWs do NOT generally know your ships systems and capabilities. Teach
them and ask them. Share information.
• Link 16 is a must and helps a lot. Link 16 is different than Hawklink however, the
two can work in tandem
Questions?